Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-08-14
Raising Queens.
National Bee journal for July.

Every Dec-kccppf should rear thc
queens needed in his own apiary.
He can't afford to buy them, for a
good queen from Il reliable breeder
will cost him not les than five dol
lars. I'm Pussont, | have no queens
for sale) Nor can he afford to have
his bees rear them in the usual way,
for in that case many Of his full stocks
must be without laying queens for
two or three weeks. In that time a
good queen would lay enough eggs
to make a strong colony Of bees. \
fertile queen should be ready to intro
ducc to every new stock as soon as
possible after its formation. For any
one to be able to raise queens accep-
tably, it is only necessary to under
stand and observe Il few simple prin-
ciples.
l. Queens are but fully develop
ed female bees, and are reared from
the same eggs or larvae as workers,
the difference being produ ed by the
size and shape Of their cells, and the
quality and quantity Of the food up
on which they are nursed.
2. Every stock Of bees having
comb containing worker eggs or
young worker larvae, and sufficient
number of worker bees to generate a
comfortable degree of warmth with
in the hive, when deprived of their
queen, will rear one or more young
queens.
3. AS a general rule two queens
will not stay in the same hive at the
same time; one will destroy the 9TH
err. Nor will queen permit sealed
queen cells to remain in the hive
where she is sovereign. She will de-
strey them, or leave herself with a
swarm.
4. Queen cells are capped over
about the eighth day after the egg
is laid, and hatch out eight days at-
ter being capped over, or from ten to
sixteen days from the time the stock
was deprived Of their queen.
5. The young queen usually mates
with the drone when four or five days
old, and begins to lay on the seventh
or eighth day of her age. She meets
the drone outside of the hive, and
while on the wing.
Keeping in view those princi pies
or laws in the economy Of bees, and
exercising a fair amount Of common
sense in the practical application of
them, the bee-keeper will be at no
loss to know how to raise the best of
queens to supply his own apiary, or
the market if he desires.
He has first to select the queen he
wishes to breed from. She must be
removed from her stock, or her stock
from her. l prefer to take all her
cards of brood except one or two, to-
gcther with the adhering bees, and
place them in a hive on the stand on
other stock. then fill up the old
hive with cards of brood and bees
from a strong hive. thus keep the
stock Of my breeding queen strong,
and have the stock that is to build
cells also strong. In this way | think
| get better cells and better queens.
About eight days after this | start
as many nuclei as | find cells sealed
over in the new made hive. My nu-
cleus hives take in the full sized
frames from my other hives, but not
SO many. form each nucleus with
two or three cards of brood and bees
from full stocks. Two DAYS after
starting the nuclei ! give to each a
sealed queen cell. This is readily
done by cutting out the cells with a
small bladed knife, having about an
inch square of the comb around each
cell, and by inserting the cells in
holes cut in the combs of the nuclei.
If the cells will not remain in their
places, they may be fastened with
common pins. When once in the
bees will soon make them fast.
The nuclei should now be examin-
ed about once day to see that all
SoN'o VII iISH'. II tilc queen Is Iot
perfect when she matches out, or is
not as well colored as desired, de-
stroy her and give another cell. As
soon as she begins to lay, she is
ready for introduction into a full
stock. l prefer, however, to build up
her nucleus into full stock. This |
do by removing her cards to a full
sized hive, placing the hive on the
stand of the nucleus, and adding
cards of brood and bees from full
stocks until | have it us strong as |
desire. But if it should be desired
the queen can be removed, and in a
day or two afterwards another cell
given to the nucleus.
During the last week in May and
the first two weeks in June, | took
about ninety gallons Of honey from
twenty-six stocks. From the hive
containing my imported queen took
twelve gallons of honey, besides
enough cards Of comb and brood to
make another good stock. All this
honey was made since the LIST Of May.
Nj. G. HESTER.