110 



MONEY IN BEES IN AUSTRALASIA 



novice. The cells so liaudled, marked by pusliiug a 1 

 iuch nail into the comb, should then be returned to their 

 i.e^pective stocks. In due time they will be completed, 

 and when the hybrid and black swarms issue, there will 

 he a fine batch of young Italian queens ready to hatch 



in 7 or 8 days. As already 

 stated, inclement weather 

 will sometimes delay a 

 swarm until the young 

 cpieens are ready to 1)ite 

 out of the cells. 



These cells when mature 

 or "ripe" may be placed 

 inside a cell-protector 

 (Fig. 52) and given to 

 (|ueenless stocks, or the 

 swarm may be deprived 

 of its lilack cpieen and 

 given a ripe Italian cell. 

 C'ells may also be disposed 

 of as directed under the heading of "Increase" (p. 6S) 

 which it is well to look u]) at this time. ("^)ueens may, by 

 tills plan, be reared with a minimum of troul)le where 

 only a few hives are kept; these rpieens ai'e first class too. 



SUPERSEDURE— ANOTHER XATURAL PLAN. 

 Should the apiarist desire to raise a few queens 

 outside of the swarming period the desired object is 

 rather harder to accomplish. He may happen to have a 

 hive with a very old queen and fortunate enough to find 

 them building, in a leisurely way, two or three (|ueen- 

 cells. This is to rear a young queen to assist the old 

 mother to keep up the egg supply, and to finally reign 

 over the hive when the old one dies. (Probablv this is 

 the only time two cpieens are tolerated in a hive under 

 natural conditions). Now a hive engaged in the super- 

 seding of its old queen is about the very best to build 

 cells, and to secure the maximum benefit the novice should 

 closelv follow the directions here given. 



"West" Cell-protector. 



