SEPTEMBER 15, 1912 



601 



other colonies, I noticed that, although their hive 

 was packed with bees, they stored very little honey. 

 It seems they make a great demonstration about 

 nothing, rushing in and out; flying when it is too 

 cool for other bees to be foraging, and, in short, 

 accomplishing very little. The queen scatters her 

 brood over several brood-chambers, filling some 

 frames completely, and others scarcely at all. They 

 are extremely excitable, scampering over the frames 

 and stampeding in great shape, and finally dropping 

 off in bunches into the grass. To find the queen is 

 like finding a needle in a haystack. They are poor 

 comb-builders, often drawing out one side of a 

 fran^e of foundation and neglecting the other side. 

 However, they have one good quality. Tliey are 

 hardy, and winter well. That is their only redeem- 

 ing feature. 



Now as to results as far as honey is concerned. 

 My best colony of Italians produced 155 lbs. of ex- 

 tracted honey to date. The others averaged 95 lbs., 

 and the Banat colony gave me just 37 lbs. — a very 

 creditable showing surely ! No more of the black 

 fellows for me. I am going to winter them, though, 

 and requeen next season; for about all they are 

 good for is to hold their own against any amount 

 of cold. After all there is no strain of bess cQual 

 to good Italian stock in gentleness, ease of manipu- 

 lation, and honey-storing propensities. I advise all 

 to stick to them. 



Cincinnati, Ohio. Albin Platz. 



Hive Numbers Made of Rubberoid 



The best numbers for hives that I have so far 

 found are some that I cut myself out of rubber- 

 oid roofing. 



I bought a series of two-inch stencils, and, 

 after marking the roofing, I cut the numbers out 

 with a penknife. It was slow work, yet it paid. 

 I have been using them for four years, and they 

 are still as good as when first made. They would 

 last even better if they were painted or dipped 

 in the paint that comes with the roofing. They 

 are black, and show up very clearly on the white 

 hives. 



BEES, WHEN THEY START THEIR OWN CELLS, MAY 

 SELECT LARVAE FOUR DAYS OLD. 



Page 294, May 15, Dr. Miller refers to the 

 "American" and the "natxiral" method of start- 

 ing cells. If a hive is dequeened at any time when 

 the bees are not preparing to swarm, what age 

 of larvas do they pick to start their queen-cells 

 with ? When making an experiment of this kind 

 it is necessary to keep a pretty accurate watch 

 on the frames for about five days before dequeen- 

 ing. You should chart out the different combs as 

 you find them each day, then you will be in a 

 fair position to know the age of the younger 

 larv!B. 



I was surprised to find the number of two, 

 three, and even four day-old larvae the workers 

 selected to produce their queens with. Naturally, 

 the older the larvje selected, the earlier the 

 queen emerges from her cell ; so the older larvee is 

 by far the more likely to be the coming queen 

 of the colony. 



I very much question if the youngest novice 

 at queen production (I do not say breeding) could 

 do, from our point of view, more harm than the 

 bees themselves do according to the above experi- 

 ment, which has been verified on three different 

 occasions. 



Will Dr. Miller be so kind as to tell us what 

 method the Swiss use to introduce their virgin 

 queens ? 



Swarthmore, Pa. Penn G. Snyder. 



[We respectfully turn this over to Dr. Miller. — 

 Ed.] 



Swarm Accompanied by Three Virgins 



Regarding the item on number of queens in a 

 swarm, page 469, Aug. 1 — here in North Van- 

 couver we have had unsettled weather practically 

 all summer, and consequently some swarms have 

 been delayed. Here is an instance: Early in 

 June I found a swarm issuing, and noted the 

 direction it seemed to be traveling. As all my 

 queens are clipped I expected to find the queen 

 in front of the hive, but was disappointed; and 

 as the bees did not return I guessed the reason — 

 supersedure. I located the swarm in a small patch 

 of brush, and took an empty hive to the place. 



On shaking the bees on to a sheet of newspaper, 

 and watching them marching in, I was surprised to 

 see three queens afterward. I opened the hive 

 and took the first queen I could find and re- 

 turned her to the parent hive, first breaking down 

 the remaining cells. Both colonies did fairly well. 

 The queens commenced laying, and were clipped 

 shortly after — about two weeks, I think. Is it 

 a common occurrence for several young queens to 

 go out with a swarm ? 



A VIRGIN THAT MISSED HER HIVE WHEN RETURN- 

 ING FROM A FLIGHT. 



On returning home after half an hour's ab- 

 sence one summer afternoon, about 4 o'clock, I 

 noticed some excitement among the bees of two 

 hives, and found the probable cause in the shape 

 of an Italian queen on the top of one of the said 

 hives. Now, as I said, the queens of all full 

 colonies were clipped, but I had several nuclei (for 

 mating) in which were virgin Italians, an.d I 

 found some little excitement in one of these ; so, 

 taking a chance, I i>icked up the young queen and 

 put her at the entrance of this hive ; thereupon 

 she walked boldly in, and things seemed to quiet 

 down and I found her (or any way an Italian 

 queen) laying about a week later. I supposed 

 the bees had accompanied her on her matrimonial 

 trip ; but why she could not have gone straight 

 home, and why the other hives were excited, was 

 beyond me. Perhaps you could explain. 



North Vancouver, B. C. Fred E. White. 



[It is not unusual to find after swarms with a 

 number of virgin queens. We have taken over a 

 dozen. However, such a find should not take 

 place in a well-regulated apiary. Occasionally, 

 however, a good beekeeper will have more bees than 

 he can look after, with the result that he will have 

 after swarming and a plurality of virgins to each 

 after swarm. 



It not infrequently happens that a virgin on re- 

 turning from her wedding-trip will go into the 

 wrong hive. Sometimes she will supplant the regu- 

 lar queen of the hive. At other times she will be 

 promptly balled and killed. Old queen-breeders 

 recognize the imjiortance of having each hive so dis- 

 tinct in its location that the virgin will have no 

 difficulty in finding her own home. — -Ed.] 



Bee-Stings a Cure for Gout 



I should like to relate my experience with bees 

 as a cure for gout. I have been a great sufferer 

 in years past from that and lumbago. One year 

 ago last May I purchased a hive of bees for the 

 purpose of the benefit I might receive from them 

 by the better fertilization of my flowers and vege- 

 tables, and while handling them I was frequently 

 stung. I was led to believe that, as I had been 

 free from symptoms of my old complaints, I had 

 been benefited. Last March I was getting ready 

 for a trip to Colorado Springs and other points 

 in the West, when I was taken with the same 

 old symptoms of returning gout. I called my 

 physician, and he prescribed the old remedies, 

 when I startled him by saying that I was going 

 out and let my bees sting me. This was Wednes- 

 day. The next day being sunny and warm, 

 March 14, I hobbled out to my hives and removed 

 my overshoes (for I was not able to get on my 

 shoes) and hose, and put my foot up to the hive 

 entrance, but they would not sting. Finally I 

 caught three by their wings and carried them to 

 my foot, and they did their part all right. The 

 next day mj' foot was swollen very badly, but free 

 from pain. On the following day, Saturday, 

 March 16, I caught two more bees and let them 

 sting me. That evening I was able to get on a 

 pair of loose shoes, and have been on my feet 

 ever since. I took my trip west, and had no 

 symptoms of gout while I was gone, nor since my 

 return. I will say I stopped taking all medicine 

 after my first sting, and have not taken any since. 

 I manage to be stung at least once a week to keep 

 me in perfect health. I would not be without my 

 bees for any thing. They are worth to me more 

 than all the physicians for gout and lumbago. 

 Portland, Me., July 18. C. M. Talbot. 



[This is quite a remarkable case. Is thera any 

 one else among our subscribers who has had a 

 similar experience, or knows of any one else to 

 whom bee-stings have been a cure for gout or lum- 

 bago? — Ed.] 



