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 
