BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
For these reasons, however, I think that the use of the queen-nursery pays well; for it allows us to sort the virgin queens in sending them off, so we need send only the best; while it many times enables us to save a nice lot of queens which we would otherwise lose.
In using it, I put it in the upper story of any colony having a queen-excluder between it and the lower story; often putting it in the same apartment where the bees are rearing queens, as it makes no difference to the bees as regardscell-building, the work going on just the same if there are fifty virgin queens caged in the same apartment. At first I
feared that cell-building would stop, or the cells already
built would be destroyed, but after testing the matter I find
that queens thus caged have no influence along these lines
The kind of nursery that I prefer, is like the one [Fig. 9] invented by Mr. Alley, and described in his book; but if
my memory serves me rightly, Dr. Jewell Davis was the
first one to bring the queen-nursery before the public.
I make the queen-nursery as follows: Sixteen blocks are
gotten out, 2%x2%x% of an inch, which exactly fill one of
my frames. A one-and-one-half inch hole is bored in the
centre of each of these blocks, over which is tackt a piece
of wire-cloth having twelve to sixteen meshes to the inch,
and being two inches square.
Before tacking on the wire-cloth, I bore in the edge of
the block (which is designated for the top after the block is
put in the frame) a three-fourths inch hole, boring down to
within one-elighth of an inch of the one-and-one-half inch
hole. I now finish boring the hole with a one-half inch bit.
This hole is for the queen-cell to be placed in, and the
reason for the two sizes of holes is to give a shoulder, so that
the queen-cell can hang in the block the same as it does on
the comb and still be in no danger of slipping through into
the block. This hole is bored a little to one side of the
centre, so as to allow room for a one-half inch hole on the
other side, which is to receive the candy; the latter hole is
so bored that it comes out near one side of the one-and-one-
half inch hole, and when it is deep enough, so that a hole
Figure 9: Queen-Nursery.
large enough for the queen to enter is made, I stop boring, for a shoulder at the bottom is needed to keep the candy in place [Fig. 10]. Now fill the hole with candy, packing it in with a plunger made to fit the hole loosely, and tack on the wire-cloth. The blocks can be made so that a given number will fit any frame in use. I only gave this description as the right size to use in the Gallup frame.
Having the cages provisioned with the "Good" candy, made of granulated sugar and honey (granulated sugar is preferable to the powdered, to use in these cages), the cells are taken off the frames as before, when a little honey is put around the end, just where the queen will bite off the cover in hatching, so that she can feed herself before coming out of the cell, the same as the bees feed her when she hatches in the hive. When first using the nursery I did not know of this "trick," consequently I lost many queens by their not having strength to get out of their cells; but when I saw the bees feeding a queen one day, through an opening in tne cell, I took the hint, and have had no trouble since.
After the cell has the honey on it (do not put on enough so that it will daub the queen), the cell is put in the hole made for it, and the cage put in the nursery-frame, and so on till all are in, when the nursery is taken to the hive and put where it will be kept warm by the bees.
If in the early spring or late in the fall it is put in the lamp-nursery, which is then kept running, as the heat in the hive is not great enough at this season of the year to hatch queens where the cells are in a nursery. I have lost many queens, even after they had hatch, when trying to
before retiring. Being fattigued, I soon fell asleep, and slept about an hour. Upon waking, the first thought that came to me was, why not make a cage of wire-cloth to protect the queen-cell, so that the bees could not get at the side of the cell until they became aware that they were queenless, which would be at about the time the cell would hatch; and in this way be victor, instead of owning up beaten, as I did a little while ago? Very soon the picture of a cage and all how to use it, stood out before me so plainly that I could see it with my mind as distinctly as I ever saw any picture with my eyes. The idea of caging queen-cells was old, and cages especially adapted to this purpose had been advertised for a good many years; but the ideal cage presented before me at this time, was for the special purpose of allowing the safe introduction of a queen-cell, nearly mature, to a colony at the time of taking away a laying queen, the cage being so constructed that the queen could hatch and walk right out among the bees, the same as if no cage was there; while at the same time the cell was safely secured against the bees, so that they would not destroy it. All are aware that when bees destroy a cell, they bite into the side or base of it, and never at the point, on account of the cocoon being so thick at the point end that they cannot make much headway in trying to get a hole in there. Well, the cage I saw on awaking, was to be made so as to protect all parts of the cell from the bees except the point, and this was not easy for them to get at, even if they did try to bite through it at this place. The cage was made by rolling a small piece of wire-cloth around a V-shaped stick, so that a small but not very flaring funnel was made, the hole in the small end being as large as an ordinary lead-pencil. After making the cage, I cut off a piece of five-eighths inch cork for a stopper, put in a nearly mature queen-cell, with the point down into the lead-pencil hole as far as it would go, when the piece of cork was put in so that the bees could not get in at the base. [Fig. 5, page 35.] I now took a fine wire and run it through the meshes of the wire-cloth just above the cork, so as to keep the cork in place, while the other end of the wire was bent so that it would hold on to the top of the frames, in order to keep the cage in the position I desired it, between the combs. These caged cells were hung in the hives at the time the queens were removed, and in from 24 to 48 hours, according to
### Doollittle on queen-Reading.
the age of the cell, I had a nice virgin queen in the hive wherever a caged cell was hung.
As soon as I found it was a success, I made many more cages, so that now I have no more trouble with bees destroying cells, not having over two percent destroyed out of the thousands so caged during the past three years. The cage protects the cell everywhere except at the point, but allows the bees to get accustomed to the presence of it, the same as if the cage was not there. The lead-pencil hole allows the queen to hatch the same as if the cell were not caged, while the bees can feed the queen and hold her in the cell as long as they please. The few cases where queens are killed seem to come about by the bees destroying them after they have been let out of the cell; yet I have thought that in a very few instances the bees had torn away the extreme end of the cell and dragged the queen out; but the instances of queens being destroyed where cells are so caged are so few that the plan can justly be called a success.
Instead of using cork for stoppers, I now use a piece of corn-cob, which will fit nicely in the cage, above the base of the cell; and instead of hanging the cage in the hive with a wire, I press the cage into the comb, the same as I have told of doing with an uncaged cell. In pressing the cage into the comb, bear on the cob, for in this way there is no danger of pressing the meshes of the wire-cloth into the cell; and only press it far enough so that the cage is secure to the comb. In this way the bees will not gnaw through the septum to the comb, so as to injure it, if the cage is left in the hive for several days after the queen hatches, as they are sure to do if the cage is prest down till it strikes the center of the comb.
When I have many queens to send off, in days when there is danger of over-heating the cells, or chilling them, I put up the queens first, then take the caged cells in the basket or heated box and put them in afterward, the same as is done with uncaged cells.
Some who have tried this plan of caging cells, have complained that they had to trim the cell so much to get it into the cage, that it made lots of work, which is the truth, where the old plans of cell-building are used; but with the plan of wax-cells, as here given, all of this trimming part is done away with. This also accounts for the reason that some have not succeeded with them, for the cells built by the old plans would not fit the cages so well but that the bees could get at them to bite in at the sides of the cell.
This caging of cells is of great value, where queens areplaced in the upper story of full colonies, for fertilization, as is soon to be described; for in this case I have never had one destroyed, even when put in but a few hours previous to their hatching.
## Chapter XI. How to form nuclei.
There are nearly as many ways of forming nuclei as there are different individuals who make them; yet that does not alter the old saying that, "there is a right and a wrong way" to do almost anything. Many of the plans employed are very poor, to say the least, as I have proven by trying nearly all of the methods given. Of these poor methods I will not speak, for there are plenty of plans which are fairly good, hence I can see no reason for any one using a poor method.
The plan in most general use, is to go to any colony which can spare the bees--between the hours of 10 a. m. and 2 p. m., when the bees are flying briskly, so that most of the old bees are from home--and take a frame of brood and one of honey, together with all of the adhering bees, being careful not to get the old queen, and put the frames into a hive where you wish the nucleus to stand. The bees are now to be confined to the hive for 48 hours, so that they will not go back to their former location, and, just at night, they are to be set at liberty, and a queen-cell given them, when in a week or so they will have a laying queen.
The frame of brood should have plenty of young bees just hatching from the cells, and to make sure that you do not have the old queen, she should be found, and the frame which she is on put outside of the hive while you take the other two frames out. This plan does very well where there are but few nuclei to be made, and has the advantage of being so simple that even those most unaccustomed to bee-keeping can understand it.
A plan fully as simple, and one which I like better (inasmuch as the bees need no confining), is to make a colony queenless, thus causing it to rear queens, as given in Chapter VI, only using the wax-cells with royal jelly in them. As soon as the cells are sealed over, give the colony all of the frames of hatching brood that they can care for, so as to make it a powerful colony; when, two days before the queens should hatch, a cell is to be transferred to each of the combs, by pushing the base of the cell into the comb, as I have explained.
On the next day, each frame having a cell on it, is to be carried to a hive where you want a nucleus to be, and after placing it inside the same, a frame of honey is to be given drawing up the division-board so as to adjust the hive to the size of the colony. Now from any hive take a frame of brood, and after shaking the bees off from it, carry it to the now combines hive whose colony reared the queen-cells, fasten a cell to it (which should have been reserved for this purpose), and leave the frame in this hive to be taken care of by the bees that were not taken with the removed combs, and those which will return from the fields. In this way, from five to ten nuclei can be made from one colony, according to the time of year when the plan is practiced.
Both of these plans are to be employed only where cells are given, for the first will not receive a virgin queen, and the last will not stay with a strange virgin queen as well as they will with one of their own cells.
However, it often happens that we have more young queens than we have nuclei to care for them, and as we wish to save these, and also get along just as fast as possible, I experimented until I found a plan whereby young queens from one to five days old could be introduced, and nuclei formed at the same time, so that the day after the bees were liberated they would have a fertilized queen.
The way of doing this, is to make a wire-cloth frame that will fit into a hive, and yet admit one of the frames from the hive inside of it, which should also have a cover fitted over the top, so that no bee can get out. Now take a frame having much brood about to hatch, and hang it in the wire-cloth cage, when one of the young queens that you have on hand is to be allowed to run down inside the cage. Next, put on the cover, and hang the cage in any hive where the colony is strong enough to keep up the desired temperature. If you have an upper story on any hive, this is the best place to put it, for it requires more room for the cage and frame than it does for the frame without the cage, as there must be from one-fourth to three-eights of an inch between the wire-cloth and the comb. If you use a lamp-nursery, and can control the temperature perfectly, this caged frame may advantageously be put in that.
In four or five days from the time the frame was put in the cage, take the cage from the hive (when you will find
**ROOLITTLE ON QUREN-REARING.** 59
it pretty well filled with bees, providing that you made a good choice in the selection of the frame of hatching brood), and carry it to the hive where you wish it to remain. Now put the cage down near the entrance of the hive, take off the cover, and after having removed the frame from the cage, put it in the hive, placing a frame of honey beside it; adjust the division-board, and after closing the hive, shake the bees out of the cage near the entrance, when some of them will run in, with the call of "Home is found."
In making this change, probably many bees will fly in the air; but if the cage was left at the entrance, as it should be, all will enter the hive when through their play-spell. In one or two cases the queen was fertilized on the day they were put in the hive, but usually not until the next day.
This plan has the advantage over the others, inasmuch as there is no danger of any bees leaving the nucleus; and also, that about as soon as formed they have a laying queen. After having all in readiness, nuclei can be made in this way with very little trouble, and I like the method very much.
There is also another way of making a nucleus, and introducing a virgin queen of any age, which I use more often at the present time than any other; and as a part of the process applies to the safe introduction of queens received through the mails when we do not expect them, I will give the plan at length.
First, make what I have termed a "nucleus-box," as follows: Take two pieces of wood, six inches long by six wide, and three-fourths of an inch thick; to them nail two pieces twelve inches long by six wide, and one-fourth of an inch thick, so as to make a box ten-and-one-half inches long by six wide, and six inches deep, inside measure, without sides.
I next take two pieces of wire-cloth, twelve inches long by six-and-one-half inches wide, one of which is permanently nailed to one side of the box, while the other is nailed to four strips which are one-fourth of an inch square, these strips going round the outer edge of the wire-cloth.
Through the center of these strips is driven a five-eighths inch wire-nail, so as to fasten this wire-cloth to the opposite side of the box in such a way as to make it readily removable at any time, with an ordinary pocket-knife. In the centre of the top of the box, bore a hole of the right size to admit the small end of a funnel, to be made of tin, and large enough so that you can shake the bees off the frames into it, the same as is done in putting up bees by the pound. Over this hole fix a slide, button, or something of the kind, so that the hole can be closed quickly, when you 60 DOOLITTLE ON QUEEN-REARING.
wish to do so, when taking out the funnel or putting in a queen.
Having the box and funnel made, go to any hive having
an upper story with a queen-exluder under it (so that there
will be no danger of getting the old queen), and take out
two combs well covered with bees, if you want a good-sized
nucleus ; or only one comb if you desire a small nucleus
Put these combs on the ground, resting them against the
hive, then jar them a little, by rapping on the comb with a
stick, knife-handle, or the thumb-nail, so as to cause the
bees to fill themselves with honey. As soon as the bees are
filled, shake them off the combs into the funnel, and they
will roll down through the hole into the box.
Take the funnel out of the box, dnd close the hole,
when, after putting the combs in the hive and closing it,
take the box to the bee-cellar, or any dark, cool place, and
leave it.
If more than one nucleus is to be made, I go to other
hives, and take out frames, the same as I did at first, thus
keeping at work while the bees are filling themselves with
honey: in this way as many nuclei can be made as we have
boxes, doing the work of getting them into the boxes as
soon as the bees are filled with honey.
To secure the best results, and have the small colonies
so that they can be cared for at about sunset, they should
be made between the hours of 9 and 11 a. m. If it is not
handy to carry the boxes of bees to a room or cellar, I
simply put them on the shady side of the hive, and place
an empty hive or hive-cover over them, leaving them where
they are.
In less than an hour these bees will almost "cry" for a
queen of some kind; but as they will sometimes cluster (or
ball) a queen if given too soon, especially where virgin
queens are used, I wait from 3 to 4 hours, when they will
fairly "beg" for a queen. I now get as many virgin
queens, from 4 to 8 days old, as I have boxes of bees, and
put them in with the bees. All I do in putting them in, is
to set the box down suddenly, thus jarring the bees all to
the bottom, so that they will be out of the way while I have
the hole open, then put the queen down through the hole.
The box is now left until nearly sunset, when the bees
will be found all quiet, and clustered like a swarm. To have
it so that the movable side of wire-cloth can be taken off
without disturbing the cluster, I incline the box when leaving it, after putting the queen in, so that the bees will
cluster away from this side.
They are now hived in a hive, having in it a frame of honey, and a frame having some sealed or hatching brood in it. If possible, do not give them any unsealed brood, for, if you do, they will sometimes kill the queen, and rear cells from the brood given. It is not natural for a colony to have an oldish virgin queen at the same time they have eggs and larvae; for in Nature, all brood would be sealed before the young queens were three days old.
To hive them, I put the frame of brood and honey on one side of the hive, together with the division-board, when, with a quick jar, I dislodge all of the bees from the box, on the bottom of the hive, near the opposite side. I now quickly slide the combs and the division-board across the rabbets to this side of the hive, when the bees are imme-diately on them. In three or four days more, this young queen is fertilized and laying, when the nucleus is ready for sending off queens at once, with less time and labor than it takes to get a laying queen in any other way.
All nuclei, in whatever manner made, should be put close to one side of the hive, having a division-board drawn up to the combs which the bees occupy; while the entrance should be on the opposite end of the hive, at the bottom, else the nuclei may suffer from being robbed by strong colonies in times of honey-dearth. Since I began thus to arrange my nuclei in hives, I have not had one robbed; while previous to this I was much annoyed from this source.
In these four methods, I have given the reader the "cream" of all the plans now in use, without their having to go over scores of methods of making nuclei, as I was obliged to do. At all times when bees are working in upper stories, I consider the last plan the best yet known.
## Chapter XII How to multiply nuclei.
After each queen has commenced to lay, she should be allowed to stay in the hive a day or two before sending her off, so as to supply the combs with eggs, thus keeping up the strength of the nucleus. If she does as well as she ought to, and if we get a laying queen as often as we should, one-half or more of the nuclei will begin to get strongerthan they need to be, to secure the best results; for it is generally known that queens will commence to lay sooner, and be received much quicker, in rather weak nuclei, than they will in those which are very strong.
For this reason, and also not wanting to take any more bees from my full colonies than I could possibly avoid, I have been in the habit of "multiplying nuclei," as I term it, every time that I came across a strong nucleus where there were many young bees hatching from the combs; and doing this as long as I want an increase of such small colonies.
As already stated in a former chapter, bees will adhere to combs on which is a nearly-mature queen-cell, when carried to a new location, much more closely than they will adhere to frames of brood; but nothing will hold bees to a new location equal to a queen that has just commenced to lay.
Taking advantage of this fact, I place an extra comb in all nuclei which I think will be strong enough to spare one from it, by the time the queen commences to lay. After she begins to lay, she is left till there are eggs in the two combs, when the comb having the most mature brood in it (together with the queen and all adhering bees) is taken to a new hive, thus starting up a new colony. The two combs left in the old hive are now brought together, a caged queen-cell given to the remaining bees, and the hive closed. A frame of honey is given to the bees and queen in the new hive, the division-board adjusted, and that hive is also closed. They are now left in this way for three days, when the queen is sent off, and the bees are given a caged cell.
Where queens are reared in large quantities for market, this plan of multiplying nuclei is of great advantage, and I have used it very largely during previous years. A little practice will enable any one to know when these small colonies are strong enough to be divided, and convince him that this is the quickest and simplest way of making nuclei now known.
When through with these nuclei in the fall, enough of them are put together, or united, to form a good colony for wintering. To do this I send off queens enough on one day, or otherwise dispose of them, so that the number of nuclei un-queened will make a good colony. I now proceed to cause the bees in each to fill themselves with honey, when they are shaken down through the funnel into the box used in forming nuclei, and treated in the same way, by giving them a queen, hiving them, etc.
I am glad, however, to tell the reader that all this work of forming nuclei and uniting them will soon be a thing of the past; for in the next chapter you will find a more excellent way of getting queens fertilized than by the use of nuclei. The near future will see all virgin queens fertilized in full colonies, each colony having a laying queen.
QURENS FERTILIZED IN THE SAME HIVE WERE THERE IS A LAVING QUREN.