AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



367 



the ends of the chunk, and moss in the 

 entrance, laid the treasure in the buggy, 

 and brought it home and transferred it 

 — a nice colony of Italian bees. 



There was a" snake about 8 feet long 

 that also lived in the tree with the bees. 

 It was coiled right on top of the combs, 

 and the bees clustered all over it, and it 

 seemed to be quite at home. The boys 

 said it seemed a pity to break the poor 

 snake up in the bee-business, but the 

 tempation was too great for them, so 

 they killed it and took its bees. 



Jennie Atchley. 



Appreciates the "Lessons," Etc. 



Mrs. Atchley : — After reading your 

 instructive lessons in the American Bee 

 Journal, I must thank you for them. 

 We have 1,400 colonies of bees, but no 

 honey this year. We will have to feed 

 heavily. J. B. Roberts. 



Wewahitchka, Fla., Aug. 24. 



Friend Roberts, I am glad indeed to 

 know that you are interested in my les- 

 sons. I hope I shall be able to help 

 many bee-keepers along with their bees. 

 I make my bees my pets and companions. 

 I truly enjoy their society. What I do, 

 or what work I perform among them, is 

 a labor of love. They seem to vie with 

 themselves as I pass by, to exhibit to rae 

 their beauties, and energy and useful- 

 ness to mankind; and whenever I can 

 help some one else along in this our 

 chosen and loving pursuit, I cannot but 

 feel happy. 



I hope you may yet get some fall 

 honey, and not have to feed as much as 

 you anticipate. Jennie Atchley. 



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SfamiiigWitH No Drones. 



Query 941.— Will a colony swarm if there 

 are no drones in the hive ?— Arkansas. 



Yes. — P. H. Elwood. 

 Yes. — S. I. Freeborn. 

 Not naturally— J. H. Larrabee. 



I am not sure. — Eu&ene Secor. 



I think not. — J as. A. Stone. 



Yes, sometimes. — J. E. Pond. 



I don't know. I think they may. — C. 

 C. Miller. 



Yes. I have had them do so. — G. M. 

 Doolittle. 



I think not, though in this I am not 

 sure. — r. M. Hambaugh. 



Yes, but a scarcity of drones discour- 

 ages swarming. — J. A. Green. 



Not normally. They will leave if 

 there is no honey. — A. J. Cook. 



I have had such colonies to do so, 

 though it is unusual. — J. P. H. Brown. 



Yes, if other conditions are right; but 

 such is seldom the case. — C. H. Dibbern. 



I do not know. They are more apt 

 to, where they are plenty. — Mrs. L. 

 Harrison. 



Yes, sometimes, if crowded, but not so 

 readily as when drones are in the way. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



Yes. I never knew of more than one 

 colony without drones, and that did 

 swarm. — E. France. 



I really do not know, but think so, if 

 there are plenty in the neighborhood. 

 This may be worth investigation. — W. 

 M. Barnum. 



Yes, sometimes. Especially when their 

 fever is high. I have had lots of swarms, 

 and not a drone to be seen. — Mrs. Jen- 

 nie Atchley. 



I have never known a colony to reach 

 the swarming point without having pro- 

 vided themselves with at least a few 

 drones. — Mrs. J. N. Heater. 



Yes, if all other conditions are favor- 

 able, but they generally manage to 

 secure the drones along with the other 

 favorable conditions. — Emerson T. Ab- 

 bott. 



I have never seen a colony at swarm- 

 ing time, and when swarming conditions 

 were present, absolutely destitute of 

 drones. But I presume that the absence 

 of drones would not, of itself, prevent 

 swarming. — M. Mahin. 



No colony arrives at the swarming 

 state without rearing at least a few 

 drones, and having the few it would 

 swarm ; and I think it would just the 

 same if all the drones were caught and 

 killed.— R. L. Taylor. 



Perhaps it is rare, that a colony is 

 entirely without drones at swarming 

 time. But I have had from a dozen to 

 20 colonies at a time on worker-combs 

 so perfect that they practically had no 

 drones, and these colonies swarmed just 

 like other colonies. The absence of 

 drones does not prevent swarming. If 

 it did, the swarming problem would be 

 solved. — G. W. Demaree. 



