THE AMERICAN APTCULTURIST. 



55 



met with as well as stating what other 

 well-known style he has ever tried 

 and cast aside and why -he discarded 

 it, I, for one, should feel more like 

 preserving them, than most any other 

 series that could be written. If order 

 is ever to be brought out of chaos, 

 and uniformity replace hopeless va- 

 riety, what other course could be 

 more conducive to this result ? 

 Gonzales, Cal. 



[The coliiiniis of the "Apicultuuist" 

 are open and free to all who desire to 

 discuss any qiie.slion pertaining to bee 

 culture. We will remind Mr. Norton 

 that a perfect hive has not as yet been 

 invented. We must not expect to have 

 every desirable point combined in one 

 hive. Let us adopt those styles of 

 hives (there are a number ol good 

 ones) that combine Ww largest number 

 of good points and the least undesir- 

 able ones. We are using quite a mim- 

 ber of the 13. S. reversible hives and 

 remove the coml)s and replace tiiem 

 more quickly than we can the standard 

 frames; neither do we crush any bees. 

 The frames can in any hive be han- 

 dled so as to crush a large number of 

 bees, but with liitle care and patience 

 there is no need of killing any when 

 removing frames.] 



ITALIANIZING.. 



Korth Auburn, JVebrasI.-a. 

 Jan. 7. 1887. 

 Enrrou Am. '-Ai'i." 

 I would like your advice in det;iil as to 

 how to ijroceed to Italianize aliout twenty 

 colonies of" bees Ironi a colony of Italians'; 

 also your opinion as to the udvisjihility of 

 (nearly) a novice ill the business atteniiJiiiig 

 the uudertakinff. 



Any snugesiions or instiuctions in connec- 

 tion with tlie above (thvonsh voin' journal or 

 otherwise) will be gratefully received. 

 KesiiectUilly. 



N. P. Meadek. 



ANSWERS BY P. R. RUSSELL. 



Your correspondent N. P. Header 

 wishes to know about Italianizing 

 black bees, etc. Let him proceed 

 as follows : when his Italian colony 

 begins to get strong in the spring and 

 has plenty of drone-brood, supply 

 tlxm with an empty comb of worker- 

 cells of the previous season's make. 



On the third day, or as soon as 

 plenty of eggs have been placed 

 therein, remove the comb and cut it 

 up into strips about an inch wide. 

 An empty frame should be provided 

 having two extra bars equidistant be- 

 tween top and bottom-bars. Now 

 glue the strips of comb to the three 

 upper bars in such a position that the 

 cells containing eggs will open down- 

 wards. Next fit up an empty hive 

 with foundation, or combs without 

 brood and place the prepared frame 

 of eggs in the centre. Remove a 

 strong stand of black bees to one 

 side and place the new hive in its 

 stead. Now search for and remove 

 the queen and then brush all the 

 bees from the combs down in front 

 of the new hive. These brood-combs 

 should then be given to other colo- 

 nies needing them. Now you have 

 got a strong colony of bees without 

 brood of any kind, except the pre- 

 pared frame. 



It would be well on about the fifth 

 day to examine and remove all cells 

 except fifteen or twenty of the best 

 located ones. On the twelfth day 

 these queen cells may all be cut out 

 excepting one, which should be left 

 to hatch. Now examine and remove 

 as many black queens as you have 

 cells ; also, all queen cells that are 

 capped and supply each now queen- 

 less colony with a cell. I think it 

 less trouble to give the cells direct to 

 the colonies than to undertake to 

 hatch them in nuclei. , 



On the sixteenth day from the time 

 the eggs were laid, the young queens 

 may be expected to hatch, and this 

 may be known by looking at the cell. 

 If it is found open at the small end 

 everything is well, and I would not 

 take trouble to hunt up the young 

 queens, for very likely you could not 

 find them at all. These young queens 

 will become fertilized between the 

 sixth and fourteenth day after hatch- 

 ing and we want them to meet Ital- 

 ian drones if possible. To this end 

 I would confine all the black drones 



