24G FIFTY YEARS AMO\X, THE BEES 



will a cell be found elsewhere than on the edge of the 

 comb, and I have never known the bees to start a cell 

 after the larvae were too old. T do not know why there 

 is this difference. T only knovs' the fact. But it is a 

 ver}" convenient fact. 



AGE OF LARV.5: FOR OUEEXS. 



Scientists tell us that a worker-larva is fed for three 

 days the same as a queen-larva, and then it is weaned. 

 Theoretically, then, up to the time a larva in a worker- 

 cell is three days old, it ought to be all right to rear a 

 queen from. Practically, I do not believe a larva three 

 days old is as good as a younger one. The only reason 

 I have for so believing is the expressed preference of 

 the bees themselves. Give them larvse of all ages from 

 which to select, and they always choose that which is 

 two days old, or younger. Indeed, it will be seen that 

 in the comb from which I have trimmed the edge (Fig. 

 89) the larv^ on the edge of the comb have been out of 

 the egg but a short time, for I merely trimmed away the 

 eggs, and possibly not all of them. 



PLACING THE BREEDIXG-COMB. 



The breeding-comb, thus properly trimmed, is taken 

 to the queenless colony, and put in the vacancy that was 

 left for it. On the top-bar of the frame is penciled the 

 date on which the cells are to be cut out, allowing ten 

 days from the time of putting in. Thus, if the frame 

 be given June 27, the number 7 is put on the top-bar, July 

 7 being ten days later than June 2T. No need to put the 

 month on. Beside giving the date, that figure marks the 

 frame, so I can know at a glance which frame to take 

 out. At the same time a memorandum of this date is 

 put in the record book to remind me when to cut the 

 cells. 



Some one may ask, "But if you leave nearly all the 

 old brood in the hive, will the bees not start cells on 



