The Rearing of Queens 



421 



moved. The workers remodel the cells which contain the 

 eggs, making them into queen cells. 



The Hopkins method. Another method has recently been 

 recommended by Hopkins 1 for getting queen cells in quan- 

 tity. A new comb is given to a breeding queen to be filled 

 with eggs, after which it is removed, and with a sharp knife 

 three out of every four rows of cells across the comb are cut 

 away to the midrib, leaving every fourth row intact. Two 

 of every three eggs are then destroyed as described previously, 

 as well as any 

 eggs accidentally 

 left between the 

 rows. This comb 

 is now laid face 

 down over the 

 brood-chamber of 

 a queenless colony, 

 being raised above 

 the top-bars of the 

 hive by means of 

 an empty frame or 

 a specially con- 

 structed collar. 

 The sealed queen cells are shown in the accompanying il- 

 lustration (Fig. 185). To protect the developing queens 

 from cold, the horizontal frame should be covered with a 

 light mat. To prevent sagging, the comb may be supported 

 by wires wound around the frame between the rows of cells. 

 It is possible that when so many cells are built some 

 queens are not good. 



With any of these methods the queen cells may be cut 

 out and protected with a West spiral wire cell protector and 

 given to a colony or small nucleus, or they may be placed 

 in a nursery cage for the queens to emerge. 



FIG. 185. 



Queen cells reared by the Hopkins 

 method. 



1 Hopkins, I., 1911. The illustrated Australasian bee manual, 

 ington, N. Z. See also various journal articles by this author. 



Well- 



