1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



KIT 



sajje, aiul barht-n y hoiu'vs wwikl ever firaiiu- 

 late if left three or four months on the hive 

 after cappiiij^ was completed. 



Sage honey left in the hive ten months 

 becomes so thick and tenacious that it will 

 string out like sort wax, but show no indica- 

 tion of granules. 



Dove, Cal. 



R.AISING QUEENS ON A STICK. 



Doolittle's Method a Great Success; a Few Vahia- 

 ble Hints for Queen-breeders. 



BY A. E. DEWAR. 



The May numbers of Gleanings have just 

 reached me, and I feel that I must " line up " 

 and support my friend II. L. Jones in his re- 

 marks on the 

 value of the 

 '•New Method 

 of Queen-rear- 

 ing." 



I n January 

 last I visite 1 the 

 Mel Bonn m 

 Apiary, and I\Ir. 

 Jones then de- 

 scribed to me 

 his method of 

 utilizing drone 

 combforqueen- 

 cells; and al- 

 though 1 ai'niit 

 that a sa\-ing in 

 time is eflFected, 

 yet, after trial, 

 I still prefer 

 Mr. Doolittle's 

 plan. 



I am sending 

 you a photo 

 showing fair 

 average results 

 secured, a n d 

 method of pro- 

 cedure, whic 1 I 

 will describe 

 briefly. After 

 making cells as 

 instructed In 

 Doolittle, insert 

 a small quanti- 

 ty o; royal jelly 

 A larva from a 

 selected breeder 

 is then trans- 

 ferred with a 

 single stick 

 made from a 

 piece of s e c - 

 tion, thick at 

 one end, to break 'own walls of cells, and 

 quill - shaped at the other to lift larvie. 

 The fiame to which they are attached is then 

 given to the top story of a strong colony con- 

 taining a queen confined under a double hon- 

 ey-board. Such C' lony is utilized right 

 through the season for this purpose; a plenti- 

 ful supply of hatching brood is given to it regu- 



larly, with the result that about HO per cent of 

 the cells are acc< pted, and well and evenly 

 developed. Should tlie honey-flow cease tem- 

 porarily tlie colony is fed liberally. 



I really can not understand how any one 

 who has a large demand lor queens could re- 

 sort to the old style, as there are -o many ad- 

 vantages in using artificial cells. The necessi- 

 ty of mutildting good worker-brood comb is 

 overcome, and a considerable amount of time 

 is saved, as, by keeping a ])roper register, the 

 cells can be found wilhout overhauling all the 

 fr ime of the colony, and they can be left se- 

 vered alone till at le st the tenth day from 

 starting. I gtnerally use IS to 20 eel Is on each 

 trame, but have had as many as '27 accepted in 

 one lot. I m living about 200 miles further 

 north than Mr. Jcnes, bui I do not think the 

 climaie has much effect < n the result to long 



R.AISING yl'ElvXS BV THE DOOLITTI.K PI.AN. 



as the colonies are strong w th a plentiful sup- 

 ply of youn^ bees, and a fair flow of honey. 



The frame in the foreground of pholo shows 

 Iti well-develo|ied cells ju.st read^ to hatch, 

 and they will be i istiibuted in vaiious auclei, 

 and its place will be taken by a frame with 

 a new supply of cells, and so the process is 

 repeat d. Queens raised by me have taken 



