Idi6 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



153 



transportation of the bees is generally view- 

 ed as practically solved; and once the queen 

 has been accepted and eggs have been laid, 

 the whole transaction is usually considered 

 as being complete. Only once have I seen a 

 questioning note — the writer hinting that 

 one shouldn't halloo until a few months have 

 elapsed, for supersedure was not infrequent. 

 Since little in the way of definite facts has 

 appeared on this subject it may be interest- 

 ing to put my own experiences on record, 

 even if my bee-keeping career is a short one. 



In my first season (1 lived then in Illinois) 

 I bought two queens from a breeder in Ken- 

 tucky. They arrived safely, and were intro- 

 duced without difficulty. They were alive 

 in mid- summer, the next year, when I dis- 

 posed of my hives. In July, 1908, after the 

 honey-flow was over in this part of the world, 

 with but little pickings in the fall, I received 

 from a breeder in Onio five queens, all of 

 which were safely introduced, and were alive 

 at the end of August, when the last exami- 

 nation of hives was made. One of them was 

 killed by starvation in January; the others 

 died of spring dwindling. 



On August 24 I received a dozen queens 

 from the Kentucky breeder, and introduced 

 all of them, apparently with success. The 

 hives were not opened again after the cages 

 were removed until the end of January, when 

 indications of starvation forced investigation. 

 I found four dead with plenty of bees; three 

 died of spring dwindling, and five were alive 

 at the end of the honey-dew flow — honey- 

 flow did not happen — of 1909. Apparently 

 there had been no attempts at supersedure. 



Early in April, 1909, 1 bought a lot of hives 

 in moderate condition; and, being anxious 

 for increase, I ordered from a breeder in 

 Texas a dozen queens. There, as here, had 

 been a pollen-dearth, so my order did not ar- 

 rive until May 12, and it happened to be one 

 short. One queen was in poor condition on 

 arrival. The day was cold and rainy; and so, 

 choosing the lesser of two evils, 1 gave the 

 cage to a queenless hive, but the queen was 

 found dead after a few days. 



Nuclei were formed for all the others, con- 

 sisting of three or four Gallup frames of seal- 

 ed brood and adhering bees. All were ac- 

 cepted and started to lay. One hive showed 

 eggs in 6 days; one in 7 days; two in 9 days; 

 one in 11 days; two in 12 days; two in 13 

 days; one 

 something 

 over ten 

 days. 



A week 

 after intro- 

 duction we 

 had a kill- 

 ing frost 

 on three 

 successive 

 nights, 

 that play- 

 havoc with 

 the fruit- 

 blossoms. 

 Nectar and 



"A GOOD FIND." BROKEN BRICKS FOR HIVE-STANDS. 



See Bee-keepine in the Southwest, last issue. 



pollen had been coming in freely; in fact, 

 one hive with a fine reputation had hard- 

 ly an empty cell, all being full of brood or 

 stores, notwithstarding I had robbed it of 

 a frame of stores at three different times to 

 aid weaker colonies. On the 22d I started 

 to feed all hives having young queens; later 

 I did the same wherever needed. 1 feel it 

 necessary to mention these facts in view of 

 later developments. 



When once the queen started laying, the 

 frames were filled solid with br.iod: the queen 

 that started on the sixth day was prompt 

 about her business. The moment the cells 

 were vacant she filled them again; combs 

 were built; and, long before any of the others 

 were making a good showing, she had one 

 division full; and then, just as promptly, fill- 

 ed another. In just six weeks her bees had 

 built 16 combs and had them filled with brood 

 and honey-dew. Two months later the col- 

 ony was strong with about 18 lbs. of stores 

 on hand. I consider her record excellent. 



The one that started in seven days, on 

 June 17 was doing finely, so I added above it 

 the frames from another hive where the 

 queen had died. July 2 I found queen-cells 

 in the hive but no queen, so supersedure oc- 

 curred in about 42 days from the laying of 

 the first egg. 



Coming now to the queens that began to 

 lay in the ninth day after introduction, one 

 developed a good colony with lots of stores; 

 but the other showed queen-cells in 25 days 

 from the laying of the first egg. 



The queen that started laying on the 

 eleventh day was alive at the end of the sea- 

 son. 



The two that began to lay on the twelfth 

 day did fairly well. 



One of the queens that started on the 

 thirteenth day died suddenly after filling the 

 frames, as, twenty da>s later, she was miss- 

 ing, and no queen-cells were in evidence. 

 The other is credited as being in fair condi- 

 tion 34 days after the first egg; but 15 days 

 later the hive was found without brood and 

 with an open queen-cell. 



The record of the tenth queen is not per- 

 fect. She was seen ten days after introduc- 

 tion, but no eggs were in the frames. Thirty 

 days later she was missing, and cells started. 

 The twelfth queen or the dozen arrived 

 June 20, and was given to three frames of 



brood. She 

 was alive 

 at the end 

 of August. 

 Of the 

 old queens 

 in my pur- 

 chase, sev- 

 en were su- 

 perseded 

 by the 

 bees; but 

 only one 

 of these 

 was super- 

 seded in 

 turn. Four 



