FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 195 



first year, and that no qneen should be allowed to do a 

 second year's work, because there will always be a gain 

 by replacing her with a younger queen. Some of the 

 men that hold such views, and practise accordingly, are 

 such successful beekeepers that I dare not say they are 

 wrong. Whether it be a difiference in bees, in locality, 

 management, or what not, I do not believe that such prac- 

 tise w^ould be best for me. 



I am pretty sure that many of my queens do as 

 good work in the second as in the first year, possi- 

 bly better. But it is not altogether a question as to 

 whether a queen does as well or better in her second 

 year, comparing it with the first. The question is 

 rather as to what she will do in her second or third 

 year as compared with what would be done by the 

 average young queen that would replace her. How- 

 ever it may be elsewhere, the rule with my bees is that 

 a queen which distinguishes herself by a good crop of 

 honey in her first year, will keep above the average 

 as long as she lives. And I can count on the bees super- 

 seding her at the close of harvest wdienever she reaches 

 PIT aee when it world seem profitable for me to re- 

 place her with a younger queen. 



Another thing may be worth considering. It 

 is claimed, and with some show of reason, that longev- 

 ity in bees is an important factor. One colony will be 

 stronger in bees and brood than another beside it, 

 while the latter will store more honey. The explan- 

 ation given is that the bees in the second colony are 

 longer lived. It may not be unreasonable to suppose 

 that if one has a strain of bees with queens which 

 live to unusual age, that the workers will also live to 

 unusual age. So it may be the part of wisdom to en- 

 courage those queens which show a disposition to 

 live beyond the usual span. 



On these accounts it is my practise to leave the 

 matter of superseding entirely to the bees in all cases, 

 except where for some reason other than age it will seem 



