158 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



July 



to primitive methods or to conditions 

 governing in cases of a supersedure 

 will malve a queen immune to the 

 swarming "fever," but it is the nearest 

 approach to that goal of the bee-keep- 

 er's ambition. Being polished fully in 

 accordance with the laws governing 

 her development, the queen is an an- 

 chor to the colony when internal con- 

 ditions are grievous and the natural 

 honey resources are favorable to 

 swarming.N 



When artificial cell-cups with sup- 

 plied roj-al jelly and larvae are given 

 to a colony of bees they at once begin 

 to lick up the jelly just as they are 

 wont to do when a frame of honey 

 is placed in their midst. By the time 

 their excitement has subsided the cups 

 have l^en cleared of about all trace of 

 food. The larvae, mind :\;T)n. is still 

 receiving the mark of a starvation 

 stunt and makes no advancement dur- 

 ing the interval as a queen, but as a 

 worker. The nurse bees having re- 

 gained their composure supply^ the 

 needs of the larvae, but it has then 

 lost irretrievably in the more distin- 

 guishing features of a perfect queen. 

 That tiny speck of insect life by Na- 

 ture caudled for the perfecting of the 

 highest form of insect life in the col- 

 ony is thus robbed of the graces that 

 come of early training. AVhat a for- 

 lorn hope! the hope that such (pieeus 

 are the peer of those reared uainter- 

 ruptedly from the egg! 



The true form of grafting larvae 

 consists in transferring them to cell- 

 cups already accepted b.y the bees. By 

 carefully removing the first larvae 

 used so not to disturb the food the 

 cell contains, the second larvae can be 

 substituted with the least possible 

 amount of interference with its 

 growth, but this entails just double 

 the amount of work; hence the meth- 

 od is often abused with the residts be- 

 fore stated. 



The hand of art may lend enchant- 

 ment from a commercial point of view, 

 but Nature is not beguiled by any 

 artificial effects that are not in strict 

 harmony with her original designs. Be- 

 ing guided by instinct it is not sup- 

 p()sal)le that the feces err in their 

 treatment of a queen larva, when left 

 to their own sweet will, any more than 

 they fail to foUoAV original designs for 

 the construction of the honey-comb. 

 Art may exceed Nature in the displace- 

 ment of the qireen-cells and of the 



combs for extensive operations, but 

 can never improve on her ways of de- 

 veloping life in the larval bee. This 

 *is one of the ''mysteries of the bee- 

 hive" that the inventive genius of bee 

 sages may not exploit before a credu- 

 lous public. 



The qualifications of a perfect queen 

 include first of all a serene tempera- 

 ment. Nothing depreciates her real val- 

 ue more than a lack of this. Prolific- 

 ness. though a very desirable physical 

 mark, availeth but little if the ruling 

 passion is a mania for swarming. The 

 character or quality of the food and 

 its early application has a coxmteract- 

 ing influence on the temperament of 

 the queen-to-be. By observing this 

 fact and then making selections from 

 those colonies that show the most 

 staid traits of character, swarming 

 may cease to be a troublesome factor. 

 The quality of the food cannot be bet- 

 ter to this end than when a colony 

 is superseiTing its old mother queen. 

 The colony being otherwise in a nor- 

 mal condition and both honey and pol- 

 len being plentiful, the nurse bees are 

 in a state of composure that enables 

 them to furnish nourishment to the 

 young larval queens that cannot be 

 excelled. They are not intoxicated 

 with a desire to swarm, and the na- 

 ture of the food they jirepare is such 

 that it will lea,ve a pleasing impress 

 on the character of the queen. 



The prodigal tendencies of a queen 

 being suppressed,in a positive measure 

 simply by a perfect development, it 

 certainly would seem to be worth the 

 while for honey producers to use those 

 means that will insure the best treat- 

 ment of a queen while she is maturing. 

 We do not entertain the hoi>e of entire- 

 ly eradicating by perfect development 

 and selection in breeding the tendency 

 to swarm. There are other causes that 

 must be considered. Bees cannot bt> 

 bred to stupidly endiu-e conditions 

 which seriously interfere with the 

 economy of the hive. The annoyances 

 of a crowded brood chamber and the 

 sun's fierce rays may bxirst the bub- 

 ble of one's hopes as to having bred 

 out the «warming tei'^ncy. But re- 

 member the true wortu of early train- 

 ing and in your efforts to direct the 

 bees don't stand in the way of your 

 own achievements by repudiating tli(> 

 fundamental principles of queen rear- 

 ing. 

 Wheelersburg, Ohio. June 13, 1903. 



