20 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



"Yes; that is a chaff hive, but the materials for 

 its constniotion cost only seventeen cents. I shall 

 make twenty more of the same kind, next winter. 

 If there is any thing nhout an apiary that I detest, it 

 is a pile of discarded hives, 'traps and calamities.' 

 that are g-ood for — l<indliug--wo()d. You said that 

 you had kept bees several yeais, didu't you, friend 

 Johnson?" 



"Seven years; and twice before this time I have 

 had more than ttftv colonies; and I expected the 

 next season to have a ' pile' of honey; but each time, 

 nearly all died before spring. Then I would go to 

 work and build them up as fast as I could for two or 

 three years, only to have them die again. But, if I 

 have any bees another spring, they have got to pay 

 me something, for I have pnid out the last dollar for 

 bees and fixings until tnev bring in something." 



Header, the above is not a fancy sketch. 



i^— •-fci 



OBSERVATIOIVS IN RF.O\Kn TO FJBR- 

 TILIZATION OF CtUEENS. 



TKANSLATEU FROM " L'APICULTHUIJ," BT W. V. ROOT. 



^ AST year, Mr. Pierrard. of Djmbasle, sent us 

 f[lJ\ \ the sexual organs of a droue, which were ta- 



' ken from a queen which had returned from 



her wedding flight. Soon after, he communicated to 

 us a fact which proves that, when the cnpulative 

 organ of a male is detached, another fertilization is 

 required, as it is necessary for it to remain for a 

 certain time in the vulva of the female, in order to 

 make fertilization complete. He saw a queen re- 

 turning with this organ, which the bees precipi- 

 tately tore off, when she started out again the 

 next day for a second fecundation. This queen 

 could not enter the hive on her return, as the en- 

 trance had been closed with a grating; and it was 

 just at this moment when she sought to enter, that 

 the workers, over-excited by her movements, set 

 themselves to take from her the male organs. He 

 has had queens fly out the third time for fertiliza- 

 tion. 



This year, Mr. P. gives some new observations on 

 this point. Here are some of the particulars, which 

 he has sent us. 



No. 1. Hiv« with three little frames. Small col- 

 ony. No drones. The young queen showed herself 

 at the bars at 1: 5. I released her. She re-entered T 

 minutes after, without any signs of fertilization ; .5 

 minutes later she went out again to return in 15 

 minutes with indications of fertility; 3 minutes aft- 

 er, a bee came slowly up the bars, carrying a little 

 white body. I took it away, and I am assured that it 

 was really the male organ. I went to my work, and 

 toward night I passed by the hive to take a look at 

 it. The queen was quiet. She carried at the vulva 

 a little bleached-out filament — the last trace, doubt- 

 less, of fertilization. The next day, and the day aft- 

 er, the young queen appeared no more at the bars. 

 Finally, on the third day of fertilization some eggs 

 were laid. 



No. 2. Same kind of hive and colony. When live 

 days old, the queen appeared at the bars at 2: 5. She 

 Hew out and returned in five minutes, without ferti- 

 lization. At the end of 20 minutes she flew out 

 again, and returned in 14 minutes after, bearing the 

 male genital organ, which I took a few minutes aft- 

 er from a worker, which ejected it. That afternoon 

 the queen was quiet, and did not appear at the bars. 

 At evening no eggs were laid, nor next morning; but 

 at 12: 5 p.m. the queen appeared at the bars. She 

 sallied out and returned in 11 minutes with indica- 

 tions of fecundation. In the evening I inspected 

 the hive. The queen was quite calm, and she carried 



at the vulva a grayish filament — the last trace of 

 fertilization. Her bees appeared rather hostile to 

 her. Finally, 3 hours after the second union, the 

 j'oung queen laid. 



No. 3. This was a rather strong colony, but on ac- 

 count of bad weather, the queen did not fly out till 

 12 days after hatching. She returned in 17 minutes, 

 this first time with the male organ. A sharp cry re- 

 sembling that from a young queen when resisting 

 restraint, was made, and the bees seemed somewhat 

 agitated. At dark, all was quiet. The next day 

 the queen did not appear; but the day after that, 

 she came to the entrance and flew out. She re- 

 turned in ten minutes without anv signs pf fertiliza- 

 tion. She tlew out again four minutes later, and re- 

 turned in five minutes (the weather was bad) with- 

 out fertilization. The entrance-bars being out of 

 order, the young queen experienced some difliculty 

 in entering. Being impatient, I took her by the 

 wings in order to replace her in the hive; but she 

 was so much frightened that she flew away and did 

 not return. 



No. 3, again. Same hive. The next day 1 inserted 

 in this " orphaned " hive a queen-cell ready to hatch, 

 (j hours after the young female was hatched. Six 

 hours later she went out on her " love-flight," and 

 returned in three minutes; 25 minutes after, she 

 went out anew,and returnedfertilizedin29minutes; 

 three minutes after, while examining the entrance 

 in order to satisfy myself that the male organ was 

 ejected, I heard a sharp cry, that of a young queen, 

 and the bees seemed slightly agitated. Having 

 raised the hive, I saw the queen surrounded by a 

 knot of bees, which, without molesting her too furi- 

 ously, nevertheless impeded the freedom of her 

 movements. She did not appear the next day. The 

 day after, June 25, about 2 o'clock, she took her 

 flight and returned in a quarter of an hour without 

 being fertilized — a large cloud, accompanied with 

 wind, appearing. For three days the weather was 

 windy, by which time the queen had laid eggs with- 

 out further copulating. 



No. i. This was a hive of two frames, and small 

 colony. The queen went out on the 7th day, and re- 

 turned fertilized after the second attempt. Her bees 

 received her rather badly; and an hour after, they 

 were very mttch excited. Inspecting the hive, I 

 saw the bees hem in and maltreat the poor queen. 

 On the evening of the next day she presented a sor- 

 rowful figure, and had the appearance of being 

 quite fatigued. The vulva opened and contracted 

 alternately. This queen did not go out again, but 

 had laid eggs by the end of 48 hours thereafter. 



No. 5. Same kind of hive and colony. The queen 

 was fertilized the first time. The next day she was 

 calm. The next day at noon she went out and re- 

 turned at the end of 17 minutes, impregnated anew. 

 The bees surrounded her with fury; and in spite of 

 smoke to make them let go their hold, I found the 

 queen dead the next day. 



No. 6. This was a small hive — two full frames 

 and one empty one. The 8th day after the queen 

 was hatched, the bees were greatly excited, but the 

 queen was not so. Then all at once the bees flew 

 out and returned in a rage. Even the young bee.", 

 still white, came out and crouched down on the 

 walls of the hive. The queen did not always ap- 

 pear at the entrance. Quiet was restored. The 

 queen appeared no more for the two following days; 

 and at the end of the third day, many eggs had been 

 laid by the workers. Perhaps she may have found 



