CHAPTER VI 

 Present Day Methods. 



While most queen breeders of the present day use some 

 modification of the Doolittle cell cup method, a few still cling 

 to the Alley plan or some modification of it. J. L. Strong, a 

 well known queen breeder of Iowa, who has but recently re- 

 tired, continued to follow the Alley plan in detail until the end 

 of his queen breeding career. Mr. Strong was a beekeeper 

 for half a century and engaged in commercial queen rearing 

 for about twenty-five years. The Davis queen yards in Ten- 

 nessee use a modification of this method, using drone comb 

 instead of worker comb. This necessitates grafting, as with 

 artificial cell cups. 



The Davis Method of Using Drone Comb. 



At the Davis yards in Tennessee, a modification of the 

 Alley plan is used. Instead of cutting down worker comb in 

 which eggs have already been laid as in the Alley plan, they 

 cut down fresh drone comb wherever available. This neces- 

 sitates grafting of larvae the same as in the cell cup method 

 later to be described. Strips of new drone comb are cut down, 

 as already described, and fastened to wood supports. Royal 

 jelly is taken from queen cells the same as in the cell cup method, 

 and a small quantity placed in each drone cell which it is desired 

 to use. Worker larvae from the hive occupied by the breeding 

 queen are then carefully lifted from their cells by means of a 

 toothpick or grafting tool, and placed in these prepared cells. 

 Every third or fourth drone cell can be used in this manner. 

 These cells are given to strong colonies to be built, the same 

 as by the Alley plan or cell cup plan. 



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