BEE MANUAL. 209 



upon the rearing of select queens as one of the most important 

 branches of modern apiculture, and I would therefore advise 

 every bee-keeper to make it one of his special studies. 



But independent of all considerations about improving the 

 breed, the modern system of apiculture cannot be carried out 

 in its entirety if this important branch of it be neglected, 

 therefore it becomes imperatively necessary for bee-keepers of 

 the present day to rear and keep a stock of queens on hand 

 sufficient for their needs. It has been shown in the preceding 

 chapter that in the successful practice of either the natural or 

 artificial methods of increase a supply of queens is required, 

 and some spare ones should also be kept ready to make up 

 for losses that may, and in a large apiary certainly will, occur 

 during the season when surplus honey is being taken. The 

 sudden loss of a queen at this time would cause a delay of 

 about 24 days before the hive would be furnished with a 

 laying queen again, that is, if the bees have to rear one for 

 themselves from a newly-hatched larva, and it is easy to under- 

 stand what effect this would have upon the colony, and how 

 necessary it is that we be prepared for such contingencies. 



A WORD CONCERNING DRONES. 



When endeavouring to improve our bees by cross-breeding 

 we must of course be as particular about raising select drones 

 for mating purposes as about the queens themselves. As the 

 mating takes place in the air (see Chapter III.) and is not, at 

 least as yet, under our control, our only security is to have 

 our select young queens mated when only select drones are 

 flying. The periods of the year when we are most likely to 

 succeed in this way are the early spring and the late autumn ; 

 in the former by managing to breed our select queens and 

 drones in advance of all others, in the latter by making the 

 colony which produces the best drones queenless before the 

 drones are killed off, and thus secure that these shall be flying 

 when there are none alive in the other colonies. At other 

 times throughout the season there will of course be drones 

 from all the hives upon the wing. 



ENTRANCE GUARDS. 



It is, however, claimed by some breeders, that with the aid of 

 entrance guards, or " drone excluders," the drones which are not 



p 



