458 



GLEAl^INGS IN J3EE CULTUEE. 



Sept. 



ceiving the male fluid as it passes the conjunction 

 of the spermatheca with the oviduct. As the egg 

 comes in contact with the sperm after its formation 

 is complete, it must receive its imprcg-nation 

 through the shell by absorption; otherwise the em- 

 bryo must receive its sex qualiflcatious alimontive- 

 Ij', after it leaves the eggr. 



In normal conditions, assuming the foregoing con- 

 clusions to be correct, may not the nurse-bees, by 

 removing the sperm from a worker egg at the 

 proper time, cause the production of a drone there- 

 from ? Could they not have caused, by adding the 

 requisite aliments, the production of a queen from 

 the same egg? The drone ovum leaves the ovi- 

 duct unimpregnated, and must remain so. Besides, 

 it seems to be a self-evident fact, that there is never 

 in the economy of the hive a necessity for changing 

 the sex of a drone egg, if the condition of the colony 

 be normal. In an abnormal condition (as in case of 

 a fertile worker), should the bees attempt to obtain 

 a queen from a drone egg, or larva, the act should 

 correspond with the condition of the colony. Again, 

 it seems the vitality of the sperm would be destroy- 

 ed in an attempt to remove it from a worker ovum 

 to that of a drone, or to incorporate it with the ali- 

 ment of a drone larva. J. F. Latham. 



Cumberland, Me., Aug., 1883. 



Eriencl L. you will see, by the little book 

 called the Dzierzon Theory, that each egg 

 has an apparatus called the mycropyle, 

 through which the spermatozoa is supposed 

 to make its Avay tlirough the shell of the egg. 

 If the bees get the egg when first laid l)y the 

 queen, it seems to me possible they might, 

 through this mycropyle apparatus, destroy 

 the spermatozoa, and thus reduce the egg to 

 the condition of a drone egg ; but this theory 

 as yet seems to lack confirmation by experi- 

 ment. I have never thought it possible the 

 bees have any power to make a drone egg 

 produce any thing other than a drone. 



UNCAPPING-IiMPLEAIENTS; PERFECTION NOT YET AT- 

 TAINED. 



I have never been able to use an uncapping-knife 

 to my satisfaction, be it ever so bright and sharp. I 

 tear down the cells to their base in places, on nearly 

 every frame. I now use, with very good success, a 

 common wool hand-card, with teeth about 7 rows to 

 the inch, and cut down to 3 x 4 inches in size. Now, 

 by striking with this lightly upon the caps of the 

 cells, they are broken so the honey is thrown out 

 with but little more effort than when the whole cap 

 is removed with the knife, and there is no dripping 

 of honey before the frame is placed in the extractor. 

 A common cattlc-eard might do as well. 



Sterling, 111., August 18, 1882. Nokman Clakk. 



Why, friend Clark, yoiu- ingenuity beats 

 every thing. The matter of puncturing the 

 cells with pointed wires Avas discussed a 

 great many years ago, but I believe no one 

 ever before thought of ushig a common cat- 

 tle-card. Our friends who wish to try it will 

 find a very substantial one, though small, on 

 our five-cent counter. 



you herewith a queen-cell built directly over a drone 

 larva. You will find drone eggs, larvte, and capped 

 cells on the section containing the queen-cell. Di- 

 rectly on the opposite side of the comb from the cell 

 sent herewith, was another queen -cell exactly a 

 counterpart to the one I sent you. I cut it open, 

 and it contained a full-sized driDic larva. These cells 

 were built in an upper story on one of my extract- 

 ing combs. Now, you see, friend Hoot, how easily a 

 man might be mistaken if he placed all his depend- 

 ence on these corrugations. The above, I admit, is 

 an exception, and as a rule you are right, as I have 

 seen many queen-cclls built over drone larvfc that 

 were entirely smooth; but if wo are particular, and 

 use only cells built on worker combs, and give the 

 colony no dr. lie larvie, then we are certain to have 

 cells containing only worker larvns. W. T. Clary. 

 Clary ville, Ky., Aug. 16, 1882. 



Thanks, friend C. Since you mention it, 

 and send a sample, I now recall to mind hav- 

 ing several times seen these monster queen- 

 cells corrugated in most fanciful style, and 

 that on drone comb too. If I am correct, 

 however, these huge queen-cells seldom, if 

 ever, hatch out any thing, either drone or 

 queen. I will have a clause inserted in the 

 A B C to correct this. 



QUEEN-CELLS OVER DRONE LAinMC, NOT ALWAYS 

 SMOOTH. 



You say, on p. 177 of A B C book, that queen-cells 

 built over drone larva? are almcaijs smootli. Now, I 

 beg leave to differ with you here, as I have proof 

 positive that such is not always the case. I inclose 



HORSEMINT, AGAIN; AND — SOMETHING ELSE. 



My bees are still gathering honey from horsemint. 

 A second crop came up where I had my winter 

 wheat, and that big colony has now 20 frames of 

 hatching brood, and they are getting ready for an- 

 other 100 or 200 lbs. I forgot to tell you that my 

 average weight for the past 2'J years was 156 to 160 

 lbs. I was always on the gruits — headache, head- 

 ache ! oh the excruciating p.iins all caused by the 

 use of tobacco! Now I tip the beam at 200 lbs.; 

 headache gone, health restored, and I can truly 

 thank God for the Tobacco Column in Gleanings. 

 The money I saved by quitting tobacco pays my in- 

 surance policy, and buys the baby Amos a frock or 

 two. May God bless you for this department in 

 bee culture ! * B. F. Carroll. 



Dresden, Tex , Aug. 1, 1882. 



I suppose the above should have been sep- 

 arated, and a part of it put in the Tobacco 

 Column ; but friend Carroll has a sort of 

 way of running things together that makes 

 it inconvenient to find a separating point; 

 and besides, I don't know but the part of his 

 letter about giving up tobacco is almost as 

 much " Reports Encouraging " as that about 

 the 100 lbs. of horsemint honey. What do 

 you think about it, friends V 



1$EK,S THAT ARE TO BE BRIMSTONED. 



I am just home from a trip of mercy, as well as 

 expected profit. A man gave me 10 swarms of bees, 

 their brood and empty combs, for my taking the 

 honey out of his box hives for him. He intended to 

 kill his bees before I proposed to take them out of 

 his way. He has about 15 colonies j"et that ho in- 

 tends to keep. 



PEAS FOR BEES, AGAIN. 



Our Whippoorwill peas arc just roaring with bees 

 from early to late. Hurrah for the Juvesile! 



A. R. Nisbet. 

 Dobyville, Clark Co., Ark., Aug , 1883. 



That is right, friend K., save the bees. I 

 know of no nicer and cheaper way to get 

 bees than by taking those that are to be 



