DE-QUEENING DURING THE HONEY FLOW I59 



from which it is desired to get cells for making increase or similar 

 purposes. The colony being queenless will at once build sev- 

 eral cells in order to provide another. Some system of marking 

 is used to note the condition of the colony. Nine or ten days 

 later a second trip is made through the yard, to cut out all queen 

 cells but one in each hive. At this second visit all cells found 

 in the colonies marked as A. No. 1, will be saved. Only one will 

 be left to insure a queen and the others will be placed in the 

 hives which have markings showing that they are not up to the 

 standard. All poorer or surplus cells are destroyed. 



An accident to a cell or to the new queen on her mating trip 

 would leave the colony hopelessly queenless, as there will no 

 longer be eggs or young larva? in the hives. To provide against 

 such contingencies a number of nuclei are started and provided 

 with cells to insure a sufficient number of extra queens to supply 

 the colonies whose queens are not successfully mated. A third 

 examination will be necessary after the elapse of a similar period 

 to ascertain whether queens are present and to supply those 

 colonies where failure has resulted. 



It will sometimes be necessary to cut cells from a part of the 

 colonies in advance of the time of this wlxolesale de-queening, 

 or as only a small number of swarms will if bue they may be hived 

 in the usual manner. This method, while somewhat drastic, 

 has the desired effect and perhaps comes as near controlling 

 swarming as any other. In the discussion that followed the 

 presentation of the plan by F. W. Hall at the Iowa Bee-keeper's 

 Convention there was serious objection to it on the part of some 

 very successful apiarists. It is contended with good reason that 

 many valuable queens will thus be destroyed and that one year 

 is not long enough to give a queen an opportunity to show her 

 good points. Those who follow the method, it will be noticed, 

 make exceptions of those queens which are especially promising 

 and retain them as breeders. \\Tiile there are some extensive 

 bee-keepers who will find the method suited to their require- 



