THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



167 



throw tlie honey storing strength into 

 the new hives, and if you do not want 

 increase and will not have it, .you may 

 l<eep the old colony queenless, and 

 uiiiie the young bees with the new 

 colonjr as fast as thej^ hatch, till the 

 old colony is exhausted and nothing is 

 left but the combs. Empty combs are 

 never a drug in an apiary. Colonies 

 can generally be kept quietly at work 

 Ijy iiiving them plenty of room at the 

 right time, and all the time. 



5. I have l^nown queens to take the 

 male tlie second time, or at least seen 

 evidence that looked that way, and in- 

 deed would it not be strange if the 

 queen honey bee was an exception in 

 this respect? But I do not admit for 

 a moment that any queen was ever 

 fecundated the secoud time hy the 

 male. 



G. Queens at present prices are pro- 

 duced at a small margin of proHt, even 

 by those wlio are best prepared for 

 rearing them. Hence the honey pro- 

 ducer can malvC it profitable to buy 

 them. Mr. Poppleton, of Ills., told the 

 writer at the national convention in 

 1881, that it paid him to buy untested 

 queens at dozen rates rather than to 

 rear them, even though he used them 

 but for one season. Mr. P. produces 

 extracted honey as a specialty. A few 

 queens can be reared the cheapest. 



ANSWERS BY PUOF. A. J. COOK. 



1. Season has been cold and dry. 

 Don't think bees are up to the general 

 average in strength. 



2. Cannot judge so early. 



3. Stimulate, add brood, and so get 

 the colony very strong and crowded in 

 bees. 



4. Yes. Hive one colony in new 

 hive on foundation, and put on sec- 

 tions at once. Hive second swarm in 

 hive from which first colony swarmed, 

 after first destroying or removing all 

 queen cells. Third colony in hive from 

 which Xo. 2 went, etc. This change 

 of home and position almost always 

 satisfies. 



.5. I have watched carefully, and do 

 not think the queeu mates after she is 

 successfully fecundated. 



6. I think better to rear if time will 

 permit. The old nucleus system des- 

 cribed in the books is a good way. 



ANSWEKS 



1. About the 



BY L. c. Roo; 

 >ame. 



2. Vi'ith us most honey-yielding 

 plants wintered well, and the bass- 

 wood is budding very profusely. 



I am anticipating a good yield of 

 honey. Of course we can never be 

 certain in regard to it, but if we are to 

 be successful we must feel sure enough 

 of it to be prompt in all of our opera- 

 tions, and be in readiness when it does 

 come. Promptness to the hour is the 

 beekeeper's motto. 



3. The stock from which I desire to 

 rear drones must be very populous. If 

 necessary, I unite two or even more; 

 after furnishing a suftlcient amount of 

 drone comb, I feed thi-m lil)erally. Au 

 old queen will deposit drone eggs most 

 readily. I usually use such queens, as 

 they are most fully tested. 



If such stocks are liberally supplied 

 with food during all scarcities of honey 

 there will be little danger of their des- 

 troying their drones until the fall. At 

 that season if I desire to hold the 

 drones, I keep tlie stocks queenless. I 

 supply them with brood from other 

 stocks, and keep them building queen 

 cells, as I may desire to use them. 



4. I find no more satisfactory 

 method when stocks are determined to 

 swarm, tlian to remove the boxes and 

 use the extractor, supplying them with 

 a liberal number of empty combs. 



5. No. AU my observations have 

 led me to believe they do not. 



G. The average inexperienced bee- 

 keeper would do best to purcluise his 

 queens of some reliable dealer. Those 

 of experience would fiiul it more desi- 

 rable to rear their own. The cells 

 should be started in full stocks, and 

 hatched in nucleus, formed in hives 

 and frames used in the general manage- 

 ment. 



LETTER BOX. 



Eutherford, N. J. 

 Ed. of the Am. Apiculturist : 

 I FEKX as if I wanted to have a 

 little crow over my first experience in 

 beekeeping, before some unlucky con- 

 trHernps shall occur to offset all my 

 good luck. I purchased one hive of 

 Italians a year ago, being tlien as 

 wholly without practical experieuce 



