128 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



bank, J. M. Tipton, Dr. John Dillard, and Dr. 

 R. J. Spurr. 



Dr. Savage moved the appointment of a com- 

 mittee to procure a speaker to address tlie asso- 

 ciation at the next meetiuc;. Adopted. 



D. Burbank and R. A. Broadhurst were ap- 

 pointed ^aid committee. 



The convention then adjourned. 



J. W. Reynolds, Secretary, 



[For the Ameiicau Bee Journal.] 



Italian Bee-Breeding. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Questions by Querist.— K"o. 3. 



What is vi^anted is light color in all the bees, 

 strong constitutions, good workers, not disposed 

 to sting if well managed. 



To obtain light colors, raise from .the lightest 

 colored parents of both sides; avoid breeding in- 

 and-in further than to get the color, as it has a 

 tendency to weakness if carried too far. 



To improve the constitution and workers, 

 breed from the best not near related. 



To improve the disposition, breed from parents 

 that show these qualities most. This object can 

 be arrived at more speedily by breeding in-and- 

 in, as it will take only a few generations to make 

 them too docile to defend themselves at all. 

 Therefore if carried too far in that direction, like 

 an overgrown branch of a tree, it fails the first 

 ill-wind. 



To succeed, have control over the hive, bees, 

 and combs. Let such queens as are selected lay 

 in the drone-combs, and no others be allowed to 

 produce drones at all; and the drone mothers no 

 queens, unless the object is to breed in-and-in — 

 which is a poor plan if the desired qualities can 

 be got without. 



The breeding should be done generally by one 

 pair of queens for an entire apiary each year. 

 Many generations of queens can be raised alter 

 all other drones are killed, if the hives contain- 

 ing the drones wanted are kept queenless. 



Jajies M. Marvin. 



St. Chakles, III. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Begicidal Attacks. 



In rearing queens last summer, at first one- 

 third of the number were lost by regicidal at- 

 tacks. This was more frequently the case in 

 nuclei containing young bees exclusively. Re- 

 turning from her we>lding flight, the queen has 

 acquired a peculiar odor, and is hence not read- 

 ily recognized by her companions, but received 

 and treated as a stranger — being enclosed by 

 angry bees in a ball or cluster about the size of 

 a hen's egg. A whiff of smoke will scatter 

 these bees. The bees composing tliis angry 

 ball will sting each other, and are dragged out 

 in front of the hive. This gives the careful 

 apiarian notice of what is going on within. 

 Caging the queen over night within the hive is 

 necessary to insure her saTety. 



Delhi. Davis. 



IIl:^Send us names of bee-keepers with their 

 post office address. 



Perhaps some of the Jouunal readers have 

 been looking for more questions by Querist. If 

 so, they shall be gratified. Querist is highly 

 pleased with many of the answers to his ques- 

 tions in No. 2, and hopes those in this number 

 will be as promptly attended to. 



The most of us are satisfied ihsit fra^ne Jiives 

 are better than box Jiives for bee-keepers in gen- 

 eral; and as that point seems to be pretty well 

 settled, let us now settle tAvo more points, viz: 

 the best size and the best form for hives. 



These two features are inherent in cM bee 

 hives and are not covered by a patent, nor can 

 they be, for they have been public property as 

 long at least as bees have been domesticated. I 

 hope, therefore, that no writer who proposes to 

 discuss the points named will make use of the 

 word patent, for the purpose of bringing before 

 our notice some jiarticular patent hive that may 

 be worthless or otherwise. 



Those who have given these points — su'c and 

 form — careful thought, will find that each of 

 them may require an article by itself, and that 

 it will then be as long as most of us are willing 

 to read. Some of the Jouknal readers may 

 tiiiukthat Quiuby, Langstroth, andolherc, have 

 given us the ))est size for a hive. It may be so, 

 but I have my doubts about it. Two thousand 

 cubic inches, or about a bushel, may be as they 

 claim the best size; but if so, let us have the rea- 

 sons why. 



I presume no one will claim that the best 

 shape has been settled among all classes of bee- 

 keepers, for if this were true, we would not find 

 so many forms of hives in use. Now there 

 must be some particular shape that will secure 

 the bee-keeper more advantages than any other. 

 It may be necessary to discuss the best shape 

 for general purposes — that is, for those Avho 

 winter their bees in the open air; and also the 

 best shape of hive for those who winter in suit 

 able repositories. Latitude may also have 

 something to do with the shape of hives, as bees 

 south of latitude 38" would Avinter in the open 

 air in hives of less depth than several degrees 

 north of it. Querist. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Straight Combs. 



I use dividing boards with a few holes bored 

 through them. They are placed in the hive the 

 same as the frames; first a frame and then a 

 board. Put pieces of combs on the frames, 

 fastened with melted beeswax on the underside 

 of the frame. The bees will lengthen them 

 perfectly straight. 



Delhl Davis. 



There is a species of butterfly found at the 

 Cape of Good Hope which, when seized or at- 

 tacked, defends itself like the lioncy-bee by sting- 

 ing. It is the only one of that class of insects 

 known to be provided with .a sting. It is there 

 called the bcc-moth. 



