136 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURTST. 



UNITING BEES AND INTRODUCING 

 QUEENS. 



Friend Alley : Could you kindly 

 answer in Oct. issue of Api the follow- 

 ing questions as to introducing queens. 



I have reared a fine lot of queens 

 from the queen I purchased of you. 

 They are in nucleus colonies and I wish 

 to introduce these queens, taking the 

 combs with adhering bees and queen, 

 and put them into queenless colonies. 



Now what I wish to know is : ist, 

 How long must the colonies be queen- 

 less at this time of the year before I can 

 introduce these nucleus colonies (combs, 

 queens and adhering bees) and how 

 should I introduce them, with or with- 

 out smoke, and should the combs of the 

 nucleus be alternated with the combs of 

 the queenless colony or would it be best 

 to place the nucleus colony in the cen- 

 tre of the queenless colony? 2d, Is 

 it necessary to have these nucleus colo- 

 nies on a stand above the colonies to 

 which you wish to introduce them or 

 can the nucleus be picked up from any 

 part of the apiary and introduced to 

 any colony as per your answer to the 

 first question. Briefly, I wish you would 

 kindly tell me in Oct, Api how you 

 would introduce a nucleus {co7nbs, queen 

 and adhering bees) from any part of 

 the apiary to any colony in any part of 

 the apiary after the honey season. 



Plea^se explain fully as to "how" it is 

 done, for I am sure that many others 

 are also interested in the above subject ; 

 especially if they raise such fine queens 

 from queens purchased of you as I have. 



Lewis C Jaessi^^g, Maumcc, Ohio. 



I. The full colonies to which you 

 propose to introduce the queens, bees 

 and brood should be queenless three 

 days. When ready to make the change, 

 remove as many combs from the full 

 colonies as you have frames of brood 

 to insert in their place. Place all the 

 brood as near the centre of the hive as 

 possible. Use more or less tobacco 

 smoke on both nucleus and full colonies. 

 When the change is made it would be 



well to smoke both nucleus and full col- 

 onies some ten or fifteen minutes before 

 the transfer is made. By so doing all 

 the bees and combs of both hives 

 would be scented alike, and thus reduce 

 the danger of the bees fighting. How- 

 ever, there is not much danger of the 

 bees killing each other under such cir- 

 cumstances, as the queenless bees will 

 welcome the bees and queen that are 

 to be united to them. 



2. No, it is not necessary to have 

 the nucleus colonies near the queenless 

 colony. After the bees are united, very 

 few will go back to the old location, and 

 what few do return to the old stand 

 would be the oldest ones. 



Towards the last ot September will 

 be the best time to unite the colonies. 

 Do the work during the latter part of 

 the day, as the tobacco smoke might 

 induce robbing if done earlier in the 

 day, especially if the weather is warm. 



To sum up : When you get ready to 

 transfer the bees, dequeen the full 

 colonies and any time after three days 

 unite the bees. — Ed.] 



NON-SWAEMIXG BKES. 



Mr. Alley :— Enclosed find $5 for one 

 Pnnic queen. I will risk it, as I have 

 found that all you say about 3'our queens 

 is correct. Your bees are non-sAvarniers, 

 good honey gatherers : iu fact, they are all 

 you claim for them. 



Robert Ixxes, BeachviUe, Ont., Ca. 



How does the above strike those 

 friends who have so much to say about 

 "humbugging in the queen business ?" 



GOLDEX CARNIOLANS. 



Friend Ali ey :— I have a colony of 

 beautiful goldeu Carniolan bees from the 

 queen I bought of you. They are smart 

 and industrious, and from present indica- 

 tions I think they will prove to be what 

 you claim for them, — a grand strain of 

 bees. I willfully test their honey gather- 

 ing qualities. I must have a Punic queen 

 next summer. 



John D. A. Fisher, Woodside, N. C. 



