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IMPROVED QUEEN-REflRlNG 



OR 



HOW TO REAR LARGE. PROLIEIG, LONG-LIVED 

QUEEN BEES 

The Result of Nearly Half a Century's Experience in 
Rearing Queen Bees, Giving the Practical, 
Every-day Work of the Queen- 
Rearing Apiary 



BY HENRY ALLEY 
Apiarist . 



ILLUSTRATED 

Printed for the Author 
By Chas. a. King, Beverly, Massachusetts 

COPYRIGHT BY THE AUTHOR 
1903 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

MAR 17 1903 

Copyri^nt tnliy 
CLASS 0^ XXc. No. 

^^^ I 3 

COPY B. 



SF5Z3 

■A43 



fc> 




Winter Case 



[irood-chamber 



Improved Bay State closed-end frame Bee-Hive. Used by thous- 
ands of Bee-Keepers many years with great success. Con- 
struction of brood-frames same as the Davvzenbaker. 
Frames are reversible and held in position by 
side boards and two iron rods. 



PREFACE 

HIS little book is written and designed to insti-uct 
those engaged in bee-keeping in the art of rearing 
queen bees. The long expei'ience of the author in 
this particular branch of apiculture, as herein detailed, 
may prove not only instructive but interesting. That 
the work may meet the approbation of its readers is the 
wish of 

THE AUTHOR 




Winter t'ase 



JJrood-chainber 



Illustration of the original Bay State Bee-Hive. Invented and 

used by Henry Alley, more than twenty j-ears ago. 

This hive was specially devised for wintering bees 

successfully on summer stands and for the 

production of the largest amount 

of honey 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Breeding queeu, where to keep 16 

Cell building, how to prepare a colonj' for 18 

" " method number one 19 

" " method number two 20 

" " method number three 29 

" " feeding while going on 29 

" " how to prepare eggs for 21 

" " destroying eggs 22 

" " theory of using young bees 24 

" " how to rear the best 27 

Drones, objectionable 37 

" how to catch and destroy 37 

" how to obtain and preserve 44 

Drone-trap, utility of 46 

Honey, how to prevent candying 54 

Nuclei, how to form 31 

" how to feed 44 

Pipe for burning tobacco 41 

Oueen-cell frame, description of 38 

Queen-cells, transferring 40 

Queens, how to care for 49 

" age at which they mate 49 

" virgin, forcing to mate 50 

" age at which they lay 51 

" to know fertile from unfertile 50 

*' fertilizing in confinement 51 

" respect bees show them 51 

Queen-cells, destroying 51 

Queens, comparative size 53 

Queen-rearing, first improvements 11 

" latest improved methods 12 

" on a large scale 14 

" proper conditions of apiary 15 

" to prepare eggs for 16 

Queen-breeding colony, how to start 19 

" hive, how to make 17 

Queens, fertile, how to introduce 34 

" unfertile, how to introduce 35 

Queen nursery, how to use 29 

Queeuless bees, necessity of 28 



IMPROVED QUEEN-REARING 

OR 

How to Rear Large, Prolific and Long-Lived 
Queen Bees 



INTRODITCTION 



"**■ 



I 



N the year 1857 I had very little knowledge of apiculture, 
yet I had seen bees in hives apparently working, "making 
honey" as it was called in those days by all who kept 
bees; had heard all the talk about the "king bee," and 
had seen hives draped in mourning when a member of the bee- 
keepers" family died. I had also seen the bee-keeper and his 
family out in the apiary pounding upon tin pans, ringing the 
dinner bell, and raising a hub-bub generally when a colony had 
cast a swarm. Then I had seen bees "carry wax" on their legs, 
etc., etc. 

Well, I did not require very much experience with bees to 
find out that all the above performances were indulged in only by 
ignorant and superstitious bee-keepers. With all the literature 
we now have concerning apicul»^ure, some bee-keepers may be 
found who know no more a1)Out bees than those who kept them 
50 years ago. 

In the month of July, 1857. I found a fine swarm of bees 
hanging upon a limb of a tree inni}' garden. The bees were hived 
in a small packing box, and at once commenced to build comb 
and store hone}'. When fall came the box was well filled with 
bees and stores, and the colony went into winter quarters in fine 
condition, and came out in the spring strong in numbers, proving 
to be a first-class colon}- in all respects. 

In the spring of 1S58, I purchased another colony which was 
in a box-hive that had a 7x9 glass in the back side through which 
I watched the bees many hours. Well do I remember the great 
interest I took in bees at that time. One day while watching the 

9 



lO ImPROVKD OUEEN-REARING , 

bees through the glass, I saw the queen pass around one of the 
combs, and had really seen the great "king bee." Before winter 
set in, I had not only seen other queen bees but had actually 
reared a few. Then I got an idea that I had learned all there 
was to know about bees and queen rearing. But this little bit of 
egotism was dispelled by each year's experience, and I soon found 
that there was much to learn about bee-keeping. And now, after 
my long experience in queen rearing, I find that no one can live 
long enough to learn all there is to know about the subject of bees 
and apiculture generally. Surely no one can learn the art of bee 
keeping in one year as many bee-keepers of the present day claim. 

Well, at the end of one j^ear's experience, I was seized with a 
desire to go into queen rearing extensively. B}' this time I had 
learned that every colony of bees had a queen and that drones 
were male bees ; and also found out hundreds of things about 
bees that I never before had known. I had discovered that when 
a colony of bees was deprived of its queen it would at once com- 
mence to construct queen cells, and rear several young queens. 

Rearing queens was so fascinating that I soon began to rear 
them in great numbers, in fact I had them growing at all times 
during the warm months. Of course this was only for amusqjnent 
as no bee-keepers were in want of queens, nor was there any de- 
mand for them. Well, I continued to advance in the art and en- 
large my experience, not only in rearing queens, but in bee-keep- 
ing generally. About this time I found a man who had also been 
"stricken" with the bee fever and he had as much experience 
with bees as myself, and had reared queens merely to exhibit at a 
cattle fair held in his town and only three miles from ni}' place. 
This man had made a frame about twelve inches square, to which 
glass was fastened on both sides, thus forming a one comb ob.^er- 
vation hive. A small piece of brood comb containing eggs and 
lavae was fastened at the top of the frame b)- strings, and the bees, 
of which there were about a pint, were actually building queen 
cells. Thousands of interested people were watching the bees 
while at work, and many of the people were asking all sorts of 
questions about queens, bees and honey. My first queens were 
reared in about the same way as above described. 

In the year i860 I practiced queen rearing on a larger scale, 
as we had then heard about Mr. L,angstroth and his wonderful 
book and still more wonderful hive, which is today more marvel- 
ous than anything else connected with apiculture. From this time 
on rapid advancement was made not only in queen rearing but in 



Improved Oueen-rearing ii 

all branches of bee culture. We soon went from box-hives to 
movable-comb hives. About this time the famous Italian bees 
came in, and then queen-rearing was carried on in earnest ; not 
for amusement but queens were reared bj' the thousand for sale. 
At first they were sent by express in small one-comb boxes, then 
'by mail to all parts of the United States ; later on queens went by 
mail to all parts of the world. 

I have continued to rear queens for sale every year since i860. 
At that time no one had much knowledge of queen-rearing, and 
Mr. L,angstroth's book was the only guide for every queen-dealer, 
and without his hive and book but little could have been done in 
the way of rearing queens. 

All who reared queens in those way-back days had good suc- 
cess in obtaining first-class queens. You see no one had got "on 
to" the idea that nature could be cheated and outdone in the pro- 
duction of queen bees. Within a few years queens have been 
reared by such methods that nearly all sold have proved to be 
worthless, so that dealers find they mu.st go back and adopt some 
of the early methods in order to give satisfaction to their cus- 
tomers. 

FIRST IMPROVEMENTS IN QUEEN-REARING 

I shall not claim that any very great improvements have been 
made in the quality of queens reared by the methods given here. 

Having told you how queens were reared in the early days of 
the queen-rearing business, I can now only give the process of 
doing the work in other ways by improved methods. It will be 
understood that after the advent of the movable-comb hive, bee- 
keeping took on a rapid move. The second advance of impor- 
tance was made when Mr. J. ]>. Parsons of Flushing, N. Y., im- 
ported some Italian bees. It was soon noised all over the United 
States that the yellow-banded bees were better than the common 
black ones, or the German bee. 

At this time many bee-keepers were in condition to rear 
c(ueens and they did so, and thus the queen-rearing and supply 
business has been on the increase since the j'ear 1862. or the ad- 
vent of the Italian bee. We all had, or thought we had, a lot of 
"know how." Whether we had the know how or not, no one 
experienced any trouble in rearing good queens, all being satis- 
factory except in purity. Every one who purchased Italian 
queens expected them to throw all three-banded bees, and it was 
found almost impossible to get a breeding queen that could be 



12 Improved Oukex-kearing 

called strictl}^ pure. There was no fixed purity to the Italians, 
they were and are to this day nothing but a hybrid strain of bees) 
With the exception of purity everything went on smoothly in 
queen rearing. 

Although some improvement has been niade..in the purity of 
the Italians, there are very few pure queens reared; and bee- 
keepers continue to find fault with the queens they purchase if 
there happens to be even but a dozen "one-banded" bees in a 
large colon5^ 

NOW LET US DISCUSS SOME OF THE IMPROVED 
METHODS OF REARING QUEENS 

First the nucleus system. Any number of combs and bees 
taken from a full hive constitutes a nucleus colony. We will 
start on a three- frame nucleus with the E frame as a basis. Three 
such combs, say one of brood in all stages and two of honey and 
pollen, with all the adhering bees, are sufficient to form a good 
nucleus colony. 

As there are but few bee-keepers who do not understand the 
above work, and as none are likely to begin queen-rearing unless 
they can handle bees to some extent, I need not go into the little 
details to describe how to form nucleus colonies. But" we will 
suppose a three-frame nucleus has been formed, and the bees 
have been confined in the hive at least 24 hours with a supply of 
water, for bees that are deprived of their liberty, and are rearing 
brood or queens, must have plentj' of water or the uncapped brood 
will perish. After 24 hours^confinement the colony can be given 
its libert}'^ and placed on a stand anywhere in the apiar}' somewhat 
remote, of course, from where the}' were first taken. After being 
queenless for this length of time, the bees will have started several 
queen-cells and have quieted down and only a few of the older bees 
will return to the parent hive. 

Now, to increase the population of the nucleus and to make 
it thoroughly prosperous, other bees should be added each night, 
for three or four nights in succession, say at about sunset. This 
is easily and quickly done b}- taking a comb of bees from some 
strong colony and brushing or shaking them down on the ground 
in front'of the nucleus. In doing this care must be used that the 
queen of the full colony is not taken. 

The above was practiced by me in ni}' early queen-rearing 



Improved Quekn-rearing 13 

experience when "vamping up" nucleus colonies. I was not long 
in discovering that there was great advantage in adding young 
bees as per above. By so doing I found that with each fresh lot 
of bees given the nucleus there would be a new lot of (|ueeu-cells 

started. 

In a few days the colony will be well established, and queen- 
rearing by a most convenient process will be going on in a very 
successful manner. 

Unless there is plenty of natural forage in the fields, the 
colony must be fed continually or inferior queens will be the 
result. In the course of about five days all the cells will be com- 
pleted, that is, capped ; and from eight to twelve good queen-cells, 
most likely, formed. 

At about the time the first young queen should appear, say 
the twelfth day from the day on which the eggs were given the 
bees), provision must be made for preserving the cells or the 
young queens. Other nucleus colonies must be made up for each 
cell or queen, as the case may be. The cells may be transferred 
at once without danger of destruction from the l)ees, provided the 
bees have been queenless for twelve hours. While bees might 
not destroy queeu-cells if given them before the}^ miss their queen, 
I find that they cannot be trusted in this respect, and that it is 
much safer to give queen-cells to bees that have been queenless at 
least 24 hours. It is not necessary to cut a hole in the comb to 
insert a queen cell, but push your finger down between the combs 
at the top and place the cell in the space thus made. If more 
convenient to use a queen nursery when the cells are ripe, full 
directions for so doing ma}' be found on another page. 

SOME OF THK DISADVANTAC^HS OF RliARINO 

OUEENS BY THlv ABOV]', PLAN 

The above wav of rearing queens has some advantages and 
some few disadvantages. The objections to such a method are 
not very serious, as they affect only those breeders who rear a 
large number of cjueens. When bees are left to rear queens and 
select locations for the cells, many of the cells will be built so near 
each other that the}' cannot be separated without destroying some 
of the young queens. I have found that if holes are cut in the 
combs to make convenient places for queens cells, the bees art? 



14 Improvkd Queen-rearixg 

pretty sure to build them exactly opposite each other, that is, cells 
are built ou opposite sides of the comb. Yet these cells can be 
removed ; but ia separating them the knife must pass through the 
base of one of the cells ; damage that is easily repaired by a little 
warm bee's wax. 

With the above minor exceptions, the nucleus system as 
above given is very good. For rearing queens on a small scale, I 
consider the above method as good and as practical as can be 
desired. Such queens will be found large, long-lived and in 
every way will equal those reared under the swarming impulse. 
If you desire to practice and experiment in queen-rearing, do not 
be afraid to try it. It is a good wa}^ for the novice to start in on 
rearing queens. 

Removing the queen from a full colony of bees is practically 
he same method as above given ; the difference is, however, that 
no more queen's cells are likel}'^ to be made than in a three-frame 
nucleus, and I hardly think one could get an}' better results by 
the full colony plan in the end. I very much prefer the nucleus 
system for rearing only a few queens, and it will be found much 
less trouble and much less expensive. 

REARING QUEENS ON A LARGE SCALE 

I think I have given as much advice as a novice will need on 
the subject of rearing a few queens, and will now describe how to 
rear queens by the tliousands. 

In this system a much smaller hive is used for nucleus 
colonies for keeping the queens until they have become fertile. 
The little hives, or boxes, used in ni}' apiar}- have always worked 
as well with me as standard frames. The reader can do as he 
pleases about using them, but I advise testing the system and 
judging for ones sell as to its merits. 

Bear in mind that I am not laying down any stereotyped 
system of queen-rearing. I shall give only that part of my long 
experience that will prove of value to the inexperienced bee- 
keeper who desires to etiter queen-rearing ; and I hope it will 
result in the production of much better queen bees than many that 
are now being reared and sold. I advise tTie reader to carry out 
any experiments that this work may suggest to his mind. If any 
of my readers can improve upon the methods herein given. I -^ 
advise them, by all means, to do so. 

I 3hfill hold back notliing, but give in this work g full 



Improved Queen-rearing 15 

description and explanation of every valuable point 1 have found 
in my forty years' experience in rearing queen bees for the bee- 
keepers of the world. In connection with this business I have 
conducted hundreds of experiments that were found to be im- 
practical and of no value. 

I think many bee-keepers are in too much of a hurry to rush 
into print, when they are seized with an idea that they have made 
a valuable and important discovery in apiculture. When impor- 
tant discoveries are made it is time enough to make them public 
after a thorough test. 

Well, I could go on and spread this story out over 200 pages 
of this size, but I think a more condensed form will be moie com- 
prehensive and better in every wa}', therefore I will get down to 
the point at once and drop the lecture part of the suliject. 

PROPKR CONDITION OF THE APIARY WHEN QUEEN- 
REARING IS COMMENCED 

All who undertake to rear queeens should understand that be- 
fore such work should begin the whole apiary should be put in the 
highest state of prosperity ; and the colonies to be used in queen- 
rearing made very strong in numbers. The combs of all cell- 
building colonies should be well filled with honey and pollen. It 
would be the merest folly to attempt to rear queens when the 
whole or even a part of the apiar}^ is in a state of semi-starvation. 
vSo you see queen-rearing should not be commenced in the spring 
until the weather is quite warm and the bees have had a chance 
to breed up, fill all combs with brood and gather nectar from the 
earl}' bloom. Give the bees time enough on the early bloom to 
get the swarming fever on. 

Here in New England, in Massachusetts particularly, the 8th 
of May is about as early as it is safe to commence to rear queens. 
However, if the weather is fairly warm in April and the first week 
of May, colonies can l)e so fed and stimulated that they may think 
it is about time to get ready to swarm. By the way, I have heard 
of swarms issuing as earl}' as the lOth of May, and had one swarm 
on May 10, 1902. 

Now here is a point at the start that should not be lost sight 
of. In breeding queen bees the same rules should be observed as 
in the breeding of animals. If desired to rear a colt, calf, chicken 
or any other animal, the parents selected are not taken from 



l6 lMPRO\'Kn QUHEN-REARING 

scrubs or inferior stock. The very best are selected. The same 
principle applies to bees. 

Now for a queen mother take the best queen in the apiary, 
also for a drone mother equal care should be taken to obtain the 
best. Of course in the selection of the mother queen color and 
beauty are important factors to be considered, and so is prolific- 
uess, longevity, and honey-gathering qualities. It takes pretty 
good stock to combine all the above named points. As for gentle- 
ness I find almost any strain of bees docile enough to be handled 
with the use of a good bellows smoker. However, bees that have 
vigorous dispositions are usually good honey-gatherers, and no 
queen need be rejected as a breeder on account of the vicious 
disposition of her worker progeny. Oul}' an occasional queen 
breeds vicious bees, and this trait is but seldom transmitted to 
offspring. 

TO PROCURE EGGS FOR CELIv-BUILDING; WHERE TO 

KEEP THE BREEDING-QUEEN 

If only a few queens are to be reared, the mother bee ma}' be 
kept in a full colony ; and if a few dozen queens only are required, 
I advise placing a comb that the queens have used once or twice 
for brood in the centre of a large colony. In about five days this 
comb should contain several thousand eggs. Now some good 
queens can be reared on this comb by the plan given as the 
nucleus system ; but if you like to work with bees for amusement 
and experiment, try the plan I shall now give. 

When a large number of queens are to be reared, it will be 
found a good plan to keep the breeding queen in a small hive 
having frames about five inches square, with five frames to a hive. 
I have used such an arrangement a great many years as above 
stated, and find it superior, in many ways to a full sized frame for 
getting eggs for cell-building. By this plan no combs are cut or 
mutilated when a few eggs are wanted, whereas if full frames are 
used many good combs will necessaril}' be destroj-ed during the 
season. Then again, it is very much more trouble and work to 
open a large hive than a small one when necessary to have some 
eggs to use. Any person rearing queens feels the need of time 
saving devices, as there is always something to do when queen- 
rearing is going on; I have found it so every day during the 
.season. 

One of the small combs will contain enough eggs for fifty 



Improved Queen-rearing 



17 



queeu-cells, and a good prolific queeu will fill such a comb and 
l)ut an egg in every cell during each twenty-four hours. Does not 
the reader see that by this arrangement there are always iresh 
eggs at hand, and the exact age of the eggs can be known to with- 
in almost an hour ? 

This one thing alone is a great point with me in my system 
of queen-rearing, as I can know, and so can any one who practices 
this method, just when to prepare bees for cell-building. 

If a comb containing eggs is removed every day and a clean 
comb inserted in its place, cell-building can go on every day in 
the week ; and that is the right way to do if a supply of queens is 
to be kept up to meet the demands of customers whose orders 
come by every mail. 

Now it may be that one queen will not supply all the eggs 
needed, or that it is desired to rear more than one strain of queens. 
When this is so, more breeding queens may be used, and they 
may be kept in small hives. I have found that one good queen 
will supply enough eggs for 1500 young queens in one season, 

HOW TO START THE QUEEN-BREEDER COLONY 

I will now describe the hive, fig. i, for keeping the breeding 
queen in, and give the dimensions of all the parts so that any one 




Figure 1 



can make the entire thing. Sides of hive, 6 in. high x 7% in. long 



x>^ in. thick ; ends, 6x6 in., % in. thick. Make rabbit for frames 
to rest on j4yi]4 in. in the 6x6x% in. thick pieces. As the top 
bar of frame is but V^. in. thick, there will be a bee-space of V4, in. 



1 8 I^rpRovKD Queen-rearing 

between the cover of the hive and the top of the frame, and plenty 
of room nnder the frames for the bees to cluster and be kept out of 
the way while the combs are being handled. The bottom of the 
hive is 9x8%. in. x % in. thick and is nailed firmly to the bottom 
of the box. The top, or cover, is the same as the bottom only 
there are two lx% in. thick clamps nailed on to prevent the board 
from warjDing. Use 7-8 in. boards for the entire hive, excepting 
the sides, as these hives must necessarily be out in all sorts of 
weather, and rest upon the ground. 

It will be found that the width of the hive allows for more 
room than a regular bee-space for four frames, but this is quite an 
advantage when handling the frames, as just a bee-space does not 
allow sufficient room for easy handling the combs ; and if they go 
in closely the queen and many of the bees may be crushed when 
the frames are removed. 

The dimensions of the frames are as follows : Top bar 63-2x7-8 
x^^ in. ; bottom bar •^j^x-j-Sxl'i iu. ; end pieces 532x7-8x14 in. 
The top and bottom bars are nailed to the end pieces. A block is 
used to form them on when nailed, so that when the frames are 
put up they are all alike. 

To stock this hive with bees, brood, stores and queen, remove 
from a full colony one comb containing brood in all stages of 
maturity with the queen and adhering bees. Place the hive on 
the grass, or a cloth, and brush the bees from the comb directly in 
front of it. They will at once run in, or, at any rate, stay al^out 
the hive until the combs are transferred to the .small frames. To 
cut the combs in the small frames, lay the full coml) on a clean 
board, place one of the little frames over it, and with a sharp 
knife cut the brood into the frame. If nicely done no strings or 
sticks will be needed to keep the brood in the frame. One of the 
combs should contain honey, pollen, etc. 

The bees will soon repair the damage done the combs and 
brood, and, in the course of 24 hours, this colony will 1)e in con- 
dition for the business of producing eggs for queen-rearing. 

If any clean and nearly new pieces of comb about the size of 
the nucleus frame are at hand use them for the breeding-queen to 
deposit eggs in. Never place the empty comb at the side of the 
hive. The queen will utilize it at once if placed near the centre 
of the brood-nest. 

In four days after inserting the comb it will be filled with 
eggs and lavae in just the right condition for cell-building and 
queen-rearing. From this time on a new comb can be given the 



T.MPROYKn Ov'KEN-RKARINCr 



19 



nucleus each day. If desired to start cell-building every day in 
the week, eggs will always be found in the right condition for use 
if the above instructions are followed. 

Now, I dislike the bother of starting ciueens every day. To 
avoid doing so and still have plenty of eggs, I use three breeding 
queens and start cell-building every fourth day. I like the idea 
of having hundreds of queen-cells growing at one time. Then 
when queens hatch they come in large numbers, and can be sent 
out by mail in the same proportion. A large queen-dealer cannot 
do a successful business on a small scale. He must branch out 
and have queens l)y the hundreds on hand at any time during the 
season from which he can draw a supply of fertile queens when 
orders are to be filled. 

PRKPARINC; A COLONY OF BKIvS FOR (iriU':N-CKLL 

BUILDING 

I think I have made the matter of getting eggs for queen-cells 
so clear that all may understand how to proceed, and now will 
o-ive .several methods for preparing colonies of bees for queen-cell 
building. 

I have always worked on the theory that bees .should be put 
in proper condition for rearing queens several hours before any 



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■RgnaBBaBBaBBBBBnoBaaaaaaaaBaaai'in 

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eggs are given them from which they may rear (jueens. The 
entire colony should be put in a "broody" state by dequeening 
and then given six hours at least to realize their queenle.ss con- 
dition. There are three ways for doing this. 



.■\IKTIU)I) NUMBER OXK 



Before giving any of the methods I will describe some of the 
necessary apparatus to use in this arrangement. One of the 
handiest things for use in the apiary is a wire screen shown in 
fig. 2. This screen is made in about the same style as a common 



20 I^IPROVED QUEEN-RKARIXG 

window screen and the size of the top of the brood-nest of the 
hive. I alwa)'S have at hand some half dozen of these wire covers 
and they come into use man}- times when necessary to confine 
bees in the hive. 

Now when ready to "seize" a colony of bees for the purpose 
of forcing them to rear queens against their natural will, proceed 
in this way : If a colony working in sections is selected, the super 
should be removed the previous day and all the bees allowed to 
return to the hive. When the sections are taken off place the 
screen on and just fasten it by one or two small nails. The next 
morning fasten the bees in by using a similar screen and suitable 
for confining the bees so that none can escape. Now the colony 
is ready to be taken to the bee-room and all the bees removed from 
the hive and combs. To the novice this may seem like a huge 
undertaking, yet it is not and does not require one half the time 
to perform as it does to describe it so that it can be understood. 

I so arrange my workshop that all the above work is easily 
and quickly done. When the hive is 'taken to the bee-room it is 
placed on the cap of a hive and then I just sit down and at once 
commence operations. The first thing is to give the bees tobacco 
smoke at the entrance as well as some at the top through the 
screen, all the while drum on the hive, or excite the bees by 
striking the hands on the sides of the hive. This causes the bees 
to fill with honey and in the course of ten minutes they are ready 
and in condition to be brushed from the combs into a box where 
they will remain quiet until all are removed from the combs and 
hive. The screen is first removed from the top, the bees shaken 
from it, then the combs are taken out, one at a time, and all the 
bees brushed from them into a hive-cap. While doing this work 
some of the bees may attempt to fly, or crawl up the sides of the 
cap, if they do, more smoke is blown among them, when they 
soon quiet down and remain so for quite awhile. When all the 
bees have been removed, the qvieen should be hunted up. If the 
work of finding the queen is rightly done, it will not require but a 
few minutes to find her. Of course the bees must be pushed over 
considerably in the operation. The best tool for such a purpose 
is the wide part of a 4x4 section. Never use feathers or a small 
broom for such work. 

When the queen is found, the bees are forced into one end of 
the cap by a sudden strike of the box on the floor, and then they 
are quickly dumped into another box the exact size of the hive 
the bees were taken from. This latter box has a wire-cloth 



I.AIPROVKU QUEKN-RKARIN(; - 21 

l)ottom ; the cover is a screen same as above described. This ar- 
rangement gives the bees all needed air while confined. It is 
necessary to nail three pieces of wood 7-8 inches square across the 
bottom of the box so that the air will not be shut out when the 
box is resting on an5'thing. The bees are then put in a cool place 
until the time arrives for giving them eggs for cell-building. 

The bees disposed of, we now have all the brood of a strong 
colon}' to take care of. Now for the first two or three colonies 
treated as above, I divide the brood among the weaker colonies 
in the apiar}-. By this operation, the light colonies soon become 
strong and in condition for the first flow of honey. At this stage 
of the work, we have a colony of queenless bees ; the brood dis- 
posed of, and everything is in readiness for starting the bees to 
building cell-cups in a natural and practical way. We will now 
suppose the bees have been queenless six hours. The next move 
is to get the frame, or piece of comb containing the eggs, cut in 
strips and fasten in position so the bees will at once commence 
work on cell-cups. 

This work cannot be done in a cold room. Have in the work- 
shop a three-wick oil stove, not only for heating purposes but to 
use in other necessary work in queen-rearing operation. Another 
thing that must be at hand is a tin vessel in which there are equal 



parts of rosin and l:)ees-wax. Melt these on the oil stove, mix 
thoroughly and when quite hot it will be ready for use. 

We will now suppose the comb containing eggs for queen- 
cells has been taken from the hive and is at hand ready to be pre- 
pared. This is cut in strips by using a thin, hot knife by the 
lines as shown in fig. 3. Now the egg in each alternate cell of 
the strips should be removed in order that sufficient room may be 
given for large queen-cells. I know of no better way of doing 



22 l.Ml'KOVlCl) OfKHX-REARIXG 

this than by taking a common "scratch" match between the 
thumb and fore finger, inserting the "scratch" end in the cell and 
rapidly twirling it for a moment. This effectively destroys the 
egg as shown in fig. 4. 

Now the next thing to do is to fasten the comb on strips of 
wood and in such a position that the bees will construct a large 
number of queen-cells. Fig. 5 illustrates three rows of com- 
pleted queen-cells and the manner of fastening the strips of comb 
{o the wood. This is done by lightly dipping the strips of cond) 




in the wax mixture. Just touch the edges of the cells of the op- 
posite side of those in which the eggs were destroyed and quickly 
place the comb on the wood. 

The strips of wood mentioned here, but more fully described 
on another page, are 1-4 inches thick, i inch wide and cut any 
length desired. The queen-cells shown are fastened to such strips 
of wood described. The cells illustrated are completed and nearly 
matured, or, in other words, are about ripe. The illustration 
shows but few cells ; this was owing to the fact that they were 
built late in the season and from drawn foundation, in fact, they 
were the last hatch of queen-cells of the sea.son 1902. I^arlier in 
the sununer, the bees under the same conditions would have 
started many more queen-cells. However, the illustration is the 
best one I have been able to obtain of completed queen-cells. 

To go back to fastening the strips of eggs to the pieces of 
wood, will say that when placing the strips in position if the condj 
is pressed down a little harder at both ends than it is in the mid- 
dle, it will be made a little curving on the underside, thus giving 
luore room for the queen-cells. But this curving business mu.st 
not be carried too far, as too much curving will elongate the cells 
and the bees will remove the egg from all such and but few queens 
would be reared. 

The reader will appreciate the fact that it is almost impossible 
to lay down any set rules, or to describe every little detail con- 
nected with the rearing of queen bees. 

I can give all the main points in the business, but those who 



I:\ri'Kovi':D Ouehn-rf<:aring 23 

rear queens by them must use good judgment and a fair amount 
of common sense. That is what is needed in the queen-rearing 
business. Kxperiment and practice are as much needed in ciucen- 
rearing as in any other occrq^ation one is at work at. 

A piece of nice worker comb 5x5 inches square will furnisli 
all the eggs a large colony of bees should be allowed to work into 
queen-cells. Such a piece of comb if carefully cut will make 
about ten strips containing a dozen or more eggs. Always give 
eggs in proportion to the (|uantity of bees that are to do the work 
of cell-building. 

When the strips of comb are fastened to the sticks and in the 
frame, they should be placed in a brood-box and the l)alance of 
the space of the hive filled by combs of honey and pollen. In no 
case u.se combs that have brood in them. 

Now all being ready set the box of bees in a convenient ])lace 
on the floor ; put the box of combs between yourself and the bees. 




With a sudden drop of the box on the floor all the bees will 
go to the bottom and before they can recover from their surprise, re- 

] move the cover, place it on the box of combs and quickly })lace 
the combs over the box of bees. Now all the labor is done ex- 
cepting giving the bees water until the next morning. All this 

j w^ork can be done without even one bee escaping in the entire 
operation. 

Tlie bees can be left in the bee-room over night, and placed 



24 Improved Oukex-rearing 

on the stand about lo o'clock the following day. Water may be 
supplied them while confined by splashing a little over the frames 
and on the bees, through the wire cover at the top. 

When the bees are released they may be somewhat excited, 
not being wholly reconciled to loss of their queen. To pacify 
them place a caged queen at the entrance for a few hours when, 
they will quickh^ quiet down and the queen can be taken away 
and all will go on as though nothing had happened to the colony. 

The bees are left 24 hours to build cell-cups, and then an- 
other thing must be done if first-class queens are to be reared. 
Now the colony to which the eggs are given will commence to 
build from 40 to 60 cell-cups, or would rear from 40 to 60 queens 
if none of the cell-cups were removed. But such a thing should 
never be permitted, as not one queen out of all those reared would 
be of any good. Should the colony commence to build 60 cell- 
cups, the proper thing to do would be to divide that number of 
cells equally among three strong colonies of htees. Well, you say, 
how can this be done ? If at this time bees are gathering hone}' 
from the fields and in a high state of success, the cell-cups can be 
placed above a colony of bees as has been and is now practiced b}' 
man}^ breeders of queen-bees. I want it understood, however, 
that I do not so advise anyone, as by the method to follow this 
ver}' much better (jueens are reared. Yet if bees are in a 
swarming mood, prett\' good (|ueens are reared over the brood- 
nest. 

I shall advise all not to rear queens by above method except- 
ing at swarming time, ns under no other conditions can good 
queens be reared by such a s3-stem when any kind of a queen is 
in the hive the bees occupy. Of course, if a colony is about to 
supersede its queen, fairly good queens are reared while a queen 
is in the colony. 

Only a few of the queens reared under the supersedence pro- 
cess are first-class. Bees do not seem to work with that interest 
when superseding an old queen as thev do when absolutely 
queenless, or are about to cast a swarm. 

THK THh:ORY OF USING YOTNO BEKS IN 

OUEEN-REARING 

I have gi\-en three methods of preparing bees for cell- 
building. The final result is the same in all cases. The only 
difference being in the manner of doing the work of preparing 



Improved Queen-rear ixg 25 

the bees. Now, how many of my readers understand the correct 
theory of taking all the bees of a colony for such work rather 
than only a part of it? Let me describe. Old bees will not and 
cannot rear good queens ; they will commence cell-cups and 
complete queen-cells, but no strong queens will come from them. 
Why is this so ? Simply because old bees have passed from 
the stage of nurses to the sphere of honey and pollen-gatherers, 
or out-door workers. Old bees cannot prepare the proper food for 
nursing either worker or qneen-bee larvae. 

What are considered old bees in this connection are those 
that have been made queenless and kept so from three days 
to a week ; such bees are of no value as cell-builders, as after 
being queenless thirty-six hours they seem to lose their en- 
thusiasm and interest in the w'ork. 

Now as to the correct theory of taking all the bees of a colony 
• for cell-building or for rearing queens. By such an operation 
j every nurse bee in the hive is taken, and this includes thousands 
I of ju^t hatched bees that are maturing each day as nurse bees, 
i thus keeping up a constant supply of nurses. 

. How many of the readers of this work ever watched bees 

I building queen-cells in an observatory hive? Why, a queen-cell, 

I until it is capped is never without a worker bee's head in it. 

The young bees keep a constant watch over the little worm 

( within, and it is supposed that each bee that thrusts its head into 

the cell leaves a small amount of royal jelly. You all know that 

every cell from which a strong and healthy queen has emerged 

contains a lump of royal food as large as a pea. The amount is 

greatly in excess of the needs of the royal occupant. 

It is the young bees that do all the labor in the hive and in 
rearing queens, and the more young bees there are engaged in 
the work the better will be the quality of the queens reared. 

By this the reader will understand why all the bees of a 
colony should be used in building cell-cups and in completing 
queen-cells. 
J Has any one connected with the rearing of queen-l'ees ever 

before explained this point in any book or publication ? 

Notwithstanding the fact that young bees are constantly 
maturing as nurse bees, as above detailed, it is not good policy to 
compel any given lot of bees to commence cell-cup building a 
second time. After once starting one batch of cell-cups the in- 
terest and enthusiasm has vanished, and pretty poor work will 
be done. 



26 Improved Oueen-rearing 

Hens, ducks and birds of all kinds will sit on their eggs for a 
time, but there is a limit to the "broody" condition in all such 
cases. Hens have been known to sit six weeks, or rather have 
been compelled to sit long enough to "hatch out" a second brood 
of chickens. But in many such cases the nest is deserted before 
the second lot of eggs mature. It's but little use to overwork 
Nature. Natural laws must be observed in all such cases. This 
I have tried to apply to all my operations in queen-rearing. 

PREPARING BEES FOR CELL-BUIIvDING 

]\IETHOU NITMBER TWO 

My favorite way of preparing bees for cell-building is given 
in Method No. i. No doubt many will say they cannot do any 
thing of the kind ; 'tis too fussy and takes too much time, etc. 
It is not fussy nor in any way difficult to perform. However, I 
will give two other methods for preparing bees for cell-building, 
making a colonj^ queenle.ss, etc. 

We must start in the same as in case No. i, that is, the sec- 
tions must be removed the day previous. 

Now proceed in the usual way of "drumming out" a swarm. 
The proper way to do this, and the way I practiced artificial 
swarming, or dividing a colony of bees, is as follows : Blow 
rottenwood smoke among the bees through the entrance ; this so 
alarms the colony that all the bees commence to fill their sacs 
with honey. B}- drumming on sides of the hive, while smoking 
is being done, greatly helps in the operation. 

When the bees seem ready to go up into the cap. more smoke 
should be introduced and a vigorous drumming on the hive kept 
up. In this way about two- thirds of the colony will run up into 
the cap. Now give them a few minutes to sort of settle down and 
become quiet. Remove the cap, invert it and throw a cloth over 
the box. Give the bees a few puffs of tobacco smoke under the 
cloth. In a few minutes the cloth can be removed, the queen 
hunted out and the bees dumped into a box same as described in 
Method No. i . 

By this plan bees, in either box or frame hives, can be uti- 
lized for queen-rearing. The queen can be re- introduced at once. 

In a few hours, bees thus prepared, will be ready to build 
queen-cells and all that is necessary to do is to proceed as in case 
of No. I. 



Improved Oueen-rearing 27 

method number three 

Karly in the morning remove the queen from a populous 
colony. At night they will be in a proper condition for cell- 
building. When ready, prepare the eggs and queen-rearing hive 
as given above. Remove the queenless colony to a new stand, 
twenty feet away, and put the queen-rearing hive in its place. 
Now after arranging to brush the bees down in front of the latter 
hive, take out the combs of the queenless colony and brush or 
shake, at least one-half of the bees in front of the queen-rearing 
hive. They will all run in and at once commence to construct 
queen-cells, and the next day will be seen working just the same 
as if nothing had happened to them. The queen removed in the 
morning may be given back to the old colony. 

This operation so depopulates the colony that little will be 
done in the supers for a week or ten days. But as the combs are 
filled with brood in all stages, and as the queen is with them, the 
stock will soon recover and get back in fine condition. 

I have tried to make the above very clear. Of course it is 
all plain and easy to me, but how other people can translate it so 
as to understand it is the question. In none of the works I have 
published w^ere the methods made so clear, but nearly all who 
read these books have stated that they had no trouble in rearing 
queens by the methods given. 

The "Beekeepers' Handy Book," a work of nearly 200 pages, 
and "Thirty Years Among the Bees" were treatises on queen- 
rearing published by me within the last fifteen years. Some 5000 
copies were issued and both books are now out of print. 

HOW TO REAR THE VERY BEvST OUEENvS 

Of all the methods I have given or shall give for having cell- 
cups, or queen-cells completed, none of them will compare with 
the one given below. I believe this method is entirely new. 
Certain am I that it never has appeared in any publication, nor 
has it even been brought to my notice by anyone. 

After reading what follows the reader will understand why I 
advised letting queenless bees work on cell-cups from twelve to 
twenty-four hours. 

In the course of twelve hours after bees have worked on the 
queen cells, remove the queen from one of the'strongest colonies in 
the yard. Twelve hours later remove one of the side combs from 
the hive and three or four other combs laterally so as to leave 



28 Improved QuEEN-REARiiXG 

space in the centre of the brood-nest for one of the frames on 
which the queen-cells are started. Now cover up with a super or 
in any way to suit the convenience of the apiarist. Not later 
than five days remove the frame of completed queen-cells to a 
queenless colony, replace the combs in the hive just as they 
were at the start and reintroduce the queen and never mind about 
looking the combs over for queen-cells, as the old queen will be 
well received and will soon destroy all queen-cells that may have 
been started. 

Of course if there are cell-cups enough started bj' the queen- 
less bees, say 40 or 60, not less than three strong colonies should 
be prepared as per above, asTio queen-cells are as many as the 
largest stock of bees should complete. y 

The above operation does not so disturb the bees that 
they will desert the sections. In all this work it is better to be 
quiet and do the work as quickly as possible. Also do as much 
of it at about sunset as that late hour will permit. 

NECESSITY OF QUEENLESS BEES 

Right here will be found the necessity of queenless bees in 
the apiary. Such colonies must care for the completed queen- 
cells when removed from the colony that built them until such a 
time as the cells can be transfered to nuclei or the nurserj^ 

One doing a large queen-rearing business will need several 
queenless colonies at all times. Not only must queenless bees be 
used in caring for queen-cells, but for queens confined in the 
queen nursery. 

When the bees are removed from a hive for the purpose 
of starting more cell-cups, the bees that have just completed a 
batch of cells may be put on the combs and a queen given them 
at once, and in a short time, say two weeks, such a colony will be 
in as good condition as any in the yard. 

This thing can go all through the queen-rearing season. 
Only a few colonies need be made queenless in the beginning, 
and then no colony will of necessity need be queenless. 

I would not advise using one colony for cell-building but 
once in four weeks. It requires a lot of colonies to rear queens in 
the above way, but the results are so satisfactory it will be found 
much the cheapest in the end. 

Good queens is the main point in queen-rearing. Never mind 
about the cost. If the right methods are used in rearing queens, 
good queens will cost no more than poor ones. 



iMrROVKi) Queen-rearing 29 

Bee-keepers the world over are interested in the subject of 
better queens. We all know that queens to supply the demand 
must be reared by what is called artificial methods. The best 
methods must be put in practice if the bee-keeping public is to be 
satisfied. Cheap and inferior queens have had their day, and 
those who rear the best will get the business and they should 
have it, too. 

FEEDING WHII.E QUEEN-REARINC; IS GOING ON 

It should be understood that when queen-rearing is going 
on and no forage in the fields, feeding must be resorted to ; a 
syrup composed of honey and granulated sugar will answer all 
right for food. Feeding not only keeps up the excitement, but 
the interest in the work the bees are doing. Keep up a liberal 
supply until the cells are capped. 

During the past season I conducted some experiments in 
feeding clear honey and clear sugar syrup while cell-building was 
going on. The results of ray experiments clearly show that sugar 
syrup with some honey is just as good to feed bees in queen- 
rearing as the best honey. This fact I could not believe until I 
had made the above experiment ; therefore it will be seen that 
food has no influence whatever on the quality of the queens 
reared. Other conditions and circumstances do have a positive 
influence on the embryo queens; large colonies, thousands of 
young bees, plenty of stores of both honey and pollen, and then 
when the colony is put in fine condition for queen-rearing, the 
result is fine queens. Observe all these conditions if success is 
desired. 

THE QUEEN NURSERY AND HOW TO USE IT 

One would naturally think that when a lot of ripe queen-cells 
are at hand the thing to do would be to form nuclei for the recep- 
tion of the cells or young queens. It is not so in my case. I 
never allow queens to hatch in nuclei. My reasons for this are 
many. I like to secure a large number of queens, say 50 or 100, 
and critically examine each one to see that they are all right 
before making up nucleus colonies. 

_ All of my queens are hatched in nurseries and in such cages 
as illustrated in fig. 6. The size of these cages is such that 35 
of them just fill one standard Eangstroth frame having a thin 



^o Improved Queen-rearing 

top bar. These cages are sawed and fitted so nicely that they will 
stay in the frame without fastenings of any kind. 

It will be seen that there are two holes in the edge of the 
cage. One is for a queen-cell, the other for a small piece of 
sponge which is filled wath honey slightly diluted with water. 
The water prevents the sponge drying too quickly and the 
honey furnishes food for the young queens some two weeks. When 
the cages are ready, and the cells in them, a frame is filled and 
then is placed in the center of a large colony of bees, and between 
two full combs of brood. This sort of hive-incubator works 
splendidly and in the course of 48 hours all the young queens will 
be hatched out, when the nursery should be removed and placed 
in a queenless colony or in a colony nursing unhatched queens. 

Before any young queens are introduced they should be 
closely examined, and if any are found not up to the standard, or 
in any way inferior, they should be destroyed. If any cells con- 
taining inferior queens are given nucleus, or inferior queens intro- 
duced, and not looked after until they have been in the hive long 
enough to become fertile, it will be found that much valuable time 




Fijrnre ('■ 



has been lost. I cannot afford to take such chances, therefore I 
want to see and examine all queens before giving them to colonies. 

The above is one of the reasons why I use a queen nursery ; 
another reason is that each nursery cage is equal to a nucleus 
colony. 

My plan has always been to have queens ready to give nuclei 
in three days after removing a laying queen. That is as soon as 
a virgin queen can safely be introduced in such cases. 

The queen nursery is one of the most valuable implements 



Improved Ouken-rearing 



31 



any queen breeder can have in his apiary. Nothing has ever 
been devised that equals its usefulness. I surely could not rear 
and ship the large number of queens I do every year without 
using a nursery, or going to the expense of running double the 
number of nucleus colonies to take the places of the nursery 
cages. The nursery saves about one half the expense in money 
and bees, as well as much labor. I not onl}^ u.se the nursery for 
virgin queens and cell-hatching, but for keeping a supply of fertile 
queens all through the season. 

The nursery illustrated in fig. 7 is of an old pattern, takes but 
18 cages and accommodates only as many queens. 

FORMING NUCLEI 

This part of queen-rearing reminds me of the remark made by 
Mr. vS. M. Locke when he returned to Wenham after spending two 
or three seasons with D. A. Jones and J. H. Nellis, both of whom 
were engaged largely in the queen-rearing business. 

I made up a lot of nuclei while Mr. L- looked on and saw my 
way of doing such things. "Well," sa}'s Mr. L., "I never saw 



'[111 ':■■■;'! 


MffliilimmlllHIi 


""'1 ■"'-■ 


^ 


„„„m„m,nmm 




11 




'liSi' 




WW 


5;"?«5" 


[IJisti 


Eli 




I'lIHs- 


:H 


illll^frj:: 




lUiHlf:: 


ll^s;:::;: 









nuclei made up in such a quick and easy way!'' My wa\' niaj' 
be better than some others do it. I plan to do all my work in the 
easiest and quickest way. I find tio time to waste in the queen- 
rearing business. 

In forming nucleus colonies I will first give a way that all 
must practice when starting in on queen-rearing. All my 
nucleus hives, or boxes, are the same as is illustrated in fig. i. I 



32 Improved Queen-rearing 

like this stj'le far better than any I have ever tried. Always have 
had the best of success in getting queens fertilized in them, and, in 
fact, never have had any trouble with these hives in any way. 
Some people suppose, and naturally enough too, that where these 
little colonies are kept in the same yard with strong colonies, that 
much robbing would be going on. It is not so, and I never have 
had any robbing in my apiary. No good bee-keeper, it seems to 
me, so does his work in the apiary that robbing is induced. Of 
course when putting up queens the nuclei must be opened in the 
middle of the da\'. Sometimes robbers come around to see what 
is going on. The work of removing a queen is quickly performed 
and if strange bees appear the hive is closed ; that is, combs re- 
placed, cover put on and a handful of grass is thrown against the 
entrance. While the bees of the colony can find their way out of 
and into the hive, no strange bee dares to try to enter. 

If I were about to .start in queen-rearing I would form nuclei 
in about this way : Rather than destroy the nice straight combs 
of a standard hive I would just look around the countr3^ for some 
box-hives. I really love to go through those back-number 
things ; they are an eye-sore to me. 

Take the hive into the bee-room and treat the l)ees same as 
in case of getting "bees for cell-building." 

Take off side of hive, cut out the combs and brush all the 
bees from them into a hive-cap. When all are out dump the bees 
into the box used for confining bees for queen-rearing. Next 
move is to cut the combs into the little frames. After first nailing 
screens to cover entrance to the hives in such a way that the bees 
will have plenty of fresh air, the boxes should each have three 
combs put in them. One of the combs should be brood, the 
others may be brood, honey, etc. One comb of honey may be 
put in after the bees are in. 

Have at hand all the covers so they can be put on quickly 
after the bees are put in. 

We return now to the bees in the confining box, and all is in 
readiness for dividing them up in pint lots among the hives. 

Next step is to get the bees in condition to be handled 
without flying while they are being doled out to the several hives. 
Blow tobacco smoke among them until they seem quiet. Now 
this does not mean to keep up a flow of smoke until the bees drop 
to the bottom of the box. I'se but little smoke at any time, or 
until the bees stop running about the box. In the course of 5 
or 10 minutes they will be ready to handle. Strike the bees down 



I:\ii'R()\Ki) 0(iki-:n-ri-:ar ixr; 33 

into the bottom of the box by dropping it on the floor. With a 
light measure (tin one is l)est) holding about a pint and having a 
handle several inches long, divide the bees among the nucleus 
hives in nearly equal parts as possible. If tlie bees have been put 
in the right condition b}^ the tobacco, they can be handled just 
about the same as so many beans. 

Of course there will be a queen to look up. However, this is 
an easy matter. Rather than spend the time to look her up she is 




allowed to go in with the bees. When the nuclei are formed, the 
bees in tlie hive in which the (lueen happens to be will be found 
more quiet than those that have no queens. Unless I have some 
use for such a queen she is allowed to remain with the bees and 
build up a prosperous colony ; that is, prosperous for such a small 
hive. 

vSometimcs I have as many as half a dozen queens caged in 
my bee-room. They are placed on the bottom sash of the window 
and all the bees in the room collect and cluster on the cages, at- 
tracted and held there a long time by the queens. The bees feed 
and otherwise take good care of them. 

Another way to do, and a thing I often do is this : I some- 
times purchase bees in box-hives, transfer the combs and then put 
bees and combs in a hive that takes 13 of the frames, using two 
sections for a large colony. The 26 combs give a large atnount 
of breeding room and such a colony very quickly builds up to a 
large and prosperous one. vSuch a hive is illustrated in fig. 8. 

The bees thus treated soon repair the combs and get into fine 
condition to be transferred to the small hives. When nuclei are 



34 Improved Queen-rearinc, 

formed as above, they should be kept confined in the hives from 
24 to 48 hours before being rele'ased, then remove the screens at 
night when too late for bees to fly. The next morning the colony 
will be found ready for business. 

By this time the bees will have more or le?s queen-cells, or 
cell-cups started, and fully reconciled to the new state of things, 
and only a few of the older bees will return to the stand they had 
previously occupied. 

The only thing that can be done with these hives is to set 
them on the ground in any place in the apiary. Still, it is a good 
idea to take them away from home for several weeks when 
they may be returned to the home yard and no bees would return 
to the old location. 

I sometimes have several queen-rearing yards two miles apart 
where my nuclei are kept during the entire season — several hun- 
dred nucleus colonies are made up and at once taken away and 
in this way out apiaries are established, but for nuclei only. 

If more convenient to do so bees may be brought from a dis- 
tance for forming nucleus colonies, and when this method is 
practiced the bees can be placed in the home yard. This plan 
works nicely as I have found when forming nuclei. 



INTRODUCING QUEENS 

We have now come to one of the most interesting parts of 
apiculture, and that part of queen-rearing that has been the cause 
of much trouble and a great deal of discussion for many years. 
When it comes to the introduction of queens, either fertile or 
unfertile, nearly all bee-keepers, whether experts or novices, are 
all at sea. 

In the case of introducing unfertile queens, one thing should 
be kept in mind, namely, the older the virgin queen the more 
difficult and dangerous it is to safely introduce them. Virgin 
queens, so far as bees are concerned, cease to be "baby" queens 
when they are three days old ; after that it is verj^ difficult to in- 
troduce them, though I have no trouble in introducing tlum suc- 
cessfully by using tobacco smoke. 

I cannot say which is the most difficult to introduce, viigiu or 
fertile queens. It requires in either case some little experience in 
order to be successful. Some times bees will destroy a strange 
queen even when she is introduced under the most favorable con- 



Improved Queen-rearing 35 

ditions. No oue can introduce a virgin queen successfully unless 
the bees to receive her have been queenless at least three days. 

In all my experience I have practiced but one method of in- 
troducing queens. It is what I term the three-day plan. I seldom 
lose a queen by it. No doubt other bee-keepers have as good 
methods of introducing queens as I have. But the first and last 
ciueens I have introduced were by the system given below. I 
cannot think of giving up a sure thing for something I know 
nothing about. 

j HOW TO INTRODUCE VIRGIN QUEENS 

My plan is to let colonies, whether full stocks or nucleus, 
remain queenless three days, or not far from 72 hours. Then just 
before dark the queens are given the bees by this process : I gen- 
erally have from 25 to 50 virgin queens to introduce at one time. 
' The cages are placed in a convenient box having a handle. Then 
I as many plantain leaves as there are queens to introduce are 
j pulled and put in the box ready for use. These leaves are for 
I closing the entrance to each hive in which queens are to be placed. 
I Armed with the pipe before mentioned, all is in readiness for in- 
j troducing the queens. The feeder used at the top of the hive is 
removed, a good dose of smoke is blown in among the bees and 
I combs. The feeder replaced until the stopper in the cage is re- 
* moved, and then the queen by a quick motion is thrown out and 
\ into the feeder hole. Then the feeder is again quickly put in 
position, and no further attention is given the bees. 

I have introduced successfully as many as fifty virgin queens 
I in thirty minutes. 

j The art of introducing unfertile queens requires more experience 

I to be successful than it does to introduce fertile queens. In fact, 
1 one must be very apt, possess a good deal of tact, and I can almost 
' say, must be very scientific. However, most any bee-keeper can 
learn how to perform such work successfully. One may read how 
j others do these things, but practical knowledge, in order to know 
I all the little details of such intricate and delicate work as intro- 

Iducing queens can only be had by long practice and experience. 
Just how much tobacco smoke to give the bees when introducing 
a queen is a point that requires more or less practice and good 
, judgment. 

I never have been so unfortunate as to give bees too'much 
smoke at such times. Am not certain that bees can be killed by 



; 



^6 Improved Queen-rearing 

tobacco smoke if they can get fresh air soon after smoking them. 
The effect of the smoke soon passes off and the bees resume a 
normal condition. 

Bear in mind that unless the work of introducing queens b}?- 
using tobacco is done very late in the day, or on some cool day 
when bees cannot fly very much, your apiary will be ruined, as 
robbing may be induced. Tobacco smoke puts the bees in such 
a condition they cannot defend their stores from robber bees, and 
once robbing is commenced among the small nuclei it is almost 
impossible to stop it. Should such a thing happen it would be 
necessary to remove the entire nuclei to a distant location. 

INTRODUCING FHRTILK (JUKHNS 

It requires some experience and practice to introduce fertile 
queens. Allow all full colonies to be queenless three days 1:)efore 
giving them a strange queen. Even a queen removed from a 
colony but twenty-fours, if returned would be received as a 
strange queen. Now when the colony has been cpjeenless 
seventy-two hours, give the bees tobacco smoke and let the queen 
in ; or allow the bees to eat the candy-food out and liberate her. 
The smoke from a cigar or pipe will do to introduce fertile queens, 
but not virgin queens. 

Never put a queen near the bees of a colony she is to be 
■given to until ready to introduce her. Many make this mistake. 
Toward dark is the time to introduce queens whether or not to- 
bacco is u.sed. Certainl}' this has been my experience. 

In introducing queens by using tobacco it is not necessar}' to 
give the bees a powerful dose of smoke. Gi\e enough smoke so 
that the bees will feel the effects of it pretty well. The tobacco 
sort of odorizes the combs, bees and queen, so that all are scented 
alike. When the bees recover from the effects of the smoke they 
really don't remember whether the}- were ever without a queen, .so 
they take kindly to the new queen and no trouble ensues. 

I once tried a "chew" of tobacco. Was on my way to school. 
In a short time I didn't care whether school kept or not, in fact, 
I hardly knew anything about it 1 was so sick. Tlint was my 
first and last "chew" of tobacco. Now I imagine tlie l)ees feel 
somewhat in that way when they are made sick by tobacco. 

Bees cannot be killed by tobacco if they are given the air. 
The plantain leaves by which the entrance hole is stopped is 
thrown out, or so loosened before the next morning that the bees 



Improved OuEEx-KKARTxr, 37 

get all the air they need. One passing by the hives in which 
queens were introduced the previous evening cannot discover that 
such work was done b\' anv indications about the hive or bees. 



OBJ]iCTlOXAL DRONKS ; HOW TO CATCH AND 

DESTROY 

II black bees, hybrid bees, or, in fact any bees that are to be 
used in queen-rearing have undesirable drones among them they 
can be easily caught and destroyed. The most effective way of 
doing this is when the bees are put to work building queen-cells. 
My way of doing it is as follows : At the time the hive for cell- 
building is prepared and is ready to place over the bees as given 
on page 23, a metal division-board is put on the box and then the 
hive ccjntaining the prepared strips, combs, etc.. is quickly jilaced 
on the metal. Nearly all the worker Ijccs at once go up into the 
box above, leaving the drones below. 

In placing the bees on the staii i il is not necessary to use 
smoke of any kind. First, place a bottom-board in position and 





VUj:. Ill 

quietly raise the bcjx containing the bees, letting the rear end 
strike the bottom-board in such a way that the combs will not be 
disturl)ed and gradually loweiing the hi\e so as not to crush au}' 
bees. 

The box of drones may be so placed against the front end of 
the bottom-board that all the young bees, if any are left in the box, 
may run out, leaving the drones below the metal to perish. 

Just such a frame as is used for the wire screen cover may be 



38 



Improvkd QuEEN-REARIXCt 



used to nail the metal to, as the entire top of the box should be 
covered in order to catch all the drones. 

How to catch and destroy drones in full colonies will be ex- 
plained under the head of "Drone and Queen-traps." 

DESCRIPTION OF OUHEN-CKLL FRAME 

In my 'early experience in rearing' queens I used combs in 
standard E frames to attach the strips of comb containing the eggs 



r%\i -I- 'i a* *»„••// rVi 



FiKure n 



for queen-cells. While such an arrangement woiked well in 
3-frame nucleus colonies, there are disadvantages in so doing 
when used in full colonies and by my present system of queen- 
rearing ; therefore I adopted the all-wood frame and in combina- 
tion with the wood-strips as shown in fig. 5 and it works nicely. 

The frame is a standard E style into which are nailed two 
pieces of wood A A. There are four notches cut in on the inner 
edges two inches a part, into which the four pieces of wood are 
placed and are thus held firmly in position. 

By examining the queen-cells illustrated in fig. 5, it will be 
seen that the}' are long and pointed, also very heavily waxed and 
corrugated. They do not much resemble the ro^v of queen-cells 
lately illustrated in one of the bee-papers. 

The heav}' waxing and large, long cells are the strongest 
ijidications that such cells contain very hardy and perfect 



Improvkd Ouken-rkarinc; 



39 



queeus. F'ig. 9 illustrates a perfect queen-cell, while fig. 10 shows 
a queen-cell that always contains inferior queens. 

Queen-cells that are short, blunt-end, thin-walled and thinly 
waxed, as shown in fig. 10, contain very inferior queens, and all 
such cells should be destroyed. They are just such queen-cells 
as bees make when they have a queen of any kind in the hive. 

The cells shown in fig. 5 were built in a powerful queenless 
colony late in September, 1902, and were the last lot of cells built 
in my apiary that season, consequently not as many cells were 
built as would have been the case had the season not been quite 




Figure 12 



so far advanced, yet the number of cells are as many as the 
strongest colony of bees should be allowed to build or finish up 
from the 24-hour cell-cups. The mistake many queen-breeders 
make is in permitting one colony of bees to build so many cells in 
one batch. 

A colony that has cast a swarm seldom leaves over eight or 



40 Impkox'KI) Oukkx-kearixg 

ten queen-celLs. In rearing queens it seems to me the breeder 
might be governed somewhat as to the number of cells a colony 
should build by the judgment of the bees when working as Nature 
designed them to work. However, bees do not do things as we 
think they should, therefore many try to improve matteis, and I 
freely admit that I think in some cases man has made the bees 
do many good things they would not have done had the}- not been 
compelled to, or been assisted to do in their work. 

For instance, let us take up the way bees construct queen- 
cells when left to do it in their way, or, in the natural way. 
Fig. 1 1 illustrates how bees build queen-cells when they have their 
way in the matter. Now how can cells built in that manner be 
cutout without destroying many of them? It cannot be done. 
The cells are built in a cluster and all fastened to each other. 
Some of them could be patched up as described on another page, 
and many good queens would be reared. The verj' best queens 
are produced by the cells built as shown in the cluster, neverthe- 
less. Fig. 12 illustrates the improved way of compelling bees to 
construct queen-cells. It will be seen that all the seven cells can 
be separated wnthout destroying any of them when necessarj- to 
cut them out to place in the nursery or in nuclei. 

TRANSFERRING CELLS TO NUCLEI OR TO THE 
QUEEN-NURSERY 

As queen-cells are now built so that they are easily cut out 
and separated without destroying any of them, the work of trans- 
ferring them to nuclei or to the queen-nursery is not difficult, nor 
does it require much time or labor to complete the work. Put all 
the cells in the nursery and allow them to hatch and then after 
selecting the best queens introduce them to nucleus colonies 
prepared as given on another page. Sometimes there is difficulty 
in separating all the cells without cutting into the side of a few of 
them. Excepting- the time required to patch them up, no great 
harm is done. 

When the cells are ripe, and that is on the twelfth da}' from 
the day the cells were staited, remove from the hiVe, brush the 
bees from them and at once take them into a warm room, providing 
the weather is cool, and 'tis most alwajs cool in the months ol 
May and June. 

The knife used to separate the cells should be very thin, 
sharp and warm. If a cell is cut into, just take a piece of thin 



Improved Oi^KKx-REARiNr, 41 

toundation, slight!}- warm it, place it over the aperture and at 
once smooth it down with a warm knife so that it will be perfectly 
air-tight, if not so done, the queen might not hatch out, and she 
certainly would not if she is not within six hours of being read}'- to. 
If a patched cell is given to a nucleus colony, and not made per- 
fectl}' air-tight, the bees would quickly destroy it. Bees will not 
accept any inferior work about queen-cells. Perfection is their 
motto. Nevertheless, I sometimes think bees lack in judgment in 
many things ; such for instance as in destroying a fine young- 
queen when they seem badly in need of one. But they lack in 
judgment very nnich when they use their stings to their own des- 
truction. 

DKSCRIPTION OF PIPlv FOR BURNINC; TOBACCO 

I have always used tobacco smoke for light handling of bees, 
but more particularly for introducing queens. 

I shall state here that for general use in the apiary tobacco is 
not the thing to burn. Doing light work and temporary use the 
tin pipe can be made to work all right. As I am constantly work- 
ing in my queen-rearing apiar}-, I find tobacco smoke n-iuch 
the handiest, as well as the most convenient. 

I do not wish any reader to think I recommend the filthy 
weed because I am a tobacco fiend. Although I have used the 
vile stuff in my apiarj' more than forty years, I have not been able 
to acquire the tobacco habit. So it will be seen that in order for 
me to use tobacco about my bees, I must have some special device 
to burn the stuff in. 

I devised the pipe illustrated in fig. 13 many years ago. 
liody of pipe is about 6 inches long x % in. in diameter and made 
of tin. At each end is a wooden stopper, one a month ]-)iece, the 



other has a V4 iu. tin tube running through it and projecting about 
an inch beyond the wood through which the smoke is direct- 
ed among the bees. 

The pipe is filled with fine, dry tobacco, and is lighted by 
placing the small tube in the mouth and puffing away the same as 
any old smoker does when he puts fire to his old T. D. When the 
pipe is well fired up, the mouth piece is put in and all that is 



42 Improved Queen-rearing 

needed to break up a town meeting is to blow the breath through 
the pipe. 

Full colonies of bees can be handled by using tobacco smoke, 
but they do not take kindly to it. and sometimes resent the insult 
with a vengeance. 

A good bellows smoker filled with dry, rotten wood is much 
the best thing to use when opening a hive of bees. But in intro- 
ducing queens and light work, in the apiary, the tin pipe will be 
found very valuable. Of course no one would think of using 
tobacco when extracting. In putting up queens I find the pipe 
very handy. It is held between the teeth, the cage in the left 
hand and the queen and bees handled with the right hand, as 
both hands are at liberty'. Well, how handy I 

WHAT TO DO WITH SMALIv NUCLEI IN THK 

FALL 

If the queens are allowed to staj^ in the little hives late in the 
season and long enough to fill the combs with brood, and the 
colonies are well fed, there will be a fine lot of bees in the fall 
when all the queens have been taken away, and they may be 
united and wintered in good condition. 

Make hives in two sections same as illustrated in fig. 8. 
These hives are the same in every w^ay as the little boxes except- 
ing they are made to take 13 combs instead of four combs. Use 
two sections in winter as this gives sufficient capacity for wintering 
a large numbers of bees. In three days after the queens are re- 
moved from the nuclei, they are in condition to be safel)^ united 
with little or no trouble. Get the winter hive ready, give it a 
•Stand near the nucleus the queen is in that is to be given the 
united colonies, and then take the queenless nuclei to that stand 
and at once place bees, combs and all in the large hive. Put in 
as much brood as possible, placing it in the center of the hive. 

Now the tobacco pipe described above comes in here pretty 
handily. Just give each small colony a puff of smoke before 
starting them, and all the bees and queen will at once adapt them- 
selves to their new home. Few^ if any bees will return to the old 
.stand. Feed the newly formed colonies about 20 lbs. syrup to 
which several pounds of good hone}' has been added to prevent 
granulation. 

When cold weather sets in, put the colonies in the cellar. In 
the spring when placed on the stand, put on outside cases, fix 




Above illustration gives a partial view of the author's queen- 
rearing apiar\-. The person on the left is S. M. Ivocke, 
former editor of the American Apiculturist ; on the 
right is the author. This photo was taken in 
the summer ol 1882. There has been 
but little change in my apiary 
since the picture was 
made. 



44 Improved Ouekn-rearixg ^ 

them up warm and if need be feed more syrup, and m\- word for it, 
)-ou will have some fine colonies with which to form early nuclei 
when needed. 

I had nuclei enough in the fall of 1892 to form 21 stron.t;- 
colonies of the kind above mentioned. 

TO GKT DRONES AND PRHSKRVK THEM THIC 
ENTIRE SEASON. 

Much has been said in the various bee-papers as to how 
drones can best be obtained and preserved the entire queenr 
rearing season. Here is how it is done in the Bay State Apiary. 
When I have settled upon the colony that it is most desirable to 
rear drones from, a full sheet of drone comb is placed iu the 
centre of the brood- nest. There being no drone comb of any 
amount in the hive, the queen at once puts an egg in each cell. 
This comb is allowed to remain in the colony till most of the drone 
brood is capped, then it is removed and placed in a queenless 
colony, or one that is caring for queen-cells, or has a lot of virgin 
queens in the nursery. Another frame of drone comb is at once 
placed in the same hive. The bees, finding they have no drones 
or drone-brood, at once commence to rear another lot. This goes 
on all through the season. I have found that one colon}- of bees 
will supph' all the drones needed for the entire (-|ucen-rearing 
season, or for many thousands of queens. 

Please understand that when forage is cut off, the colony 
must be fed in order to stimulate drone brood-rearing. 

If the reader knows of any better way to get drones for queen- 
rearing or for doing anj' of the things on the foregoing pages, by 
all means adopt and practice them. I have given you methods 
that have been successful many years. 

WHEN, WHAT AND HOW TO FEED NUCLEI 

I think I can save all who use my system of nuclei very 
much trouble by giving instructions how to care for such colonies, 
and to make the method a success, and prevent robbing in the 
apiary. Under no circumstances ever feed anything but plain 
sugar syrup to the .small colonies. If you u.se hone}' your entire 
nucleus apiary will be ruined within a few hours, providing there 
are any full colonies of bees near them. Sugar syrup is all that is 
needed to keep the nuclei up to the highest standard of prosperity. 



Improvkd Ornr.x-KKARixCr 



45 



There are three reasons why such small colonies should be fed 
as above stated, f i. To keep them in food. 2. To prevent the 
bees from deserfing the hives and 3, to stimulate the bees and 
cause the queens to fly and mate promptly. Now the last 
reason is very important. Unless these little families of bees are 
fed as often as each five days, the bees will desert the hive (swarm 
out), even though they have plenty of stores and brood. Of 
course they will not "swarm out" unless there is a queen to go 
with them. 

Make the syrup as follows: I'ut 13 lbs. of granulated sugar 
in a 10 quart bucket and add encnigh water to fill the receptacle. 
This is about right — not too thin nor too lieavw vSee that all the 
sugar is dissolved before using. 

The feeder illustrated in fig. 15 is cone-shaped, made ol tin and 
is atmo.spheric in principle. When filled it is inverted ; the open- 
ing covered bv a piece of thin cloth, the collar (a) jnit on to keep 
the cloth in place, and -when thus prepared the food will not leak 
out. An aperture, an inch in diameter, is nuide in the co\er of 





Fit;un' 14 



I'iuuie L") 



the hive about an inch from the front eiJge ; and as the apex of the 
feeder is but seven-eighths of an inch in diameter, is held firmly in 
place, and no amount of heavy wind will dislodge it. 

The small quantity of syrup placed in the feeder is sufficient 
to encourage the bees for about five days, when more food should 
be supplied. It is understood, of course, that no feeding is neces- 
sary when there is plent}' of natural forage for the bees to gather. 
I ktiow of no other feeder, or system of feeding that can be ap- 
plied to work so well as the one above described. 

Figure 14 represents one of the small nucleus hives with 



46 



Improved Queen-rearing 



the cone-feeder in position. As water during a rain may leak in- 
to the hive around the feeder, it is always placed in the front part 
of the cover. Always place the hive in such a position that the 
rear end is slightly elevated. This keeps the water from running 
in at the entrance, and if any water gets in at the top it quickly 
runs out. 

The success of my nucleus system depends largely upon the 
maimer of feeding. These little miniature colonies are unlike 
large colonies. They can only care for themselves when forage is 
abundant. P'eed them liberally and success will follow. 

THE DRONE-TRAP IN CONNECTION WITH OUEKN- 

REARINC; 

The reader's attention is called to the utilitv of the drone-trap 
in t|ueen-rearing. It's a wonder to me how it is that anv queen 
breeder cnn produce queens that can be called pure in the same 




Fijiure In 



apiary where there are anywhere from ten to forty full colonies of 
bees sending out their millions of drones every fine day through- 
out the season. It has always been my practice to use the drones 
from only one colony for mating young queens to. How else can 
any queen-breeder know by what .strain of bees his young queens 
are mated to ? Drone-traps are kept at the entrance of my hives 
the entire season, excepting on the hive from which the drones are 



1:M l^ROVKl) QuiiKN-k K AK I XO 



47 



allowed to fly. I do not like a liaphazzard way of mating queens. 
There is no way by which the queen breeder can have absolute 
control of the fertilization of his queens as can be done by using- 
the trap. If you come into my apiary between May 20 and Oct. i, 
you will find traps on every hive in the yard. The trap in con- 
trolling swarming and catching the thousands of useless drones has 
a world-wide reputation as all practical bee-keepers well know. 
I regret very much to have to say that few if any of the supply 




Fijiurc 17 



dealers are sending out queen-traps that are of any value. About 
all who use the traps have an idea that they cari improve its con- 
struction. Few of these people realize that all those supposed im- 
provements were tested in my yard years before they ever saw the 
trap. Yet many of these useless and needless improvements have 
been attached to the trap by those who are selling them, render- 
ing the trap almost worthless. 

An improved queen and drone-trap is illustrated in fig. 16. 
This trap is so constructed that no bees are destroyed by smother- 
ing. The trap does not clog and the bees have a clear and easy 
way through it, in and out of the hive. Three sides are covered 
by perforated metal, thus affording abundance of ventilation to 
the hive at all times. 

The trap prevents any bees from decamping either before or 
after a swarm has issued or has been hived. When a swarm 
issues, all that need be done is to move the hive the bees issue 
from to a new location, and put an empty hive in its place ; take 
the trap and place it at the entrance of the new hive ; the swarm 
soon returns, and while the bees are running in, draw the top 
slide to release the queen, and she will enter with the bees. Then 
stand back and see the swarm rush in pell-mell and take pos.ses- 
sion of the hive. Whew ! what fun on a hot dav to have all this 



^8 Improved Queen-rearikg 

work done without any effort on your part ; no climbing trees, 
[retting, worry or loss of bees. 

Last season I saw a trap in Boston that was put up by oneot 
the laro-est supply dealers in the world. I was amazed when in- 
formed" that any man who ever kept bees would send out such a 
thing The dealer who had it called it the "Alley" trap. I said i 
invented the Alley trap, but I would not own up as the inventor oi 
a thing like the one in question. 

I have not dealt in the traps for many years. But i am .so 
disgusted by what I have seen of the worthless things manufac- 
tured by other people, I shall take up the manufacture of them 
again. Fig. 17 represents old style trap. 

KROOM FOR BRUSHING BEES 

The first year I had bees I found that feathers were not just 
the thing with which to brush bees, so a corn broom, such as is^ 
used for clothing was utilized, but not until more than one-half 
the broom was cut out. With a sharp knife cut out nearly two- 
thirds of the straw material just under the binding. I hen when 
the bees are brushed off the combs none will be destroyed if any 
are half wav in the cells. ,, 

This kind of a brush is called the "Coggswell broom. i 
greatly mistake if I did not .sell the Coggswell Brothers of Groton, 




FiKiire 1>^ 



N Y the first broom they ever used. The one I use and the 
so-called Coggswell brush are quite different. There is stock 
enough in the Coggswell to make a dozen of the kind used by me. 
See Fig. 18 for illustration of broom. 

POINTS IN QUEEN-REARING 

TO INSERT A QUEEN- CELL 

When a cell is introduced, it is not necessary, nor is it prac- 
tical to cut the comb to insert the cell in, as recommended by some 
bee-keepers When a queen has been removed and the combs re- 



Improved Queen-rearing 49 

placed in the hive, just thrust your little finger down between the 
combs near the top-bars, and thus make room for the cell and im- 
mediately place it in the opening made. The bees will not destroy 
the cell if it contains a healthy queen. If it is late in the season 
and the colony from which the queen is taken is weak in numbers, 
it will be necessary to place the cell in the middle of the cluster. 
Even in this case, you will not be obliged to do any cutting as 
room can be made for the cell by pushing the finger throughone 
of the combs. Place the cell, small end downwards, in the aper- 
ture and close the hive. 

QUEENS, HOW TO PRESERVE AND CARE FOR THEM 

At the swarming season many bee-keepers have more or less 
queen-cells, and sometimes young queens, they would like to 
- preserve if possible to do so and if proper fixtures were at hand 
' to aid them in carrying out their desires. At just that time 
j several cages, such as are described on a previous page and are 
( used in the queen-nursery, would be the right thing to have. 
I Remove the cells from the hive at the proper time, place them in 
I the nursery-cages and after supplying each cage with food 
I sufficient for a week, or longer, place the nursery in some full 
I colony, according to directions given on another page in connec- 
I tion with the description of the nursery. A much better way for 
( the novice to dispose of queen-cells would be to supersede old 
I queens and at once insert the queen-cells. If this seems too risky, 
i dequeen the hive a few days before the cells are matured, say on 
I the fifth day after a swarm issues. This method of dequeening 
I would do away with the necessity of nucleus colonies which one 
j would be obliged to have in order to preserve young queens until 
'fertilized. 

AGE AT WHICH QUEENS MATE 

The readers of the different bee-periodicals have not failed to 
notice the reports, from time to time, of queens being fertilized 
when two or three days old. 

I am inclined to think that all who make reports of queens 
jbeing fertilized when under five days old must be mistaken. I 
never knew such a thing to happen in my apiary. Have had 
(thousands of young queens take the mating flight when but /ire 
jdays old, but never knew one to do so when under that age. 

The fact that I spend all my time during the queen-rearing 



50 Improved Queen-rearing 

season in the yard among my nucleus colonies, and that every 
means is used to force the young queens to fly and become fertile 
at the earliest moment possible, should be sufficient to satisfy the 
reader that I am making no wild statement in this matter. 

FORCING QUEENS TO MAKE THE MATING FLIGHT 
AND TO COMMENCE TO LAY PROMPTLY 

The queen dealer is anxious to have his queens mate as soon 
as possible after they arrive at the proper age. No special pains 
need be taken while there is a flow of honey to force the queens to 
take a flight, as they readily do so themselves. After the honey 
harvest is over, it is quite another affair. At this time a young 
unfertile queen will not leave the hive, unless encouraged to do so 
by feeding, when under ten or twelve days old. Yet, if the 
weather is favorable, that is, if the day is clear and warm, and 
but little wind, ninety-nine out of every hundred ciueeiis can be 
forced to fly on the fifth day after they emerge from the cell. 
Feeding for this purpose has been an important feature for years 
in my apiary. 

HOW TO KNOW A FERTILE QUEEN FROM AN 
UNFERTILE ONE 

One who has any considerable experience in queen-rearing 
has no trouble in distinguishing a fertile queen from one that is 
unfertile. In twelve hours after a queen has mated there is a 
perceptible increase in her size. Not only is her abdomen larger 
around, but it is also longer. These conditions are noticeable in 
the early part of the season, but at the last of September and 
during the month of October some other way of judging and 
knowing whether or not a queen has been fertilized must 
be adopted. While queens that are fertilized early in the 
season will at once make preparations to deposit eggs, the late 
fertilized queens do not. That is, the late fertilized queens will 
not as quickly increase in size after becoming fertile, as they do 
earlier in the season. Now to decide positively that a queen is 
fertile I have tested the matter in this way : About half a pint of 
bees are taken from a colony having an unfertile queen and 
allowed to run in the hive of the fertile one. 

If the queen in the latter hive proves to be fertile, the strange ^ 



Improved Queen-rearixCx 51 

bees will not molest her; if unfertile, the bees introduced may at 
once ball and eventuall}'^ destroy her. This is a simple and quick 
way to test the matter, and applies only to nucleus colonies, 
though it may be practiced more or less successfully in full 
colonies. 

Another way to decide whether or not a queen is fertile is to 
feed honey for a day or so. If fertile she will deposit a few eggs, 
and lay while the feeding is continued. 

AGK WHEN YOUNG QUEKNS COMMENCI' TO LAY 
AFTER BECOMING FERTILE 

f Young queens, as a rule, commence to ^ay from thirty-six to 
forty-eight hours after they become fertile. 1 

The time varies according to the season. During the hone}^ 
harvest nearly every 3-oung queen will commence to lay in about 
thirty-six hours after mating. Later in the season, when no 
honey is being gathered, it will be from forty-eight hours to three 
days. 

I never have found a young queen la3'ing when less than 
seven days old. 

FERTILIZING IN CONFINEMENT 

I believe there is not a well authenticated case recorded 
wher^ a queen was ever fertilized in confinement. Why should 
any one desire to have queens fertilized in any other way than the 
one provided by nature ? By the use of the improved appliances 
for controlling and destroying useless and worthless drones, it is 
an easy matter to have any and all queens mated to any strain of 
drones desired. 

A practical method of having queens fertilized in confine- 
ment will not be devised for a long time to come. However, no 

] one can tell what a day may bring forth. There are a good many 
wise heads at work upon the knotty questions connected witli 

i bee-culture. 

REvSPECT BEES SHOW THEIR QUEEN 

When a fertile queen moves about the combs her subjects al- 
* ways open a way for her to pass, and the bees seem to vie with 
each other in the respect they show their ruler. 

The virgin queen never has much respect shown her. The 



52 Improved Queen-rearing 

workers do not even trouble themselves to get out of her way 
when she moves about the cluster. She must run over the bees 
and get about the best she can. 

When a hive is opened and combs removed, a virgin queen is 
pretty sure to take wing, especially if the operation of removing 
the frames is not performed quietly, or late in the day. Howevtr, 
there is no danger of the queen being lost as she will fi\- but a 
short distance from the hive and immediately return. 

DESTROYING OUEKN-CELLS WHEN INTRODUCING 

QUEENS 

As stated on a previous page, some queen-cells will be built 
oil the combs that have brood in them. It will not be necessary 
to look the combs over and destroy those cells if a young queen is 
introduced. In the course of twenty-four hours after the queen 
gets possession of the combs, she will destroy the cells, that is, the 
queen will open them near the base and sting the nymph, or 
nearly matured queen as the case maj^ be, and the bees will soon 
finish the work of destroying the cell, and removing the dead 
queen. There are, however, exceptions to this rule, and once in 
a while a young queen is permitted to "hatch out" and take 
possession of the colony. In that case, the queen just introduced 
is destroyed. This so seldom happens, and does not happen at all 
except in cases where an old queen is introduced, that it is not 
worth while to spend time in looking the combs over for queen- 
cells. 

THE OBSERVATORY HIVE FOR STUDYING THE 

HABITS OF BEES 

I know of no better way for the novice to study the habits of 
the honey-bee than can be done by an observation hive, such as is 
illustrated in fig. 19. This hive has but one comb which is in- 
serted between two plates of glass. Anyone can make such a 
hive at small expense. Get out a frame, groove for the glass to 
slide in, leaving an inch and a quarter between the glass for the 
comb and frame. Wooden covers are used to keep out the light. 
Arrange it so that the bees pass to and from the hive under the 
bottom sash of a window, and in such a way that no bees can 
enter the room. 

When thus arranged there is no danger of anyone being 
stung while observing the bees work. Here every movemer^t of 



Improved Queen-rearing 



53 



the colony and queen can be seen, and all work from the laying of 
the egg to the sealed brood may be seen at any time ; how the 
bees remove pollen from their legs ; how they behave when de- 




prived of tbeir queen, and how they fctart and build a queen-cell, 
store honey in the combs, etc. 

It the observation hive contains a small colony of bees and an 
unfertile queen, it will be seen that the bees do not take the least 
notice of her. Apparently she is of no more consequence before 
becoming fertile than other bees in the hive ; yet should she be 
removed from the colony, the bees would soon miss her, and make 
as much fuss over her loss as they would had she been a fertile 
queen. The fact that bees pay no attention to a queen, is the 
best evidence that she is not fertile. 





COMPARATIVE SIZE OF QUEENS 

Figure 20 nicely and accurately represents a large, fine and 
well-developed fertile queen bee. I have reared many queens 
equally as large as the one illustrated in above cut. 

Figure 21 is a good and life-size view of an unfertile queen. 
Such queens vary much in size. 



54 Improved Queen-rearing 

No one should judge of the size of a queen until she is given 
a chance to develop in a full colony of bees. 

Queens kept in small nucleus colonies never reach full 
development. They must be given larger quarters in order to 
show to what size they will attain. 

PREVENTING HONEY FROM CANDYING 

Some years ago I accidentally discovered a process by which 
honey that has once candied can be preserved in the liquid state 
for a long time. 

It is my opinion that it is much the best plan to let all honey 
candy and then liquify it. Possibly there are some kinds of 
honey that if treated by the process below given, would not remain 
in the liquid state only a short time. But for most kinds the 
treatment will be a success, and preserve it many months. 

Several years ago I received some honey in sixty-pound cans 
that was nearly as hard as sugar. It was melted and put in 
half-pound bottles. To keep it from candying again before I 
conld dispose of it, the bottles were placed on a shelf over the 
kitchen stove, where the tehiperature would rise to no degrees 
during the day and would not go below 60 degrees at night. This 
same lot of honey stood zero weather for two winters without 
going back. 

The above is the e.itire process. It is heat for a long time 
that does the business. Hone}^ in large cans would need to be 
kept in a high temperature at least a month, but the process will 
surely prevent it from candying after it is once liqnified. 

Arrange the details of heating to suit your conditions. Large 
quantities of honey can be kept in a room well up from the floor, 
and a good hot fire running for a long time. 

Steam heat, if convenient to use, is the proper thing. Small 
quantities of honey can be treated about as mentioned in my own 
case. 

TO THE READER 

If the methodi herein given for rearing queens is not made 
clear I shall be glad at any time to give personal explanation. 
Later on I may issue a "supplement" in which many of the parts 
of my system of queen-rearing will be illustrated and more 
minutely explained. Send in the questions and they shall receive 
attention. 



Improved Ouken-rearinCt 



55 



THE QUEEN-REARING OUTFIT 

There are certain necessary things used in queen-rearing 
which I can supply at the prices given opposite each article 
named. 

The queen nursery, 35 cages, $1.50. 

The tin pipe for burning tobacco when introducing queens, 
50 cents. 

Small liiv^e, four frames, nailed ready for use, including cone- 
feeder, 50 cents. 

Small hive complete, including pint oi bees, one best Adel 
breeding queen, $5.00. 

I Same with select tested Adel ([ueen, $4.00. 

] All the above, and one of the latest improved queen-traps, 

I sent for $9.00. These goods must go by express, as they are too 
' large to go by mail. 




A successful swarm-catcher. Used in the Bay State Apiary 
with great success many years. It consists of a 
brood-box in front of the hive in con- 
nection with the (lueen-trap. 

LofC. 



The A. I. Root Co. 

riedina, Ohio, 

Makes a Specialty of Manufacturing 

Bee = keepers' Supplies 

of All Kinds 



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For convenience of bee-keepers in obtaining 
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paying high freight charges, as well as suf- 
fering long delays in transit, a number of 
dealers have established distributing-points at 
many large centers, where goods are shipped 
from factory in carload lots. 

In a notice of this kind it is impossible to give 
a list of dealers that will be accurate year after 
year. If you do not find their card in Gleanings 
IN Bee Culture or other journals, send to us 
and we will give you name of dealer located 
nearest j'ou. In addition to twenty-five such 
distributing-houses in United States, there are 
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Cardenas, and Cienfuegos, Cuba; at various 
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Zealand. 

An illustrated catalog mailed free. 



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^ THK OLDEST BEE PAPER IN AMERICA I 

^- 111 order to become a progressive apiarist, and at the 

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^I In charge of Dr. C. ('. Miller, a bee-keeper of over 40 I 

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^ The Weekly Budget Z 

^^ Being mainly per.sonal items and miscellaneous matters - 

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^— Beedom Boiled Down — Cream of bee-literature. - 

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^^ This is in charge of Mr. E. E. Hasty, who reviews what - 

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^~ JOURNAIj, pointing out any errors and commending the I 

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^ Our Bee=Keeping Sisters E 

^- Miss Emma M. Wilson (sister-iu-iav^' and assistant in the - 

•^ apiary of Dr. C. V,. Miller) has charge of this department. 

g— It is especially intended for women bee-k*^ei)ers, tliough its z 

»— contents are just as helpful to the men-folks. - 

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g" Short experiences and reports of the honey crop, con- - 

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^ Price of the BEE JOURNAL, one year, .|;l.OO; or for I 

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ftD 



'23. 



IViAR 17 1903 






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