CHAPTER IV 



Equipment for Queen Rearing. 



The kind and amount of equipment necessary for queen 

 rearing will depend to a great extent upon conditions. The 

 beekeeper who wishes to rear but a few queens for use in re- 

 queening his own apiaries, can get along very well with limited 

 equipment. The commercial queen breeder, who expects to 

 send out several thousand queens each year, will do well to 

 provide a liberal amount of equipment, for, otherwise, he will 

 be hampered and unable to get the best results. An effort is 

 made here to describe the various systems of management, 

 and the reader can select what most appeals to him. In general, 

 the simpler the system, the more efficient and the larger the 

 amount of work which can be accomplished in a given time. 

 Several different methods are described for doing the same 

 thing, yet it is manifestly unwise for any individual to provide 

 himself with all the equipment described, or to undertake the 

 various systems outlined, unless it be for the purpose of experi- 

 ment rather than for practical results. Usually it is best to 

 use modifications of equipment used for commercial honey 

 production so that in the event of a change back to regular 

 beekeeping the equipment can mostly be used, or sold to other 

 beekeepers in case of giving up the work. Second hand queen- 

 rearing equipment is difficult to sell, since there are comparative- 

 ly few men engaged in commercial queen rearing. 



Grafting House. 



On visiting the queen breeders of the south, I was much 

 impressed with a grafting house in common use in the queen 

 rearing apiaries of Alabama. While it is possible to make 

 use of the kitchen or other warm room in the house, or to do 

 the work in the open air in warm weather, the little building 



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