158 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Ry the way, we have liad a Bee Keepers' Con- 

 vention in this State, and their discussion was 

 about corn cobs. At a future time, I may have 

 somethiug to say on that corn cob question. 



Osage, (Iowa). Slisha Gallup. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Two Fertile Queens in one Hive. 



In attemptin<; to introduce the first I^alian 

 queen in my possession, I accidentally deprived 

 her of or»e of her smaller wings. This was 

 pulled out of its root in the effort to save her 

 from enraged bees. At the time the loss of the 

 queen was feared, but beyond expectation, she 

 was afterwards well received and became very 

 prolific. But during lier life, which was about 

 two years, the bees would continually construct 

 queen cells, apparently to supersede her. By 

 the way, this was very important to me. I 

 could obtain all the queen cells I wanted, and 

 also have them nearly matured in a full stock, 

 which to some breeders seems to be of so much 

 importance. But to return: this queen was re- 

 moved the second year to a distant apiary. Some 

 time in the fall I wished to use her at home. 

 Imagine my surprise when, on examining the 

 colony she Avas in, I found it to consist of nearly 

 one-lialf hybrids. Opening the hive, I found 

 the same original queen, about which I could 

 not be mistaken. But where the hybrids came 

 from was, at the time, a mystery to me, for I 

 never dreamed of two queens being in a hive. 

 A closer examination, however, revealed another 

 large but darker queen. These queens were 

 then put in different hives where each continued 

 to lav during the fall, but the old queen was 

 massing next spring. 



Kew Berlin, Pa. R. B. Oldt. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Voluntary Contractility of the Queen 

 Bee at Oviposition. 



Mr. Editor:— In Bee Journal No. G, Vol. 

 3, on page 115, there appears an article vmder 

 the above caption by Prof. Varro, in which, if I 

 read aright, he claims to have inserted the 

 "wanting link" iuthcDzierzon theory, viz: that 

 when the queen lays in a drone cell tlie sperma- 

 theca is closed by voluntary contraction, and the 

 egg is allowed to pass Avithout receiving any of 

 the seminal fluid. He also clauns that by tlie 

 insertion of this link, we can account for the ori- 

 gin and multiform appearance of the fraffmental 

 dash of impurity in Italian bees, without my 

 theory of absorption and circulation. 



Still further on in his article, he says: "Mr. 

 Thomas, in my opinion, reasons very cogently. 

 I congratulate him on what he has advanced, 

 and if tlie stubborn facts above alluded to can 

 be rocked to sleep, and tiie positiveness of his 

 conclusions thus be converted into truths, I shall 

 be ready to accept and acknowledge them of 

 course." 



Either through the ambiguity of the Professor's 

 language or my stupidity, 1 am unable to clearly 

 understand the facts alluded to, or see any con- 



nection between them and the inserted link. I 

 will, therefore, neither attempt to defend my own 

 theory ;ior rock to sleep his "stubborn facts," 

 until I better understand those facts. Will the 

 Professor express, if possible, so that I can un- 

 derstand it, how by the inserted link "we may 

 account for the origin and multiform appearance 

 of the fragmental dash of impurity in Italian 

 bees?" Also, what he means bj'- the remark that 

 "some black bees, there as well as here and else- 

 where, do ma.ke at times their appearance sim- 

 ultaneously with three banded, two banded, and 

 one banded bees in one and the same hive." 



I would, however, say that Prof Varro must 

 be mistaken in supposing that the link was want- 

 ing in the Dzierzon theory, until he wrote his 

 article, for it had been inserted several years 

 since by myself, if not by others; ajDpearing as 

 early as 1865 in a small hand-book on bee cul- 

 ture, written by myself, and called the ' 'Canadian 

 Bee Keepers' Guide." It maybe found on page 

 18, and reads thus: "My own oiDinion is, that 

 she (the queen) has the power and instinctively 

 doses the mouth of the sac when laying in drone 

 cells." 



With regard to "impeccability of temper," the 

 Professor says, "that inEurope his test consti- 

 tute the rule and not the exception." Suppose 

 we admit it, admit that pure Italian bees possess 

 impeccability of thmper, what is gained by it as 

 a test of ])urity? 



NotJiing at "all. For I afiirm that no stock of 

 Italian bees will possess impeccability of temper 

 that does not show three distinct yellow bands. 

 Such being the case the ]3urity of Italian bees is 

 susceptible of ocular demonstration; hence no 

 further test is required. Seeing the bands would 

 be proof of their sinless disposition. But lam 

 not prepared to admit that Italian bees are so in- 

 disposed to sting as Prof. Varro would make it 

 appear. However, as I desire to know the truth, 

 I sliall be happy to accept the friendly ofi'er to 

 call and see in person and examine the Profes- 

 sor's jmre Italians the first ojoportunity that of- 

 fers; but without the least expectation of bring- 

 ing away anything more of a sinless "Italian 

 fly" than its sting;' J. H. Thomas. 



Brooklyn, Ontario, Canada. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Reply to "More Seeming Puzzles." 



The instance related by Elisha Gallup in vol- 

 ume 3, i»age 112, in which two queens were 

 found in one hive during the winter, is as much 

 the exception and not the rule as any case could 

 be. First, it is a hollow log and not a hive. 



Now there would be no difiiculty in account- 

 ing for two queens in one "hollow log," provided 

 the log was long enough; and it would not re- 

 quire to be very long either, if the hollow was 

 properly constructed, for not only two queens 

 but even two colonies to remain in it for any 

 length of time, in perfect harmony, with the fact 

 tliat two queens are not allowed in one hive or 

 colony. For it will be understood that even in 

 a large box or hive, so constructed, that there are 

 two apartments with an auger hole passage from 



