100 



FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



We can raise four queens comfort- 

 ably in one season up in Minnesota; 

 that is about all that is required. 



Mr. Yaeger — The importance of those 

 young queens: The subject is so vast 

 I don't know how to approach it. The 

 advantages of young queens: Young 

 queens introduced in your hives every 

 year will do these things: First — A 

 young queen will be prolific and will 

 provide your hives next spring with 

 a larger number of bees. An old 

 queen may fail you just before honey 

 crop. Second — A young queen intro- 

 duced iri; your yard every j'ear will 

 effectually keep away European foul 

 brood. There will be no danger of 

 having it. Third — A young queen will 

 not only effectually keep away foul 

 brood but it will effectually stop 

 swarming. Fourth — A young queen In- 

 troduced into your apiary every year 

 will improve your stock and prevent 

 inbreeding. Now what is the time of 

 the year? I may give you some other 

 reasons besides, but these are enough. 

 When is the time to introduce the 

 queen into j'our apiary? 



If you read our bee journals and 

 books you will find all kinds of the- 

 ories. One may say any time between 

 spring and fall, which means nothing. 

 What is the best time, definitely? I 

 don't want to be an authority on this. 

 The time is coming when all those 

 things will be common property 

 throughout the United States, and 

 when all of us will be agreed on cer- 

 tain things, and when we will all do 

 the same thing — when we will all treat 

 our bees for swarming in the same 

 manner. Now, Tve are at a loss — as 

 many heads as there are, there are so 

 many opinions, and you are in a maze 

 of uncertainty. I sometimes don't know 

 what to do. I pick up one journal and 

 certain advice is given; I pick up an- 

 other and contrary advice is given. 



How must one man who is inter- 

 ested and begins to acquire knowl- 

 edge feel in having these contradict- 

 ing problems? 



The time to rear queens? 



I believe right during the honey 

 ilow. At the beginning of your honey 

 flow; if we investigate and look into 

 the matter we probably will come to 

 the samfe conclusion some day. I will 

 give you reasons: 



In the first place I would rear queens 

 during the honey flow because that is 

 the time when the bees naturally re- 

 queen their own yards. When the 



swarm goes out of the hive, what is 

 left behind? The queen is tired. At 

 the beginning of the swarming season 

 during the honey flow, the bees are 

 used to being without a queen; nat- 

 urally they are supposed to be with- 

 out a queen. Why should not a bee- 

 keeper just as well take out the old 

 queen? The bees expect the old queen 

 to get out during the month of June, 

 and if the bee-keeper removes the old 

 quejBii in June and substitutes a new 

 ^g/aeen at that time you will find it a 

 better time for providing a queen for 

 the hive than any other time. 



Another thing: Why requeen dur- 

 ing the honey flow? 



It eventually stops swarming be- 

 cause the young queen introduced in 

 that hive will not swarm that season. 

 Why she does not swarm we do not 

 know. We only know the fact from 

 the experience of bee-keepers; when 

 you put a new queen into the hive, 

 that ygung queen as a rule will not 

 bother you with swarming that sea- 

 son. 



When a man has five, six or seven 

 out apiaries and cannot visit the api- 

 aries except once in a week or two 

 weeks; this is an advantage. The 

 worry during the summer is some- 

 thing; I went through with it; and 

 still worse, your neighbors say: "Your 

 bees are bothering us all the time." 



How would I introduce those queens 

 in June and how would it work out In 

 the swarming .problem? 



If I take my old queen out the 15th 

 of June: 



Those bees will get at the queen 

 cells immediately, and within four 

 days you will find the queen cells be- 

 ing drawn out. 



If those queen cells are from a good 

 queen, for instance, one you would re- 

 ceive from an experimental station or 

 a breeding queen from a first class 

 dealer; Let those queen cells develop. 



It will take eleven days before those 

 queens will hatch from the day that 

 you have removed your queen. Don't 

 wait over eleven days. As a rule the 

 tenth day those cells will be far 

 enough advanced that the young 

 queens will begin to move; you can 

 hear them move in the cells. 



If this hive is from your best queen, 

 leave one of those cells in the hive; 

 take the ohter cells out and use them 

 in the other hive; the queen will 

 hatch the next day; will mate the 

 seventh day; and commence laying 



