168c THE PRACTICAL BEE GUIDE. 



pence. The mandril should be marked at a distance of 9/16 inch 

 from the end. We now require a bowl of cold water, and a vessel 

 containing melted wax placed in a tin dish containing water, and set 

 over a spirit lamp, or any other suitable contrivance which will keep 

 the wax at melting point, but not much beyond that. We dip the 

 mandril into the bowl, shake the water off it, and insert it for an 

 instant in the wax up to the 9/16 inch mark, withdrawing it at once 

 and spinning it rapidly in our fingers with the object of getting an 

 even distribution of the wax on the mandril. We then dip it a 

 second time, but to a less depth, say to J inch, withdrawing and 

 spinning it as before, in such a manner that the lower end shall 

 receive most of the wax. As the wax sets, we continue the process 

 five or six times, immersing the mandril a shade less on each occa- 

 sion so that the thickness of the covering of wax shall be mainly at 

 the point of the cell. When cold, the cell may be twisted off the 

 mandril. The operation may be expedited by the use of two or three 

 mandrils, one being dipped and spun while the others are cooling: 

 with this object, a block of wood, with grooves to hold the mandrils, 

 will be useful. The cells are then fastened, by melted wax, to one 

 side of a lath cut to fit into a frame from side to side (2S3 and Fig. 97), 

 or they may be inserted in the commonly-used wooden cups, which 

 are fixed by small spikes to the lath (Fig. looc.^) or, if flanged at one 

 end, are passed through holes cut for the purpose in the lath. The 

 method may be much simplified, and the making of artificial cells 

 obviated, by the use of wooden cell-cups prepared and sold for the 

 purpose. These are lined with wax aud may be had either with nail 

 points, for fixing them to the laths, or with flanges as described above. 

 The bees build queen cells in these cups. 



300d Supplying " Royal Jelly." — The cells having been prepared 

 either by ourselves or by the bees, we take from a stock a queen 

 cell which is nearly ready to be sealed, we remove the larva and 

 stir up the jelly in the cell. Then, with the spoon end of the trans- 

 ferring tool, (Fig. looc. c) we remove a very small quantity of the jelly 

 and insert it at the bottom of one of our new queen cells, or cell-cups, 

 proceeding until all have been supplied. Doolittle, to whom so much 

 credit is due for his discoveries, gave jelly the size of a B. B. shot, or 

 i/8th inch in thickness, to each cell. 



300e. Inserting the Laivs We now go to a stock occupied by a 



"best tested queen " (285), remove a comb containing young 

 worker larvae, brush oft the bees, wrap the comb in flannel, or place 

 it in a heated box (291) and carry it to a warm room. Our cell-cups, 

 supplied with jelly, are arranged, mouth uppermost, before us. 

 With the curved point of the transferring tool we lift from the cells 

 larvEe 24 hours, or not more than 36 hours, old (283)>and place one 

 on the jelly in each cell cup. The lifting of the larvae may be simpli- 

 fied and expedited, if the cells be first cut down with a warm, sharp 

 knife. To judge the age of larvae requires some observation but is 

 not difficult. All that is necessary is to observe eggs hatching into 

 larvae and to examine these thirty-six hours later. One soon becomes 

 familiar with the appearance, and selects his larvae before, or imme« 

 ((lately upon their reaching, the 36 hour stage (189). 



