The Project Gutenberg EBook of Improved Queen-Rearing, by Henry Alley This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. Title: 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 Author: Henry Alley Release Date: February 8, 2019 [EBook #58842] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IMPROVED QUEEN-REARING *** Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) _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 Winter Case Brood-chamber 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 his 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 Winter Case Brood-chamber 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 n 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. 9 10 11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. Figure 1 17 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. 18 19 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. Figure 2