1907] 



SELECTING AND BREEDING 

 QUEENS. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



135 



The Experience of a New 

 Honey Producer. 



York 



F. H. LOUCKS. 



on my 

 a bee- 

 I was 

 that I 



MY GRANDFATHER, 

 mother's side, was 

 keeper long before 

 born, else it is improbable 

 should be here today. 



The foundation of my present busi- 

 ness dates back to that grandfather, 

 some 75 or more years ago. Of 

 course the stock was native bees in 

 those days and so it came to pass that 

 I almost inherited a prejudice against 

 the yellow stock. Nevertheless as I 

 grew older I began to wonder if there 

 was not something better and at last 

 I began a series of tests of different 

 strains of bees. I bought bees from 

 seven different breeders, buying at 

 least three and as many as twelve of 

 some. This took about four years, 

 and among these queens there was 

 one just perfect. Never was a boy 

 with a new sled more pleased than I 

 over this aueen. About this time I 

 made a visit to friend Howe's. He 

 was all wrapped up in this one par- 

 ticular strain, from which my perfect 

 queen was obtained. So was I, but 

 I did not let him know it. We argued, 

 and I found why these bees were 

 what they are. 



That visit did me a lot of good. I 

 went home determined to make an ex- 

 tensive test of my perfect queen next 

 season; which I did, rearing 100 

 queens from her. As that season ad- 

 vmced I realized more and more that 

 at last I had the bees for me. This 

 opinion strengthened until I ordered 

 .'io queens of the same breeder to 

 complete Tfalianizing my home yard 

 so I could rear thoroughbreds at 

 home. 



These bees are gentle and quiet to 

 handle, not given to stinging, when 

 properly handled and did not run 

 ivhen taking out the combs. Indeed, 

 T have opened hives many times with- 

 out smoke at all. 



Then they put more vim into their 

 work — gathering honey when the 

 blacks do nothing. They' are excel- 

 lent comb buillders, doing the work 



very regular and even also working 

 in the whole super at once, so that it 

 is finished at about the same time. 



At the Wilcox yard I introduced 

 fifteen of those queens and next sea- 

 son there were 60 colonies there. 

 This yard.made 3,000 pounds of honey 

 in sections. Those fifteen colonies 

 made 1,500 pounds of it and the 45 

 colonies of blacks the other 1,500 

 pounds. If the queens had all been 

 equal to those 15 I would have had 

 6,000 pounds or double what I got. 



Then again these bees will stop 

 rearing brood at the proper time in 

 the fall, and many times store enough 

 fall honey to winter on thus reducing 

 the feed bill to a small item, i speak 

 of this point as many of the strains 

 of Italians I tested would use up 

 all the honey they could get hold of 

 rearing brood very late so I had to 

 furnish feed to winter them. These 

 bees having been developed in this 

 cold climate seem to prepare for win- 

 ter, making them superb winterers. 



I do not wish to condemn all other 

 strains of bees as I can conceive, that 

 in a different locality under other con- 

 ditions, another strain might be best, 

 especially if said strain was developed 

 in a similar locality. 



I believe that bees and animals bred 

 in one locality in their purity for a 

 time become adapted more and more 

 to that locality. I would insist upon 

 thoroughbreds, as a well bred thor- 

 oughbrea is the only cItss which in 

 all probability, will reproduce itself 

 every time without deteriorating. 



Some argue for first crosses which 

 usually work good as far as h iney 

 ga'ihenng is concerned, but did yon 

 ever notice what a differ-nce in hand- 

 ling, how irritable and stingy they 

 were? 



It is not fair to give but one side; 

 so what are its bad points? I have 

 found two: Occasionally a colony 

 will cap their honey dark. Move 

 them to your extracting- vard or pinch 

 the queen's head off. The other one 

 could be called bad or not, as you 

 choose. That is reluctance to leave 

 the super. No use of trying, you must 

 use the escape-board and I am about 

 convinced that is the best way. 



In closing I would say get some 

 thoroug'hbreds, breed in a loeality 

 like your Own, select the best queen 



