216 



THE AMERICAN APICULTVRIST. 



with tlie bees ou the other side of the 

 wires. One thing a novice needs spec- 

 iallj^ to be told is that iu returning a 

 queen to her own colony, after she has 

 been used elsewhere, nearly the same 

 care must be used as if she were a stran- 

 ger. 



If possible choose a time when bees 

 are good natured and gathering honey. 



Earnestly avoid having any robbing 

 around the premises for a week before 

 queens are to be introduced. 



Avoid giving a strange queen to a 

 colony that is overworked at rearmg 

 yoking bees, Bees often kill their own 

 queens from tliis cause and will be 

 pretty sure to kill a stranger. 



Vei-y late in the season is a specially 

 bad time to introduce. 



When circumstances are unfavorable 

 keep the bees three days queenless be- 

 fore releasing a strange queen among 

 them. 



The surest way, when bees are des- 

 perately contrary, is to cage a whole 

 comb from which young bees are 

 emerging, putting the queen tliereon, 

 and leaving her and her young sub- 

 jects tlius segregated for a week in the 

 heart of the colony. 



3. A queenless colony desirous of 

 more brood is greatly pleased with the 

 scent of fertility which a laying (jueen 

 diffuses. This scent operates as a 

 bribe to make them overlook her for- 

 eign odor. In the virgin queen the 

 scent of fertility is as yet very feeble, 

 and consequently she is treated more 

 nearly as a foreign worker bee would 

 be treated 



4 & 5. Very little difference owing to 

 race, I think. I have rather felt that 

 the more energetic a colony was the 

 more resistance they would make to be- 

 ing re-queened. A strong colony of 

 vigorous hybrids late in the fall is the 

 "cap sheaf." 



6. Would leave the hive longer 

 queenless, and be more careful gener- 

 ally. 



Eichards, Lucas Co., Ohio. 



QUESTION 15Y A BKHKEEPEK. 



1. What do you think of using ether 

 for controlling bees? 



Ans. While in the hands of an ex- 

 perienced apiarist and used with dis- 

 cretion ether might prove useful yet 

 we would not advise its general use. 



Punk (or rotten wood) properly used 

 will meet ever reciuirement and is 

 much more safe. 



LETTER BOX. 



Lindsay, Out., Aug., 1885. 

 The pure Cyprian queen you mailed 

 to me on the 11th inst., arrived at my 

 apiary at 7 p. M , on the 1-lth, in good 

 condition and without a single dead bee 

 in the cage. I immediately placed the 

 cage beneath the cloth cover of the 

 brood chamber of a strong colony of 

 bees. The next morning I made a 

 rather weak colony queenless, removed 

 the worker bees from the Cyprian 

 queen, and placed her, still caged, upon 

 tlie frames of the queenless colony. On 

 Saturday evening I again examined 

 tlie Cyprian queen, filled the food com- 

 partment of the cage and its opening 

 with fresh, "Good" candy, stopped the 

 entrance with an old queen cell, and 

 replaced the cage with the tin cover 

 open. When I examined on Wednes- 

 day, I found the cage deserted, nearly 

 all the candy consumed, and the queen 

 had laid a large number of eggs iu two 

 combs. 



John Head. 



Cottage Grove, Ind., Aug. 3, 1885. 

 Gents : 



American Apiculturist, Vols. I and 

 II, cloth l)ound, rei.eived some time 

 ago, and I must say I was most argreea- 

 bly surprised on receiving the same. I 

 have since perused a good part of the 

 work and like it much. Hardly know 

 how any beekeeper can do without it. 

 You can just put me down as a regular 

 subscriber as long as your journal is 

 published. 



With good wishes for your future 

 prosperity, 1 remain very respectfully, 



P. C. Barnakd. 



South Bend, Lid., Aug. 24, 1885. 



Dear Sirs : 



My son and I wintered 200 colonies 

 of Italian bees in the cellar with the 

 loss of but two colonies and five or 

 six queens, and, you will remember, 

 last winter was a severe one. After 

 removing them from the cellar we sold 

 all but 19G colonies and now have 250. 

 Our bees had the swarming fever bad, 

 causing much shortage in the honey 

 yield. Bees are now doing well on 

 red clover and buckwheat. 



The bound volumes of the "Apicultu- 

 rist" duly received. I find them filled 

 with " good things " for the beekeeper. 

 T consider the "Apiculturist" all but 

 indispensable to the would-be apiarist. 

 A. J. Hatfield. 



