

Vol. xiy. 



DEC. 15, 188G. 



No. 24. 



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DRONE COMB. 



W. 



Z. Hutchinson Gives us Some very Valu- 

 able Points from Experience. 



HOW TO H.WE IT BUILT IN THE BKOOD-N KST, ANI> 

 HOW NOT TO HAVK IT BUILT. 



@N page 716 Cora Major gives a report of some 

 very valuable experience in hiving swarms 

 in empty brood-chambers. Four colonies 

 built no drone comb; six built from tlnee to 

 six inches square of drone comb; two had 

 one-half drone comb; throe, one-fifth drone comb; 

 while one had all drone comb and InM their qiiccn. 

 I wonder if the order of the last hive ought not to 

 be reversed; that is, they lost their queen and t)icii 

 built all drone comb. I wish she could liave told us 

 the ages of the queens, as this is an important 

 point. My only trouble with drone eomi) ha.? l)een 

 when the queens were old; and in such instances it 

 is passlhle that the use of drone fdn. in the sections 

 ni'mlit remedy the difficulty. Almost all who have 

 tried hiving swarms upon empty frames have been 

 pleased with the result, with the exeepti(>n that, in 

 many instances, the Vices built too much drone 

 comb. As this is the jirincipal objection, it is worth 

 while to try to learn ivhji bees build drone comb. 



They build drone comb either to rear drones in it, 

 or to enable them to store honey more rapidly. 

 The question would naturally follow, Whr)i, and un- 

 der what condition, do bees rear drones? They 

 raise them only when they expect there will soon 

 be queens to mate with them. Before swarming, 

 bees always rear drones: i. c., if allowed to do so. 

 If allowed to build comb at this time, it is always 

 drone comb. Not only this, but <lroius are always 



reared in it immediately. I believe I have mention- 

 ed before in Gleanings, that one year, just be- 

 fore swarming began, I inserted an empty frame in 

 the center of each of 2,'> colonies, and every frame 

 was filled solid full of drone comb, and drones 

 reared in almost every cell. When these colonies 

 swarmed, many of the swarms were hived upon 

 empty frames, and, with the exception of two 

 swarms that had old queens, these swarms built no 

 drone comb. Before the bees swarmed thej' knew 

 that drones must be provided for the fecundation 

 of the j-oung queens. After they have swarmed 

 they have a fertile queen, and no disposition to 

 swarm; hence no drones arc reared, (oiJey.s the 

 (lueen is old and the bees have in mind the super- 

 seding of the (luten. In the old liives the drones 

 hatched, and the bees filled up the frames of drone 

 comb with Intncj/. Although the drone combs were 

 in the center of the biood-nost, not another drone 

 was reared in them that season. If bees are allow- 

 ed no drone comb before swarming they will rear 

 drones in worker cells. After they have swarmed 

 they have no desire for drones, unless they are 

 about to supersede their queen. Many have re- 

 ported that their newly hived swarms built drone 

 eonibs wlicTi the (jueens were n<it old. True; but 

 look 'e here; lln)) didn't ((ii'.scVoii/ (/roues; they filled 

 the drone coml) wiih honey, which proves that they 

 did not build drone comb for the purpose of rear- 

 ing drones. Almost all who have reported trouble 

 from the bees building too much drone comb have 

 also reported that the bees stored honey in the drone 

 comb; and when bees do this it is because they are 

 gathering honey rapidly, and they can store it fast- 

 ei- by buil.ling store or drone comb tluiii they can 



