112 MONEY IN BEES IN ATJSTBALASIA 



Do not put a grub in every contiguous cell, because 

 when completed, there will not be sufficient room to 

 separate them. Leave a space of 2 or more empty cells. 

 The frame of "grafts" is now handed over to the super- 

 sedure colony for completion. 



The business of building queen-cells is a severe strain 

 on the colony, and no more than a dozen or fifteen 

 prepared cells should be given at one time. Only young 

 bees up to a fortnight old are provided with the glands 

 that manufacture, with the chyle stomach, the milky 

 food termed ' ' royal jelly. ' ' When a supersedure colony 

 has plenty of hatching brood, it will probably accept 

 and draw out half-a-dozen batches of cells. To get them 

 to do this, however, the queen-cells should be removed 

 before they are sealed. A fresh batch may then be 

 given. Cells built by these colonies produce some of the 

 finest queens, and since they are disassociated from the 

 swarming impulse, this must be a step in the right 

 direction. 



WHAT TO DO WITH THE CELLS UNTIL WANTED. 



The novice will perhaps wonder what to do with the 

 cells after sealing until they are "ripe" enough to 

 dispose of. Well, a queenless colony will take care of 

 them, or they may be removed with a warm knife, placed 

 in cell-protectors, and given to the upper storey of any 

 hive separated from the brood-chamber by a queen- 

 excluder. 



TO GET CELLS ACCEPTED. 



Gro to a strong stock and cage the queen; remove the 

 brood-combs and take off the supers. The best way is 

 to shake off all the bees from the combs on to the ground 

 in front of the hive, allowing them to run back. Place 

 in the hive a comb containing some water and pollen, 

 and another one of honey ; the two combs should be just 

 far enough apart to permit a third frame to hang easily 

 between. Cover the hive and leave it thus for eight or 

 ten hours with the queen still caged. 



