OUEEN-REARING IN ENGLAND. 



Wooden cups are now widely used, and they have se\'eral 

 advantages over those made of wax. There is no danger 

 of breaking them, and they can be used again and again. 

 They consist of a cylinder of wood, one end of which is 

 hollowed out and lined with beeswax. Various patterns of 

 wooden cups are made and used in America, but they are 

 all too stout for the economical rearing of queens in the 

 cool climate of Britain. ' Fig. 7 shows the 

 dimensions of a simple form of cup designed 

 by mvself in 1902, which fulfils the needed 

 requirements. 



This cup is made of a non-resinous and 

 fairly soft wood, such as willow or basswood, 

 and is turned to the dimensions shown. The 

 cups are waxed by pouring beeswax, heated 

 only slightly above the melting point, into 

 them with a spoon ; the cup is then imme- 

 diately turned upside down over the melting 

 pot, and jerked so that the surplus wax drops 

 out. The cup is held a moment longer in the 

 inverted position till the wax in it solidifies. 

 The wax will then be found to ha\e formed a 

 smooth and even layer inside the cup. 



For fastening the wooden cup to the bar, a method 

 introduced by G. W. Phillips of fixing a sharp spike or 

 nail-point into the base of the cup, so as to project |in. to 

 ^in., is a good one. It is a little difficult for amateurs to 

 fix these spikes satisfactorily into the cups, and I have 

 found that it is easier and more satisfactory to fix them 

 into the bar instead. 



In my apiary a special carrier, made as follows, is used, 

 instead of a frame, to carry the queen-cells, because it occupies 

 less room in the hive, an important advantage. Twelve 

 or fourteen fine wire nails, |in. long, are driven |in. apart 

 into a bar lin. thick and ^in. wide (Fig. 8), so that the points 

 of the nails project Jin. The bar is then nailed to one of 

 the long edges of a lx>ard measuring -Jin. by 4in. by isfins. 

 To the opposite edge of this board is nailed a strip 17 in. by 

 fin. by |in. ; this is the top bar by which the board is sus- 

 pended in the hive. Small strips Jin. thick (pieces of sec- 

 tion do very well) are nailed on to either side of the top bar 



Fig. 7. 

 Sladen's Im- 

 proved "Wooden 

 Cup tor queen- 

 cells, shown in 



section. 



