JULY 15, 1913 



497 



A bunch of steers enjoj-ing their first meal of sweet clover hay. See page 500. 



her ill a little tube of wire closed by candy. 

 Four of the boxes (or two or three) are 

 placed in the breeding-case and brought to 

 the mating-station not earlier than the fol- 

 lowing day, in order that the bees before 

 fl^'ing- out may be accustomed to their home 

 and to the queen. After ten days, as a 

 rule, the fertile queen can be removed, 

 which is extremely easy to do, and two or 

 three days later a new queen can be intro- 

 duced in a candy-cage. The great advan- 

 tage of these glass boxes is the easy and 

 quick control, without any disturbing of 

 the nucleus. A further gain is the possi- 

 bility of various observations through the 

 glass. 



In the picture I show a simple feeder 

 wliieh is made of a zinc box, the opening 

 being covered with a piece of gauze. 



Zug, Switzerland. 



MATING-STATIONS 



BY J. A. HEBERLE, B. S. 



Numerous mating-stations have been 

 started of late in Germany, Austria, and 

 Switzerland. It is the Swiss, with their 

 thorough organization of beekeepers, who, 

 about fifteen years ago, started the mating- 

 stations. Since then, every year the bee- 

 keepers who pay special attention to queen- 

 rearing have a meeting — a breeders' con- 

 ference. For two days the methods of queen- 

 rearing are thoroughly discussed and ex- 

 periences are exchanged. Lectures and dem- 



onstrations make this conference \'ery in- 

 teresting and instructive. 



From the first conference on, they se- 

 lected with care a few of the best out of a 

 large number of colonies for mating-sta- 

 tions and for queen-rearing. Eggs were 

 sent by mail, so that many could rear 

 queens from a colony that had distinguish- 

 ed itself. Only black bees (natives) were 

 considered ; but these had been crossed with 

 Carniolans, and, to a small extent, with 

 Italians, which increased the difficulty of 

 pure breeding considerably. Surely much 

 must be accomplished where so many work 

 systematically with intelligence and patience 

 on one joroblem. 



These breeders were not satisfied with 

 just rearing queens from selected colonies. 

 They wanted these selected queens to be 

 mated with drones from choice colonies. 

 Mating-stations were established. Colonies 

 were selected with special care as to char- 

 acteristics and qualities to blend harmoni- 

 ously with the selected queens. Colonies 

 placed at these stations are called "droehne- 

 rich " or drone colonies. The stations are 

 placed in as isolated places as possible. 

 There are reports in bee literature that bees 

 fly as far as five miles. That would imply 

 that within a radius of ten miles no apiary 

 and no wild bees should be found, to be cer- 

 tain of pure mating. Such a distance, liow- 

 ever, is not necessary. Three miles I con- 

 sider sufficient to ensure a high percentage 

 of pure matings. If at all times a large 

 number of drones are flying at the station, 

 good results will be even attained at a dis- 



