20(5 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



November 



queens by the Simmins fasting method, 

 the editor wished further information. 

 I have never tried the system with vir- 

 gin queens. Alley's plan of running in 

 such queens with tobacco smoke is 

 quicker and more simple. As I stated 

 before, I believe the queen's attitude gov- 

 erns her reception. A begging, hungry 

 queen is always given food; and any bee 

 with whom they have "broken bread'" 

 becomes a member of the family. Ex- 

 cept in caring for the larvae a bee never 

 proffers food to another; it always has 

 to be asked for. Mr. L. C. Root, in 

 Quinby's New Bee-keeping says worker 

 bees possess just enough of the "mother 

 instinct" to cause them to care for the 

 larvae, but beyond that they have 

 nothing which resembles affection for 

 each other. 



' In the Bee-Keeper's Review for Sep- 

 tember is an article by me on the intro- 

 duction of queens, from which I quote 

 this: "The queen's attitude governs her 

 reception, and that attitude should be 

 one of supplication. Hunger will pro- 

 duce that ; panic in the receiving colony 

 will produce it, for every bee is then 

 turning for aid to every other bee, and 

 the new queen does as do the rest. 

 Swarming excitement does the same. 

 Perfectly produce those conditions and 

 you can introduce any queen." And I 

 do it with queens received by mail as well 

 as with those reared at home, and I give 

 them to colonies immediately on remov- 

 ing the old queen or at any time there- 

 after. Besides making the queen fast. 

 the other conditions for introducing can 

 be produced by deluging the colony with 

 tobacco smoke, or by shaking all the bees 

 from the combs, wliicli operation should 

 be preceded by a sufficient smoking to 

 make it a reasonably comfortable taj'k. 

 While the bees are in an uproar drop in 

 the que<!n or let her run in at the en- 

 trance, and leave them to themselves. 

 Such operations are preferably done near 

 the close of the day, as the night gives 

 them an opportunity to get ••straighten- 

 ed out" and to be ready to repel anj 



robbers on the opening of the following 

 day. Providence, R. I., Oct. 1, 1901. 



What loneliness is more lonely than dis- 

 trust. — George Eliot. 



SPRING FEEDING UNPROFITABLE. 



Feeding Colonies with Plenty of Stores 

 in Early Spring Detrimental and a 

 Hindrance to the Bees. 



BV I-. E. KERK. 



ALL the good arising from the act of 

 feeding colonies which are not 

 lacking in stores on unbolted 

 flour, sugar syrup, honey or other like 

 preparations, for the purpose of building 

 up or otherwise. I am convinced, after 

 many practical demonstrations, exists 

 wholly in the mind of the too enthusi- 

 astic bee-keeper. In every instance 

 where I have tried it, it has been even 

 deleterious in effects. Of course, colonies 

 short of stores must be fed, even in the 

 Spring ; but many hold that it will pay 

 to feed for stimulative purposes colonies 

 taken as a whole, regardless of stores. 

 July is the time to do all the feeding for 

 the year. The bee-keeper must see that 

 his bees go into Winter with sufficient 

 stores so that there can positively be no 

 need of disturbing the bees in the Spring 

 for the purpose of feeding. By preparing 

 them in this way the bee-keeper will 

 have no occasion to open the hives until 

 the weather is so warm that all danger 

 of chilling brood or breaking the cluster 

 is past. If some one would furnish me 

 the honey or sugar free, I should not 

 allow it fed to my bees before the 

 honey harvest. Bees will not bear 

 tampering with in the Spring and build 

 up rapidly. 



The queen breed(»r, needless to say, is, 

 of ci>urse, compelled to feed at all times: 

 but his bees are not in their natural con- 

 dition. His bees have thrown down the 

 honest way of earning their bee- 

 Dread by the sweat of their brow, be- 

 cause tending nursling queens ami 



