1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



39 



one hundred queens, and did not succeed in a 

 single instance, though I tried all the plans I 

 saw recommended. I think that the wire house 

 I use, or a smaller house — say two feet square — 

 placed over the nucleus boxes, with gauze of 

 such size meshes that the worker could pass, but 

 drones and queens would have to stay in, is the 

 only way to succeed. Many after confining 

 drones and queens together, take the presence of 

 a dead drone with extruded organs, as certain 

 evidence of the fertilization. But this will not 

 do, for I have frequently cauglit a drone while 

 he was flying, caught him Yery gently too, yet 

 the very touch caused the extension of the 

 organs and his instant death. I have frequently, 

 also, had them die thus in the cages with the 

 queen, and supposed that flying against the cage 

 caused it. 



Mt Nursery 

 is made thus : Put two cross bars to your honey 

 frames, drive nails two inches apart, through 

 these cross bars, and also through the top bar, 

 sharpen them well. ]\Iake wire cages two inches 

 long and an inch and a half in diameter ; fasten 

 at one end with a wooden stopper, and have a 

 wooden stopper in reserve for the other end. 

 Fasten the queen cell on this resei'ved stopper 

 with a tack, slip it into the cage, so that the 

 cage will fit tightly on the stopper over the cell. 

 Then stick these cages on to the nails in your 

 frame ; suspend the whole thing in a hive full of 

 bees, and all will be right. AVhen they hatch 

 you will not have to handle the queen in your 

 fingers. Just slip the cage off the sharp nail, 

 and dispose of your queen as you please. 



And, now, hurrah for bee-culture is the cry of 

 V Amateur. 



July 8, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



";Tlie Journal," "Hive Controversy," and "Intro- 

 ducing Queens." 



Dear Journal :— Please find with this a little 

 cash, to clear up A. B. J. record for 1871-72. 

 Wish that we could have the Journal fortniglitly, 

 by paying double price. Each number is so full of 

 interest, advertisements and all, that when re- 

 ceived, Novice-like we go for its contents regard- 

 less of every other duty, whether of a business 

 or of a domestic nature. Would gladly take every 

 contributor by the hand, and cordially thank 

 each for hi.s articles. Tlie enthusiasm of Novice, 

 the self-reliance and pluck of Alley, the quaint 

 satire of Quinby, and the crisp and instructive 

 sayings of Gallup, are the seasoning ingredients 

 for a rich treat, made up of the very best mate- 

 rials. 



Have read carefully the numerous articles 

 upon the great "Hive Controversy," "Rival 

 Claims," "Honor to whom Honor," &c., &c., 

 and must confess the acrimonious manner in 

 which this subject is being discussed, will not 

 tend to unite the great brotherhood of bee- 

 keepers. The opinion seems to prevail quite 

 extensively, that Mr. Langstroth has not been 

 fairly treated ; that some are unwilling to ac- 



knowledge him as the originator of the movable 

 frame ; and that thousands are availing them- 

 selves of his genius, without making a suitable 

 money recompense — all of which may be directly 

 or indirectly true. So far as we have been able 

 to discover, Mr. Langstroth has the credit of 

 being the first to introduce, in a practical form, 

 the movable frames into this country. And 

 when we consider their great utility and advan- 

 tages, it becomes plainly evident that we owe 

 him a mountain of graUtudf, and thanks. He 

 richly deserves it all. But keep your tempers, 

 gentlemen, and do not lose sight of the great 

 fact, that matters of tliis kind are very rarely 

 settled, so as to subserve the exclusive interest 

 of any one person. 



Not wishing to get entangled in this subject 

 at present, we will abriiptly leave it and pass on 

 to more congenial topics. 



Our bees were wintered in a perfectly dark 

 room in the cellar, under the cook-room, venti- 

 lated by means of a tin tube connecting with the 

 cook-stovepipe, as recommended by Mr. Briggs, 

 The hives were prepared by simply removing the 

 caps and supers. The temperature was kept at 

 33" ; the bees remained remarkably quiet during 

 their long confinement of four months ; and 

 each stock came out in the spring strong and in 

 a healthy condition. The average consumption 

 of honey did not exceed seven and a half pounds 

 per hive. We have wintered bees in a great va- 

 riety of ways, but never before got them through 

 so satisfactorily. Good ventilation and perfect 

 darkness are Indispensable for in-door win- 

 tering. 



One of the stocks lost its queen last fall, and 

 we did not discover the fact until quite late in 

 the spring. We gave them a nice one, and they 

 very pi-omptly dumped her out of the hive. 

 Tried smoking, caging, feeding, and detaching, 

 but without avail. The little mules obstinately 

 refused to accept a queen upon any terms. We 

 supplied them with a frame of brood in all stages, 

 with young bees adhering, taken from an Italian 

 stock, but it was of no use. Those perverse and 

 stifi:-necked old fellows would neither construct 

 a queen cell, nor allow the young bees to do so. 

 The future of that refractory stock looked dis- 

 mal enough truly ; but we were determined to 

 bring them to a realizing sense of their forlorn 

 and lost condition, if it took the last bee, and so 

 went at them in this way : Depriving a stock of 

 blacks of their queen, we put her in a large cage, 

 with muslin sewed over the top, and food enough 

 for a week's campaign ; then taking two frames 

 of brood, covered with young bees from a strong 

 stock, we placed them in the centre of the bellig- 

 erents, and suspended the cage between them. 

 Removing the hive to the cellar, kept them cool 

 and comfortable for three days ; when they were 

 brought out about sunset and allowed to fly. 

 We then fed them two spoonfuls of sugar syrup, 

 morning and evening, for several days. On the 

 sixth day we smoked them gently with cotton 

 rags, just enough to confuse and drive them to 

 their stores ; and after removing each frame and 

 sprinkling the bees with syrup, we immersed the 

 queen in the syrup, and released her on one of 

 the frames of brood, holding it in our hands 



