350 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



■Tune, 1921 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



less and therefore in a condition to build 

 queen-cells. Tlicy will at once begin to en- 

 large many of the worker-cells in order to 

 make them over into queen-cells. Soon some 

 of the eggs will begin to hatch and the 

 young larvae will have the best of care 

 from the many nurses that are there to care 

 for them. In this manner they must choose 

 larvae that have just hatched, and they 

 feed them with an abundance of royal jelly 

 so that the very best queens are reared. I 

 have noticed in many cases the cells are 

 enlarged before the egg is hatched, thus in- 

 suring that the young queen-to-be will re- 

 ceive an abundance of food. 



In about 10 or 11 days from the day this 

 comb was given to the cell-building colony, 

 it should be removed and the cells taken 

 care of. The cells should be cut out of the 

 comb with a sharp knife. A circular hole 

 about one and one-half inches in diameter 

 should be cut so as not to injure the cell. If 

 colonies are to be requeened, they should 

 be made queenless at least 24 hours previous 

 to this. Go to a queenless colony, cut a cir- 

 cular hole in the comb, and into it fit one of 

 the cells you have just cut from the comb. 

 These cells must be handled with care, or 

 the young queen may be injured. The re- 

 mainder of the cells may be disposed of in 

 this manner if desired. Increase may be 

 made at this time by dividing the colonies, 

 a.nd giving a cell to the queenless part. In 

 a few days young queens should emerge and 

 in seven or eight days more they will fly 

 out to mate. One or two days later they 

 should be laying. In this way you have 

 reared some first-class queens, and just think 

 of the fun you have had. Jay Smith. 



Vincennes, Ind. 



an^c»= 



SAVE THESE WAX DIAMONDS 



Simple Plan for Using the Splendid Queen Cells 

 Built by Swarming Colonies 



Because we have become dependent upon 

 our southern queen-breeders in early spring 

 is no reason why we should not rear some 

 queens ourselves later in the season when 

 conditions have become favorable for such 

 work. As honey producers we have a bet- 

 ter chance to select our breeding stock than 

 the professional queen-breeder, and I be- 

 lieve it behooves us to improve this oppor- 

 tunity. 



I will not speak of the manner or methods 

 best suited to obtain well-nourished queens, 

 but will only say that any honey producer 

 who has sufficient time is not on his job if 

 he does not make the best use of queen- 

 cells which he may find in his most profit- 

 able colonies during the swarming season or 

 when such colonies take it into tlieir heads 

 to supersede their queens. These are like dia- 



monds to be picked up by the observant. If 

 we should have the luck to find such queen- 

 cells near the close of the honey season, 

 there is perhaps no better way to utilize 

 them than by removing old queens from 

 other colonies and giving them these cells. 

 This is the surest, the simplest, and the least 

 expensive way to requeen and to introduce 

 queens. Earlier in the season such a pro- 

 cedure would cost a portion of the honey 

 crop; such a sacrifice we do not like to 

 make, and I know of no short cut by which 

 we may save valuable queen-cells in a very 

 satisfactory way to me except by keeping 

 them in nuclei. 



One who has not all the necessary para- 

 phernalia for queen-rearing may break up 

 colonies that have cast a swarm several 

 days previously and use them for this pur- 

 pose. It may be possible to form as many 

 little colonies from one mother colony as 

 there are brood-combs, but I prefer to use 

 two-comb nuclei. A queen-cell placed be- 



.#r^ 



Natural queen-cells built during the swarming 

 season. 



tween two combs near the center will nat- 

 urally be protected and kept warm. When 

 the young queens have filled their two 

 combs pretty well with brood, then is a very 

 favorable time to transfer them to hives 

 where requeening is desired. 



The introduction is very simple and not 

 accompanied with any danger, provided it 

 is to be done in the same yard. I just re- 

 move a comb with the old queen from the 

 hive to be requeened and give one of the 

 brood-combs, bees, and queen from the mat- 

 ing colony instead, making room for it 

 at one side of the hive and being sure the 

 new queen is on the side of the comb next 

 to the side of the hive. Even when the re- 

 queened colony is a honey-storing colony, 

 the work will go on uninterruptedly. The 



