152 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



me." If the remainder of the'season had been 

 xmfavorable this would probably have been the 

 end of my experience in bee-keeping ; but fortu- 

 nately the weather subsequently proved to be 

 favorable, and at the close of the honey harvest 1 

 could make the following footing up : 



BARREL OF BEES, CR. 



By 60 lbs. honey from swarm $15 00 



" 90 " choice box honey 31 50 



" 8 " wax 3 20 



" Swarm No. 1 in frame hive 10 00 



Total $59 70 



BARREL OF BEES, DR. 



To cash paid $30 00 



" new hive 2 00 32 00 



Balance, profit for the season. 



.827 70 



Thus you see that after all I had nothing to 

 complain of Avith the footing up of tlie season's 

 work with one swarm. But what I valued more 

 than all the rest was that I liad learned some val- 

 uable lessons— the best of which was that I was 

 ignorant of the habits of the honey-bee, and that 

 the necessary knowledge was within my reach. 



My experience in bee-keeping only dates back 

 four years ; but I am still determined to press for- 

 w^ard in the good cause (as they say at meetings), 

 feeling myself well paid for my trouble in the 

 pleasure if there were no profit in the business. 

 The last two seasons have been very unfavorable 

 f>)r bees in this locality ; yet, so far as I am ac- 

 quainted, Ihose that had a reasonable chance have 

 yielded a fair profit this year. 



Now that I have given a pretty thorough ac- 

 count of my first year's experience, I will notice 

 a case or two that came under my observation the 

 past season, and would like to have some one 

 that is thoroughly posted furnish an explanation. 

 About the first of June I formed two nuclei by 

 placing in small hives, each, a frame of brood 

 and adhering bees, and setting them away in a 

 dark cellar for three days. In due time I exam- 

 ined them, and found in one three fine looking 

 queen cells, nearly ready to hatch; in the other I 

 found none — the bees having evidently neglected 

 to start one. I then went to the one that had the 

 three and carefully removed one, giving it to the 

 other that had started none. On examination 

 next day I found this cell destroyed. I then gave 

 them a comb containing eggs and larva?. Three 

 days later I examined them again, and to my 

 surprise could find nothing that looked like a 

 queen cell. I was then called from home, and 

 on my return I opened my nucleus and found a 

 queen cell torn open at the side, the embryo queen 

 having evidently been destroyed. On looking a 

 little further I found a very diminutive black 

 queen, with unmistakable signs of having just 

 mated w-ith a drone. This was eleven days after 

 the brood comb was given them, and eight days 

 after I examined and could find no cells. In two 

 days more this queen was depositing a few eggs. 

 Meantime, my other young queen had commenced 



to lay freely. I then divided a full stock and set 

 the new swarm on the old stand, without a queen — 

 having left the queen in the old stock, which I 

 removed to the stand of another strong stock 

 transferred to a new place. 



As soon as the new swarm exhibited signs of 

 queenlessness I went to the nucleus that con- 

 tained the good queen and looked for her, to give 

 to my new swarm ; but just at that time she did 

 not propose to be found. So I gave up the search, 

 and went and caught my dAvarf and placed iier in 

 front of the new swarni. But she did not deign 

 to go in, but took wing, and aAvay she went. I 

 then went to the other nucleus, found the queen, 

 and gave her to the SAvarm. Next morning both 

 the nuclei were in commotion, and were evidently 

 queenless. The following morning, being the sec- 

 ond day after I removed the queen, I again ex- 

 amined the nucleus from which I had taken the 

 perfect queen, and found the bees had built a few 

 inches of drone comb, Avhich Avas nearly filled 

 with eggs. I also found my little black queen, or 

 her ghost, as quiet as though she had always be- 

 longed there. A few days later she was laying 

 Avorker eggs again, and continued to lay worker 

 eggs the "rest of the season. For experiment, I 

 am trying to Avinter her in her nucleus. Question 

 1st. Was she one of Gallup's eight-day queens? 

 and, if so, had she failed Avhen she commenced to 

 lay drone eggs, and Avas she fertilized or revived 

 in some other way ? Question 2d. Where had she 

 kept herself for at least twenty-four hours, before 

 she found the other nucleus V I am aware that 

 some Avill say I was mistaken about this being the 

 same queen ; but my evidence is so good that you 

 will not make me doubt it. 



The other case is as follows: About the 25th 

 of September Mr. W. H. Furman, of Cedar Eap- 

 ids, loAva, was at my place Avith two Italian 

 queens. One of these Ave gave to a full stock, the 

 other we inserted in a small nucleus (from which 

 I had just taken the queen) to keep her over 

 night. The night Avas cool, and the bees did not 

 cluster around the queen. The consequence Avas 

 that the queen and her attendants Avere so chilled 

 in the morning that they could scarcely move a 

 leg. We Avarmed and revived her, and then in- 

 serted her in a black colony. Three days later I 

 examined, and found both these queens laying 

 freely. In two Aveeks I found brood in both 

 hives, in all stages, and saAv both, queens. About 

 three weeks after I introduced the queens the 

 weather turned so cold that I took my bees in. 

 After they had been in the cellar for near two 

 weeks we had a day so warm andfinethat^I took 

 these two SAvarms out, to see the young Italians 

 fly. From the one a goodly number of nicely 

 marked Italians floAV ; while from the other, which 

 contained the queen that had been chilled, not an 

 Italian bee fiew out. I then made a careful ex- 

 amination and found the queen as yellow as ever, 

 but not a bee could I find in the hive with even a 

 mark of a hybrid. Query. Did the chilling of 

 this queen cause her eggs to hatch entirely black 

 bees ? 



But I have already spun my yarn as long again 

 as I intended when I began, and will close by 

 wishing success to the Bee Journal. 



J. E. Benjamin. 



Rockford^ Iowa. 



