CHAPTER IX.QUEEN REARING.
Suppose the queen is laying two thousand eggs a day, and that the full number of bees is forty thousand, or even more—though the bees are liable to so many accidents, and as the queen does not always lay to her full capacity, it is quite probable that this is about an average number—it will be seen that each day that a colony is without a queen there is a loss equal to about one-twentieth of the working force of the colony, and this is a compound loss, as the aggregate loss of any day is its special loss, augmented by the several losses of the previous days. Now, as queens are liable to die, to become impotent, and as the act of increasing colonies demands the absence of queens, unless the apiarist has extra ones at his command, it is imperative, would we secure the best results, to ever have at hand extra queens. So the young apiarist must early learn
As queens may be needed by the last of May, preparations looking to the early rearing of queens must commence early. When preparing the colonies for winter the previous autumn, be sure to place some drone-comb somewhere near the centre of the colony that has given the best results the previous season. In March, and certainly by the first of April, see that all colonies have plenty of bee-bread. If necessary, place unbolted flour, that of rye or oats is best, in shallow troughs near the hives. It may be well to give the whole apiary the benefit of such feeding before the flowers yield pollen. Yet, I have found that here in Central Michigan, bees can usually gather pollen by the first week of April, which I think is as early as they should be allowed to fly, and, in fact, as early as they will fly with sufficient regularity to make it pay to feedthe meal. I much question, after some years of experiment, if it ever pays to give the bees a substitute for pollen.
The colony under consideration, should be given frames containing bee-bread which was stored the previous year. At the same time, March or April, commence stimulative feeding. If you have another colony equally good with the first, also give that the pollen, and commence giving it honey or syrup, but only worker-comb should be in the brood-chamber. This will prevent the close in-breeding which would of necessity occur if both queens and drones were reared in the same colony; and which, though regarded as deleterious in the breeding of all animals, should be practiced in case one single queen is of decided superiority to all others of the apiary.
Very likely in April, drone-eggs will be laid in drone-comb. I have had drones flying on the first of May. As soon as the drones commence to hatch out, remove the queen and all eggs and uncapped brood from some good, strong colony, and replace it with eggs or brood just hatched from the colony that is being fed, or if two equally good colonies have been stimulated, from the one in which no drone-comb was placed. The queen which has been removed may be used in making a new colony, in manner soon to be described under "dividing or increasing the number of colonies." This queenless colony will immediately commence forming queen-cells (Fig, 56). Sometimes these are formed to the number of fifteen or twenty, and they are started, too, in a full, vigorous colony, in fact, under the most favorable conditions. Cutting off edges of the comb, or cutting holes in the same where there are eggs or larvæ; just hatched, will almost always insure the starting of queen-cells in such places. It will be noticed, too, that our queens are started from eggs or from larvæ but just hatched, as we have given the bees no other, and so are fed the royal pabulum from the first. Thus, we have met every possible requisite to secure the most superior queens. By removal of the queen we also secure a large number of cells, while if we waited for the bees to start the cells preparatory to natural swarming, in which case we secure the two desirable conditions named above, we shall probably fail to secure so many cells, and may have to wait longer than we can afford.
Even the apiarist who keeps black bees and desires noothers, or who has only pure Italians, will still find that it pays to practice this selection, for, as with the poultry fancier, or the breeder of our larger domestic animals, so, too, the apiarist is ever observing some individuals of marked superiority, and he who carefully selects such queens to breed from, will be the one whose profits will make him rejoice, and whose apiary will be worthy of all commendation. As will be patent to all, by the above process we exercise a care in breeding which is not surpassed by the best breeders of horses and cattle, and which no wise apiarist will ever neglect.
After we have removed all the queen-cells, in manner soon to be described, we can again supply eggs, or newly-hatched larvæ—always from those queens which close observation has shown to be the most vigorous and prolific in the apiary—and thus keep the same queenless colony or colonies, engaged in starting queen-cells till we have all we desire. Yet we must not fail to keep this colony strong by the addition of capped brood, which we may take from any hive as most convenient. I have good reason to believe that queen-cells should not be started after the first of September, as I have observed that late queens are not only less prolific, but shorter lived. In nature, late queens are rarely produced, and if it is true that they are inferior, it might be explained in the fact, that the ovaries remain so long inactive. As queens that are long unmated are utterly worthless, so, too, mated queens long inactive are enfeebled.
In a week the cells are capped, and the apiarist is ready to form his
A nucleus is simply a miniature colony of bees—a hive and colony on a small scale, for the purpose of rearing and keeping queens. We want the queens, but can afford to each nucleus only a few bees. The nucleus hive, if we use frames not more than one foot square, need be nothing more than an ordinary hive, with chamber confined by a division-board to the capacity of three frames. If our frames are large, then it may be thought best to construct special nucleus hives. These are small hives, need not be more than six inches each way, that is, in length, breadth, and thickness, and made tocontain from four to six frames of corresponding size. These frames are filled with comb. I have for the last two or three years used the first named style of nucleus hive, and have found it advantageous to have a few long hives made, each to contain five chambers, while each chamber is entirely separate from the one next to it, is five inches wide, and is covered by a separate, close-fitting board, and the whole by a common cover. The entrance for the two end chambers is at the ends near the same side of the hive. The middle chamber has its entrance at the middle of the side near which are the end entrances, while the other two chambers open on the opposite side, as far apart as is possible. The outside might be painted different colors to correspond with the divisions, if thought necessary, especially on the side with two openings. Yet I have never taken this precaution, nor have I been troubled much by losing queens. They have almost invariably entered their own apartments when returning from their wedding tour. These hives I use to keep queens during the summer. Except the apiarist engages in queen-rearing extensively as a business, I doubt the propriety of building such special nucleus hives. The usual hives are good property to have in the apiary, will soon be needed, and may be economically used for all nuclei. In spring I make use of my hives which are prepared for prospective summer use, for my nuclei. Now go to different hives of the apiary, and take out three frames for each nucleus, at least one of which has brood, and so on, till there are as many nuclei prepared as you have queen-cells to dispose of The bees should be left adhering to the frames of comb, onlywe must be certain that the queen is not among them, as this would take the queen from where she is most needed, and would lead to the sure destruction of one queen-cell. To be sure of this, never take such frames tillyou have seen the queen, that you may be sure she is left behind. I usually shake off into the nucleus the bees from one or two more frames, so that, even after the old bees have returned, there will still be a sufficient number of young bees left in the nucleus to keep the temperature at a proper height. If any desire the nuclei with smaller frames, these frames must of course be filled with comb, and then we can shake bees immediately into the nuclei, as given above,till they shall have sufficient to preserve a proper temperature. In this case the queen-cell should be inserted just before the bees are added; in the other case, either before or after. Such special articles about the apiary are costly and inconvenient. I believe that I should use hives even with the largest frames for nuclei. In this case we should need to give more bees. To insert the queen-cell—for we are now to give one to each nucleus, so we can never form more nuclei than we have capped queen-cells—we first cut them out, commencing to cut on either side the base of the cell, at least one-half inch distant,we must not in the least compress the cell, then cutting up and out for two inches, then across opposite the cell. This leaves the cell attached to a wedge-shaped piece of comb (Fig, 56), whose apes is next the cell.
Fig. 56.
Fig. 56.
A similar cut in the middle frame of the nucleus, which in case of the regular frames is the one containing brood, will furnish an opening to receive the wedge containing the cell. The comb should also be cut away beneath (Fig, 56), so that the cell cannot be compressed. After all the nuclei have received their cells and bees, they have only to be set in a shady place and watched to see that sufficient bees remain. Should too many leave, give them more by removing the coverand shaking a frame loaded with bees over the nucleus; keep the opening nearly closed, and cover the bees with a quilt. The main caution in all thisis to be sure not to get any old queen in a nucleus. In two or three days the queens will hatch, and in a week longer will have become fertilized, and that, too, in case of the first queens, by selected drones, for as yet there are no other in the apiary, and the apiarist will possess from ten to thirty-five queens, which will prove his best stock in trade. I cannot over-estimate the advantage of ever having extra queens. To secure pure mating later, we must cut all drone-comb from inferior colonies, so that they shall rear no drones. If drone larvæ are in uncapped cells, they may be killed by sprinkling the comb with cold water. By giving the jet of water some force they may be washed out, or we may throw them out with the extractor, then use the comb for starters in our sections. By keeping empty frames, and empty cells in the nuclei, the bees may be kept active; yet with so few bees, one cannot expect very much from the nuclei. After cutting all the queen-cells from our old hive, we can again insert eggs, as above suggested, and obtain another lot of cells, or, if we have a sufficient number, we can leave a single queen-cell, and this colony will soon be the happy possessor of a queen, and just as flourishing as if the even tenor of its ways had not been disturbed.
In the above operation, as in many other manipulations of the hive, we shall often gain sight of the queen, and can, if we desire, clip her wing, if she has met the drone, that in no case she shall lead the colony away to parts unknown. This does not injure the queen, as some have claimed. General Adair once stated that such treatment injured the queen, as it cut off some of the air-tubes, which view was approved by so excellent a naturalist as Dr. Packard. Yet we are sure that this is all a mistake. The air-tube and blood-vessel, as we have seen, go to the wings to carry nourishment to these members. With the wing goes the necessity of nourishment and the need of the tubes. As well say that the amputation of the human leg or arm would enfeeble the constitution, as it would cut off the supply of blood.
Many of our best apiarists have practiced this clipping of the queen's wings for years. Yet, these queens show no diminution of vigor: we should suppose they would be even more vigorous, as useless organs are always nourished at the expense of the organism, and if entirely useless, are seldom long continued by nature. The ants set us an example in this matter, as they bite the wings off their queens, after mating has transpired. They mean that the queen ant shall remain at homenolens volens, and why shall not we require the same of the queen bee? Were it not for the necessity of swarming in nature, we should doubtless have been anticipated in this matter by nature herself. Still, if the queen essays to go with a swarm, and if the apiarist is not at hand, she will very likely be lost, never regaining the hive; but in this case the bees will be saved, asthey willreturn without fail. I always mean to be so watchful, keeping my hives shaded, giving ample room, and dividing or increasing, as to prevent natural swarming. But in lieu of such caution I see no objection to clipping the queen's wing, and would advise it.
Some apiarists clip one primary wing the first year, the secondary the second year, the other primary the third, and if age of the queen permits, the remaining wing the fourth year. Yet, such data, with other matters of interest and importance, better be kept on a slate or card, and firmly attached to the hive, or else kept in a record, opposite the number of the hive. The time required to find the queen is sufficient argument against the "queen-wing record.". It is not an argument against the once clipping of the queen's wings, for, in the nucleus hives, queens are readily found, and even in full colonies this is not very difficult, especially if we heed the dictates of interest and keep Italians. It will be best, even though we have to look up black queens, in full colonies. The loss of one good colony, or the vexatious trouble of separating two or three swarms which had clustered together, would soon vanquish this argument of time.
To clip the queen's wing, take hold of her wings with the left thumb and index finger—never grasp her body,especially her abdomen, as this will be very apt to injure her—raise her off the comb, then turn from the bees, place her gently on a board or any convenient object—even the knee will do—shewill thus stand on her feet, and not trouble by constantly passing her legs up by her wings, where they, too, would be in danger of being cut off. Now, take a small pair of scissors, and with the right hand open them, carefully pass one blade under one of the front wings, shut the blades, and all is over. Some apiarists complain that queens thus handled often receive a foreign scent, and are destroyed by the bees. I have clipped hundreds, and never lost one. I believe that the above method will not be open to this objection. Should the experience of any one prove to the contrary, the drawing on of a kid glove, or even the fingers of one, might remove the difficulty.
We have already referred to (pp.77and90) and described fertile workers. As these can only produce unimpregnated eggs, they are, of course, valueless, and unless superseded by a queen, will soon cause the destruction of the colony. As their presence often prevents the acceptance of cells or a queen, by the common workers, they are a serious pest.
The absence of worker brood, and the abundant and careless deposition of eggs—some cells being skipped, while others have received several eggs—are pretty sure indications of their presence.
To rid a colony of these, unite it with some colony with a good queen, after which the colony may be divided if very strong. Simply exchanging places of a colony with a fertile worker, and a good strong colony, will often cause the destruction of the wrong-doer. In this case, brood should be given to the colony which had the fertile worker, that they may rear a queen; or better, a queen-cell or queen should be given them. Caging a queen in a hive, with a fertile worker, for thirty-six hours, will often cause the bees to accept her. Shaking the bees off the frames two rods from the hive, will often rid them of the counterfeit queen, after which they will receive a queen-cell or a queen.