52 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



The wounded queen, in many cases, 

 does not die immediatel)'. She will be 

 seen crawling on the combs, dragging 

 one leg after her until finally she drops 

 to the bottom of the hive and is ejected 

 by the workers. 



When two fertile or unfertile queens 

 fight for control of the colony, the only 

 advantage one queen has over the other 

 is in position. Two fertile queens go 

 to battle on equal footing, that is, if both 

 were taken from hives where they had 

 been laying eggs up to the time of their 

 removal. But they would not be equal- 

 ly matched if one of them had been out 

 of her colony twenty-four hours, as in 

 that case the abdomen of the latter 

 would be so reduced in size as to give her 

 a decided advantage in the contest 



While the queen just taken from her 

 colony would be awkward and heavy, 

 the one that had been removed twenty- 

 four hours previous would be as nimble 

 as a fly. Why, this nimble queen would 

 step up and thrust her sting in the large 

 queen as quick as a flash, and her dead- 

 ly work is done. 



When two virgin queens strike out 

 to despatch each other, they are equal- 

 ly matched. 



The one destroyed did not get the 

 advantage of position, or may have 

 missed a foothold or in some other 

 way was unfortunate and in consequence 

 lost her life. 



TWO QUEKNS IN A COLONY. 



Usually but one queen is allowed in 

 a colony at the same time, though there 

 are cases where two queens have lived 

 peacefully in a full c(jlony for several 

 weeks. We can vouch for this state- 

 ment, as this singular occurrence has 

 happened in the Bay State apiary. A 

 nucleus colony having an unfertile 

 queen was on a stand near a full colo- 

 ny. One day the nucleus was opened 

 and the queen was missing, and as we 

 supposed lost on the mating trip, or had 

 on her return entered the full colony 

 by mistake and was destroyed. Some 

 days later the combs of the full colony 

 were examined and the missing queen 



found as happy and contented as a 

 queen could be. It was natural for the 

 apiarist to think that under the circum- 

 stances the queen must have been de- 

 stroyed by the bees whose colony she 

 had entered on her return trip. 



This was the first case in the Bay State 

 apiary of two queens living in one hive 

 and having full possession of the combs. 

 It happened so many years ago we really 

 have forgotten what disposition was 

 made of the queens. 



We did not think two inifertile queens 

 would live peacefully in the same hive 

 a very long time. We do know how- 

 ever, that a large number of young 

 queens, as well as a good many fine 

 cells have been destroyed when a little 

 careless in recording the time of starting 

 the cells. The first queen that hatches 

 will destroy all cells, and sting the 

 younger queens as they meet them. 



Very young queens seem to know 

 how to protect themselves from an at- 

 tack by an older queen. 



Instead of running over the combs in 

 order to keep out of the way of the 

 queen in pursuit, they just get into a 

 cell and stay there till hunger drives 

 them out. We have found on some oc- 

 casions as many as a dozen queens 

 tucked away in cells, and on opening 

 the hive and disturbing the combs the 

 queens would appear, and of course 

 were placed in cages. As long as the 

 queens kept in the cells they could not 

 be harmed by an older and stronger 

 queen. 



LAliGK AND SMALL QUEENS. 



There is a great difference in the size 

 of queens. Some are nearly twice as 

 large as others. Which of these are 

 the best? Well, we like and always 

 select the largest queens for all pur- 

 poses. The smallest queen ever used 

 in tlie Bay State Apiary was purchased 

 from Mr. Langstroth, and cost includ- 

 ing express charges, some over twenty- 

 two dollars. She was a fine queen and 

 a large number of splendid queens were 

 reared from her eggs, and were shipped 

 to customers in all parts of the country. 



