1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



247 



of sections ; but, if I mistake not, sooner or 

 later the tall ones will be found the first ones 

 to sell. 



FERTILIZING QUEENS IN CONFINEMENT. 



While W. Z. Hutchinson and myself were 

 riding on the cars eii route to one of the con- 

 ventions, he produced a manuscript ; and as 

 he did so he said he did not know but I would 

 think he was foolish, but he was shortly to 

 publish an article on the subject of fertiliza- 

 tion of queens in confinement, and, what was 

 more, he believed that, while the scheme had 

 hitherto been considered visionary and im- 

 practicable, yet it had been abandoned pre- 

 maturely. He had quite accidentally run 

 across a man who, some ten years ago, had 

 been successful in fertilizing 100 queens in 

 confinement. Strangely enough this party 

 never said any thing about it, in print. 



To make a long story short, he read to me 

 the manuscript, and then, with a look of in- 

 quiry on his face, he wished to know what I 

 thought of the plan. 



"Why," said I, "I am inclined to think 

 there is something in it." 



The article has, since our conversation, been 

 published in The Bee-keepers^ /Review for 

 February, and the man who succeedtd in get- 

 ting 100 queens fertilized is Mr. J. S. Daviett, 

 of Aragon, Ga. In brief, the plan involves 

 the erection of a large tent 30 feet in diameter 

 and 30 feet high, the covering being of mos- 

 quito-netting. Mr. D. writes : 



Colonies of bees well supplied with drones were 

 placed close up against the wall of the tent, on the 

 outside, each colony being allowed two entrances. 

 One entrance opened outsi.ecf the tent, ami was con- 

 tracted so that neither queens nor drones could pass, 

 but allowed the workers to pass out and in, and work 

 in the fields in the usual manuer. The other t-ntrance 

 opened into the tent, and was large enough for the 

 passage of a queen or drone; but it was kept closed 

 or darkened for about a week after the colony was 

 placed in position. This was done for the purpose of 

 educating the workers to use the outside entrance. 

 The drones were not allowed to use the outer entrance 

 at anytime, nor to enter the tent txcept from 11:00 

 A. M. until 1: SO P.M. After the drones had learned 

 the bounds of the tent, they seemed contented, and 

 made a very pretty school flying in the top of the tent. 

 And I wish to sav right here that the drones are the 

 main feature of this problem. Once you get them 

 quiet a.n<i reconciled \.o fly in the top of the tent, the 

 problem is s ilved. Nine times out of ten the queen 

 will not reach the top of the tent before receiving the 

 most prompt and gushing attention After I got the 

 drones under control I had no difficulty. I simply 

 turned iu the queens from the hives they were in, just 

 the same as I turned in the drones. I one vear reared 

 about lOiJ qiieens and had them nuted in this tent. A 

 queen would leave the mouth of the hive, and return 

 in about five minutes, apparently mated ; and in three 

 or four days would be laying ; and the progeny of all 

 queens thus mated showed the same markings as the 

 workers of the colonies from which the drones were 

 taken. 



It appears that Prof. N. W. McLain, several 

 years ago, tried about the same plan, but suc- 

 ceeded only partially, and, what was more, the 

 results at the time were regarded by the fra- 

 ternity as a failure. But Prof. McLain still 

 believes that a little further experiment would 

 enable him to make the scheme work ; but the 

 following year the State Experiment Station 

 at Aurora, 111., was discontinued, and no fur- 

 ther experiments along that line were conduct- 

 ed by any one, so far as is known, except, per- 



haps, by this Mr. Daviett, who has up to this 

 time kept his candle under a bushel. 



Prof. McLain attributed his failure to the 

 fact that the drones were either not fully de- 

 veloped, or impotent from some cause. Like 

 Mr. Daviett, he had no trouble in getting the 

 drones accustomed to their narrow quarters. 



Mr. Daviett, as will be noted, accustoms the 

 worker-bees to flying out in the open air. 

 This compelled them to become familiar with 

 the outer entrances. Then when they were 

 flying thickest, about 11 o'clock on up to 2, 

 he opened the inner entrance, and allowed the 

 drones and queen to intermingle in the en- 

 closure. But the queens were not allowed to 

 enter until the drones, as I understand it, had 

 become content and flew around inside with- 

 out bumping their heads against the netting, 

 and that, when they were thus content, they 

 would meet the queens half way. Mr. Daviett 

 does not tell how his drones were brought to 

 the proper sexual condition ; but perhaps from 

 the fact that they were allowed to go and come 

 from their hives at will, to feed in the hive, 

 and thus reach the condition of maturity and 

 potency, he was able to succeed where the 

 professor failed. 



Mr. Hutchinson, in commenting on this 

 matter of fertilizing queens in confinement, 

 makes this very sensible remark : " Do not let 

 us lose our heads with enthusiasm, nor toss 

 the matter aside with contempt and ridicule " 

 — a remark that I most heartily indorse. It 

 has happened before that a plan or process 

 which was abandoned after repeated trials has, 

 years afterward, been resurrected and shown 

 to be a perfect success. For instance, the at- 

 tempt to harden india rubber was continued 

 till success was despaired of. By mere chance, 

 however, as it would seem, some rubber was 

 melted in a kettle that had some sulphur in it, 

 and, lo ! the secret was laid bare. Many such 

 instances might be adduced. 



While Mr. Hutchinson and I were discuss- 

 ing the merits of the plan of fertilizing queens 

 in confinement, he said he hoped The A. I. 

 Root Co. would think enough of it to give it 

 a trial. I can only say this : We will talk it 

 over among ourselves ; and if the other mem- 

 bers of our company feel that there is any 

 hope of success we will put up such a tent. 



It hardly needs to be said that the greatest 

 bar to the breeding of long-tongued bees, 

 hitherto, has been in the fact that we have 

 been unable to control the fertilization of se- 

 lect stock. If fertilization of queens can be 

 controled, great possibilities are before us. 



To-day, March 12, I am home again in Me- 

 dina, and will answer the great pile of letters 

 awaiting me, as speedily as possible. I shall 

 have some wonderful things to tell you in our 

 next, in the line of high-pressure gardening ; 

 and to be ready to take advantage of it this 

 season you had better sow at once some seed 

 of self-blanching celery, or make sure in some 

 way you can have some good nice plants ready 

 as soon as the weather will permit of setting 

 them out. I will tell you " what to do " and 

 how to do it, later. — A. I. R. 



