132 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



first to put sectional parts of a hive 

 inside of a box or case. The sectional 

 parts were the same as the movable 

 comb frames now in use. I am aware 

 that the historical Dr. C. C. Miller 

 records this : — Rev. L. L. Langstroth 

 conceived the idea of surrounding 

 each comb with a frame of wood, en- 

 tirely detached from the walls of the 

 hive, leaving at all points, except the 

 point support, space enough between 

 the frame and hive for the passage of 

 the bees. — The claim thus set forth is 

 indeed, as the records prove, strangely 

 at variance with facts. A deciple who 

 "don't know" his master's will (record) 

 risks much in assuming. Mr. Lang- 

 stroth has recorded that which over- 

 turns Dr. Miller's history. 



( 'oncluded m xt month.) 



Fertile Workers and What to 

 do with Them. 



BY P. H. AXD E. H. DEWEY. 



In the G. B. J. of July 15th appeared 

 an instructive and thorough explana- 

 tion of fertile workers and the unmis- 

 takable signs of their presence. The 

 editor wisely distinguishes between an 

 abnormal laying queen and these un- 

 natural laying workers. Such a lay- 

 ing queen produces " cells capped like 

 the point of a conical bullet." Again, 

 " if the cappings are rounded like lit- 

 tle ant hills all over the combs, in- 

 stead of being fiat or slightly concave, 

 as worker comb is, which gives it a 

 smooth appearance, you may be sure 

 you have fertile worker eggs." It is 

 explained how a worker in a task out 

 of her natural province deposits eggs 

 with fussy prodigality and in surpris- 

 ing positions. It is truly said, "It is 

 not an unusual occurance to find from 

 two to ten eggs in a cell, and in bad 



cases cells will be found with some 

 fresh eggs found in them, while oth- 

 ers will dry up and become dark." In 

 regard to position, " sometimes they 

 lay fairly well, but in the majority of 

 cases they stick all around the edges 

 of the cells and are scattered indis- 

 criminately all over the bottom." 



The question discussed was simply 

 the detection of fertile workers. The 

 matter uf remedy was only touched 

 upon as lying out of the theme. It 

 will not avail to divide the colony for 

 such subdivision will continue the 

 revel of fertility. It seems to be a 

 general dissipation in which any or 

 every bee is engaged. To make the 

 remedy infallable we must remove the 

 root and the cause of the matter. The 

 source of the evil is queenlessness, but 

 let no beginner suppose he can check 

 this unpleasant fertility by introduc- 

 ing the queen. The colony is morbid 

 and more than satisfied with these up- 

 start busy-bodies. They are right to 

 slay any queen, virgin or layer. The 

 case has passed the influence of the 

 first cause, and the immediate intro- 

 duction of the essential element at 

 once is impossible. We first remove 

 the morbid condition and then repair 

 the queenleseness. The advice gener- 

 ally given is to scatter the bees and 

 combs promiscuously among the col- 

 onies, when each weak fractional part 

 falls into the surrounding order of 

 things. This is only a humane way of 

 destroying the colony ; the apiary 

 gains nothing by it. 



Again, it has been recommended to 

 set the abnormal colony bodily over 

 another of an additional story. It is> 

 said that the latter discountenances 

 the ambitious layers and generally 



