BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
Let us now take up our program where we left off. Before forming nuclei, we should have the nucleus hives in their places on the stands where they are to remain through the season. Thus are placed in rows running between the colonies, which are set four in a group for wintering in the quadruple cases. There is a big advantage in having the nuclei among the colonies, for much time is saved in drawing broad from the colonies, getting cells from the finishing colonies, etc..Again, when the virgin take their mating flight they have to run a gannibet of drones, and mating is made certain. In addition all viignis are mated to your own drones, eliminating any elunces of mating to drones in nearby aplaries or with drones from colonies in trees.
I do not believe queens go so far to mate as is generally supposed. I believe that Nature intenchel that the virgin should mate with drones from her own colony, for you will notice that bees never kill off their drones when they have a virgin in their hive. In their natural state, where bees are in trees, in many cases they are from half a mile to two miles from their nearest neighbor. What chance would a virgin have in mating with drones at such distances? Usually in the afternoon the young bees, the virgin queen and the drones all come out for exercise, and while cireling within one or two hundred feet of the hive, the virgin mates. Nature has put a check on injurious inbreeding, in that the drone that nates with the queen immediately dies, and if there should be an after-swarm the accompanying virgin would mate with a different drone.
Formerly, when forming nuclei, we used to place a number on a wheelbarrow and take them to the hives, fill them and then set them on their stands. I prefer now to place them on their stands and take frames of broad to them. Right here let me mention two articles of yurd furniture quite necessary to the comfort of the queen-breeder--the hive-seat and the comb-box. One should have a hive-seat large enough to accommodate the necessary equipment. In addition I certainly recommend the comb-box, one of the hanliest conveniences about any apiary. This box is made of half-inch lumber and is large enough to hold seven frames. It has a bee-tight cover and can be used to store empty rounds or frames of honey and to carry frames of brood and bees to form nuclei or put into the finishing colonies.
one, lift it off, put it very gently into the box in the live seat, being careful not to invert or jar it in any way, and remove all cells in like manner. Now go to the first nucleus live to receive a cell. Take one from the box, lift out the frame, and gently press the cell into the comb just above the brood. Replace the comb so the cell will come next to the partition which separates the two nuclei, and thus be in a warmer place. Do the same with the other compartment of the nucleus live, and replace the cover. Continue thus until your supply of cells is exhausted. Close the entrance tight so no bee can get out. In the bottom of the nucleus live at the back end is a hole about one inch in diameter in the bottom-board. The hole is covered with coarse screen cloth, and left open all the time. This is quite necessary, for, when the bees are confined, it affords them ventilation. In hot weather when robbers are troublesome, this enables one to close the entrance when needed, or the entrance may be contracted down to one bee-space, and yet the bees will get abundant ventilation through this opening.
Leave the bees in these nuclei confined two nights, but liberate them after dark on the third night. By this time their old home is forgotten, and most of them will remain in this new location. A few of the old ones will probably go back, but not enough will desert to do any damage.
By following this method carefully, praetielally all cells should be accepted. If any are not, it is important to see that the feeiler is filled when giving the second cell; for, no matter how much nectar is in the fields, too few old bees are in the nucleus to gather it, and, when the young bees emerge, they require lots of feel. If not abundantly fed at this time, they will tear down nearly all cells.
The day following cell introduction the virgin should emerge, and all is well. The following Saturday, when introducing other cells, look through the first and, if any nucleus fails to have a virgin queen, it should be given another cell.
### Number of Swarm Boxes Needed.
I have found one swarm box to the hundred nuclei sufficient. We have described the process up to the time of the emerging of the virgin queen, presuming we are using one swarm box. If the bekeeper grafts oftner than twice a week, more nuclei per swarm box can be run. If several hundred nuclei are maintained, it is advisable to have an extra swarm box to be used in "catching up" after a period of unfavorable weather, bad luck, mismanagement or accidents, which are liable to overtake the queen-breeder. I run six hundred nuclei and have eight swarm boxes. Very seldom are the eight all pressed into service. I'sually but five are needed.
It is advisable to have always an abundance of cells, for, by the -method described, they are easy to produce. To throw away fifty cells is much more economical than to be short five cells when needed. Not incongruently at the end of the season, I have a half bustled of cells that have been discarded. While it may look like waste to throw away hundreds of fine cells, it is the best way out. In the past I have sometimes tried to save them by using cages, etc.; but it is false economy. II the weather has been unfavorable for mating and you have a lot of ripe cells, while the virgins have not mated so as to be out of the way, just "junk" your cells and forget it. If the weather has delayed the mating three days, you are set back just three days and you can't help it, unless you are a Joshua and can stop the sun while you catch up with queen orders; but most of us lack talent in that line. No, you cannot gain time by manipulating the clock, either. We have tried that. One of the ways in saving cells is to go through all the nuclei and cull out any screens that are not up to standard, giving them a cell; and should any virgin be missing, replace her with a cell also. In that manner part of the cells may be saved.
Another profitable way to use surplus cells is in requesting, as described in "hapter XXN1, where a double broad-chamber is used. If the single broad-nest is in service, the old queen should be removed, and the cell given immediately. During a heavy honey flow the cell will be accepted without ceremony; but, if no honey is coming in, a heavy feed puts the colony in condition to accept the cell perfectly. If one has extra live bodies or nuclei, these may be brought into use and the cells saved. These live bodies or nuclei may later be united with the colony to be requeenly, after first hunting out and disposing of the old queen as described.
By carefully following the methods we employ for cell-building as we have tried to describe, fine large cells are produced at little cost, so that cells are very cheap, and a possibly supply for all purposes is constantly at hand.
**MISORTUNES OF THE QUEEN-BREEDER.**
CHAPTER XX.
From the grafting of a larva to the taking out of a fine laying queen is a long step. Many things may happen to that larva to prevent her "coronation." Even if the queen-broeder has done the very best he knows, there will be azeidents and blunders. Things may be going along nicely when suddenly the weather turns cool, the rain pours down and the wind blows. Now, a little of this does not hurt much, but let it keep up for several days and it hurts a whole lot. Cells are torn down in finishing colonies and in nuclei. Virgins fail to mate and cone up missing. Grafting time is on and you are not expecting this "duck-hunting" weather to continue, so you do not feed. The result is that when you graft, there is a very poor acceptance, and you go walking around with the groueles, saying to yourself, "Looks like I am just about out of the queen business."
Now if you get in a muss like this and you happen to be a commercial queen-broeder, you will begin to hear murmurings from the "olice force." She will want to know why it is that, although the output of queens is falling off, the correspondence is rapidly increasing. She says, "Here are a lot of letters asking why you have not sent those queens as you promised; and here is one who says he is going to report you to the bee journals if you don't send those queens by return mail!" Well, it serves you right if he does, for not having a "tomado clause" in your contract; so you turn your back on the "olice force" and tell her something like this, "Oh, give them some of that threadware, moth-eaten dope about unfavorable weather conditions and so on!"
But the skies are clearest after a storm, so the clouds roll away and a soft warm south freeze comes up. In the morning you go out into the apiary, feeling that this world is not, after all, such a punk place in which to live. A meadow link sits on a metal live cover washing its feet in the heavy dew. As it points its bill up at the sky and begins to sing, you wonder why it was a day ago you were in the dumps. Rees come scaumering in with their baskets bulging with pollen. Oreasonally they lose some of it at the entrance of the hives where it gets water-soaked and makes a mess in the doorway. The day is clear, the sun is shining, the bees are bringing in nectar, and queen-rearing goes on at high tension again.
Now what are we going to do when hol weather hits us? As our beloved James Whiteonb Riley says,
"It am"t no use to grumble and complain,
It's just as cheap and easy to rejoice;
When Gud sorts out the weather and sends rain,
Why, rain's my choice."Nothing we can do will make the conditions as favorable as they are during good honey-gathering wentier; but we can do a few things that will materially lessen the loss. When it begins to rain or turn cold, a good policy is to feed the cell-finishing colonies as well as the colonies that are to furnish bees for the swarm boxes, and give a little to the colony containing your breeding queen. If the weather is very cold, contract the entranees considerably, and give the bees the feed rather warm. If the weather turns warm immediately the feeling was unneecessary, but no harm has been done.
Another incident that often "plays hoh" with the queen-breeder's hopes is a queen-cell overlooked above the exeluder, when a virgin has emerged and tears down all the cells in that live. One cannot guard too carefully against this. Every few days examine the frames in the upper story of the finishing colony for queen-cells. Shake off all the bees from each frame and look closely. Sometimes a very small cell will escape notice if a careful search is not made, and the virgin emerging from it will play havee with all the cells. Such cases as the above are when the extra swarm boxes must be brought into play in order to make up as soon as possible for the cells lost. But if care is taken there will be a natural surplus of cells, so that it takes an unusual setback to require more cells than you normally have ready.
Another and perhaps the greatest problem with which the queen-breeder has to contend is that of robber bees. When no nectar is coming in, these rascals make life misemble for the bekeeper and interfere with queen-production seriously. If a nucleus becomes weak they rob it out and, stimulated by their victory, hunt all over the yard for others of insufficient strength to resist their attacks. When a hive is opened these robhers fairly swarm into it. They soon learn to follow the bekeeper around so as to be on hand instantly when he opens a hive. Even if a strong colony is left open too long, it is robbled out. Colonies from which bees are taken to fill swarm boxes will be robbled if not carefully protected; and when the queen-less, broodless method is used, the colony is powerless against them.
In our yard, when robbers are exceptionally bad we remove the brood and queen from the cell-starting colony late in the evening and graft early the next morning. In that we "put one over" on the robbers.
## Records for the nucleus hives.
### Chapter Xxi.
If one has even as small a number as one hundred hives, some system of keeping tab on the condition within is necessary. Some keep a book containing the record. I tried this, but after it got pretty well stuck up with propolisis, it failed to function and was indeed a closed book. Keeping the record on the hive with a pencil is better. But too much time is taken to place the record there and too much time is required to read it, since it is necessary to get up close to the hive in order to see it. \(\Lambda\) record to be satisfactory must be so made as to be seen readily at a distance. I tried various schemes until the present "block system," which has given such entire satisfaction, was worked out.
Four conditions within the nucleus hive must be known. They are Queensland, Cell, Virgin and Laying Queen. To indicate these conditions we use a block of wood \(2
icefrac{{1}}{{2}} imes 2
icefrac{{1}}{{2}} imes 1
icefrac{{1}}{{4}}\) inches. It is painted white on top and red on the bottom; while the sides are painted black, red, white and blue, reading to the right. The block is laid on the hive with the white side up. When the nucleus is queenless, the black side is to the front; when a cell is given it is turned a one-quarter turn making it red; when the virgin emerges it is turned to white, and when she begins to lay another quarter turn brings it to blue. These colors may be seen at a glance from a distance and the condition known without close inspection. These colors are suggestive. Black for queenlessness, conditions are dark within. Red when the cell is given and danger for the cell that is being introduced. When the block is turned to white, the presence of a virgin is denoted, white being symbolic of purity. The laying queen is what you are working for and denotes a "blue ribbon."
Sometimes there may be other conditions in the hive that need attention, such as the lack of stores or bees. When this is the case, the block is turned the red side up, which shows that it needs attention. The reading on the side of the block may remain the same. This record is very simple and effective, and has proved very satisfactory. Nearly every one has his own "system" in such matters.
Now we come to the matter of dates, which is equally simple but may not be quite so easy to explain. After a laying queen is taken out two weeks will pass before another can be taken out even if all goes well, which condition does _not_ happen in every ease. Consequently we divide the hive into four imaginary parts, for in the two weeks' period there will be need of four operations--four introductions, four removals of laying queens, etc. As you stand looking at the side of the nucleus hive, the first position is at the left end, the second position is just left of the center of the hive, the third position is just to the right of the center, and the fourth position is at the right end. Let us suppose we are going to introduce cellson Tuesday. This is at the first of the week, so we put in the cell, place the block at the extreme left end of the nucleus and turn the red side towards us. The next time we are introducing cells we examine this, and if the cell has produced its queen we give the block a quarter turn to white, but leave it in the same position on the hive.
When the block is turned to white, it needs no more attention until the time comes to remove the laying queen. When we introduce cells the next Saturday we go to those not having cells, supply them and place the blocks just to the left of the center since it is the last introduction of the week. Then turn the blocks to red. Do this in a similar manner on the following Tuesday and Saturday, when the blocks will be placed at the left of center and at the extreme right of the nucleus live for these days respectively. Now on the following Monday the queens that have emerged from the first cells we put in should be laying and should be removed and the blocks turned to black. On Tuesday we can give this nucleus another cell, or a cell may be given immediately upon removing the laying queen provided the feeder was filled with syrup or honey on the day previous.
If every cell we put in resulted in a laying queen, the position of these blocks would never be changed on the nuclei and they would only be turned to the different colors. But if we are introducing on Saturday, let us say, and we examine one that is red on the previous Tuesday position and we find that the virgin is missing, we should have to move the block shown to the Saturday position.,All complications that might arise are taken care of with this system. Now suppose we come on Monday to remove a queen and she has laid only half a dozen eggs, not enough so that we can properly judge her merit. If we left the block in that position turned to white, we should be unable to tell whether she belonged to the lot that were ready to lay or the lot that were due to lay two weeks later. So in that case we turn the block to blue and leave it until the next shipping day and examine again. However, suppose the virgin when the shipping day comes is not laying, but looks as though she might in a short time, you would not turn it to blue for she is not laying, and if you left it at white it would not be examined till two weeks later. In that case we turn the block one-eighth of a turn, which brings it midway between virgin and laying, and thus it will be looked after when the next shipping date arrives. Now suppose we look for a virgin and cannot find her. Maybe she is out for a flight, as it is well known that, as soon as they are able to fly, they spend much of their time flying out for exercise before mating. You do not want to turn the block to white, for, if the queen is lost, that nucleus will remain queenless for too long a period and you will lose the use of it until the shipping date arrives when you will see it is queenless. In such cases the block is given a one-eighth turn backward, which brings it half way between cell and virgin. The next time you are introducing cells you will examine it, and, if you can still find no queen, a cell is given. If the queen is there, it is turned to white if a virgin, or blue if she is laying.
These blocks are made at the planing mill, They are of hard wool so they are heavy and will remain in place. At first, I had some misgivings as to whether they would stay in position. I wondered if the wind might blow then off. Soon after putting them there a terrific wind and rain storm came along that threatened to blow everything away. Not a single block was moved in the least. I never had a bit of trouble except once, and that lasted only a short time. I would find the blocks moved or turned around while some were on the ground. Was it possible the wind did do it after all? The children do not play up there, for discretion forbids. One morning the blocks were disarranged again. It had been a very still night with no wind. Now we have had an owl's nest in our owl trees every year, and that owl and I are not on the best of terms, for when he can catch me out in the apiary after dark, especially if I am bareheaded, he seems to take much pleasure in scrateling me on the head. This owl is one of the smaller editions, about four inches in height, but golly! how he can scratch? I made up my mind it was that consumed owl, and now that I had a double grudge I had a cool case against him and I could shoot him, so I prepared for Mr. Owl.
But one day I happened to look out and I saw what the lunch laying workers! So I had to ask myself this question, "An I engaged in the bee or blue jay culture?" Iweldly I was in the bee business, so I took my shotgun and as the guilty bird started to fly away I shot him. There were two nests of blue jays in the trees, but, strange to say, there never was another block disturbed. The owl continues to scratch any heal, heolless of the bricks and clubs that are shield his way; but, since he in no way interferes with queen-rearing, we get along pretty well.
The first nucleus contains a virgin queen that emerged from a cell placed in it the first of the week. The second nucleus in the same hive shows the block in the queenless position. The queen has just been removed on Friday. The third nucleus illustrates the block turned to white, indicating a virgin that should be laying the first of next week. The fourth nucleus indicates that no queen could be found when looking for laying queens;
**Living Queens and How Injured.**
These questions are now ready for shipment or to be introduced to colonies at any time you are ready. It is a well-established fact that, when a queen laying to full capacity is removed from the colony and placed in a mailing cage, she seldom makes good at the head of a colony as far as pro-illeness is concerned. When it is necessary to remove a queen in the height of her egg-laying, as for instance, if one wishes to ship a breeding queen that is in a strong colony, it is best to place her in a nucleus for a few stays. In this case she can reduce the number of eggs she lays, gradually becomes much smaller in size and therefore she can stand the trip better. If the queen is extra large in size and laying to full capacity, I have found a splendil "reducing exercise" as follows: Take out two frames of brood with bees and the queen, and place them in a nucleus live on a new stand. In two days' time, move the nucleus to a new location, and on the next day move it again. The bees that fly out do not return. The nucleus is thus weakened in bees and is not getting any honey or pollen; so the queen rapidly eartails egg-laying. Te remove her when she is laying in a limited way does not injure the queen in the least, for this is in perfect harmony with bee nature. For instance in the case of a swarm, after the swarm has gone out, a few eggs will be found which the queen laid within a very short time before her departure from the hive. Consequently, if you can get the queen down to having only a few eggs before removing her from the nucleus, she will not be injured in the least.
## MAILING Cages.
"Chapter XXIII.
All features of queen-renoring are fascinating; but I enjoy looking for laying queens more than any other feature of queen-rearing. As some who read this are interested in commercial queen-rearing, and others who produce honey may at times find it advisable to slip queens to other yards, I shall describe the process of mailing queens.
For very short shipments the common three-compartment Benton mailing eage will do. However, I believe even in short shipments the use of the larger cage that has six compartments is advisable. This eage is good for any shipment in the United States and Canada. For export, I prefer a eage nearly square with nine compartments, each of the same diameter as in the regular Benton eage. These compartments should be about one-half deeper, however. The secret of good shipments is to have the eage of sufficient size so that it will accommodate plenty of nurse bees and still leave abundance of room for them. There should be space for every bee to have a footing on the bottom and top of the eage and still leave room enough so there can be a space all around the bee equal to its own size. It the bees get too warm, they then all have plenty of room to Can and thus keep down the temperature. In the six-compartment eage, when the weather is hot, I find that about fifteen nurse bees give the best result. I'll the weather is cool, double that number is satisfactory. If it is necessary to ship queens when the weather is cold or where the route is through a cold district, as for instance, going over the mountains in early spring or fall, the use of the export cage is advisable. More bees can be put into the six-compartment size; but, in case the bees pass through a warm district, they would suffocate. The eage should be large enough so that the bees can spread out when it is hot, and yet large enough to hold sufficient bees so they may form a cluster in one or two compartments to keep warm in case the weather turns cold. Such a eage is ideal as far as size is concerned.