BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
There is quite a knack in getting the larva on the grafting needle in just the right position. If it is entirely on the needle, difficulty may be experienced in getting it off. The needle point should be placed under it in such a way as to leave about one-half of the larva projecting over the edge. When this is done, it is easy to remove the larva from the needle. Put the needle into the cell cup until the larva touches the drop of royal jelly, carefully draw the needle sidewise and the larva will remain in the jelly. At first this may be a slow operation, but in a short time you will be able to graft the three bars in ten minutes or less. As soon as one bar is finished, place it back under the dampened towel. When all three are finished, they are ready to be placed in the swarm box. Take then to the basement and bring the swarm back out of the dampeon to the front where the light is better. Put the three cell-bars tightly together so they may be grasued with the right hand all at once. Lay them down with the cells upward. Now pick up the swarm box by taking hold of each end. Raise it about six inches from the concrete floor and bring it down with a jar. All of the bees that were hanging to the cover in a cluster will fall to the bottom in a mass. Now remove the upper cover, take up the cell bars and place them in the box, allowing them to rest on the two cleats in each end, and slide the cover back in place. This can be done without a single bee's getting out. Have ready a quart Mason jar, with perforated lid, filled with sugar syrup or honey, diluted with about one-fourth water, which is a much better feed for the swarm box. Sometimes the bees will not take the syrup, but they will take honey. I do not put the feeder on when I first set them in the basement, for they will not take the syrup or honey until they have been in there several hours, long enough to get the spilled honey all cleaned up, but feed them immediately after grafted cells are given them. Set the swarm box back into the dungeon, and the bees will do the rest.
**Digression.**
We have now passed over the most difficult part of queen-rearing, that of getting the cells properly accepted. Many have failed at queen-rearing because they could not get cells accepted with any degree of certainty. The question is frequently asked, "Why use the swarm box? Why not give the cells immediately to a colony?" The answer is, "Because the bees will not accept the cells." The condition brought about, as has just been described, enables the nurse bees to feed the larvae and draw out the cells in the best manner possible. Bees have many peculiar traits. One of them is that they will mechanically go ahead with a job that has been started. It is not difficult to get cells finished when they are one started. The difficulty is in the starting. So now, as we have brought about a condition by which the bees will start cells, it is a simple matter to get other colonies to go ahead with the job and rush it to completion; while, if we had given those same colonies these cells to start, they would have had none of it.
**Reasons of Success.**
Let me enumerate again the reasons why bees accept cells.
1. Liberal feeling of the colony that furnishes bees to stock the swarm box. Remember, unless a honey flow is on, they must be fed seriously at least _three days_ before being placed in the swarm box.
2. \(\Lambda\) sufficient number of bees in the swarm box. There should be at least five pounds.
3. \(\Lambda\) large number of _nurse bees, young bees._ Remember that old bees are poor nurses and will fail in accepting cells.
4. Well-fed, moist larvae in the colony which has the breeding queen.
5. "Ulean cells, make of wax that has not been sworched in melting, are most essential.
6. Cells must be the right size. These that are too large will not be sworched.
7. Be careful to keep the royal jelly at the right consistency. Royal jelly too thick or too thin will cause failure in whole or part.
6. Grafting larvae that are the right size and age.
\(0\). He careful that the larvae have not been overheated or dried by the sun's rays. If they are, the bees will always reject them.
\(10\). Keep the larvae from chilling.
\(11\). Careful handling while grafting so as not to injure or kill the larvae.
\(12\). He sure the swarm has is kept in a place that is neither too hot nor too cold.
## 11 Emptying the Swarm Box.
Chapter XII.
The bees should remain in the swarm box until three or four robots of the day following. If taken out earlier the cells are not sufficiently advanced to insure their completion by the finishing colony. If left in too long, the nurse bees seem to exhaust their supply of royal jelly and the larvae are not sufficiently fed. They can be taken out at any time before the night of the following day; but, as a general thing, the cells suffer if left in over night of the second day. From twenty-four to thirty hours is the proper length of time for the bees to be confined. Carry the box out to the live from which the bees were taken, remove the upper cover and lift out the bars. If the work has been properly done nearly all of the cells should be necepted. One should average an acceptance of eighteen cells out of twenty and frequently all should be necepted. When the bars are taken out the larvae should have an abundance of royal jelly literally swimming in it, and the cells be drawn out into proper shape. If conditions are right all sixty are necepted.
And lift out the bars.
## The Pritchard forced cell-starting colony.
(Chapter XIII.
While I myself much prefer the swarm box for seuring cells, there are others, like my friend Pritchard of The A. I. Root Company, who prefer to use queenless and brookless colonies for cell-starting. Instead of going to a colony and shaking bees into the swarm box, as already described, Mr. Pritchard prefers to reverse the process by leaving the bees in the hice, removing all the brood with the queen, and placing them temporarily on another hive. He proceeds as follows:
All the combs, including the bees, brood and queen, of a medium colony (not a strong one) are removed from the hive. Two combs of pollen and honey are selected and set back in the hive, one on each side, taking care not to get the queen. Two frames for holding cell bars (without the cell bars) are then put in the center of the hive. The two combs of pollen and honey are shoved over next to them. On either side is put a thin division-board feeder containing thick syrup. The remaining space on each side is then filled out with dummies or division-boards. The two cell-bar frames are now removed, and all the other combs of brood and bees are shaken into the space vaunted, taking care not to get the queen. The brood and the queen are now put in the upper story of a strong colony, over a queen-exeluder. It is necessary to eage the queen.
In from half an hour to one hour's time, or as soon as the bees in the made-up colony set up a roar of distress when they have discovered their loss of queen and brood, the two cell-bar frames are supplied with prepared cells, and are then put in the open space left, where the bees are erying for a queen. The queenless and broodless bees, supplied with an enormous amount of pap which they expected to use in feeding their young larvae but which has been all removed, immediately accept and supply the prepared cells with pap. The two feeders containing thick syrup and two combs containing honey and pollen will give the bees all that is necessary to supply them with material for making more pap.
The prepared cells will usually be aeepted and lavishly supplied with pap in about 24 hours. It is not advisable to remove them before. When nicely started the cells are put in cell-finishing colonies as previously explained. The removed brood and the queen are restored to the colony.
While it might and could make a second batch of cells, Mr. Pritchard does not advise it.
Mr. Pritchard says he prefers this method of getting cells started, he cause it saves the extra equipment of swarm boxes, noting them back and forth from the cellar, and because the bees during the time that they are starting cells are not confined. He thinks this is very important. The unconfined bees, he thinks, will do more and better work. By the plan described, he says he can set 280 cells- started, each cell literally purged with a big supply of pup. These cells, when given to cell-fini-sling colonies, will be completed in the regulation time, and every cell will be perfect.
The fundamental difference between the forced cell-starting colony and the portable swarm box is that Mr. Pritchard moves the broad and the queen, while I move the bees. He thinks that the unconfined bees do better work. I am not so sure of that. I succeed better with bees that are confined in a cool place. Mr. Pritchard will doubtless continue his way, and doubtless I will go on with the way that has given me the results I have secured.
It will be noted that the Pritchard plan of making up a cell-starting colony amounts virtually to a swarm box left on the old location. Fuhidamentally the _principle_ is exactly the same, but the procedure is different.
Of course it is necessary to feed these prepared colonies the same as the bees in the swarm boxes. This is important.
**A Modification of the Doolittle Plan.**
I have used a modification of the Doolittle method with the best of success, and it may be preferred by many to the swarm box. With further experimenting and practice, possibly we ourselves may prefer it to the swarm box. This method is as follows: The colony for starting these cells should be one of extraordinary strength, being a two-story colony. Any standard live will do, but we use the Junbo live, and in preparing this we see that it has twenty Junbo frames of broad. The queen-exclusive is kept between the upper and the lower story. After all of the broad above has been scaled, we remove the lower story containing the queen and the brood to a location about ten feet distant. The upper story, continuing only frames of honey and capped brood, is set on the bottom-level of the stand from which the live containing the queen and brood was removed. Three frames are taken out to make room for three frames of cells, which are to be put in later on. The live containing the queen is now opened, and the frame containing the queen is set outside. The frames are then lifted out and the bees from eight or nine of them shaken into the live on the old stand. The queen, with her frame of brood, is then set back into the live on the new stand and the cover replaced. In a short time, half on hour or an hour, as soon as the bees have claimed up the honey or swim that has been doubled on them, they are ready to receive the cells. Three bars are garfuel, placed in a frame to hold them and put into the starting colony. I second and a third are prepared in the same way, which fills up the space. In this manner nine bars are started instead of three as with the swarm box; though it is not advisable to start so many unless the colony is of tremendous strength. After twenty-four or thirty-six hours these frames are removed and given to the finishing colonies, the same as when the swarm box is used. The other brood-nest containing the queen and normal is now brought back, set underneath and all is well. \(1n\) two days' time this colony can be used to start another batch of cells. We use the same colony over and over for starting cells twice a week.
By this the objection to the original queen-house, Inoulse method is largely overcome. The queen can continue lying, as enough bees are left with her to keep up broad-bearing, and the work is much less than with the method whereby the queen has to be engaged and bees brushed off from the broad. In using this, if there is no honey flow they must be fed the same as when the swarm box is used. Some will prefer this to the swarm box, and some will not. It has one advantage over the swarm box, in that if more bees are put in than necessary, they can cluster on the outside and no harm is done; while some have reported bees being suffocated in the swarm box. Another time-saving feature is that, if this colony is made tremendously strong as described, a larger number of cells may be started.
To say that a colony must be strong does not mean much; but, if both stories are kept full of capped brood before being used, it will build the colony up to greater strength; and, if it should run down, the upper story may again be filled with broad. But this should not be left in this story when giving the cells until the brood is sealed, for the bees will not do so good work at cell-starting where they have other brood to feed. Recently we had a field meeting in our apiary in Vincennes. Always willing to do their part, my bees deideled it would be a good exhibition if they would swarm; so one of these cell-building colonies did so just before the crowd arrived. I put a piece of barlap on a saw-horse and placed the queen on top, and the swarm settled there where it remained for two hours or more, greatly admired by those present. Several disinterested parties weighed this swarm and found it weighed exactly twenty-five pounds. This would be about one hundred and twenty-five thousand bees, while seventy-five thousand must have still remained in the hive, thus making the enormous horde of two hundred thousand bees! I had estimated our starting colonies and finishing colonies at one hundred and fifty thousand each, but from that experience I believe my estimate was too low. Of course, it is understood these bees were not the product of one queen as it would be impossible for one queen, no matter how prolific, to produce a swarm of that size; but from this we get some idea of a really strong colony, and for best results in raising the finest cells in large numbers, a strong colony as just described is very essential.
In the above modification of the queenless, broolless method it will be seen that the broad and queen remain together and the queen continues to lay very similarly to the method in which the swarm box is used. The cost of equipment of the two methods is about the same. One requires the swarm boxes and funnel and the other requires an extra hive. Personal preference must determine which is used; both are excellent.
Extensive experiments are being continually conducted at our yarl, and possibly in the future the present plan of cell-finishing above the ex-violer will be abandoned for something better. We have left one hundred and eighty cells with the queenless, broolless colony that started them, until they were completed and some most excellent results have been obtained. Two colonies were shaken into one, and both colonies moved to a new location. Further experiments will determine whether or not this method will supersede the former with us. In any of the above methods, however, the one big feature is _proper feeding_. Heavy feeling three or four days before giving the cells is a most important feature.
## Our daily program.
"Tiapter Niv.
Many will find it more suitable to their system of management to graft three or more times a week. Some graft every day. I graft Welnesdays and Saturdays. As I am to give my own system first, I shall follow it through. Let us consider that we did our first grafting on Saturday. Before time to dispose of the cells we shall again graft on Wednesday and Saturday. To make it clear, let us suppose the Saturday that we first grafted was the 5th of the month. We must graft again on Wednesday, the 9th, again on Saturday, the 12th. When we put in the cells of the second grafting, some of the cells of the first will be capped over. The bar containing these should be moved up to the middle and the new one placed on the bottom shelf. The bees do better work when the newly accepted cells are placed on the bottom shelf. By this method, the bar of of riye cells is always on top and it will not be necessary to remove the frame to get the bar. Cells should be removed and introduced to colonies or nuclei on the 10th day after grafting. So the cells that were grafted on the 5th must be introduced on the 15th. This makes Saturday the busiest day of the week as we must both introduce cells and graft, but the lightest day's work comes on Sunday so we can enjoy a day of rest. While we try to arrange our work so there is as little work as possible on Sunday, there are a few elores that cannot well be avoided. Having queens are removed from the nuclei on Mondays and Fridays so that by following this program everything fits nicely. All that there is to remember is the following program:
**Program for the Week.**
Monday : Remove laying queens from the nuclei.
Tuesday : Introduce ripe cells to nuclei.
Wednesday : Gruft.
Thursday : Empty the swarm boxes.
Friday : Remove laying queens from nuclei.
Saturday : Introduce ripe cells to nuclei and graft.
Sunday : Empty the swarm boxes.
This program prevents mistakes, and, while no record or memoranda are used, it is almost automatic in its working.
In explaining this program at this time I am getting a little ahead of my story, but it seems necessary and details will be explained in due time. One feature must be watched carefully. In the finishing colonies queen-cells will sometimes be started on the frames of broad. If any queens are allowed to emerge, have will be wronght with all three bars of cells. It is well such time a bar is placed in the finishing colony to look the broad-frames over and cut out any cells that may have been started.
## Chapter 11 Nucleus Hives.
(Chapter 1)
There are many styles of nucleus hives in use, and some have desirable features not found in the others. The small Baby Nucleus hive had a run for a while but is now generally considered a mere passing fad. It is so small that the bees are put into an unnatural condition, and they therefore perform in an unnatural manner. They seem to delight in pulling off all sorts of crazy stunts such as abandoning with a laying queen or absorbing with a virgin; abandoning when they run out of Food or dissonating when they have plenty. Another of their favorite sports is balling their queen when she returns from her mating flight. I have seen queens fly out from their baby nucleus and, unlike Lot's wife, they never booked behind them. The queens reasoned, "Why take a look at that little live? I'm not coming back!" And frequently they did not, but would hunt around trying to find a real colony that would accept them. I used to keep a number of bars in a single live for incubation. These colonies seemed to be particularly inviting to these truant queens, which were usually accepted. There was henceforth a great tearing down of cells, and it made me very dejected to see a double handful of dead queens lying in front of these hives. They never worked this game, however, where cells were finished above the exluder. These baby nuclei are easily robbed out, do not gather enough to live on and do not stand either hot or cold weather as well as the larger ones.
I have a vision of one day during a dearth of pasture in hot July when a baby nucleus abandoned and went up into a tall tree and clustered. Was it worth going after? Maybe they had a laying queen, so I would try. The whole swarm was not much bigger than a walnut, shucks and all. At last, after climbing till I was completely tired out and had almost reached then, they took wing. While I was watching then disappear into the blue sky and was in a state of mind unnecessary to describe, along came a cheerful idiot who asked, "Say, Mister, how much honey did they make up there?"
Another objection to the baby nuclei is the fact that it is hard to tell a good queen from a poor one, for a good queen lays several eggs in one cell for want of room, exactly like a poor queen. Baby nuclei do not contain sufficient bees to incubate the queen-cells properly, thereby resulting in inferior queens. Yes, I have in use a hundred baby nuclei--as phythines for the children and for use as bird boxes. A wallpecker has appropriated one and, after peeking the entrance a little larger, crowded it full of aeoms. For once the baby nucleus has secured a surplus.
The Root twin mating nucleus hive is railway between the Baby and the one having the standard frame. In it each compartment holds three frames, just the size for three to fit inside a regular Hoffman frame. These may be placed in a regular live, and when the frames are filled with brood and honey they are taken out and placed in the nucleus like, J. E. Wing, the well-known queen-breeder of San Jose, California, prefers this live to any other. He has special lives made to hold large numbers of these frames, for stocking those for the nucleus lives. In this way he overcomes one objectionable feature, that of fitting them into a regular Hoffman frame. Mr. Wing's system of management is favorable to these small lives for he practices migratory queen-rearing, moving to localities where there is a honey low. He moves to one district where there is a heavy low from honeybee. It should be remembered that the small nucleus lives give much better results when there is a honey low than when there is a fourth of pasture so that feeding becomes necessary. The large-"halics" give some better results than the smaller ones; but the ones taking a regular brood-frame have so many advantages that they are being used by nearly all who rear many questions.
J strongly advise a nucleus live that will take the regular brood-frame that is used in your lives. The one that I use is a twin hive, each compartment large enough to hold two Jamboo frames and a division-board. The entrances are at opposite corners. \(\lambda\) telescope enp is used with eleats that support it and give the air a chance to circulate, thus keeping it cool in hot weather. Usually only one frame is used with a thin division-board feegler to keep the bews from building comb in the vacant space. This gives the bews so much room that there is no absorbing. It is comfortable in the hottest weather and has given perfect results. During a honey flow these nuclei are strong enough to fill up with honey. In fact in many cases, I have had to give them sheets of foundation to keep the bees from going over the feeeler and building comb.
Another nucleus live among the best is that used by M. H. Mendleson, the veteran honey profuneer and queen-brexler of Ventura, California. This is a standard live body, divided into three compartments. There is an entrance at each end, and one on one side. While working with this hive Mr. Mendleson sits on the blind side. In their mild climate he is able to winter these nuclei over with perfect success. There is nothing better than this style of nucleus live.
**Entrance Blocks for Nuclei**.
The entrance block may seem like a trifling item; but, after experiencing with several, I feel that a description of one that has given me splendid satisfaction may be worth while. If the entrance is not very plain and easy to enter, the queen on her return to the live will have difficulty in locating it readily. I have witnessed queens returning many times, and when I used an inferior type of block, the queen, after trying in vain to find the entrance, would go to another nucleus and try there.
The one that has given use perfect satisfaction is made to slope towards the entrance so that, if a bee alights within a few inches of it, the block guides her directly in. When the young bees fly out for the first time, they have no trouble in finding the entrance at once. Three nails are driven through the block from the upper side so that the points are barely exposed. When it is desired to confine the bees, as is necessary when forming nuclei, the block is placed over the entrance and pressed down. The nail-points catch in the wood so that the block cannot be pushed away by the bees. When they are first released, this may be moved enough to give an entrance just large enough for one bee to pass, and later it may be moved to allow the full entrance. In this small opening a single bee will stand guard and is able to keep off all oneomers in a manner similar to that of the Spartans at the Pass of Theronopylae.
**Shade**.