60 PRACTICAL QUEEN REARING 



The Doolittle Cell Cup Method. 



Nine queen breeders in every ten, it is safe to say, use the 

 Doolittle cell cups. While it is possible to rear queens on a 

 commercial scale by other methods, few queen breeders care 

 to do so. One can control conditions so nicely by the use of 

 artificial wax cups and can determine so nearly how many 

 cells will be finished at a given time, that this method is in all 

 but universal use in commercial queen breeding apiaries. Most 

 of the extensive queen breeders count on turning out queens 

 at a uniform rate, increasing the number as the season advances 

 to keep pace with the probable demand. It is of no advantage 

 to a breeder to produce five hundred ripe cells at a time when he 

 has market for only a dozen queens. He estimates as nearly 

 as possible the demand for the season and establishes a sufficient 

 number of mating nuclei to care for the queens as they emerge. 

 During the height of the season a queen is only permitted to 

 lay enough eggs to enable the breeder to satisfy himself that she 

 is fertile and otherwise normal. Queens thus follow each other 

 in rapid succession in the various mating boxes, throughout 

 the season. 



It was the difficulty of keeping up a dependable supply of 

 queens to supply his increasing trade that led G. M. Doolittle 

 of New York state to experiment with artificial cells. The 

 successful outcome of his extended experiments has largely 

 revolutionized the queen trade. They have already been in 

 use for about thirty years. One can make from one hundred 

 and fifty to two hundred of these wax cups per hour, so per- 

 haps this plan can be followed as easily as any from the point 

 of time required in the various operations. Dealers in bee 

 supplies now list these artificial cells for sale at a small price, 

 and many buy them already prepared. They can be used 

 either with or without a wood cell base. When used without 

 the base they are attached to wood strips by means of melted 

 beeswax. However, the wood base is very generally used, 

 since the cells can be changed about with much less danger 

 of injury. A sharp pointed tack is imbedded in the base, which 



