432 



Gr.P:ANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



conceive new ideas and adopt measures to 

 carrj' them into effect, are often considered 

 to be failures by others who have become 

 proficient in more faulty methods with which 

 they are acquainted, and hence the diversi- 

 ty' of opinion as to the best or easiest way 

 to accomplish certain ends. 



Without these differences of opinion, and 

 failures that lead to investigation, new 

 ideas or the different ways of accomplish- 

 ing- the same thing- would not come to 

 light; and in going over the ground that 

 has been covered lay those who have con- 

 tributed toward the success of modern 

 queen-rearing, the object is to lend a help- 

 ing hand toward a further advancement of 

 the industry. 



As a rule, the reader cares but little 

 how, when, or from whom the writer gain- 

 ed his information, but generally prefers 

 the part relating to the object in view; and 

 inasmuch as it is generally known who ad- 

 vanced the different ideas that make up 

 our queen-rearing system, in compl3'ing 

 with the request for a more elaborate trea- 

 tise on the subject these explanations will 

 be omitted to some extent, without any in- 

 tention of doing anj^ one an injustice. 



POINTS ON THE INTRODUCTION OF QUEENS. 



From my experience in introducing queens 

 by using bees from the colonies to which 

 they are introduced, I consider the plan 

 outlined by Mr. Bonney far superior to the 

 usual instructions that accompany ship- 

 ping-cages. In fact, I have not attempted 

 to introduce one in years with the cage in 

 which she is received without first releas- 

 ing the escort and caging some of the bees 

 of the colony with her, which invariably 

 treat the queen kindly if very young, or 

 have filled themselves with honej'. It also 

 works equally well if the queen be caged 

 in an odorless cage without any bees, but 

 still better to use the bees and odorless 

 cage, or the odorless cage without the bees, 

 first scented by allowing the queen to be 

 superseded to remain in it an hour, in the 

 hive; but I prefer scenting the cage with 

 the old queen and then using the bees with 

 the queen to be introduced, either by plac- 

 ing her in it and selecting the bees one at 

 a time, or allowing them to go in, which 

 they quickly do in search of their mother, 

 and close them up for awhile, and then al- 

 low the queen to run in. 



One advantage worth considering in hav- 

 ing bees with the qvieen is that she is less 

 liable to be damaged by the outside bees by 

 getting hold of a leg or wing. I am partial 

 to side-comb cages, as the queen is placed 

 right down in the cluster ; but instead of 

 relying on hatching brood, young bees are 

 at once put into the cage with the queen, 

 through a hole near one corner, as large as 

 a leadpencil. The hole is stopped a day or 

 two with a cork, and with candy when the 

 cork is removed, thus allowing the bees to 

 release the queen, and combining the good 

 points in the different methods. A great 

 deal of this is too complicated for a novice, 



and no doubt for that class the usual in- 

 structions are best; but before being too 

 confident of uniform success by pasteboard- 

 ing it should be remembered that, when 

 queens are sent by mail, bees, cage, and 

 all partake of the scent of the mails, and 

 from this source much of the trouble arises, 

 and there will not be the success that at- 

 tends the same plan if the queen be chang- 

 ed to a fresh cage, thus removing much of 

 the odor. 



Bees will often destroy their own queen if 

 given back after having been caged an hour 

 or two with some of her own bees in a cage 

 that has an odor that is transmitted to the 

 queen. 



Inasmuch as Dr. Miller was impressed 

 by the fact that bees caged with a queen 

 from a different colony were kind to her, I 

 wish to say that, when robbers are bad, I 

 often prepare a number of cages with es- 

 corts, by selecting fhe returning young bees 

 that are taking their playspells, and find 

 that it works well, as they always treat 

 the queens kindly, are exactly the right 

 age, and I have only to keep the nuclei 

 open long enough to find the queen. 



Creek, N. C. 



[When Dr. Miller first spoke of this plan 

 in his Straw (p. 680, 1901) I did not take 

 much stock in it; but I am free to confess 

 that there must be something in it after all. 

 Caging the bees, and keeping them so un- 

 til they have a real sense of their confine- 

 ment or loneliness, no doubt puts them in a 

 condition where they are ready to take up 

 with any queen. When they are given back 

 to the whole colony having the same scent, 

 the new queen with them, all goes on love- 

 ly. But, as Mr. Pridgen points out, it is 

 doubtful if the beginner would be able to 

 recage or change the escort. But the ad- 

 vanced bee-keeper may well give it a trial. 

 I should be pleased to hear from others. — 

 Ed.] 



THE SWINSON JUMBO HIVE; SOME GOOD 

 REASONS FOR ITS ODD CONSTRUCTION. 



Mr. Root:- — On page 232, in your footnote 

 to my article on the Jumbo hive, you say, 

 " This particular hive seems to violate all 

 the principles laid down in hive-construc- 

 tion in modern bee culture." And, again, 

 " Taking it all in all, I doubt whether the 

 average bee-keeper in average localities 

 would secure as good results in such a hive 

 as those obtainable from the ordinary stan- 

 dard hive on the market." 



In 3'our first proposition you may be cor- 

 rect or you may not. That depends on 

 what you term "modern bee culture." 

 With me, Mr. Root, this hive is the "hive- 

 construction in modern bee culture," there- 



