1M04 



(,LEAN1N(;S IN REE CULTURE. 



I't 



MODERN QUEEN-REARING 



As Practiced at the Root Co.'s Yards ; a Brief and 



Compreliensive Treatise on the Latest and Best 



Methods, Gleaned from all Sources. 



Continued from Last Issue. 



BV GKO. W. PHILLIPS. 



About 14 cells should be placed on each 

 frame, as shown in Fig. 5. The nail-points 

 can be inserted into the same holes again 

 and again, as the blocks have no strain on 

 them, and the bees glue them down firmly 

 as soon as they are put into the hive. 



Now, let us consider the part that these 

 wooden blocks play in simplifying queen- 

 rearing. It is not necessary to "get up 

 steam'' and set wax to melting in order 

 either to fasten the cells to them or to fast- 



P^ig. 5. 



en them to the cell- frame. In this respect 

 we have an advantage over many systems 

 in vogue. The}' are easily transferred 

 from one frame to another. Every queen- 

 breeder should see the advantage of this 

 feature. It enables us to regulate the cell- 

 building according to the capacity of each 

 colony. We often have colonies that will 

 accept an almost unlimited number of cells, 

 but are not capable of completing more than 

 12 satisfactorily. At the same time, there 

 may be others capable of completing more, 

 but not good at accepting. By using these 

 wooden plugs, the accepted cells less than 

 24 hours old can be detached and distribut- 

 ed in the most advantageous manner. It 

 is as annoying to let a good colony of bees 

 fuss with a scant number of cells as to let 

 a hen waste time by sitting on a nest of two 

 or three eggs. Since using this system we 

 have been able to get more cells completed 

 by fewer colonies and with less work. We 

 generalh" let each of our queen-rearing col- 



onies complete 12 cells so that every colony 

 has its time well occupied; and we never 

 have to open a colony, remove the cell-frame, 

 and brush off bees in order to take care of 

 two or three ripe cells. Another advantage 

 which the wooden cell-cups or cell-holders 

 have, is that they can be removed and 

 handled without risk of cutting into or 

 breaking them, as in the case where the 



Fit:. (I 



wax cells are fastened on in the old maaner. 

 In fact, the use of a knife is entirely done 

 away with. 



GRAFTING. 



The subject of grafting queen-cells has 

 been gone over many times, and yet SO per 

 cent or more of the readers of Glkaning-S 

 know little or nothing about it. I make 

 this an excuse for going into details in this, 

 which, to the expert, may seem elementary. 



The first thing needed is royal jelly. At 

 the start it will be necessary to make a 

 colony queenless in order to get this; but 

 when once operations are well started it 

 can be obtained from the grafted cells, Jas 

 in Fig. 6. 



G represents an unsealed queen-cell. H 

 shows the same broken open so as to facili- 

 tate the removal of the royal jelly. E rep- 

 resents the spoon for removing the royal 

 jelly from cell H; and F, the little fellow, 

 is the larva-lifter or "transferring-needle." 

 as the artist has been pleased to call it. 



Fig. 7. 



Unsealed jelly must be used, and this 

 should be stirred before using. One well- 

 fed cell, taken just before it is sealed, will 

 supply enough jelly for two frames of cells 

 (28) or more. Royal jelly gets hard very 

 soon after it is removed from the hive, there- 



