GLEANINGS IN BEE CQLTURE. 



May 15. 



ry cells, as the thick incrustation of comb pro- 

 tects them. In removing these cells from the 

 bar I place my queen-cell knife on the hot bar- 

 rel of the smoker for a few seconds, and then 

 cut off the whole row of cells as easily as cut- 

 ting butter; the warm knife is then slipped be- 

 tween each cell, dividing them ready for the 

 cages. I can assure you that it is a pleasure to 

 .handle these cells after those built hup-hazard 



have bright cloudless days, and the increased 

 warmth thus generated induces the bees to 

 breed more rapidly, and I thus manage to se- 

 cure thousands of tine drones much earlier than 

 I otherwise should. When the weather becomes 

 warmer, and the strength of the colony will ad- 

 mit of it, the glass is dispensed with. A zinc 

 honey-board is placed on, and the bees induced 

 to work in the upper story, and are then devot- 



[NSEllTING THE LARV.T:. 



on the combs. I don't know whether you have 

 ever tried this drone-cell planr'but in any case 

 I will describe briefly the viodus operandi. 



Toward the end of winter I select several of 

 my finest colonies as drone-producers, and, af- 

 ter removing the lids, place an empty super on 

 each, and then cover the frames with good thick 

 cushions stuffed with cotton, and then on top of 

 each super I lay a sheet of glass. We usually 



ed to completing cells as per photo. Sometimes 

 I place the prepared cells at once into these up- 

 per stories, but usually place them in a strong 

 queenless colony for a couple of days before 

 placing them in theupper story, by which meth- 

 od very few cells will be refused, and results 

 identical with those shown in the photo will 

 be achieved. 

 To prepare these cells I cut off a row of drone- 



