THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



219 



other uses only cheap labor, but depends 

 upon his own thorough knowledge of his 

 business to manage them so as to get 

 the full benefit of their muscle, and works 

 with steam ploughs and all labor-saving 

 contrivances; do you not see that the 

 smaller farmer would be distanced im- 

 mediately? Now, 1 believe that we 

 should study to do less work ourselves, 

 and let the bees do more — everything 

 that they can do as well or even better 

 than we— that we may be able to employ 

 more of them to our greater profit. 



What, then, are some of the things 

 which we can with advantage turn over 

 to the bees to do? 



1. Hunting queens — especially in full 

 stocks. Many of the systems of dividing 

 and artificial swarming still given neces- 

 sitate finding the queen, and I believe 

 much time is yet wasted by bee keepers 

 in hunting for queens for various other 

 purposes. This is an operation in which 

 the bees can beat us, and we are losing 

 whenever we try to run opposition to 

 them. 



2. I do not believe we can success- 

 fully compete with them in arranging 

 their brood in spring. I have practiced 

 "spreading" their brood for them in the 

 spring, and I have been "cautious" about 

 it too, as the advocates of that operation 

 advise, and while I can do it, I think, 

 without damaging them specially, I find 

 that a colony, sitting right by the side of 

 the one I manage with superior wisdom, 

 if allowed to have its way, if it is in good 

 condition, and has plenty of honey, will 

 come out at the clover harvest just as 

 strong and prosperous as the other. So 

 I have concluded that they are just as 

 fifood authority on how m ,ch brood it is 

 safe to start and where to put it, as I 

 am; and I propose to let them run that 

 part of my business hereafter. The 

 queen is generally ready and waiting to 

 lay just as many eggs as are safe, and 

 the only thing that retards her is want 

 of warm weather, and as that is a matter 

 over which I have no control, I have con- 

 cluded I can't help her. 



3. They can manage the matter of 

 swarming more cheaply, and, I am in- 

 clined to believe more judiciously, than 

 the most expert bee keeper can do it, by 

 any plan 1 yet know of. Where there 

 are tall trees near the apiary, it is neces- 

 sary to have all queens clipped, other- 

 wise this labor may be avoided. 



But some will say, the labor of opening 

 hives and tearing down queen cells to 

 prevent after-swarming would be about 

 as much as artificial swarming; and that 

 leads me to say: 



4. Bees can tear down queen cells 

 more cheaply than we. After-swarming 

 can be prevented in every location in 

 which 1 have had any experience, and 1 

 believe it can. anywhere, by introducing 

 a young queen immediately after the first 

 swarm issues. Any young queen will 

 do--virgin or fertile; and the bee keeper 

 should be sure to have them ready by 

 the swarming time. Either kind can be 

 smoked right in at the entrance, at that 

 time, without danger or loss; and with 

 the few bees then left in the hive they 

 go right to work to destroy the queen 

 cells without hinderance. In locations 

 where it is necessary to clip queens, they 

 should be fertile and clipped before intro- 

 ducing them to a full colony, as it would 

 be too much work to find them for 

 clipping afterward. 



5. Bees are the cheapest help to lift 

 honey from the lower story to the upper. 

 I will admit thata large quantity of honey 

 can be taken in side-boxes if it is raised 

 to be capped: but not enough, I think, 

 after long trial of that method, nor of 

 good enough quality, to pay for the 

 greatly increased trouble and labor of 

 manipulation. In these things, and I am 

 not sure but in some others, it appears to 

 me almost self-evident, that we cannot 

 afford to work against cheap Italian 

 labor. 



Bound Brook, N. J., Nov. 14, 1883. 



Golden Italian Queens. 



All cells built in strong queenright colonies. No 



disease has ever been known here. Tested gueen, 



$1.00; select tested, SI. 25; untested, 60 cts. 



each; one dozen, $7.00. 6-10-2t 



D. T. Gaster. Rt. 2, Randleman, N. C. 



SWARTHMORE'S 

 PEDIGREED 

 GOLDENS 



Queens from the well known SWARTHMORE. 

 Apiaries of the late E. L. Pratt. The brightest 

 hustleys and the most gentle pure strain of Goldens 

 in the United States. 



The Swarthmore Apiaries, Swarthmore Pa. 

 7-10-3t 



1 am better prepared than ever to 

 furnish promptly my famous strain of 



YoM 



(Goldesas 



1 honestly think that they meet the requirements 

 of business-bred queens. If your locality has any 

 raw nectar that you would like converted into 

 honey, let me say that these bees never stop until 

 the last drop is safely stored away. 



Prices are as follows: One untested queen, 75 



cts : three for $2.00; ten for $6 00. Tested queens, 



$1.00 each; extra large, yellow and prolific. $2.50 



each. 6-10-2t 



W. S. Mcknight, Elamville, Ala. 



