Aug. 16, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



517 



to graft cells. The cells are tlien attacht to the under edge 

 of a comb, and cut out rainbow shape, which is preferred to 

 Doolittle's stick for the cells. About SO cells are used to a 

 colony to build out. On the seventh or eighth day go 

 around and pinch off all small cells that are started on the 

 combs. On the ninth day (nuclei are formed beforehand) 

 one cell is g-iven to each. Sometimes two cells are built too 

 close together to be cut apart, when both are put in. 



H. H. Hyde said a good breeder to start with is a pro- 

 lific, gentle, honey-hustler, and one that will keep a strong 

 colony of bees during the time of scarcity. For securing 

 cells and large queens the Doolittle is the best plan. Pre- 

 pare colonies in early spring. He has not found any differ- 

 ence between Italians and hybrids for cell-building, but 

 prefers a queen of year before last. He gets his colonies 

 running over with bees, using a division-board feeder to 

 stimulate. He makes Doolittle cell-cups with the Pridgen 

 cell-dipping arrangement. This he exhibited and ex- 

 plained. He next takes the dipt cells and fastens them to a 

 stick, 18 on each ; then secures larvse from 26 to 48 hours 

 old to graft cells. Larva; must not be too old, as also 

 queens from such hatch too early. He uses royal jelly for 

 grafting, and a little spoon like a cane to dip larva; out 

 with, in which great care has to be taken. The little larva; 

 should not even be turned over, or the bees will not accept 

 the cells. He next cuts out half of a comb and inserts the 

 stick containing the cells below this, and gives to cell- 

 builders in the upper story, above an excluder. Here he 

 puts combs of young brood on both sides of the cell-comb, 

 so as to draw up a lot of young bees. He says by putting 

 unsealed brood up above, and with a lot of young bees to 

 feed it, and no queen there, makes the same condition as 

 that of a colony at the time of superseding their queen, as 

 there is a small amount of larv^ in proportion to young 

 bees present at the time. When the cells are ready they are 

 removed to nuclei, one in each. If he has a surplus of cells 

 he inserts them in introduction-cages, filled with candy, 

 and then puts these in a frame and hangs it in the hive to 

 keep over until he has places for them. He uses this same 

 cage when introducing virgin queens. When he has a 

 valuable queen he uses the wire-cloth comb-cage, by taking 

 a piece of screen wire-cloth about six by eight inches ; 

 about one inch around the edge is then raveled off and the 

 edges bent over, so as to form a sort of shallow box. The 

 sharp, pointed walls are then stuck into a side of a brood- 

 comb containing' batchinf; brood ; the queen is to be put into 

 this cage, and after awhile she will be found laying, and a 

 lot of young bees to protect her. But don't make the mis- 

 take and stick this cage on a comb of honey, or a newly 

 built comb, for it will not work : besides, the bees will un- 

 dermine the edges of the cage and kill that valuable queen. 

 As he rears queens quite extensively, he runs a large num- 

 ber of nuclei. One must be careful or he will soon run his 

 nuclei down. Never take out a queen except you have a 

 cell or a virgin to give them, and then it is best to let the 

 young queen lay a few days to strengthen the nucleus. In 

 this way he has his nuclei strong, and during cotton bloom 

 he gets quite an amount of extracted honey from them. He 

 also toucht upon laying workers — those pests of queen-rear- 

 ing — and told how he gets rid of them. He says that no 

 matter liow careful one is, he will have trouble with such^ 

 but when he has he simply takes a frame with bees, queen 

 and brood, and gives to a colony containing the pests, and 

 it soon stops it. 



Mr. Faust prefers medium-sized queens to extra large 

 and very small ones, which latter are no good. With the 

 Doolittle plan almost all are good, and none small. 



Mr. Atchley does not question about the methods used 

 when wanting good queens, for if any of the plans are used 



rightly good queens can be reared. He says that all the 

 methods are good. 



But Mr. Davidson does not agree with him, as he pre- 

 fers the Alley method, which he believes to be better than 

 any other. He repeated his description of this plan as given 

 at the meeting at Milano last year, on account of some not 

 having understood him then. The plan is to use narrow 

 strips of comb, only one row of cells containing eggs. With 

 an unlighted match he destroys every other egg, and at- 

 taches this to the bottom of a comb that has been cut away 

 about half. 



Mr. Atchley then askt Mr. Davidson if there was any 

 difference between the Atchley plan and Alley's plan, as 

 the Atchleys move the little larv», cocoon and all, into 

 dipt cells, which does not make any difference. 



Mr. Laws said it is not methods that make good queens, 

 as all plans produce some good queens. With the Doolittle 

 plan he secures all good queens, and, as told by Mr. Hyde, 

 above an excluder, with conditions in superseding. 



Judge Terral was requested to deliver a speech on api- 

 culture in the assembly hall at College Station next year. 



Mr. Salyer was appointed a committee to prepare a pro- 

 gram for the next meeting. He requested the secretary to 

 have badges printed for the next meeting, and to mail them 

 to members at least IS days before the meeting, with a re- 

 quest to the members to attend. 



SECOND DAY— Afternoon Session. 

 Among the resolutions introduced and past, were these : 

 Resolved, That the thanks of this Association are here- 

 by tendered to the people of the city of Hutto, for their un- 

 stinted hospitality extended to us during our stay among 

 them ; to Mr. O. P. Hyde and family for their unceasing 

 efforts to care for each and every member of the Associa- 

 tion. We will each retain kindly memories of this meeting. 

 Resolved, That this Association tender our ex-Presi- 

 dent, E. R. Jones, our sincere thanks for his kind and effi- 

 cient services in behalf of this Association. 



Resolved, (by Central Texas Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 in convention assembled) That we petition the next legisla- 

 ture, thru Prof. Connell, of the A. & M. College, Bryan, 

 Tex., for an appropriation for the establishment of a State 

 bee-keeping experiment station at College Station ; and 

 also for a sufficient appropriation to pay a man to manage 

 and experiment at this station. 



All of the resolutions were considered and adopted 

 unanimously, except the last, as it was deemed best first to 

 go down to College Station and meet there before taking 

 this step, and so it was thought best to" wait, as it was yet 

 quite early. 



QUBSTION-BOX. 



The question-box was next taken up, as follows : 



QuES. — Does it pay you to rear your own queens ? Ans. 

 — Yes, and no. It depends upon circumstances. When 

 during swarming season it is good, but otherwise not, and 

 it is preferable to buy them from breeders who are prepared 

 for it. Then, queens are cheap now. 



QugS. — What is best to do with weak third swarms ? 

 Ans. — Hunt out the queens and put them back. If a val- 

 uable queen put her in a nucleus. 



QuKS.— Which is the best size super and frame for bulk 

 comb honey? — Ans.— After a long discussion, the shallow 

 super and frame wSre greatly in preference. Especially the 

 S34-inch deep supers and Sjs-inch frames. 



QuES.— Can any one tell why so many virgin queens 

 sometimes disappear? Ans.— Many are caught by birds or 

 insect-loving animals, when they take their wedding flight. 

 Many are balled by their own bees ; and there are other 

 ways by which they are lost, but mostly during bad weather 

 when it seems as if the bees wanted to force the virgin 



