CHAPTER XIV 



REARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS 



QUEEN-REARING 



In a small apiary there is little need for the special 

 rearing of queens ; the natural increase may safely be 

 depended upon to supply all the colonies which lose 

 their queens or which have unprofitable ones. It is 

 always well for even the most casual bee-keeper to 

 take the trouble to re-queen from his strongest and 

 best colonies. However, the time when queen cells 

 are naturally built may not be the most convenient 

 or the most desirable time for giving certain colonies 

 a new mother. This being the case, queens may be 

 developed through the power of suggestion, as 

 follows: Select a frame of brood from the best 

 colony; with a toothpick tear down the partitions 

 between three worker cells which contain eggs or 

 larvse less than two days old and destroy two of the 

 eggs or larvse; repeat the operation in several places. 

 Place the frame back in the hive, being very sure 

 that there is sufficient space between it and its 

 neighbouring frame, so that good queen cells may 

 be built. If there is a scarcity of honey, feed the 

 bees. The cleverness of bees is clearly proven by 

 the readiness with which they take a hint, and they 

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