THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



i^ 



that the experiment I suppose was in- 

 stituted to solve. This is the kind of 

 arj^ument that is generally called "beg- 

 ging the question." 



To put the matter in the direct form, 

 there is no proof anywhere in all the 

 data given of this experiment that the 

 bees did not select, within five days, 

 larvae ihat were too old to produce good 

 queens; not only that, but there is no 

 proof that they did not do so within eigh- 

 teen hours, as may be gathered from the 

 data respecting comb b taken at the first 

 examination. Abstractly, the chances 

 are at least equal that they did so. Then 

 there nmst be proof that the three addi- 

 tional cells found on comb b, just two 

 days after unqueening, were all started 

 within the last 3, '2 of the first 22 hours 

 after unqueening, over some of the very 

 few larvit still left on comb b at that 

 time young enough to produce good 

 queens, or the doctor's statements are 

 again overthrown. To claim that they 

 were so started is to assume the verj- 

 thing to be proved. The overwhelming 

 preponderance of the evidence is that 

 the}' were not. But enough of this. 



Since the probabilities seem to me to 

 be so extremely favorable to the notion 

 that at least some of the queens to emerge 

 from the cells on comb b have been pro- 

 duced from larvae that were too old at 

 the time of selection for the production 

 of good queens, it is worth while to in- 

 quire, if that notion is well founded, 

 what the result to be expected is. On a 

 careful examination of the table it will be 

 seen that the youngest larva; in comb b 

 are Ofie day and hvo hours older than the 

 oldest in comb c, and that the most in- 

 ferior queens to emerge from cells on 

 comb b were produced from larvLe older 

 than any lar\'a.' on that comb selected 

 when young enough to pro<luce good 

 queens; it is therefore clearly inevitable 

 that such inferior queens will emerge be- 

 fore any good queens can emerge either 

 from cells on comb b or comb c; conse- 

 quently, such inferior queens would "con- 

 trol the situation" either in the hive or at 



the head of swarms, such as I think is 

 the natural result of leaving an unqueen- 

 ed colony to rear queens from brood of all 

 ages. And this was in a case, too, where 

 as we shall see, the older larvie were 

 placed at a great disadvantage by the 

 conditions of the experiment. 



I have time to notice but one other 

 point — the one just hinted at — before 

 closing. The doctor says (Gleanings, 

 S35) "It certainlj' is ;/o/ proven that bees 

 made queeuiess are in such haste to rear 

 a queen that they at once select larva; too 

 old for the purpose." Perhaps not. 

 Neither is the contrary proven. Were 

 the combs left in the super or placed be- 

 low? Were other combs left in the hive 

 with them ? How strong was the colony ? 

 In what order were the experimental 

 combs arranged ? They would naturally 

 be placed in the order of their lettering.; 

 and, as nothing is said to the contrary, 

 we must assume that they were so placed. 

 The doctor must know that bees have a 

 strong preference for the central combs 

 as the location of queen cells built to sup- 

 ply the place of a suddenly lost queen. 

 They seldom in a full colony start on the 

 outside combs of brood nor on the ones 

 next to them if there is brood of all ages 

 in the more central ones. If he does not 

 know it, let him examine his own experi- 

 mental combs. That it may be clearly 

 seen I'll exhibit them in this way: 

 Comb a — o cells. 



" b — 5 " 



" c — 17 " 



" d — 8 " 



" e — 6 " 

 Notice in this case that by the doctor's 

 data on the first examination for cells two 

 were found on comb b, although next the 

 outside one, which cells might have con- 

 tained larvie considerably above the prop- 

 er age for the production of good queens. 

 The central comb has almost half the 

 entire number; and d and e have more 

 than a and b only because c had no long- 

 er anv larvae that could be at all utilized. 

 Suppose a had been placed in the center 

 what would the result have been ? 



