64 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



April 



a qiioen is well advaneod in age, and es- 

 pocially if with other than her own 

 bees. 



In early spring is the b(\st time to 

 carefully note the general conditions of 

 different colonics as to strength and 

 stores and watch their progress as the 

 season advances, liaving the queens all 

 the while with their own bees. 



Permanent improvements come slow- 

 ly, being the results of persistent efforts 

 and the ability to make wise selections, 

 wiiich each bee-keeper should be able to 

 do, as well as being sufficiently skilled 

 in queen rearing to perpetuate the de- 

 sirable (jualities of faitbful old mothers 

 ready to pass off the stage of action. 



Creek, N. C, March 1, 1900. 



THE MARCH BEE-KEEPER. 



Emphasizing the Good Things in the 

 Last Number. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



THE March number of The Amkhi- 

 CAN Uee-keei'ku has just reached 

 me, and as usual, it has its fac(> 

 washed, hair combed, and looks as 

 bright and happy as it is possible for a 

 bee paper to look. If a bright, cheerful 

 look has anything to do with securing 

 and keeping subscribers, I prophesy an 

 increase in the subscription list for our 

 •Empire State" bee paper. And it 

 lias seemed to me. tiiat of late, all of the 

 American bee pajjers have had a smiling 

 appearanc(\ vvitii clean faces and a 

 l)rifihter appearance than was thit in 

 days of yore. And I know this state of 

 Tilings will continut? .so long as reader, 

 writt'r and publisher work together, as 

 they should, for the ^M»od of the wIkMc 

 fraternity. May it always be so! 



A ZINC ENTR.\NCE niARI) TO PKOTECT 

 FROM ROHUKKS. 



On page 43 ]\1. F. K(>eve tells us how 

 robber bees found the (jueen]«'ss half of 

 Ills divided colony and went to "raiding 

 it in clouds." Tliis proves to him tlic 



"soundness of the theory that a queen- 

 less colony is liable to become the prey 

 of robbers." While there is plenty of 

 proof that queenless colonies are sought 

 out by robbers, and all should under- 

 stand that where any colony is known 

 to be queenless. all precaution should be 

 taken against their being robbed, yet 

 had Mr. Reeve left the queenless part 

 of the division wliich he made, on the 

 old stand, he would not have had the 

 experience which he did. As he manip- 

 ulated the queenless half, he placed 

 them in just the condition to attract 

 robber bees, by first placing the hive 

 top of the old one till they had "made a 

 couple of attempts at swarming," thus 

 drawing oflf the most of the bees over 

 sixteen days old back into the old col- 

 ony, when he closed the entrance with 

 wire cloth and moved this queenless 

 and "defenseless" part of his colony fifty 

 feet away. This threw the colony en- 

 tirely out of a normal condition and 

 plac<'d it in just the condition to invite 

 robbers the first day. and had he been 

 watching during that first day he would 

 have found plenty of robbing going on. 

 if I am not greatly mistaken, without a 

 single robber bee entering the hive. 

 How was this done '? The inside bees, 

 by the commotion resulting from their 

 abnormal condition, were caused to 

 take hone}' till their honey sacs were 

 lilhul, when, liuding themselves pris- 

 oners, they were ready to give of this 

 honey to any bee which would take it. 

 while the scent issuing from tliese con- 

 lincni bees drew outsiders to the place 

 where they could secure honey from the 

 prisoners. .\nd this accounts for the 

 cl()\i('s of raiding bees which were on 

 liaiid the next morning after tin' wire 

 cloth was removed. I'nder very similar 

 conditions I liave bad all tiie honey car- 

 ried from a hive without a single robber 

 bee entering it at all. I have given this 

 so tliat the many rc^aders of The Amer- 

 ican Bee-keeim'.k may not be caught by 

 being led into dividing colonies the wav 



