92 THE BOOK OF THE HONEY BEE 



purposes, the queens of such should not be more than 

 two years old. It may be taken as a general rule that 

 disposition is transmitted by the drone ; working 

 qualities and general vigour by the queen. In cross- 

 breeding, in order to secure bees of gentle disposition 

 (according to Simmins), the foreign element should come 

 from the male, the virgin queen being pure native. This 

 fact may possibly explain the many conflicting opinions 

 expressed regarding the disposition of hybrid bees. 



In order to secure, as far as possible, that the young 

 queens are fertilised by drones from the particular stock 

 required, it is necessary to ensure the presence of drones 

 in such stock, in considerable numbers at a time when 

 drones are either but few in number or entirely absent 

 from other colonies. Therefore it behoves the bee- 

 keeper to make preparations for queen rearing early in 

 the season. Stimulative feeding of the stock required 

 to produce the male element should be commenced in 

 April, frames containing brood may be added from other 

 colonies, and when the hive begins to be crowded insert 

 in the centre of the brood nest a frame of drone comb. 

 By this means we secure an abnormally large number of 

 drones early in the season. 



When the drones begin to hatch commence to rear 

 queen cells in the manner before described. 



