RAISING QUEEN BEES 



breeder has to make his own cells by dipping 

 a wooden rake tooth in melted wax, and stick- 

 ing it to a bar of wood with more or less dan- 

 ger of its becoming detached, and it is difficult 

 to handle such cells individually. 



The Swarthmore System is superior to 

 either the Alley or the Doolittle System, as 

 they compel the queen-rearer to permit the 

 bees to start the cells on a strip of brood comb 

 under the Alley Method, and the objection to 

 this is that there is more or less risk in injur- 

 ing the queens when cutting the cells from 

 the combs, to say nothing of the nuisance of 

 having each cell all ragged at its top in han- 

 dling. 



The Swarthmore plan has every advantage, 

 as each cell is fastened in a little wooden 

 cup, and can even be handled roughly without 

 fear of injury, and as for cell-starting, it is 

 more convenient than any other system. 



Now that your virgins have been hatched, 

 the next thing is to mate them, and the small 

 mating-box does this effectually, and does 



109 



