THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



501 



REPLIES by Prominent Apiarists. 



Keeping ftueens Outside of Hives. 



Query, No. 97.— What is the best method 

 of keeping young Jaying queens outside of a hive 

 for from 5 to 10 days ? la it adviaable to Iteep 

 queens in this way ?— W. 



G.M. DOOLITTLE says: "I cannot 

 see why we should wish to keep them 

 thns, for of what use is a laying queen 

 outside of a hive, except in transit 

 from one apiary to another." 



Dr. C. C. Miller answers : " Keep 

 them in shipping-cages. I doubt the 

 advi.sability." 



J. E. Pond, Jr., replies : " I must 

 confess I do not fully understand 

 this question. I cannot see that it is 

 advisable to keep queens outside of 

 the hive. In the case of a queen- 

 breeder who has a large supply on 

 hand, they can be kept in cages in the 

 hive or on top of the frames. 1 have 

 kept queens for 4 or 5 weeks in this 

 manner, but I think it an injury, as a 

 rule, to do so." 



CiiAs. Dadant & Son remark: 

 " It would be foolish to keep queens 

 out of hives without reason, but if it 

 has to be done, they can be very well 

 kept with a few bees In an ordinary 

 mailing-cage, for a week or more." 



W. Z. Hutchinson says : " Cage 

 them with a sufficient number of 

 workers to keep them from being 

 chilled — see that they have plenty of 

 food, and keep them where ants will 

 not get at them. It is advisable to so 

 keep them, if there is any reason for 

 so doing." 



Dr. G. L. Tinker answers : " "We 

 know of no better way to keep laying 

 queens outside of a hive, that to place 

 some • Good candy ' with a few bees. 

 It is advisable to keep them thus only 

 when it becomes necessary to remove 

 them to make way for virgin queens." 



.James Heddon replies : "1. Keep 

 them in a commodious cage, with -50 

 or 100 workers, in a dark place and 

 even temperature of about 80° to 90'^, 

 Fahr., and supplied with a non-nitro- 

 genious food (sugar syrup), applied in 

 such a way as not to daub them. 2. It 

 is better to keep queens caged in a 

 queenless hive (better for the queens), 

 and better still if they have full liberty 

 there." 



G. W. Demarbe remarks : " The 

 best way to keep them is to put them 

 in a nursing-cage with a few young 

 bees, and hang the cages in a nursing 

 colony. I keep several nursing colo- 

 nies to preserve unemployed queens, 

 virgin queens, queen-cells, etc. My 

 nursing colonies are made up of frames 

 of brood, five orsix in number, and are 

 kept well-stocked with young bees. 

 They are not permitted to have a lay- 

 ing queen while used as a nursing 

 colony." 



Prof. A. J. Cook replies : " This 

 is practiced by some of our best bee- 

 keepers, to prevent increase, and is, 

 perliaps, the only sure way, if we are 

 to produce comb honey. Such queens 

 put in a nucleus above, or close beside 

 the old hive, may be kept laying, and 

 in 7 or H days, if we destroy or remove 

 all queeu-cells and return the queen, 

 we may get bees at once into the sec- 

 tions and have no further swarming." 



Superseding ftueens. 



Query, No. 9S.— Is it advisable to let a 

 queen become more than 2 years old before super- 

 seding her with a young queen ?— J. 



Dr. C. C. Miller replies : " Not 

 unless she is an unusually - good 

 queen." 



Prof. A. J. Cook answers : " l'"es, 

 if she retains her fecundity. Prolific- 

 ness, not age, should be the test." 



VV. Z. Hutchinson says : " Yes. I 

 believe that, as a general thing, the 

 bees supersede a queen when she be- 

 gins to fail." 



Chas. Dadant & Son reply : "Yes, 

 for she is very good in her third year, 

 usually." 



Dr. G. L. Tinker remarks: "I 

 believe it advisable to supersede all 

 queens over 2 years old, except those 

 most valued for breeding purposes ; 

 since it often happens that a 3-year- 

 old queen fails, at a time when the 

 work of storing surplus is interfered 

 with." 



G. M. DooLiTTLE says : " I never 

 supersede a queen until she becomes 

 unprolific, as many of my queens are 

 as good as ever at 4 years old. In fact, 

 the Italians rarely let a queen get un- 

 prolific, as they do their own super- 

 seding before she becomes so." 



G. W. Demaree answers : "After 

 experimenting in this direction for 

 several years, I now decidedly prefer 

 to leave it to the bees to decide when 

 their queens are worn-out. As a gen- 

 eral thing, the bees will make fewer 

 mistakes in directing this delicate 

 matter, than the wisest apiarist is 

 likely to make. I have had several 

 queens that could not have been 

 bought at $2-5.00 when 3 years old, and 

 one queen that $.'30.00 would not have 

 caused her to change hands at 4 years 

 old." 



.James Heddon replies : " Queens 

 3 and 4 years old {ire good to breed 

 from, though they are not as prolific, 

 as a rule, as are young queens. For 

 comb honey production, we need 

 either prolific "queens, or smaller or 

 contracted hives. It is more profita- 

 ble to adjust yotir hive system to your 

 average queens, than to practice su- 

 perseding." 



J. E. Pond, Jr., says: "I never 

 supersede a nice queen, no matter 

 how old, until she shows signs of fail- 

 ing powers. We want queens for the 

 eggs they lay, and for that reason 

 power of production, and not age, is 

 the rule to follow. I would not keep 

 a young queen a moment if she did not 



lay up to a fair average. I have a 

 queen now -5 years old that is as pro- 

 lific as ever she was, and I see no rea- 

 son why her age injures her, in any 

 degree whatever," 



Are Drones Commoners? 



Query, No. 90.— Will the drones reared 

 in one colony be admitted into any othercolony In 

 the same apiary 1—J. II. 



G. M. DooLiTTLE replies : " Yes. 

 At any time drones are not being 

 killed off. After this, they are only 

 tolerated in such colonies as have not 

 slaughtered their drones." 



Dr. G. L. Tinker says: "No; 

 not unless it is without a laying 

 queen. Drones are not commoners, 

 as has been taught by some, by any 

 means." 



James Heddon says : " Yes ; they 

 are free-commoners. Of course there 

 comes a time when all drones are re- 

 fused admittance to all hives, not 

 queenless." 



Dr. C. C. Miller says : " During 

 a flow of honey, drones or workers 

 may enter any colony, except workers 

 that go as robbers. Probably a queen- 

 less colony would accept drones at any 

 time." 



G. W. Demaree replies : " Not as 

 a general rule. I have given this 

 matter considerable attention, and I 

 have found, when transferring drones 

 from one colony to another, that I 

 must use much the same caution 

 which I would observe when trans- 

 ferring worker bees from one colony 

 to another. As with worker bees, 

 young drones are more likely to be 

 tolerated, and drone-larvse will be 

 cared for just as if reared in the hive. 

 But old drones ' mark their location ' 

 like worker bees do, and will return 

 home just as do the latter." 



Chas. Dadant & Son say: "Yes ; 

 in good honey weather, but not 

 usually. Queenless colonies will ac- 

 cept them any time." 



W. Z. Hutchinson replies : " Dur- 

 ing a flow of honey, I have never seen 

 bees killing drones ; hence I conclude 

 that stray drones are not killed." 



J. E. Pond, Jr., says : " Yes ; al- 

 ways and invariably." 



Prof. A. J. Cook answers : " That 

 depends ; sometimes they will— some- 

 times not. I have often found that 

 drones caught and placed at the en- 

 trance of a strange colony, would 

 enter unmolested. At other times 

 they would be seized at once." 



^~ All who intend to be systematic in 

 their work in the apiary, should get a copy of 

 the Apiary Register and commence to use it. 

 The prices are as follows ; 



For 50 colonies (120 pages) '.$1 00 



" 100 colonies (220 pag-es) 125 



" 200 colonies (420 pages) 150 



The larger ones can be used for a few col- 

 L)nies, give room for an increase of numbers, 

 and still keep the record all together in one 

 book, and are therefore the most desirable. 



