1900 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



83 



tion of the cluster during a prolonged 

 cold spell may turn the scales against an 

 otherwise fortunate colony by causing a 

 loss of a large per cent, of its force ; but 

 usually the difference can be accounted 

 for by other conditions rather than 

 varying qualities of the queens or bees 

 themselves. 



Left to themselves to survive if they 

 can, they become in time adapted to 

 their environments, and give the best 

 results where the management is on the 

 let alone plan. Unless one studies the 

 traits of the different races and manipu- 

 lates them accordingly, the purchase of 

 queens is a waste of time and money, 

 and there is no better plan for such than 

 to assist nature in supplying the very 

 best queens from the colonies that have 

 from actual service proven themselves to 

 be the best adapted to their seasons, 

 times of harvest and mode of manage- 

 ment, "regardless of race, color or pre- 

 vious condition of servitude." 



One who has studied the character- 

 istics of the different races can judge 

 somewhat of another's management by 

 the race he prefers, or that gives the best 

 results. Where they are manipulated a 

 great deal, those easiest to handle are 

 preferred and by a wise management 

 may give the largest yields; for this 

 reason some favor one and some 

 another. Let each one experiment 

 until he is fully persuaded which is best 

 for him, and then use the natural oppor- 

 tunities offered in assisting in "the sur- 

 vival of the fittest," and thus offset the 

 bad effect of preserving inferior colonies 

 that would naturally succumb. For, 

 when modern management is brought 

 to bear, and different means are resort- 

 ed to to preserve all colonies, the natural 

 conditions are knocked out of joint, 

 and the way opened for deterioration or 

 improvement. 



By a judicious selection results can be 

 attained in a short time, that nature 

 alone might be years and years in ac- 

 complishing; but even then they are too 

 slow for one to go crazy over. 



In the hands of experts the swarming 

 impulse may have been abated to some 

 extent, which is yet to be proven. Usu- 

 ally the failure to swarm can be 

 attributed to other causes than the 

 mode of raising queens. Unless this 

 part of the work be properly done it 

 may check swarming by failure to fur- 

 nish queens or bees equal to the task. 

 For several seasons there have been but 

 few swarms in our apiary, being to 

 some extent ushered from winter right 

 into summer weather, which so forced 

 vegetation in advance of the bees that 

 but few colonies were sufficiently popu- 

 lous to swarm before or at the beginning 

 of the first flows, which were so heavy 

 and sudden as to check swarming where 

 preparations were not already in 

 progress. 



With the return of favorable condi- 

 tions for early breeding, followed by 

 light and steady prolonged flows, the 

 return of the old-time swarming impulse 

 is anticipated ; and not an opportunity 

 will be wasted in taking advantage of 

 the circumstances to assist nature in 

 doing better than she would unaided. 



Thwarting nature by weeding out 

 the objectionable, to save cells from 

 any that may chance to swarm, is 

 not advisable; although any sealed or 

 nearly ready to seal, cells may be reason- 

 ably satisfactory, unless there has been 

 a perceptible degeneration. 



As has been stated in previous articles 

 it is hard to select a good queen in a 

 single season, and a number that come 

 up to our ideal standard in all appear- 

 ances, should be worked at least one 

 season for honay only, and then select 

 from these to breed from. 



The professionals may bring about, to 

 some extent, favorable conditions for 

 breeding fair queens when they do not 

 exist naturally, or take advantage of 

 them when they do exist, and secure 

 finerqueensthan many reared naturally; 

 but by exercising the same care and 

 with the same amount of labor the 

 naturally reared ones are hard to beat; 



