376 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June 11, 1903. 



device, except at swarming-time. 'Tis contrary to Nature, 

 in every respect. 



A hen when she is brooding, will "set" and bring forth 

 a fine lot of chicks. Try the old hen when not brooding 

 and see how many chicks you can get. She will " set " 

 standing up, as the Irishman said his hen did. Bees are 

 broody, and ready to rear queens when they have become 

 queenless, or are about to swarm. You can't make them 

 rear a decent queen under any other circumstances or con- 

 ditions. 



The virtue is not in cell-cups, it's not in old bees, nor is 

 it in anything else but the desire for a queen. That's 

 where the virtue lies. Then if the conditions are all right, 

 you'll get some good queens, Yes, Mr. Doolittle, heat, 

 food, plenty bees of the right age, are the essential things 

 needed in the production of good queens. 



Mr. Doolittle was not the inventor of rearing queens 

 above an excluder, even though it is in " Scientific Queen- 

 Rearing." Dr. Tinker and myself got there as soon as any 

 one. But I do claim that I am the first person to condemn 

 the entire system. I tested the system to my entire satis- 

 faction, and when I found it was all wrong I discarded it, 

 and advised the public not to use it. 



I used it one year through swarming time and had fine 

 success. I had an idea that I would keep it the success all 

 through the season by extracting, feeding liberally, and 

 keeping the top hive well stocked with brood from the queen 

 below. But I failed. The first lot of queen-cells built after 

 the honey-flow closed were as fine, large cells as I ever saw. 

 I thought the top-story system the most wonderful thing 

 ever devised. When those fine cells began to hatch, the 

 queens that came from them were no larger than common 

 working bees. I at once discovered that I had lost about 

 one month's time right in the height of the busy queen-sea- 

 son. I ha'd no queen I could send out for nearly a month. 

 I had to change my whole system of rearing queens, and 

 went back to the queenless-bees method. 



Here is another point that will give color to my claim, 

 as showing the difference between the methods of rearing 

 queens : When I first began to rear queens in top stories 

 above an excluder, I had an idea that as soon as the cells 

 were capped a swarm would issue, just the same as in natural 

 swarming. Well, why not swarm as they always do, if 

 they have reared such perfect queens in such a natural way ? 

 The fact is, the bees had no interest or heart in rearing such 

 queens. They were unnatural queens, and that is why no 

 swarm issued. 



On the other hand, when I have taken brood from below 

 and placed it in the top hive at the time cell-cups were given 

 the bees to complete, the bee occasionally would start cells 

 on the brood given them, and just as soon as the natural 

 cells were capped a swarm would issue. Bear in mind that 

 the cell-cups given the bees were capped several days before 

 the natural cells were completed. 



When any one compares my method of queen-rearing 

 with his own, I earnestly desire to be quoted correctly, and 

 I will take the consequences. Don't tell the readers of any 

 paper that queen-cells built as I have them built are fragile. 

 This is only a sample of how I am misquoted and misrepre- 

 sented. Sing your own praises as much as you like, but 

 don't do it at my expense. That's decidedly wrong. I am 

 continually compelled to reply to people who persist in mis- 

 quoting me, merely to boost up their own pet theories. 



In an article I sent to a bee-paper on rearing queens 

 over an excluder, I was told by the editor that Mr. Doolittle 

 reared no queens in that way. If he does not, why on earth 

 does he advise other people to do it ? 



I am of the opinion that Mr. Doolittle rears very few 

 queens above or behind an excluder. He well knows that 

 queenless bees do a much better job. 



Disprove the fact that I cannot rear better queens by 

 queenless bees than any one can rear above an excluder 

 while there is a queen in the colony. 



In all books I have written on the subject of queen-rear- 

 ing, I am quite sure I have, in all cases, stated that queen- 

 less bees rear the most perfect queens; and it is the most 

 natural way to rear queens, except when a colony swarms. 



Essex Co., Mass. 



Amerlkanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is 

 a bee-keeper's handbook of 138 pages, which is just what 

 our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and 

 neatly bound ia cloth. Price, postpaid, fl.OO ; or with the 

 American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address 

 all orders to this office. 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Busy with Her Bees — Asking- Questions. 



I received your letter just as I was hiving a swarm of 

 unruly bees. I got most of them off the tree into the hive, 

 when the rest suddenly left and went home again. The 

 ones that went into the hive are there yet, and seem to be 

 contented with their new home. 



I think " Our Bee-Keeping Sisters " department a great 

 improvement to the Bee Journal, and I hope it will be en- 

 couraged more. I think we women-folks will feel more like 

 telling our successes and troubles if we have a department 

 of our own, and also help others along. I have often wanted 

 to ask a question, but thought probably it wouldn't be worth 

 answering. I think we can make this department very in- 

 teresting and useful, if each one tries to do her best, and 

 help. I will try to do my share. I will write later about 

 myself and bees. I am quite busy with them just at pres- 

 ent, as it is swarming-time. Ethei, M. Burdette. 



Hunterdon Co., N. J., May 21. 



Please get over the foolish notion that your questions 

 are not worth answering. Where would our department be 

 if every one felt that way ? If each one waited for some 

 one else, no questions would be asked at all. The answer to 

 a question that you may think " not worth answering " will 

 likely be of service to a number of others besides yourself. 

 A good motto is, "If you don't see what you want, ask 

 for it." ■__ 



It Pays to Keep a Few Bees. 



I have had my bees about six years, and will say, for 

 the few colonies I keep, that it pays to keep bees. I have 

 only 5 colonies now, as that is as many as I can care for 

 and do my other work, although I have had from 12 to 15 

 at a time, and have sold them. I find the work pleasant 

 and profitable, and shall always try to keep a few bees. All 

 I know about bees I learned in the American Bee Journal, 

 and I have lost but 2 colonies. Mrs. R. T.\rbox. 



Ford Co., Kans., May IS. 



Transferring- Bees from Box-Hives. 



L,ast year I had 15 colonies of bees given me in box- 

 hives. As I knew nothing of their ways, and as they had 

 plenty of stores and bees, I let them all winter in the box- 

 hives, while I tried to learn all I could in my "ABC of 

 Bee-Culture" and the American Bee Journal ; and last but 

 by no means least, from any " live " bee-keepers I met. 



My bees wintered very well. I have lost only one col- 

 ony, but their hives are all shapes and sizes, and the comb 

 like huge sponges, so that I can not handle them in any 

 way. I, therefore, bought new hives — dovetailed, with 

 Hoffman frames — put in full sheets of foundation, and pro- 

 ceeded to transfer on the Heddon short method. 



It is full fruit-bloom, and the bees have 36 acres of or- 

 chard to themselves (80 trees to an acre), so I thought the 

 time good. Last Thursday, with the help of a hired-man, I 

 transferred one colony, and I know I got the queen in. We 

 both saw her, and I put her in myself on a bit of alfalfa. 

 The next day, when I went to look at the hive, the queen 

 and nearly all the bees were gone ; about 50 young bees 

 were huddled miserably together at the bottom of the hive, 

 and there were a lot of dead bees around the next stand. I 

 then put the old hive back on the old stand, hoping some 

 might return, but the bees left were too weak to protect 

 themselves, and, alas 1 robbers got in instead. I was at my 

 wits' end to know what to do with them, when, fortunately, 

 my last Bee Journal came that day, and I took the advice 

 given " Nebraska," and put the weak colony over a good, 

 strong one, and they seem all right so far ; for which accept 

 my thanks. 



Now, will you kindly tell me — 



1. Why do you think the bees left the hive? Of course, 

 I don't like to lose the bees, anyway, but I dislike more to 



