264 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



Apiculturist for 1886, to which the 

 reader is respectfully referred. Since 

 that time Prof. N. W. McLain of the 

 U. S. Experiment Station has con- 

 firmed my position after many obser- 

 vations and well conducted experi- 

 ments on bees in winter quarters. 

 Under the Professor's able manage- 

 ment, the Experiment Station is a 

 success as every report from his hand 

 of new and valuable discoveries am- 

 ply demonstrates. 



QUEEN WITH PARALYZED LEG. 



Query No. 36. I have a fine queen, very 

 beiiutiJul and large. She came from a ceil 

 taken IVom one of my best colonies when it 

 swarmed. She is now in a nucleus. Was 

 looking at her and saw that one hind leg was 

 useless. This defect does not seem to imiiair 

 her fertility as I noticed that there were eggs 

 in every cell. 



1. ^Vill the bees in a full colony accept her? 

 2. Would they be likely to supersede heron 

 account of her lameness ? 3. Would you hes- 

 itate to introduce her ? 



Novice. 



ANSWERS BY R. L. TAYLOR. 



1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. I would 

 not use her except as a makeshift. 



ANSWERS BY C. C. MILLER. 



1. They have accepted such a 

 one for me. 



2. I think not. 



3- No. 



ANSWERS BY PROF. COOK. 



Yes, so long as she is prolific I 

 think they would. I do not think 

 they would try to supersede her, 

 so long as she is a good layer, and 

 so I should not hesitate to intro- 

 duce her. 



ANSWERS BY H. ALLEY. 



1. Yes, the bees will accept such 

 a queen ; but 1 dislike to introduce 

 a crippled queen. 



2. In some cases the bees 

 might supersede her, but will not 

 as a general thing. 



3. AVould use such a queen if 

 all right otherwise than lame leg, 

 and no others were at band. 



ANSWERS BY JAMES HEDDON. 



1. Although this queen maybe 

 a good layer and if very carefully 

 introduced be accepted, I think 

 that any physical imperfection in- 

 creases the danger of her being 

 destroyed b}^ the workers. 



2. Other things being equal, bees 

 are more apt to supersede a queen 

 having any deformity. 



3. 1 would try introducing her 

 if I needed her. 



ANSWERS BY J. E. POND. 



I don't think the useless leg will 

 cause the bees to reject her, and 

 do think they will accept her as 

 soon as another whose legs were all 

 right, and not supersede her on 

 that account alone. 



I should not hesitate a moment 

 about introducing her, unless I 

 had a perfect queen equally as 

 good. If I did not have as good 

 a queen that was perfect, I should 

 certainly hang to this one for the 

 present. 



ANSWERS BY DR. TINKER. 



I have had two queens that had 

 paralyzed legs from being stung. One 

 had two limbs so paralyzed and sub- 

 sequently mated ; both were ordina- 

 rily prolitic and the bees showed no 

 inclination to supersede them. Bees 

 in full colonies do not so readily 

 accept such queens, though once 

 accepted they are not likely to su- 

 persede them on account of the 

 lameness. I would not hesitate to 

 introduce such a queen if she was 

 otherwise valuable. 



ANSAVERS BY G. W. DEMAREE. 



Queens sometimes get one or 

 more of their limbs paralyzed in 

 their conflict at mating time. It 

 may be caused by the bees " ball- 

 ing" her, and I knew one case 

 where it was done by a conflict with 

 a rival queen. The two or three 

 queens I have had in that condition 

 were as prolific as other queens but 



