42 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



ficial cup method it is actually necessary 

 to us^a larva for a queen-cell, as an egg 

 would not stay in a cell if placed there ; 

 and, again, the bees would be pretty sure 

 to remove it, when under the same cir- 

 cumstances they would not molest a lar- 

 va, but at once nurse it as they would 

 had they started the cell themselves. I 

 never have used a larva over a few hours 

 old for starting cell-cups. This is nearer 

 nature's way. 



The diflferent methods for starting 

 cell-cups. 



The intelligent beekeep r it seems 

 to me will not be long in deciding which 

 of the methods here described is the 

 best, most practical, and more in ac- 

 cordance with nature's way for rearing 

 queens. Why fuss and bother to make 

 artificial cell-cups, transfer jelly and 

 worker larva, when the bees can be so 

 easily induced to do all such work and 

 so much better, neater and exactly in ac- 

 cordance with nature? 



In my experience the last thirty years 

 I have found that the less there is of 

 artificial about any of the operations 

 connected with beekeeping, the more 

 successful I have been. To follow na- 

 ture's ways as closely as possible has 

 been my aim. 



Comb foundation has been called ar- 

 tificial comb, but there is nothing arti- 

 ficial about it when made of pure bees- 

 wax. 



I think I have shown that there is 

 not the least advantage in starting queens 

 by first forming artificial cell-cups. As 

 long as there is not the least difficulty 

 in getting bees to start all the cell-cups 

 needed in the natural way, I see no 

 good reason why one should resort to 

 artificial methods to get them. Yet if 

 anyone prefers to rear queens in that 

 way, there can be no serious objection 

 to it. We advise all to adopt the best 

 methods for managing the apiary under 

 all conditions. The methods that have 

 stood the test of years, and have proved 

 to be the most practical, are the ones 

 for the beginner to follow. 



I have given two plans for having 

 queen-cells built in full colonies while 



a fertile queen still has the full freedom 

 of the combs in the brood-chamber. 

 The method for the novice to adopt is 

 the one where a queen-excluder is used 

 between the upper and under hive. The 

 advantages derived from this plan are 

 two fold. First, the queen is kept where 

 she is constantly depositing eggs, while 

 the bees are hatching rapidly in the 

 upper-story and at the rate of neaqy fif- 

 teen hundred per day, thus continually 

 adding fresh nurse bees to the colony. 

 When it is known that it is the young 

 bees (those from six days to three weeks 

 old that do all the labor inside the 

 hive) the advantages of this method of 

 queen-rearing can be appreciated by 

 experienced beekeepei^s. 



To •whom belongs the crpdit of this 

 ■method of rearing queens. 

 It is not an easy matter to decide 

 who was first to give the public the 

 method of rearing queens above a queen- 

 excluder while a fertile queen still held 

 possession of the combs in the main, or 

 proper brood chamber. Several parties 

 claim the credit of this discovery ; yet 

 as nearly all who think they were the 

 originators of that best of all methods 

 gave it to the public on or about the 

 same time, no particular person can 

 rightfully claim the credit of it. Dr. G. 

 L. Tinker, G. M. Doolittle and another 

 man whose name I have forgotten, and 

 myself, all unknown to each other were 

 experimenting upon this method, and 

 all gave it to the public in the spring 

 of 1889. None of the above parties, 

 however, claim any credit for rearing 

 queens in the brood-chamber and having 

 queen cells built upon the same combs 

 while a fertile queen still had the free- 

 dom of the entire brood- chamber. Until 

 some one comes forvvai-d to dis]>ute my 

 claim, I shall continue to claim the 

 credit of being the originator of this 

 method. 



Something about those who make 

 advancement in bee culture. 



There are so few of those people who 

 keep bees that have ever made any ad- 



