58 PRACTICAL QUEEN REARING 



removed until four days from the time when she begins to lay 

 in its cells. At that time nearly all the cells should be filled 

 with eggs and some newly hatched larvae. 



This new comb freshly filled is ideal for cell building pur- 

 poses. The best side of the comb is used for the queen cells 

 and is prepared by destroying two rows of worker cells and leav- 

 ing one, beginnning at the top of the frame. This is continued 

 clear across the comb. We will now have rows of cells running 

 lengthwise of the comb, but if used without further preparation 

 the queen cells will be built in bunches, that it will be impossible 

 to separate without injury to many of them. Accordingly 

 we begin at one end, and destroy two cells and leave one in each 

 row, cutting them down to the midrib but being careful not to 

 cut through and spoil the opposite side. Some practice destroy- 

 ing three or four rows of cells, and leaving one to give more 

 room between the finished queen cells. 



We now have a series of individual worker cells over the 

 entire surface of the comb, with a half inch or more of space 

 between them. The practice varies somewhat with different 

 beekeepers beyond this point. However, this prepared sur- 

 face is laid flatwise with cells facing down, over the brood nest 

 of the queenless colony, first taking care to make sure that any 

 queen cells they may have started are destroyed. In general, 

 it is recommended that the colony be queenless about seven 

 days before giving this comb. By this time there will be no 

 larvae left in the hive young enough for rearing queens, and the 

 bees will be very anxious to restore normal conditions. Some 

 beekeepers simply take away all unsealed brood, rather than 

 leave the bees queenless so long. 



As generally used, this method requires a special box or 

 frame to hold the prepared comb. This is closed on one side 

 to prevent the escape of heat upward and to hold the comb 

 securely in place. Figure 24. Some kind of support is neces- 

 sary to hold the comb far enough above the frames to leave 

 plenty of room for drawing large queen cells. It is also advis- 

 able to cover the comb with a cloth which can be tucked snugly 



