230 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



points of the cells too soon. Besides, if 

 this is not done, this operation cannot be 

 repeated more than twice before la3ing 

 workers will appear, and then we will 

 have to start with a new set of combs. 

 In fact, when the second batch is remov- 

 ed, theqneen from the next colon}' to be 

 prepared should be given to them, the 

 bees to build the next cells shaken oflF on 

 combs free from unsealed brood, and the 

 brood placed over an excluder as in the 

 first case, to be used ten days later for 

 cell building. If one is in so much of a 

 hurry that ten days is too long to wait, 

 the first batch can be built by bees pre- 

 pared as in the last case by forming a 

 nucleus with the queen, or otherwise dis- 

 posing of her. 



Whenever the combs are to be used 

 the second time, by exchanging places 

 and shaking bees into the hive so as to 

 get young ones, the brood given about 

 the time the cells are sealed should be 

 from over an excluder or from bees long 

 enough queenless so that all the brood 

 will be sealed by the time the first batch 

 of cells mature, then it will not have to 

 be removed. 



The main idea is to have bees just de- 

 prived of their queen and of unsealed 

 brood. The cups can be given in an 

 hour or so when they have some sealed 

 brood. 



Those who do not desire increase, but 

 wish to rear a few queens, can hive the 

 swarm on empty combs on the old stand, 

 cage the queen and place her on the 

 frames and return her to the parent col- 

 ony at night. 



The cells should be given as .soon as 

 they can be prepared after the swarm is 

 hived; and, when they are mature, the 

 parent colony returned to its former posi- 

 tion, having been set back a few feet, at 

 the time of swarming, and the swarm 

 shaken from the combs. 



No one can tell in one article of all of 

 the little things connected with the ma- 

 nipulation of the bees, or anything else 

 about queen rearing, but it is hoped that 

 some ideas will be advanced that will aid 



others in properly varying matters accord- 

 ing to circumstances, for no one can 

 make a success of it unless he can do some 

 planning and thinking for himself. 



The dipping stick should be made as 

 shown in the illustration, and not larger 

 than 5-16 of an inch in diameter. The 

 tapering part should be 5-16 

 of an inch long; reduced rap- 

 idly for the first ys of an inch 

 and then gradually reduced 

 to the end. It should slip 

 into a worker cell yg of an 

 inch before filling the mouth 

 of the cell, form a sink in 

 the wax cup that will bear 

 sufficient pressure to make 

 the cocoon fit snugly without 

 touching the bottom. 



The stick should be dipped 

 rather less than % of an inch 

 deep into the wax, and four 

 dips complete a cup and at- 

 tach it to the bar. For the 

 first three times hold the 

 stick so that the drops will 

 form and set on first one side 

 and then the other, and thus 

 form a foot to fit in the notch- 

 es as shown in bar with cells 

 attached. [ See the cut on 

 page 240. ] Then loosen it up 

 on the stick, dip again, place 

 in the notch, and it will ad- 

 here, and not snap offfwhen 

 the transfer of cocoon is made. 

 The notches are exactly ^ of 

 an inch apart from center to 

 center, and the tin divisions in the "nur- 

 sery the same, so that a whole batch can 

 be placed into it without detaching the 

 cells. Some may ima.gine that the notch- 

 es in the bar interfere with the cutting oflf 

 of the cells when it is desirable to do so, 

 but such is not the case, as a table knife 

 inserted at one side of a cell will easily 

 pry it out. After a bar is notched it 

 should be mopped with melted wax, es- 

 pecially in the notches, before the cups 

 are attached. During a honey flow the 

 cells are joined together by the bees 



