1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



631 



which these queens come are a source of dan- 

 ger to the neighboring queens, as they are 

 very much given to running across to the 

 nearest entrance having a queen within, leav- 

 ing barely any bees to care for the few cells 

 of brood in their old home ; and while, if 

 honey is coming in freely, they will rarely do 

 any harm, yet if it is not, they are very apt to 

 ball the queen they came to pay homage to, 

 within two days, if she should not have be- 

 gun laying. If she has begun laying, then 

 the addition to the number of bees in the 

 little nuclei only hastens a danger that is al- 

 ways present with very small nuclei, of the 

 queen and bees swarming out and completely 

 deserting their home, brood or no brood, 

 honey or no honey, on account of its smnll 

 size and entire unfitness to retain a normal 

 colony, of which the bees often seem more 

 aware than their owner. 



In those cases where the queen gets safely 



through the previous dangers, and begins lay- 

 ing, she will scarcely have been laying 24 

 hours, when, becoming discontented with her 

 small accommodations, she must be quickly 

 removed or fastened in by entrance-guards if 

 she is to stay where the bee-keeper can put 

 his fingers on her. 



If black or hybrid bees are used for forming 

 the nuclei, the danger from the bees running 

 from one entrance to another is greatly aug- 

 mented. 



I have sometimes seen the bees from one of 

 these little nuclei, after losing their queen on 

 her flight, come out in a string and run to 

 their nearest neighbor, fanning their " queen- 

 less " note, and entering without opposition, 

 staying only a short time, evidently searching 

 for their lost queen, when out they came, and 

 on to the next entrance ; and whenever they 

 will go in, and yet not stay, you may confi- 

 dently open the nuclei to take out a balled 



MARIGOLD, ONE OF THE PRINCIPAI, HONEY-PLANTS OF TEXAS ; BUT FOUND ALL OVER THE 



UNITED STATES. 



