THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



95 



hive, in a few days' examination 

 showed the queens alive and well, 

 and bus}' performing their impor- 

 tant duties. Of course we might 

 speculate, as one of our leading- 

 American beekeepers has lately 

 done in a leading paper in reference 

 to tlie queens compelling the work- 

 ers to make worker comb, but in 

 these days of scientific accuracy, 

 specidation or mere theorizing goes 

 for very little. We might wonder if 

 the bees did not cluster about the 

 new queen with murderous intent, 

 and upon further consideration be- 

 come smitten with remorse and so 

 let her ladyship go free. We might 

 wonder, too, if some of the bee com- 

 munit}' were not of generous mold, 

 and fearing harm for the queen 

 took her into their loving embrace 

 and sometimes embraced too hard, 

 and so killed the one' they would 

 protect. All this is but theory, 

 and until we know, we better 

 say we only know the facts, and 

 will not venture to explain the 

 whys. Were I to guess, I should 

 suggest that the bees flocked around 

 the queen with fell purpose, and 

 upon further consideration gave up 

 their murderous intent and adopted 

 as general mother her whom they 

 would have destroyed. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



CHANGING QUEENS AT 

 SWARMING TIME. 



Query liTo. 21. In swarming sea- 

 son, by means of the drone and queen 

 trap, while the bees are in the air, and 

 queen in the trap, could I not change 

 the queens? Would the bees accept a 

 queen at such a time? 



Jas. a. Russell. 



answers by henry alley. 



We never tried such an experi- 

 ment but once and that was a suc- 

 cess. Our method was as follows : 

 After the new swarm had been 

 hived we took a notion to test the 

 matter of introducing a fertile 

 queen to the parent stock. Having 



a black queen at hand just at that 

 time (we would not risk introduc- 

 ing a valuable queen by such a 

 plan) we caged her and placed food 

 such as is used in shipping queens 

 b}^ mail in such a waj' that the 

 bees could remove it and release 

 the queen. The cage was placed 

 over the combs and except to see 

 that the queen was released no 

 furtlier trouble was taken for ten 

 da\'s. The combs were then ex- 

 amined and we found that the bees 

 had released and accepted the 

 queen, destroyed the queen-cells 

 and had gone to work, just as though 

 no swarm had issued. A queen 

 may be thus introduced five times 

 out of ten. 



We generally have no trouble in 

 compelling bees to do just as we 

 want them to do except at swarm- 

 ing time, or rather when they 

 swarm, and at such times they are 

 bound to have their own waj-. 



We do not think a queen would 

 be accepted b}^ the bees left in the 

 hive after a swarm has issued, that 

 is, they would kill one if permitted 

 to run in at the entrance while 

 the bees are in the air. Under such 

 circumstances the bees would know 

 that a strange queen was an intruder 

 and would at once ball and sting 

 her to death. 



We know of no one who 

 has thoroughly tested introducing 

 queens at swarming time, therefore 

 we have answered the question. 



The drone and queen-trap will 

 give you perfect control of the 

 queen and swarm, but has nothing 

 to do with introducing queens. 



BEVERSIBLE HIVES. 



Gonzales, Cal. 

 Dec. 6, 1886. 

 Fhiend Allky : 

 I have noted with hiterest your des- 

 criptions of tlie "Bay State Reversible 

 Hive" and compared it with those of 

 Shuck and Heddon. Tlie need of such 

 a liive is much felt, though whether 



