196 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



March 29 1900 



brood-chamber i-cgardiess of sections and room above. A 

 flow that comes rapidly, g'iving the bees all thej- can do — a 

 flow that just keeps every bee to all it can do, and for two 

 weeks or more, will g'et super-work from man3' a colony 

 that in a slower flow would not touch the sections. 



When all the conditions of weather and nectar-secretion 

 are favorable, almost any colony will do fair work ; but as 

 these conditions are wanting, the greater is the demand for 

 other helps, such as strength of colony, bait-combs, and all 

 the little encouragements we can give. To have all these 

 helps, and then come the favorable weather and flow, and 

 the apiarist has what is known as a paying crop — one of the 

 record breakers that astonish the tenderfoot, and even the 

 apiarist himself — to look after the details pays first, last 

 and all the time. 



A weak colony will crowd the brood-chamber in a good 

 flow, a medium colony will do the same thing in a medium 

 flow, and a strong colony will just do the same thing in a 

 very light flow, or one that is very long-drawn-out, coming 

 in very slowly for a long period. These are facts that we 

 must consider, for just as we ignore then we detract from 

 our success. The results we may rest assured will be ac- 

 cording as these factors stand in relation to each other, and 

 it is the science of apiculture applied, to bring the greatest 

 number of favorable factors to bear at one time. 



Larimer Co., Colo. 



Safe Introduction of Queens^Building- Up. 



BY C. T. BOXNEV. 



THIS is one of the most important manipulations in api- 

 culture. Upon it depends the improvement of stock 

 (which is all important) ; upon it depends the queen- 

 breeder's business almost entirely. If a plan of introduction 

 could be found that would always guarantee safe introduc- 

 tion of queens, it would perhaps help as much as anything 

 else to make the apiarist master of his trade. 



A number of plans of introducing queens have been 

 given to the public in the past, all, or nearly all, of which 

 have been successful in a measure, but it seems that no 

 plan yet introduced is always successful. I have used every 

 plan "that I have ever seen recommended, and have had 

 good success with some, yet I have sometimes failed with 

 all, but the plan which I now use has never failed, no mat- 

 ter what the conditions of the bees were. I got the idea 

 from Mr. Doolittle's "Scientific Oueen-Rearing," only I 

 carried it a little farther. The plan is as follows : 



Go to the hive to which you wish to introduce a queen, 

 take out the present queen, smoke gently and jar the hive 

 until the bees have filled themselves with honey, then shake 

 about half the bees into a box 15 inches square, with wire- 

 cloth sides ; set the box away in some cool place until the 

 bees mourn for a queen, which can be told by the bees hur- 

 rying around the box in every direction, as if greatly ex- 

 cited. Then introduce the queen by dropping her in at the 

 top ; the bees will at once accept her, and form a cluster. 



Let them remain so for some time, then shake them in 

 front of the hive whence they came, and let the queen and 

 bees run in, smoking the hive gently. 



I have introduced queens by this method at a time 

 when there was no honey-flow, and queens not laying, and 

 have never yet had a failure. Queens coming a distance, 

 when treated thus, will lay sooner than by the caging plan, 

 and are not so liable to be superseded. 



I treat laying workers in the same way, only the bees 

 used are taken from some strong colon)-, care being taken to 

 get as many young bees as possible, and a queen that is lay- 

 ing. Smoke the hive containing the laying workers thoroly, 

 and run in the bees and queen, and the work is done. Bees 

 treated thus will stay anj-where. 



It might be well to add that the best time to take the 

 bees out is in the morning, and run them in in the evening. 



This is also the best plan I have ever tried to build up 

 weak colonies : Take one or two quarts of bees from some 

 hive that can spare them, cage them for eight or nine, hours, 

 then run them into the weak colony, giving a frame or two 

 of brood at the same time, and the effect will be magical. 

 A weak colony will be turned into a strong one almost at 

 once. I believe it a wrong idea to overburden a weak col- 

 ony with brood, as it does not give them a good chance to 

 defend themselves. They should have bees as well as 

 brood. If there is any quarreling (which there will not be 

 once in a hundred times) give tobacco-smoke until you 

 quell the riot. Marion Co., Oreg. 



Report of the Colorado State Convention. 



(Continued from pa<?e 1N2.1 

 THE USE OF COMB FOUNDATION IN SECTIONS. 



Mr. Pease introduced this subject by saying there was 

 no danger of using too much. He uses a wide strip at the 

 top, and a narrow strip at the bottom. 



Mr. Thompson — I experimented a little last season on 

 the width of the sheets. In one super I had alternate rows 

 of full sheets coming as close to the wood on each side as 

 could be got in conveniently, and full sheets cut rather nar- 

 row so as to be '4 inch away from the side. The sections 

 containing the wide full sheets were much better filled than 

 those containing the narrow full sheets. It made more dif- 

 ference in the filling of the combs than anything I have 

 ever tried. 



Mr. Martin — I would recommend using full sheets, tho 

 I alwaj's use foundation in proportion to circumstances. I 

 always fasten both the top and bottom of the sheet. 

 Mr. Thompson — Don't the combs bulge ? 

 Mr. Martin — No. 



Mr. Thompson — Do you use separators ? 

 Mr. Martin — Yes. 



Mr. Thompson — I tried virtually the same thing for 

 pinching together a full sheet with a bottom starter, and 

 those sections all bulged more or less. But they were not 

 used with separators. 



Mr. Martin — It is something of a trick to fasten foun- 

 dation in my way, and I would not advise any one to do so 

 unless he does it right. 



F. Rauchfuss — Does it pay you to use full sheets ? 

 Mr. Martin — I would use as much as I could. I mean I 

 wouldn't run in debt for foundation. One reason I fasten 

 both the top and the bottom is, it makes the combs better 

 for hauling. I can put in one full sheet quicker than a 

 full sheet and a bottom starter. I fasten it by pressure. 



Pres Aikin then called for a rising vote on full sheets 

 vs. starters. Five were in favor of full sheets. 



Mr. Pease — I believe in using full sheets, but don't do it. 

 Mr. Porter — It is the same with me. 

 Mrs. Hood — The results are better, but they cost. 

 Ch. Adams — The advantage in using a bottom strip is 

 greater than that of using a full sheet. 



Pres. Aikin^-AU in favor of using full sheets rise. (18, 

 and none opposed.) 



Mr. Porter — One thing we must always look out for in 

 fastening is a sufficient amount of heat. 



Mr. Lyon — It should be enough so that the foundation 

 is seen to be melted where it touches the wood, so it 

 squashes out a little. To get an abundance of heat I sub- 

 stituted a student-lamp for the little lamp that comes with 

 the Rauchfuss machine, and lower the flame when the wick 

 is too great. 



Mr. Adams — The hot plate should be manipulated so as 

 to get the wood warm. 



Ch. Adams — That is just what I want to avoid. 

 H. Rauchfuss — Keep the wood cool and the wax hot. If 

 the wood is hot, the foundation will pull down when the 

 section is turned over. 



J. B. Adams — The boy that works my machine works 

 slowly and needs less heat. He does not turn the section 

 over until the foundation is cool. 



H. Rauchfuss — Last summer I had a 14-year-old boy 

 fold, fasten in foundation, and put in the supers 1,000 sec- 

 tions in half a day. He was not so quick as I have had 

 them. I have had 1,500 sections put up in that time. With 

 mj' machine, one has to work fast to do satisfactory work. 



Mr. Lyon— There should be lots of heat, and I think a 

 larger burner should be used, which can be turned down if 

 it gets too hot. The section must not get too warm. 



F. Rauchfuss — The foundation should be as cool as 

 possible. A bucket of cold water is handy to keep the can 

 of foundation in, covered up. 



Mr. Lyon — That is a very important point. The foun- 

 dation should be cut early in the day. I keep mine in a 

 can until it is wanted. 



