178 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. L5 



at the same time the direct light should be cov- 

 ered so that the least amount of it will reach the 

 bees. When increasing the ventilation it would 

 be better to manage so that increased light will 

 not be given at the same time. It would be bet- 

 ter to do this at night, so that, when the morning 

 light comes, little by little, it will not have so 

 much effect on the bees. 



Brantford, Ontario, Canada. 



[A few years ago the statement went out, and 

 scarcely any one came forward to controvert it, 

 that bee-cellars required little or no ventilation; 

 that sub-earth ventilators and all others were 

 worse than useless. Such mischievous doctrine 

 had a serious result on the industry, for many 

 beginners, as well as veterans, attempting to fol- 

 io jv such advice, came to grief. 



Now, in cases where the temperature is vari- 

 able it is beginning to be conceded that fresh air 

 ii large volumes is an essential factor for indoor 

 wintering. 



In a state of semi-hibernation, when the cellar 

 temperature is uniformly 45° P., during which 

 respiration is low, not much air is needed; but 

 when that condition is changed to activity and 

 restlessness, then there must be copious ventila- 

 tion or there will be trouble. — Ed ] 



REOUEENIVG BY SUPERSEDING 

 THE OLD QUEEN IN A NAT- 

 URAL WAY. 



BY J. E. CHAMBERS. 



Having received quite a number of inquiries 

 about my requeening device, mentioned on page 

 1089, Aug. 15, 1907, 1 would say this device con- 

 sists of a thin board, with a large part of the cen- 

 ter cut out, and covered on both sides with wire 

 cloth. At each side there is a slot cut out almost 

 the length of the board. One of these slots is 

 covered with zinc, the other with a tin slide that 

 can be pulled out when necessary, leaving the 

 slot entirely open. The board is cleated like a 



bottom-board, but it has a small hole cut through 

 the back cleat for the purpose of allowing the 

 young queen to fly out and mate. When I want 

 to requeen a colony that has a failing queen I 

 put a few empty combs into a hive-body, and 

 also a comb of all sealed brood; set the above- 

 .described board over the hive to be requeened, 

 and put the body containing the combs on it. 

 Then I run in a young virgin just hatched, or 

 give a mature cell in a good cell protector, leav- 

 ing the flight-hole in the rear of the board open. 

 On the seventh day I pull out the tin slide that 



covers the open hole, and thus allow the young 

 queen to go below. She slips down very quiet- 

 ly; the bees pay no attention to her, for she has 

 been among them for several days, and has ac- 

 quired their colony odor. Even the old queen 

 does not become alarmed until the young queen 

 is struggling with her in mortal combat. Since 

 a worn-out queen is no match for a young vig- 

 orous one, not yet heavy with eggs, the old queen 

 is killed and the young one reigns. 



It is unnecessary, of course, to explain to the 

 intelligent bee-keeper why this result will aim' st 

 invariably occur. The failing condition of the 

 old queen is an important factor, but by no 

 means the most important one. The youn^ 

 queen acquiring the scent of the colony, and 

 mating from the hive containing a part of the 

 colony, is the main factor. It does not matter 

 if the old queen below is not yet played out — al- 

 most exact superseding conditions are brought 

 about, and the bees do not reason. 



Perhaps some will ask why they can not put 

 a mature cell into a protector and then insert it 

 right among the bees. This will not work ex- 

 cept when the bees are already making prepara- 

 tions to do the superseding themselves. One 

 main reason is, that the queen just hatched is no 

 match for the old one. But after she has had time 

 to acquire her full strength, it is different. Fur- 

 thermore, the bees pay no attention to the new 

 queen, and thus do not hamper her actions in the 

 least. 



QUEENS WITH STINGS CLIPPED. 



In this connection I wish to mention an ex- 

 periment I had the good fortune to witness the 

 past summer at Uvalde. I was visiting Mr. E. 

 L. Bussey, and he was experimenting with intro- 

 ducing a plurality of queens into several colo- 

 nies. He showed me a colony in which were 

 two queens with stings clipped. They had been 

 there several days, and when the hive was opened 

 the bees were paying not the least attention tu 

 the queens. But the queens were biting and 

 pulling at each other in a savage manner, in ev- 

 ery case, Mr. Bussey afterward informed me, one 

 queen was found missing after a few days. How- 

 ever, the value of the experiment was partly lost 

 through his failure to mark the queens in such a 

 way as to enable him to know whether it was in- 

 variably the old one that was killed. 



San Angelo, Tex. 



[This requeening-board, taking advantage of 

 the supersedure impulse, is, we believe, a good 

 thing. The whole theory of its working is 

 sound. — Ed.] 



BEE-KEEPING IN LOWER CALIFOR- 

 NIA. 



" Enough Honey Produced to Float the 



United States Navy;" Many Bees and 



Few Bee-keepers. 



BY JAMES H. LYONS. 



This is one of the greatest bee countries in the 

 world — a territory from 50 to 150 miles wide, and 

 800 miles long, having only one apiary, and that 

 one conducted in a very rudimentary manner. 

 There is not one movable-frame hive on the pen- 

 insula of Lower California. 



