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1 U E A M ERICA N BEE-KEEPER. 



sound, but then they were inside the 

 hive, and I was looking through a 

 pane of glass, and could not perhaps 

 hear, if there were sounds from her. 



Outside the hive, however, it has 

 been different. For instance, when the 

 bees return to their hive in the even- 

 ing, each laden with honey, there is a 

 pleasant hum of satisfaction or greet- 

 ing made with their wings— I suppose 

 telling of their joy. 



But if they are disturbed, or have 

 any apprehensions of danger, these 

 sounds are changed toothers of sharp- 

 er tone, which soon brings the colony 

 out in angry meod. Now, these alarm 

 signals are, of course, natural, and 

 easily enough understood ; and there 

 would be nothing at all in them if it 

 were not that when these bees, which 

 have chased off the offender, return to 

 the hive, all outside and in who have 

 not, to all appearances, yet learned 

 what the trouble was, return peaceful- 

 ly to their work. 



Again, when by accident the colony 

 has lost its queen (she may have been 

 picked up by a bird), there are entirely 

 different sounds coining from the hive. 

 Few, or none, of the working bees go 

 off in quest of honey, but hang around, 

 in and out of the hive day in and day 

 out, purring in a tone which might be 

 construed to mean sorrow, but if a new 

 queen be placed among them, or a 

 queen-cell taken from another hive be 

 placed in theirs, there is again joy 

 among them, which any one who has 

 listened to the language of bees may 

 readily distinguish. I firmly believe 

 that bees have a language, and a meth- 

 od, at least, if not an actual system of 

 communication. — A. 11. J. 



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INTRODUCING QUEENS. 



After experimenting as an amateur 

 bee-keeper for a number of years, and 

 engaging in the business <>f queen- 

 rearing for a longer term of years, I 

 have concluded that there is uo plan 

 that is absolutely certain when applied 

 to introducing queens. The tempera- 

 ment of queen bees vary as much as 

 that of other animals. Some queens 

 are gentle and steady, and they may 

 be introduced to any queenless colony 

 in most any way chosen to perform the 

 manipulation, while other queens are 

 wild, fidgity and nervous, if bees have 

 a nervous system, and it is a very dif- 

 ficult thing to do to get any colony to 

 accept such queens. Perhaps this 

 statement will strike many persons as 

 being on the "hair splitting" order, 

 but I am quite sure that many experi- 

 enced bee men will agree with me 

 along this line I once trained a large 

 fine queen till she was so steady and 

 confident that no bees would attack 

 her as she walked unconcernedly 

 among them. On one occasion I in- 

 troduced her to a colony that had a 

 laying queen of their own, and I had 

 the satisfaction of seeing both queens 

 moving leisurely on the combs treated 

 as nearly alike by the workers as could 

 well be. Of course this was an experi- 

 ment pure and simple, but it taught 

 me that the queen has much to do with 

 the success or failure, when introduc- 

 ing. I am aware that laying queens 

 have been, and may be introduced in 

 many ways and with surprising suc- 

 cess, but I know of but one rational 

 and methodical plan, and that is to 

 cage the queen on top of the frames 

 where I can see the behavior of the 

 worker bees toward her, by raising a 

 corner of the quilt that covers the top 



