THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



11 



cides what eggs the queen shall deposit. 

 When the bees see the need of drones, 

 they at once clean up the drone cells, 

 the queen takes the hint and drops an 

 tgg in each cell. The queen seems 

 not to know the necessities of the colo- 

 ny, but does the bidding of her sub- 

 jects. 



In proof of this theory, I will give an- 

 other fact illustrating and corroborating 

 my opinion. Years ago when there were 

 observatory hives in my apiary, I used 

 to study the habits of the bees a good 

 deal more than I do nowadays. I have 

 more than once seen the bees pass over 

 a frame of dry worker-comb in order to 

 reach a comb containing some drone- 

 cells, which was at the side of the brood- 

 chamber. This seldom happens except 

 at the last of May, or early in the month 

 of June, and usually on the first flow of 

 honey from the fruit bloom. 



Queenless bees are in condition to 

 rear drones when eggs or brood is fur- 

 nished them. If a queen, young or old, 

 is introduced to such a colony the de- 

 sire for drones is not satisfied for several 

 days after a queen has been given to 

 them. 



This is the reason why queenless bees 

 will so readily rear drones even when a 

 young queen is present in the hive. 



Should an attempt be made to rear 

 drones from a young queen after she 

 had been installed in the colony a week 

 or more, it would most likely result in 

 failure. 



The bees would say we do not now 

 need any drones ; we have a nice young 

 ruler and we need no males till another 

 year. 



I have found that it requires as much 

 science to rear drones and have them 

 just when wanted, as it does to rear 

 first-class queens. 



{To be continued.^ 



The Swarm-hiver. 

 We herewith give a description of 

 a new device for hiving bees, or rather, 

 a device that works automatically and 

 causes a swarm of bees when they is- 

 sue to hive themselves. 



The swarmer, as here represented, 

 is in connection with two Bay State 

 bee-liivcs. By removing the upper 

 chamber from two of the drone traps 

 and placing them on two hives, con- 

 necting the two traps with a tube, 

 3'Ou have the arrangement nearly com- 

 plete. The cone-tube which is placed 

 in the upper chamber of the trap 

 should be placed at the end of the 

 swarmer and in the tube which con- 

 nects the two traps. This prevents the 

 queen when a swarm issues from re- 

 turning to the home hive. After the 

 queen once enters the tube she will 

 pass to the new hive ; when the bees 

 miss their queen they will readily re- 

 turn and have no trouble in finding her 

 located in the new home and all will at 



once join her. Even should a majority 

 of the bees return to the home hive 

 before they discover that their queen 

 had taken up new quarters, they would 

 soon find her whereabouts, and join 

 her. 



Set the swarmer on the hives and 

 go to town, or to meeting and in the 

 meantime should a swarm issue they 

 would be found in their new home and 

 at work putting their house in order. 



This arrangement can be applied 

 equally as well to one hive as another. 

 As adrone-and-queen trap it will work 

 as satisfactorily as the drone-trap. 



We will mail the swarmer, with di- 

 rections for use, on receipt of one 

 dollar. 



We have applied for a patent and 

 believe one will be granted. 



Packing bees for shipment. 

 We have read lately several articles 

 from the pens of expert beekeepers 



