1!X>5 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



245 



THE "WATER CURE." 



A New and Simple Method by Which it is 

 Claimed Queens May be Safely Introduced. 



(Henry E. Horn). 



of brood on each surface, the upper 

 and end parts of the comb fairly filled 

 with stores. The next comb to the 

 three was also well supplied with hon- 

 ey, part of it sealed; the other five 

 combs were empty. The colony con- 

 sisted of a little over a pint of bees, 

 about one-third of which were drones. 

 The latter were mostly from other col- 



SO^IE time ago a German bee-keep- 

 er wrote to the Leipziger Lienen- 



Zeitung of a w^ay, called by him ^nies and had found a safe haven with 

 the "water cure" of introducing queens, ^his neighbor when driven from home. 

 As described, his method was simplic- r^-ijey were spread closely and .nonlv 

 ity itself, and consisted merely in Q^gj. nearly all of the sealed brood and 

 plunging the queen, held by her wings, during examination kept quietly in 

 into a cup of clear water, hold her ^j^eir place. The few that flew from 

 there for about five seconds and then ^y^^ iji^g ^ere permitted to come and 

 put her between the frames of the new ^^ without molestation. As the en- 

 colony, and shut the hive. The thing trance of the hive Avas wide open 3-8x 

 was so enticing that I tried it the first 14 inches, I at first thought that the 

 chance I had, and in two days after I workers had been unable to keep the 

 opened the hive and found— nearly a drones out on account of the large en- 

 frame full of eggs and the queen walk- trance and small number of "guards." 

 ing about as if she had been there for j narrowed the entrance to one inch 



years. 



To be explicit: 



I took 



and at this writing the drones are still 

 a laying permitted to enter and leave at will. 



queen out of her own colony, put her jn all other respects the colony is nor- 

 through the performance and had her nial; the queen is large and lays prop- 

 in the new, formerly (lueenless colony, erly. 



all in about five minutes. There was ^jj^ weather during September was 

 a little honey coming in, still the time eool, unseasonably so. but thus far 

 was rather unfavorable for introducing flnring October it has been warm, 

 generally. There has been no frost in the locality 



Since that time some more reports where the apiary is. If the drones are 

 have been made, and .some of them are not being kept as heat producers, what 

 rather remarkable. As. for instance, are they kept for? Certainly the qnan- 

 where a queen, twice balled, though titv of brood is too gre;;r for the wo<k- 

 the cage method of introduction had e,.s to properly protect and certainly 

 been used, w-as freely and immediately the drones were closely covering ail 

 accepted after a dipping. their numbers could. The drones seem- 



If this method should prove success- gd plump and well fed and flew rap- 

 ful generally, what a lot of bother and idiy when disturbed, 

 trouble and disappointment it would Two other colonies with queens of 

 make avoidable to bee-keepers. Will the same age. but having a contracted 

 not others likewise risk a less valuable hive with only three L combs each, and 

 queen and perhaps dip her two or three with a small entrance, had in one case 



times for about four seconds each, and 

 let us all know results? 

 Riverside, Cal., Sept. 14, 1903. 



DRONES. 



rArthur C. Miller). 



a half dozen drones and in the other 

 case none. Some large colonies with 

 full supplies and young, healthy lay- 

 ing queens still retain a few of their 

 drones. 



Such are the circumstances; perhaps 

 other bee-keepers can help soh'e the 

 problem. 



ARF: drones ever used as heat pro- While writing of drones it may be 

 . ducers or brood warmers? A case of interest to consider some of the 

 i which came under my obser- ways of keeping desirable ones on hand 

 vation October 3 pointed very strongly either during the warmer part of the 

 that way. In examining some colonies year or late into the fall. Queenless 

 containing late reared queens, I found colonies will, of course, harbor drones, 

 one small one where the conditions but queenless colonies are a trouble 

 were as follows: Three L frames of and a nuisance. They should be kept 

 comb with about sixteen square inches strong, laving workers must be avoid- 



