I02 



AUSTRALASIAN BEE MANUAL 



egg, but the weather is often the cause for the time 

 varying. If warm and favourable for several days, 

 she may emerge late on the fifteenth day, or through 

 cold weather, be delayed till late on the seventeenth 

 day. When about five days old, if the weather be 

 favourable she takes her " wedding flight " to meet the 

 drone, usually about mid-day. If successful she com- 

 mences laying in a few days, and is then ready for use 

 in the apiary, but if the nucleus colony, which is now 

 established, is required for other cells later, the queen 

 before removal should be allowed time to stock the 

 combs with eggs. 



QUEEN NURSERIES. 



In queen rearing there are frequently more queen 

 cells coming to maturity than can be made use of at the 

 moment ; a nursery in which the spare ones can be placed 

 for the time is very useful in such cases. The Alley 

 Nursery (Fig. 58) is again coming into use, and from a 

 long experience with it I can speak very highly of its 

 usefulness. Similar nursery cages (Fig. 59) may be 

 used for the wood based cells, but the holding frame 



Fig. 58. ALLEY QUEEN NURSERY. 



must be made differently. The cages (Fig. 59) are 

 made out of a smooth batten seven-eighths of an inch 

 thick; 2y„ in. wide, and each cage, being 2 1^ in. long, 

 they can be cut off the batten after all are bored. The 



