68 EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



Mr. Stone. — I should like to ask Mr. Kildow if there is anything 

 that you would Hke to add to put in the report. We will put anything 

 in that report that you think is better than what we have. 



Mr. Kildow. — It is in the bulletin in just as few words as we 

 can get it. 



Question. — If a queen excluder is placed over the entrance of a 

 colony having queen cells due to hatch, and kept there for a day or 

 two, will the colony swarm when the excluder is removed? 



Mr. Kildow. — I can partly answer that, Mr. President. If 

 enough of those queens hatch, and the colony depends on swarming, 

 the first chance they get, they will try to swarm, but if they have not 

 got the swarming fever, then the chances are that they will hold those 

 queens so that they will not get away. 



Mr. Heinzel. — I suppose this question is meant, on the colony 

 that has the swarming fever. 



Mr. Kildow. — Yes. Where is the excluder? 



Mr. Heinzel. — Between the bottom board and the hive. I do 

 not know whether they will try to swarm or whether they will destroy 

 the cell. 



Mr. Pettit. — My idea would be that they would go out when they 

 got ready to swarm, and if the queen could not go out, they would go 

 back. They would repeat that next day, possibly the third day, I 

 do not know how many days they might keep it up, but eventually, 

 if the queen could not get out, they would probably kill her. If the 

 excluder was taken off in the meantime, of course they would get out 

 and go. ^ 



The President. — Mr. Dadant, have you anything to say on that? 



Mr. Dadant. — I never tried an excluder in a hive. 



The Secretary. — It is a new proposition. 



The President. — Mr. Millen, have you anything to say? 



Mr. Millen. — No, I asked that question. I have seen it tried 

 once or twice, and it has proved successful, and they only use it oji a 

 strong colony, and the bee-keeper avoided tearing down the chamber 

 for the queen cells. After the queen had been removed, the colony 

 was allowed to build cells, and of course would have swarmed, but the 

 excluder was placed in front of the entrance, and that was left on there 

 some time. It saved the bee-keeper taking off the hive supers. 



Mr. Dadant. — I am afraid they would have a lot of queenless 

 colonies. 



Mr. Kildow. — It looks to me as if the bees would get together 

 and kill each other off. 



Question. — Would the use of an excluder in this way be possible 

 in commercial bee-keeping? 



Mr. Heinzel. — I should say, No, for myself. 



The President. — I am somewhat afraid that the bees, if there 

 was any swarming impulse, would swarm and return and kill the 

 queens, or kill the one that was left. They will do that quite often, 

 when you clip the queen without using an excluder, because she cannot 

 leave after that, they will return and kill her, even though the young 

 queen has been destroyed, or the cell has been destroyed, or if there is 

 and egg that will raise a new queen they will swarm, and I think under 



