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THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



Deuenihcr 



gathered from the fields, and we can 

 always consider it safe to go according 

 to the teachings learned by a close 

 observation of our pets, and unsafe to 

 go contrary to the rules and laws which 

 govern the economy of the hive. Con- 

 sequently, if we would rear queens at 

 any other time than when the fields 

 meet all of the requirements, we must 

 meet with these requirements, by sup- 

 plying them from the feeder, or in some 

 similar way. But this part of the 

 matter has been gone over many times, 

 and is doubtless familiar to all but the 

 novice in the business. Therefore 1 

 will leave it with ihe few hints given, to 

 touch upon a matter which I am led to 

 believe is not so well understood. Now, 

 when in the state of nature, how did 

 tlie bees construct the cells or 

 cradles for their queens? The larger 

 part of the writings on tliis matter 

 would have us believe that the bees 

 enlarged a worker cell containing a lar- 

 va of the right age for queen-rearing, 

 and constructed a queen-cell over it. 

 But a close observation during the past 

 thirty years compels me to say that 

 bees never do this, when swarming or 

 supersedure are conducted under a nor- 

 mal condition. AVell, if they do not do 

 it in this way, how is it done? Always by 

 starting the cell-cup along the edges of 

 the combs, at the bottom or sides, or 

 more frequently in or about some hole 

 or depression of the combs. These cell- 

 cups are made quite heavy at the base 

 by using wax and propolis, and not in- 

 frequently by collection of debris from 

 about the hive, till the completed ceil is 

 so strong that it will tear the comb 

 apart rather than yield itself to the 

 pressure brought to bear in removing it 

 from its place. Such are very different 

 from queen-cells built over larva, as is 

 the case where the apiarist removes a 

 queen to cause the bees to construct 

 queen-cells, and have much to do with 

 rearing first-class queens. How? 

 Principally in that they are larger and 

 more roomy, especially at the base. 



Into these cell-cups the queen deposits 

 an egg, whether the case is superse- 

 dure or for .swarming, and upon the 

 hatching of this egg the larva is sur- 

 rounded with chyle or royal jelly. ?o 

 that it spreads out all about it in a 

 crescent form, llu; larva lying in the 

 centre. As the larva grows the cell is 

 lengthened, and more food supplied, 

 till, upon sealing over, the cell is nearly 

 half full of royal jelly, and that in 

 shape where the larva can reach its 

 food easily during all the time it is 

 spinning its cocoon, and till it cca.st's to 

 eat more, when passing into the pupal 

 form. If we examine one of these cells 

 immediatelely upon the queens' emerg- 

 ing, we will find a lump of royal jelly 

 nearly or (juite as large as a pea. 

 remaining in the bottom of the cell, and 

 that in a shape of a crescent, showiui: 

 that the queen was not cramped at all 

 when eating her last meal as a larva. 

 Now, look at the base of a queen-cell 

 built over a worker cell, or from a stri}) 

 of worker comb, having the cells cut 

 down, and every other larva killed with 

 the brimstone end of a match, or from 

 strips of drone comb, as many recom- 

 mend, and see how the clumsy larva, 

 half larva and half pupa, so to speak, 

 has to cramp itself to get those last 

 meals, or go without; which last meals 

 are the finishing touches, which go to 

 make the ditference between the really 

 good queen and the only fairly good. 

 And the cell-cups having the worker 

 !)as(!. which arc made artifically, have 

 the same objection. 



But the editor said I must nut be 

 lengthy, so 1*11 drop thai right here, 

 and leave it for food for thought to 

 those who have not thought on the 

 matter before. Lastly, these naturally 

 built queen-cells will be found to be 

 fully one-sixteenth of an inch larger in 

 diameter than iiueen-cells built over 

 larval on work(ir comb. From the differ- 

 ent forming sticks and cell-cups which 

 have been sent me. I judge that the 

 most of them have been made by measur- 



