1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



549 



day we are beginning- to "set out" again, 

 from which we are positively certain of ob- 

 taining the full complement of fertile queens 

 — less natural loss, of course. However, it 

 is far from my intention to force these boxes 

 upon the public. If the gentlemen named 

 above try them, under full directions, and 

 then find them wanting, then I shall abide 

 by their decision, and keep them to myself 

 forevermore. 



In closing I should like to venture a few 

 words on the question of fertilization of 

 queens from boxes attached inside a hive. 

 You say, Mr. Editor, that you are quite 

 successful with three or four to the colony. 

 You declare that a greater number of boxes 

 can not be worked in one hive with positive 

 assurance that all the queens will return. 

 Certainly not ; but what is the harm of put- 

 ting ten boxes into a two or three frame 

 nucleus hive, even if all the queens do not 

 return? Should you not be satisfied with 

 six (which is full success, I should say)? 

 Six is greater than four; and should eight 

 return, as they freqently have with us, are 

 you not just so much better oft"? It costs 

 nothing to keep the boxes there. Cells are 

 quite cheap to grow by present improved 

 methods. I have had the ten queens return, 

 and the sight of ten handsome queens, all 

 in one hive, living peaceabl}^ together for 

 months, has caused me to feel that I can 

 not quite yet pitch my fertilizing-boxes on 

 to the heap as you would have me do. 



BIr. E. R. Root: — I have just received the 

 following word from Mr. W. H. Laws, who 

 is using the inside fertilizing attachments 

 to 2 and 3 frame nuclei quite extensively: 



I got 30 queens out of 60 cells in the professional 

 boxes, first irial. W. H. L,AWS. 



Beeville, Texas, June 11. 



[It is true, as you say, that miniature 

 queen-fertilizing nuclei have been used by 

 Mr. Alley for over forty years; and while 

 his frames are about the size of yours, 4 '2 

 by 5, he uses three of them instead of one, 

 as do you; and then Mr. Alley emphasizes 

 the importance of placing these nuclei as 

 far apart as the size of the yard and other 

 conditions will permit; for he says in his 

 book, young queens will have difficulty 

 enough in locating the right hive, and in 

 this he is strictly correct. Your fertilizing- 

 boxes contain only 07ie frame, and there 

 were six of them on a pair of stakes, three 

 having entrances on one side and three on 

 the other, and not more than six or seven 

 inches apart. Even if we consider your 

 more improved form of having the fertiliz- 

 ing-boxes attached to the side of a hive of 

 a populous colony, the close proximity of 

 the entrances is just as objectionable as 

 when the boxes are suspended on a pair of 

 stakes. 



While Mr. Alley uses these small frames 

 for nuclei (and they certainly have features 

 that are valuable) he speaks particularly 

 of the fact that robbers are inclined to mo- 

 lest them, and in this he is exactly right. 

 But he has a plan, he thinks, for circum- 



venting the robbers by dusting flour on the 

 backs of the marauders, tracing them to 

 their hive, and then giving them a thorough 

 fumigation with tobacco smoke. It is true 

 that that colony, under the influence of the 

 narcotic, will not, for the time being, both- 

 er the nuclei; but the very moment it recov- 

 ers it will go back to the stealing business 

 as vigorously as ever. 



In a word, we may say small nuclei are 

 objectionable. First, because the bees are 

 liable to swarm out; second, they are so 

 weak they can not withstand the attack of 

 robbers ; and, third, if the entrances are 

 located as close together as you recommend, 

 a large percentage of the queens will be 

 lost on their fertilizing-trips. I do not deny 

 that expert queen-breeders ca7t make the 

 plan work; but, can they do it day in and 

 day out practically? 



We have tried small nuclei and found, 

 after the honey-flow, we had almost inces- 

 sant trouble from robbing; and the nucleus 

 that is being pestered by robber bees is in 

 any thing but a favorable condition in which 

 to rear queens. 



Our plan of having queens fertilized per- 

 mits our using a full-sized brood-frame, and 

 this is a matter of no small importance and 

 convenience. The little nucleus frames rec- 

 ommended by Alley require a special hive 

 and special every thing. Under such con- 

 ditions it is not practicable to draw on 

 strong- colonies for brood or eggs, as can be 

 done when full-sized standard frames are 

 used. Our plan of fertilizing queens is as 

 follows: 



A full-sized upper story is divided off 

 lengthwise into three or four bee-tight comi- 

 partments. The under side is covered with 

 wire cloth, and the dividing partitions run 

 from the wire cloth clear up to the cover. 

 Each nucleus has a small entrance, and a 

 doorstep on one side or end. One nucleus 

 will have one side for an entrance, one of 

 the inner ones one end, the other inner one 

 the other end, and the other outer nucleus 

 the remaining side. By this plan there is 

 only one entrance on a side or end, and each 

 points to one of the four points of the com- 

 pass. One of these fertilizing-supers, or 

 upper stories, is put on top of a strong col- 

 ony. A frame of hatching brood, or young 

 brood and eggs, with adhering bees, is put 

 into each compartment. Cells are then giv- 

 en to each nucleus, or young virgins are run 

 in. The warmth of the strong colony be- 

 low rises up through the wire cloth, and 

 gives the four little clusters of bees all the 

 heat they require. The several entrances 

 pointing in four directions offer little or no 

 confusion, and the queens come back from 

 their flights and are fertilized with hardly 

 a failure. 



But you ask, "Are not six queens better 

 than four?" Yes, if you can average that. 

 But when one takes pains to have cells pre- 

 pared and reared in strong colonies he can 

 not very well afi"ord to lose the product of 

 four good cells from a valuable breeding 

 queen. A strong, vigorous virgin, from a 



