THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



199 



can houses engaged in general dealings of the 

 kind, have just issued a new odilion of their 

 very complete and handsome C:itaio!j^ue for tlic 

 current and coming season. It fills 225 pages, 

 illustrated with nearly 400 engravings, and is 

 sent to applicants l?^r one dollar — less than the ac- 

 tual cost of production, and this amount is de- 

 ducted on the receipt of orders from those who 

 have paid it. Every Planter, or j\Ierehant en- 

 gaged in dealings with Planters, in the South, 

 ought to have a copy of this Catalogue. 



In our present condition there is no subject 

 60 important as the introduction of labor-saving 

 machinery and tools on the farm and in the 

 household." 



[For the AmeiicaL Bee Journal.] 



Can Bees Breed without Water? 



On the 27th of October last, I introduced an 

 imported queen into a stock of hybrid bees that 

 had, during leu weeks, had a queen whose eggs 

 would not hatch, and which had tor this reason 

 a large amount of bee-bread stored up. 



On November 10th, before I put this hive into 

 the cellar, I examined it and found that it iiad 

 sealed brood in three eomlis. I made another 

 examination about a week later, and found a 

 large number of young bees hatched, and the 

 same amount of brood-comb as before, filled 

 with eggs and young larvic. I examined again 

 and again, and tbund that the colony went on 

 breeding, though tliey could not get any water 

 and I nc^-er gave them a dro[). They could not 

 get any from condensed vapor, as all this escaped 

 through nine one inch veniilation holes in the 

 honej^-board. To-da}', January 13lh, I examined 

 again, and found the last set of brood nearly all 

 hatched, and every cell that was before occupied 

 by brood, filled with eggs or larviC. The bees 

 ajipeared very lively and healthy, and had in- 

 creased to triple their original numbers. 



Can any one explain where these bees got the 

 moisture wherewith to nurse their brood, if they 

 need any besides what is c<iutained in the honey V 

 The temperature in my cellar is, and has been, 

 excepting a few days, from 34-' to 44-' — F. I 

 have not offered any water to any of my colo- 

 nies this winter; but did so repeatedly last win- 

 ter, though not onedrop of it Avaseverconsumed 

 by any of them. From this observation I came 

 to the conclusion that bees do not need any 

 water when kept in a cool cellar, iind that they 

 can breed without it ; but that tliey must have 

 bee-bread to feed their brood. The stock refer- 

 red to bad to-daj' nearly the whole of its large 

 supply of bee-bread consumed. 



Three j'ears ago, I wintered one hundred and 

 seventy swarms in the cellar of my dwelling 

 house, in which the temperature ranged from 45^ 

 to 52^ F, excepting on a few days near the lirst 

 of January, ilcrc the bees seemed very thirsty, 

 and drank water very freely. A number of 

 stocks, however, which I tlid not supply with 

 water, had a small lot of sealed brootl on the 

 25th of March, when I took them out of the cel- 

 lar. They showed no signs of dysentery, and 



their abdomens were as slender almost, as when 

 they Avere lirst put in the cellar. They, how- 

 ever, Avere verj' restless, and many Avere lost by 

 leaving the hive. I therefi)re Avould not advise 

 bee-keepers to ke ^p bees in cellars, the average 

 temperature of which is higher than 34" to 4i4P F. 



A, Grimm. 

 Jeficekson, Wis., Jan. 13, 1808. 



[For tho Amoricau Bee Journal.] 



Sending Queens by Mail. 



Having succeeded in sending a fcAV queens by 

 mail, in the fall of 1807, I am encouraged to 

 further trial. The box 1 u.sc for this purpose 

 costs so much less than the one sent l)y express, 

 that I can better afford to make it and pay post- 

 age, than furnish the one heretofore used. 



If I continue to succeed in this method, I will 

 describe the box I con.sider best — having tried 

 several. 



Although this idea is original Avith myself, I 

 shall not patent it ; and one object in referring 

 to it here, is to prevent others doing so. 



!St. Johnsville, N. Y. M. Quinby. 



[For tlie Aiuerican Bee Journal.] 



Varronian Theory. 



Prof. Varro's article of five column?, begin- 

 ning on page 144 of the Bee Jouiinaj., I suppose 

 Avhen reduced to common English, means to 

 say that the egg of a queen-bee must form a 

 component part of the food of a young (pieen in 

 the incipient stages other being. His theory is 

 very ingenious, but unfortunately there are a 

 fcAV facts Avith Avliich it seems to come in collis- 

 ion. Any one may test the i)rinciple by shutting 

 up a quart or more of bees, most of Avhich should 

 be quite young— Italians are preferable. Give 

 them a fcAV combs in Avhich is sufiicient honey 

 to last a fcAv days; see that there is not a cell 

 containing an egg— using combs that Avere taken 

 from the bees las-t fall, if convenient. Noav, 

 from sume populous hive, cut a piece of comb 

 two inches long by ludf an inch Avide, which 

 shall contain nothing but hirvte hatched about 

 two days. I often get such a piece six inches 

 square. Fit this piece in a middle comb, as di- 

 rected in "Bee-keeping Explained," page 323. 

 Said piece Avill contain about thirty grubs. 

 Confine the bees to this for tAvo or threedaj's. 

 At the end of this time, there wiL be half-fin- 

 ish(;d queen cells, containing young queens and 

 a full i^ui)ply of food. In a day or tAvo more, 

 after the bees are let out, such cells Avill be fin- 

 ished, and in due time bring forth perfect Ciueens. 

 Where a large number of nuclei is started in this 

 Avay, they avIU average about four cells each. 

 Three-fuurlhs of all the queens I raise are man- 

 aged just in this Avay. Now, Avill the gentleman 

 explain Avheu and how the eggs for feeding 

 these queens were obtained ? Let it be in lan- 

 guage Tve can all understand, dilfering some- 

 Avhat from the article on pag3 144, in Avhich a 

 fastidious sense might almost detect a trace of 

 pedantry. M. Quinby. 



St. JonxsviLLE, N. Y. 



