976 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



frame so tightly that it can not move the 

 box closes with a hook and staple at the top, 

 and the outside of the frame now becomes a 

 part of the box. A I'V or § inch hole is bored 

 in the frame near one lower corner of the 

 frame for an entrance for the bees, as seen 

 in the cut. While I have used this style of 

 box almost exclusively for a year and a half, 

 there were several disadvantages that I have 

 tried to overcome in the construction of a 

 later model. I made some 300, several 

 months ago, of a pattern that I like much 

 better, as it entirely encloses the frames 

 containing the honey, and it has a tight-fit- 

 ting water-proof cover. The frames fit in 

 these boxes in such a way as to be tight-fit- 

 ting, and can be hauled or handled any side 

 up or in any position, as do also the other 

 boxes. The principal objection to the old 

 style of box was its bee-smashing qualities, 

 its liability to take water in heavy rains, 

 and its comb of honey being so near the out- 

 side that it afforded a greater attraction to 

 ants and robber bees. 



LAWS' NEW-STYLE NUCLEUS BOX. 



On each of the boxes is placed a little 

 queen-excluding button, one end solid, and, 

 when not in use, is turned so the queen can 

 mate. One end is used to close entirely the 

 entrance; the other to confine the queen aft- 

 er mating to avoid any danger from abscond- 

 ing. There is a hook and staple attached to 

 each of the little boxes that closes with a 

 snap and holds all tightly and securely until 

 released. 



To get combs filled with honey, and to have 

 them so as to be conveniently worked on the 

 hives, frames of proper dimensions were 

 made to fit crosswise in an eight-frame half- 

 depth super. Second-quality combs, and 

 those containing much drone comb, were cut 

 out from the standard frames, and trans- 

 ferred into the little frames, 13 of which 

 just fill a super, and an L. comb will exactly 

 fill four of the baby-nucleus frames. These 

 supers of combs are then set on any populous 

 colonies, to be filled with honey. 



I have 750 boxes of the old pattern, and 

 300 of the new model. I have also a thou- 

 sand of the little combs of honey. With 

 these I think it would be easy to mate two 

 or three thousand queens per month. 



Last season I used nursery cages and vir- 

 gins exclusively; but I have found it more 

 convenient and labor-saving at times to at- 

 tach the ripe cells right on to the combs of 

 honey just before the bees are poured into 

 the boxes, then let them stay 48 hours be- 

 fore carrying out to the mating-grounds. 



It is not always a necessity to change the 

 bees with each mating of the queens. Ripe 

 cells may be given as by the old method; 

 but this would destroy the rapidity of whole- 

 sale mating, as it is intended the plan shall 

 do. For good queens and quick work I favor 

 the introduction of virgin queens from five 

 to seven days old. When virgins are used 

 we can select and throw out all scrubs be- 

 fore introducing to the baby nuclei. 



My nursery cages are so constructed that 

 two holding 20 compartments each are placed 

 in an L. frame, and are so pivoted that the 

 top of the cages remains right side up, no 

 matter in what manner the frame is held. 

 These 40 compartments are covered on the 

 sides with wire screen, and the top of each 

 is covered with a small waxed wooden cap 

 to which the cell is attached; a i^R-inch hole is 

 bored a half-inch deep in the bottom of each 

 of the cages, which are coated with beeswax 

 and filled with honey from a common clean 

 oiler, to which the young queen may help 

 herself as needed. 



These nurseries containing cells are hung 

 in upper stories of populous colonies con- 

 taining laying queens, as queenless bees will 

 select one or two, and worry the others to 

 death; while colonies with laying queens 

 will pay no attention to the virgins. I have 

 a select mating-ground just half way be- 

 tween two of my breeding-yards. One yard 

 contains 65 colonies, and the other 150. 

 These yards are only two miles apart, and, 

 although robbing may occur in or about the 

 yards, and at times it might be dangerous 

 to lift a few covers, yet I have worked half 

 a day at a time, at this mating-ground, 

 combs of honey exposed nearly all the time, 

 but not a comb has been robbed nor have I 

 seen a robber. This item of working with 

 a seclusion from robber bees is worth much. 



Are there drones at the mating-grounds? 

 Yes, on afternoons I have heard the noisy 

 fellows, and seen them in great crowds, ev- 

 idently attracted there by the great number 

 of queens ; and I believe that a queen seldom 

 leaves the mating-ground to find her mate. 



On one occasion I left by accident a num- 

 ber of queens caged until 18 days old. I saw 

 that a number of them had mated within 

 two hours after distributing the nuclei one 

 hot afternoon. 



I have picked up these freshly mated vir- 

 gins, and thrown them in hives from which 

 I was taking cells, and in a few days found 

 them filling their combs with eggs. 



I can not see but there is as good a catch 

 of fertile queens from the baby nuclei as 

 from those of larger dimensions. 



Last November 57 matured cells were 

 given to as many nuclei, and they were 

 hauled 15 miles to mate to special drones. I 

 caged 51 queens from this lot. 



