42 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[August, 



make, use, or sell such subordinate patent with- 

 out liis express consent. We therefore caution 

 bee-keepers that the use of such hives, unless 

 duly licensed, will render them liable to dam- 

 ages for each and every hive so used." 



"While movable comb frames of Huber,Munn, 

 and Debeauvoys, for want of the features in- 

 vented and patented by Langstroth, have failed 

 to be adopted for practical purposes by European 

 bee-keepers, the Langstroth invention is now 

 endorsed by some of the most eminent foreign 

 apiarians." 



This information as to what Mr. Langstroth 

 claims, as granted by the Patent Office, after re- 

 peated examination of them, will relieve the 

 mind of Mr. Beck with and other inquirers, and 

 the result of the suit now brought by Mr. Otis 

 against H. A. King, for infringement of the 

 Langstroth patent, will speedily settle the whole 

 question, and determine the liabilities of par- 

 ties. Let the Bight prevail. 



H. N. OSBOUN. 



Concord Depot, Va. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Two Things Worth Knowing. 



The general impression among bee-keepers is, 

 that when a top swarm issues from a hive and 

 then returns, the queen is either lost on the ex- 

 cursion, or did not leave the luve. Last sum- 

 mer I met an exception to this rule. A small 

 Italian swarm issued from a little hive. The 

 little things showed an unwillingness to alight, 

 and made an attempt to leave for the woods. 

 They were met by a shower of cold water, 

 which checked their flight ; and after spending 

 about twenty minutes in the air, they returned 

 to their box, all right. The queen rested a lit- 

 tle on the front of the hive before she entered. 

 Next day she came out again witli her subjects, 

 and took to the woods — which ended her history 

 to me. 



Last season I visited one of my hives, to re- 

 move from it a frame. As I knew where the 

 frame stood, and was satisfied that I could get 

 it without any trouble, I oi^ened the hive with- 

 out using any smoke. I drew up my frame, 

 which had a small piece of comb and about two 

 dozen bees. Without thinking that the queen 

 might be on it, I laid it out of my hands, lean- 

 ing it to the side of the hive, and closed up the 

 box. As I took up the frame, to shake off the 

 bees at the entrance, behold ! the queen— the 

 very best Italian queen I had— was on it. At 

 once I reopened the hive, laid the frame with 

 queen and bees on the top of the other frames, 

 and began to tip it a little, so that the queen and 

 bees might descend among their works. But 

 to my very great pain, the queen was no sooner 

 on the top of the frames than she was caught 

 by her own subjects. A battle then ensued. 

 My penknife was unsparingly used, and many 

 of the rebellious and ungrateful subjects fell be- 

 headed at their queen's side. The excitement 

 became intense on both sides, and for protection 

 I now took the queen into my hand, then pulled 



up the frame, and placed her on its centre. But 

 her legs had hardly touched the comb, when she 

 was caught again, and another battle had to be 

 fought. The penknife proved too sharp for a 

 number of the foes, but 1;hey became too numer- 

 ous even for the knife. I had again to take her 

 up into my hand, and she was yet unhurt. I 

 now besmeared her with honey, and to revenge 

 my injured feelings, I used my fumigator with 

 the greatest freedom ; then placed her in the 

 centre of the hive, and left the scene of battle 

 with a wound or two, which I received in the 

 conflict. 



But I began to feel anxious about the safety 

 of my queen — one which, at that time, no money 

 could purchase — and in about two hours, I 

 again visited the scene of battle, and to my hor- 

 ror found my queen was held fast, stung, and 

 di awing her Inst gasp. 



Can any of the experienced bee-keepers of the 

 United States inform me, through the Bee Jour- 

 nal, what caused the bees to destroy their 

 mother? Or, wherein did I fail? Or what 

 should I have done in the circumstairces? A 

 reply will be thankfully received. 



J. Andekson. 



Tiverton, Bruce, Canada. 



CCF" Queens are sometimes enclosed by their own 

 workers for their protection, when a stranger queen 

 happens to get into the hive, or when it is suddenly 

 attacked by robbers ; biU in such cases there are no 

 manifestations of animosity. At times, too, they are 

 so encompassed when returning from the hymeneal 

 excursion, and then always with decided evidence of 

 hostile intent, usually terminating fatally. It is sup- 

 posed that, on such occasions, the returning queen 

 contracted, while abroad, an odor displeasing to the 

 bees, causing them to reject and destroy her. This, 

 however, is as yet a mere surmise, hypothetically ac- 

 countinfi' for an occurrence that secTus otherwise in- 

 explicable. But rejection aud deadly implacability 

 under circumstances like those above stated, consti- 

 tute a ease different from either, and one new to us. 

 Instances, however, have been known where the bees, 

 on the removal of their queen, have almost instan- 

 taneously — even before the hive was closed — proceeded 

 to start queen cells, seemingly eager to rear a succes- 

 sor, without delaying to bemoan their loss. Possibly 

 such was the case here. The queen may have been 

 aiied and in decline, barely tolerated as yet by the 

 workers, in contemplation of speedily superseding 

 her. Suddenly flndiug her gone, they may, instead of 

 grieving over their deprivation, have gone to work 

 w;th alacrity to su])ply her place, if indeed arrange- 

 ments to that end had not previously been initiated, 

 if so, would they not be likely to take in dudgeon her 

 unexpected and undesired re-introduetion, and treat 

 as a stranger one for whose supposed death they had 

 declined to mourn ? 



What explanation can others suggest ? — [Ed. 



A gentleman travelling thi'ough Grantham, 

 Lincolnshire (England), observed the following 

 lines on a sign-post, on which was placed an in- 

 habited bee-liive : 



" Two wouder.'i, Grantham, now are thine, 

 The highest spire, and a living; sign." 



The wine or fermented liquor of honey is 

 called ^'viead.^' 



