74 



PRACTICAL QUEEN REARING 



to supply the starting 

 colony with frames of 

 sealed brood ready to 

 emerge at frequent in- 

 tervals if the same col- 

 ony is used as a cell- 

 starting colony for more 

 than ten days. Usually 

 the number of cells ac- 

 cepted in each batch 

 will soon begin to di- 

 minish, so that it will 

 be desirable to prepare 

 another colony for this 

 purpose after eight or 

 ten days. 



There is a great 

 difference in individual 

 colonies as to the num- 

 ber of cells built, and 

 it sometimes becomes 

 necessary to experiment a bit to find the best colonies for this 

 purpose. Some colonies will build double the number of cells 

 that others will build. An extensive breeder will find it neces- 

 sary to have several cell-building colonies at one time. Figure 

 29 shows a strong cell-finishing colony at the Davis apiary in 

 Tennessee. 



The Swarm Box. 



Alley used much the same plan as above described, except 

 that he first found the queen and then shook all the bees into 

 a swarm box which is made by placing a wirecloth bottom and 

 cover on an ordinary box of suitable size. The bees were 

 smoked before shaking them into the box to induce them to 

 gorge themselves with honey, and then they were confined in 

 the box from morning until evening. The wirecloth admits 

 plenty of air and by the time the bees are placed in a hive for 



Fig. 29. A strong cell-finishing colony. 



