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[Illustration: _Yours truly Henry Alley_]
IMPROVED QUEEN-REARING
OR
HOW TO REAR LARGE, PROLIFIC, 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
[Illustration: Improved Bay State closed-end frame Bee-Hive. Used by
thousands of Bee-Keepers many years with great success. Construction of
brood-frames same as the Dawzeubaker. Frames are reversible and held in
position by side boards and two iron rods.]
PREFACE
This little book is written and designed to instruct those engaged in
bee-keeping in the art of rearing queen bees. The long experience 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
[Illustration: Illustration of the original Bay State Bee-Hive. Invented
and used by Henry Alley, more than twenty years 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 queen, where to keep 16
Cell building, how to prepare a colony for 18
Cell building, method number one 19
Cell building, method number two 26
Cell building, method number three 29
Cell building, feeding while going on 29
Cell building, how to prepare eggs for 21
Cell building, destroying eggs 22
Cell building, theory of using young bees 24
Cell building, how to rear the best 27
Drones, objectionable 37
Drones, how to catch and destroy 37
Drones, how to obtain and preserve 44
Drone-trap, utility of 46
Honey, how to prevent candying 54
Nuclei, how to form 31
Nuclei, how to feed 44
Pipe for burning tobacco 41
Queen-cell frame, description of 38
Queen-cells, transferring 40
Queens, how to care for 49
Queens, age at which they mate 49
Queens, virgin, forcing to mate 50
Queens, age at which they lay 51
Queens, to know fertile from unfertile 50
Queens, fertilizing in confinement 51
Queens, respect bees show them 51
Queen-cells, destroying 51
Queens, comparative size 53
Queen-rearing, first improvements 11
Queen-rearing, latest improved methods 12
Queen-rearing, on a large scale 14
Queen-rearing, proper conditions of apiary 15
Queen-rearing, to prepare eggs for 16
Queen-breeding colony, how to start 19
Queen-breeding hive, how to make 17
Queens, fertile, how to introduce 34
Queens, unfertile, how to introduce 35
Queen nursery, how to use 29
Queenless bees, necessity of 28
IMPROVED QUEEN-REARING
OR
How to Rear Large, Prolific and Long-Lived Queen Bees
INTRODUCTION
In 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 apiculture, some bee-keepers may be found who know no more
about 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 in my garden. The bees were hived in a small packing box,
and at once commenced to build comb and store honey. 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 colony in all respects.
In the spring of 1858, I purchased another colony which was in a
box-hive that had a 7 × 9 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 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 year’s experience, I was seized with a desire to
go into queen rearing extensively. By 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 commence 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 amusement as no bee-keepers were in
want of queens, nor was there any demand for them. Well, I continued to
advance in the art and enlarge my experience, not only in rearing
queens, but in bee-keeping 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 my place.
This man had made a frame about twelve inches square, to which glass was
fastened on both sides, thus forming a one comb observation hive. A
small piece of brood comb containing eggs and larvae was fastened at the
top of the frame by 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 1860 I practiced queen rearing on a larger scale, as we had
then heard about Mr. Langstroth and his wonderful book and still more
wonderful hive, which is today more marvelous than anything else
connected with apiculture. From this time on rapid advancement was made
not only in queen rearing but in 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 by 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 1860. At that
time no one had much knowledge of queen-rearing, and Mr. Langstroth’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 success in
obtaining first-class queens. You see no one had got “on to” the idea
that nature could be cheated and outdone in the production 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
must go back and adopt some of the early methods in order to give
satisfaction to their customers.
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 importance was made when Mr. J. B. Parsons of
Flushing, N. Y., imported 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 queens and they
did so, and thus the queen-rearing and supply business has been on the
increase since the year 1862, or the advent 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
satisfactory 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 called strictly 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 made 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 colony.
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 L 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 plenty of water or
the uncapped brood will perish. After 24 hours confinement the colony
can be given its liberty and placed on a stand anywhere in the apiary
somewhat remote, of course, from where they 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 by 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 my early queen-rearing 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 queen-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 completed, 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
bees, provided the bees have been queenless for twelve hours. While bees
might not destroy queen-cells if given them before they 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 may be
found on another page.
SOME OF THE DISADVANTAGES OF REARING QUEENS BY THE ABOVE PLAN
The above way 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 queens. 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 they 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 are pretty sure to build them exactly opposite each other, that is,
cells are built on opposite sides of the comb. Yet these cells can be
removed; but in 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 way for the
novice to start in on rearing queens.
Removing the queen from a full colony of bees is practically the same
method as above given; the difference is, however, that no more queen’s
cells are likely to be made than in a three-frame nucleus, and I hardly
think one could get any 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
thousands.
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 my apiary 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 self 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 enter
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
the 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 shall hold back nothing, but give in this work a full description and
explanation of every valuable point I 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 impractical 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 important 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 more comprehensive and
better in every way, therefore I will get down to the point at once and
drop the lecture part of the subject.
PROPER CONDITION OF THE APIARY WHEN QUEEN-REARING IS COMMENCED
All who undertake to rear queens should understand that before 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 apiary is in
a state of semi-starvation. So 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 early 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
be 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 early as
the 10th 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 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 prolificness, longevity, and honey-gathering
qualities. It takes pretty good stock to combine all the above named
points. As for gentleness 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. Only an occasional queen breeds
vicious bees, and this trait is but seldom transmitted to offspring.
TO PROCURE EGGS FOR CELL-BUILDING; WHERE TO KEEP THE BREEDING-QUEEN
If only a few queens are to be reared, the mother bee may 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 necessarily be
destroyed 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 queen-cells,
and a good prolific queen will fill such a comb and put an egg in every
cell during each twenty-four hours. Does not the reader see that by this
arrangement there are always fresh eggs at hand, and the exact age of
the eggs can be known to within 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.
[Illustration: Figure 1]
HOW TO START THE QUEEN-BREEDER COLONY
I will now describe the hive, fig. 1, for keeping the breeding queen in,
and give the dimensions of all the parts so that any one can make the
entire thing. Sides of hive, 6 in. high × 7¾ in. long × ½ in. thick;
ends, 6 × 6 in., ⅞ in. thick. Make rabbit for frames to rest on ½ × ½
in. in the 6 × 6 × ⅞ in. thick pieces. As the top bar of frame is but ¼
in. thick, there will be a bee-space of ¼ in. between the cover of the
hive and the top of the frame, and plenty of room under 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 9 × 8¾ in. × ⅞ 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 1 × ⅞ in. thick clamps nailed on to
prevent the board from warping. Use ⅞ 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 6½ × ⅞ × ¼ in.;
bottom bar 5½ × ⅞ × ¼ in.; end pieces 5½ × ⅞ × ¼ 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 about the hive until the combs are
transferred to the small frames. To cut the combs in the small frames,
lay the full comb 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 be in condition 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
larvae in just the light condition for cell-building and queen-rearing.
From this time on a new comb can be given the 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 queens 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 by 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.
PREPARING A COLONY OF BEES FOR QUEEN-CELL 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 give 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 eggs are given
them from which they may rear queens. The entire colony should be put in
a “broody” state by dequeening and then given six hours at least to
realize their queenless condition. There are three ways for doing this.
[Illustration: Figure 2]
METHOD NUMBER ONE
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 window screen and the size of the top
of the brood-nest of the hive. I always have at hand some half dozen of
these wire covers and they come into use many 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 queen 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 4 × 4 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 bottom; the cover is a screen
same as above described. This arrangement gives the bees all needed air
while confined. It is necessary to nail three pieces of wood ⅞ inches
square across the bottom of the box so that the air will not be shut out
when the box is resting on anything. 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 colony 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 apiary. 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 disposed 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 workshop 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
bees-wax. Melt these on the oil stove, mix thoroughly and when quite hot
it will be ready for use.
[Illustration: Figure 3]
We will now suppose the comb containing eggs for queen-cells has been
taken from the hive and is at hand ready to be prepared. 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 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.
[Illustration: Figure 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 completed queen-cells and
the manner of fastening the strips of comb to the wood. This is done by
lightly dipping the strips of comb in the wax mixture. Just touch the
edges of the cells of the opposite 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, 1 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
season 1902. Earlier in the summer, 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 comb is pressed down
a little harder at both ends than it is in the middle, it will be made a
little curving on the underside, thus giving more room for the
queen-cells. But this curving business must 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 connected with
the rearing of queen bees.
I can give all the main points in the business, but those who 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. Experiment and
practice are as much needed in queen-rearing as in any other occupation
one is at work at.
A piece of nice worker comb 5 × 5 inches square will furnish 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
quantity of bees that are to do the work of cell-building.
[Illustration: Figure 5]
When the strips of comb are fastened to the sticks and in the frame,
they should be placed in a brood-box and the balance of the space of the
hive filled by combs of honey and pollen. In no case use combs that have
brood in them.
Now all being ready set the box of bees in a convenient place 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, remove the cover, place it
on the box of combs and quickly place the combs over the box of bees.
Now all the labor is done excepting giving the bees water until the next
morning. All this work can be done without even one bee escaping in the
entire operation.
The bees can be left in the bee-room over night, and placed on the stand
about 10 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, then they will quickly 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 another 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 bees. Well, you
say, how can this be done? If at this time bees are gathering honey 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 by many breeders
of queen-bees. I want it understood, however, that I do not so advise
anyone, as by the method to follow this very much better queens are
reared. Yet if bees are in a swarming mood, pretty good queens are
reared over the brood-nest.
I shall advise all not to rear queens by above method excepting at
swarming time, as under no other conditions can good queens be reared by
such a system 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 process are
first-class. Bees do not seem to work with that interest when
superseding an old queen as they do when absolutely queenless, or are
about to cast a swarm.
THE THEORY OF USING YOUNG BEES IN QUEEN-REARING
I have given 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 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
queen-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 enthusiasm and interest in the work.
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 every nurse
bee in the hive is taken, and this includes thousands of just hatched
bees that are maturing each day as nurse bees, thus keeping up a
constant supply of nurses.
How many of the readers of this work ever watched bees building
queen-cells in an observatory hive? Why, a queen-cell, 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.
Has any one connected with the rearing of queen-bees 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 interest and enthusiasm has
vanished, and pretty poor work will be done.
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-BUILDING
METHOD NUMBER TWO
My favorite way of preparing bees for cell-building is given in Method
No. 1. 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 colony queenless, etc.
We must start in the same as in case No. 1, that is, the sections 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. By 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. 1.
By this plan bees, in either box or frame hives, can be utilized 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. 1.
METHOD NUMBER THREE
Early 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 were 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 BEST QUEENS
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 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 by the queenless bees,
say 40 or 60, not less than three strong colonies should be prepared as
per above, as 20 queen-cells are as many as the largest stock of bees
should complete.
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
transferred to nuclei or the nursery.
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.
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 WHILE QUEEN-REARING 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 my 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 reception 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 Langstroth frame having a thin 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
with 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.