=T*-l'flJJ 



American Hee Journal 



shown Fig. 2, is used to do away with a 

 part of this work. It is made of tin, 

 with a small knob to turn eacli wing 

 out as desired. Each wing of the sig- 

 nal is painted a different color, as red, 

 white and blue. In connection with 

 the signal 1 use a small piece of card- 

 board tacked on the side of the hive 

 numbered in a half circle as this : 1, 3, 

 ti, il, 12, l.j, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30 with a wire 

 bent to point to any one figure or to 

 any third day in the monfh. For in- 

 stance, suppose the signal indicates 

 that there is a virgin (the white wing), 

 and the hand points to 15, it would 

 mean look for a layer the 15th, when 

 the signal can be turned to the red, 

 meaning laving. The blue indicates a 

 cell. After the queen has begun to lay 

 the entrance queen-excluder is pushed 

 down over the entrance, thus holding 

 her in case of swarming. 

 Platteville, Wis. 



Improvement in Bees 



BY E. S. MILES. 



Referring to the discussion of im- 

 provement in bees. I cannot see how a 

 man who believes an improvement pos- 

 sible can be compared, by Dr. Bonney, 

 with those who believe in " the divine 

 right of kings " or "the divine right of 

 slavery." I would, on the contrary, put 

 the one who says that it can't be done 

 along with those who said that slavery 

 or monarchy could not be abolished. 



Because the Doctor has failed to 

 pick out a queen whose progeny would 

 be like her, he should not conclude 

 that others cannot. It takes close ob- 

 servation to determine that a certain 

 colony has the qualities we want in a 

 sufficient degree to warrant the belief 

 that they will transmit the same to 

 their progeny if properly mated. I can- 

 not see how learning the different the- 

 ories of breeding could help a man in 

 the breeding of animals unless he had 

 this ability to pick out the ones having 

 the traits wanted in sufficient degree to 

 perpetuate said traits. The argument 

 that a colonv will produce a large crop 

 one season and be worthless the next 

 only shows that the Doctor has taken 

 his e.xperience with mi.xed bees. With 

 that kind I have the same experience, 

 and that is just what I v/ant to avoid 

 by selective breeding. 



I want a bee which is thrifty, can 

 accumulate a little when the common 

 bee cannot; for such a colony will 

 give some surplus almost, if not every 

 year. That is why I mentioned a col- 

 ony, No. 10, which never fails to pay 

 me something because they have that 

 very thrifty disposition. 



They do not boom up, make prepara- 

 tions for swarming as most common 

 bees do (bred by themselves under 

 this impulse), but they are alwavs on 

 the lookout for nectar, and when the 

 How does come they are always ready, 

 and seem to bend all their energy to 

 storing honey instead of swarming. 

 The Doctor claims that these bees 

 won't peri>etuate their kind, because 

 they are "wild by nature." I cannot 

 see wliy my No. l(i is any wilder by 

 nature than my Duroc Jersey hogs. In 

 10 years they have stayed in this same 



Fic. 3^— The Constuction of.theIHive. Feeder. F'rame. Etc.— (See pase 371. 



hive, superseded their queen three 

 times, and have never been out of the 

 hive in that time except in quest of 

 stores. They are always there. I know 

 where to find them, and my hogs have 

 to be kept at home by />»/<<>-. If I neg- 

 lected my hogs, as some neglect their 

 bees, I would soon have hogs "wild 

 by nature." 



With such arguments as the Doctor 

 uses on page 272, of the September 

 .American Bee Journal: "While we 

 always have had the bee just as it is 

 now, and especially that branch known 



tendency toward swarming. It may be 

 the Doctor e.xpects too much in the 

 way of improvement; it may be he ex- 

 pects us to have bees as large as rob- 

 ins, and able to carry a half pound of 

 nectar at a trip. Improvement in bees 

 doubtless will come, as in other ani- 

 mals, gradually. 



He says : " I do not deny that it is 

 possible." If it is possible, then it can 

 be done. He quotes several men who 

 admit their ignorance as to whether 

 there are improved bees, yet he dis- 

 credits those of us who claim to have 



K1G.4.— The Nuci.E'js Frames Kit a Siandard Frame.— See pace 37i.) 



as the .Ipix family, we can trace the 

 development of some of the domesti- 

 cated animals through the ages, as the 

 horse, for we find the bones of t!ie 

 original Equus fossilized in the rocks," 

 there is not much chance to get at the 

 truth, for that is just a guess. It mat- 

 ters not how learned a man said this. 

 I assert that such statements are just 

 plain iruesses. 



IVr do not k/ioic what the bee was 

 hOW) years ago, as to color or habits of 

 industry or swarming, etc., but we </<i 

 /aioic that there is a great variation 

 now between different colonies as to 

 hardiness, gentleness, industry, and 



accomplished some improvement, as 

 "a few men, and some professional 

 queen-rearers claim much, but I defer 

 vastly more to the opinion of profes- 

 sional bee-keepers." Who are profes- 

 sional bee-keepers? The late Mr. 

 Hutchinson, generally admitted to be 

 one of the most advanced bee-keepers 

 in the world, advertised for years a 

 " superior stock " of bees. Are Dr. Mil- 

 ler, Mr. Doolittle, or Mr. Howe "pro- 

 fessional bet-keepers?" They believe 

 it possible and profitable to _improve 

 the bee by careful selective breeding. 



Practically every one who has tried 

 intelligently to breed from the best 

 stock believes it easily possible to have 



