120 



THE BEEKEEPERS DIRECTORY. 



FIG. 8. 



Beaaons wby the depth of the cells should be reduced. 



At this poin); it is in order to state the reasons why the cells 

 should be made so 

 shallow. When a col- 

 ony is seized with the 

 swarming fever the 

 first step taken is the 

 construction of queen- 

 cells. If the combs 

 are examined, eggs i 



will be fdund in l^rge cells (cell-cups as they are called) . It will 

 be noticed that these cups are very shallow, say about a quarter 

 of an inch deep. If a convenient location for a queen-cell can- 

 not be found on ttie edge, or at the bottom of the combs, the 

 bees are compelled to cut away the walls of several cells in order 

 to get the proper amount of room at the base for the food and 

 for the foundation for a cell of suitable size in which to rear a 

 queen, , 



Should the depth of the cells not be reduced as here advised, 

 the bees would be obliged to do it, ai^d but few queen-cells 

 would be made, especially if the comb containing the eggs is an 

 old piece. Instead of queens being reared, worker bees would 

 be produced, notwithstanding the unnatural position of the 

 comb. Thus it will be seen by the little help rendered the bees 

 in this way that it is a great inducement for them to construct 

 cells from each egg placed in the hive. 



How to destroy eggs in the cells. 

 In order not to have the cells njade tod near together, the egg 

 in each alternate cell is destroyed,. Now this is not a difficult 

 thing to do by any means. I can destroy them as fast as any 

 one can count. It is done in this way : Take the piece of comb 

 containing the eggs in the left hand keeping those cells upwards 

 ' that were cut, and 



insert the " scratch" 

 end of a common 

 match in each alter- 

 nate cell and rapidly 

 Fig. 9. twirl it between the 



