1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



43 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



A Warning. 



Mk. Editor :— Under the above caption, Mi-. 

 J. S. Flory cautions new beginners a,ii,ainst the 

 careless practice of reserving black queens for a 

 few days. He had come very near losing a 

 queen that cost him twenly-three dollars, by a 

 black queen getting loose and entering the hive 

 that contained his valuable queen. 



I now wish to add another occurrence which 

 has cost me the loss of a valuable queen just re- 

 ceived from Rev. A. Salisbury, June 22d. Yes- 

 terday evening, about four o'clock, I took out a 

 cage from Davis' Queen Nursery, with a queen 

 five days old, and as she was dark colored I 

 thought I would risk her, by way of experi- 

 ment. Dr. Davis says, as they know of no other 

 place to go to, they will return to the very spot 

 from which they took wing. Well, I set the 

 cage down five or six feet from the hive that 

 contained Mr. Salisbury's fine queen, and opened 

 the door. The queen took wing at once, marked 

 the place, and was off. After waiting a good 

 Avliiie for her return, I gave her up as lost, but 

 left the cage at tlie same place for her to go in, 

 in case she should return. Late in the evening 

 there were no signs of her return, and I took the 

 cage away. This morning I went to see if there 

 was any sign of her having returned. When, 

 lo ! to my great chagrin and surprise, there lay 

 my beautiful Salisbury queen dead at the en- 

 trance of her hive. I suspected at once what 

 was the cause. On examining inside, I quickly 

 saw the runaway queen in a cluster of bees. 

 My chagrin was then so great that I mashed 

 her to pieces between my thumb and fingers. If 

 ever 1 try another queen in that way, I will go 

 at le;i>t one hundred yards from any stand. AH 

 inferior queens I shall kill at once. 



I liave failed with all plans of fertilization in 

 confiucment ; but I am going to succeed next 

 year, if I live (if anybody succeeds). I have in 

 view a plan that will be entirely natural, and yet 

 exclude all impure drones. No air cstle, this ! 

 I cannot get leisure to try it now, so late as it is. 

 I should have to build it first, which would take 

 about two weeks' time. 



R. M. Akgo. 



Lowell, Ey., July 5, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



A Purther Warning, 



Mk. Editor : — After writing my communica- 

 tion yesterday at noon, stating how I lost a 

 valuable queen, I acted unwisely before noon, 

 and came near losing another. 



Just about sunset, I removed a young queen, 

 not over eight or nine days old, in order to in- 

 troduce a finer one. Half-a-dozen children were 

 then stopping at my house, to stay over night 

 and start on the train next morning. As they 

 had a curiosity to see a queen, I pulled off one 

 of her wings and mutilated the other, and gave 

 her to them. After playing with her awhile, 



she got lost in the hall in some way. I looked 

 carefully all around the room, but could not 

 find her. I had no fear of her getting to the 

 apiary, but this morning, as I went to introduce 

 the fine queen, to my great surprise, there was 

 the lost queen in the hive again, wingless or 

 mutilated as stated. Had I not happened to see 

 her at once, I would not have had the least idea 

 of a queen being present. But how she got 

 there after sunset and a distance of thirty-eight 

 yards from the hall door, and i^assing seventeen 

 stands to her own, and that with one wing off 

 and the other mutilated, is a mystery to me. 

 There was also one gate to jsass through, but I 

 suppose she crawled under. When we have a 

 queen that we do not wish to reserve, kill her 

 at once. This shall be my plan hereafter. 



Introducing Queeks Safely. 



In introducing queens, the only plan on which 

 I never failed in a single instance, is this : Put 

 the queen in a cage so constructed as to contain 

 honey in a sponge, protected from the bees with- 

 out. Leave her in the cage at least six or seven 

 days. Then remove all cells that may have 

 been started, unstop one end of the cage, put a 

 piece of comb in the other, and let the bees 

 gnaw her out at leisure. This is the way I in- 

 troduce all valuable queens after July 10th, and 

 I have never lost one. 



I have tried putting a i^iece of comb in the 

 cage, and putting the cage in immediately after 

 removing the old queen, but lost every queen in 

 that way, and shall never try it again. From 

 spring until July, I generally use the cage with 

 a piece of old cotton cloth tied over the end, and 

 let the bees gnaw out in twenty-four or forty- 

 eight hours. 



In giving directions how to introduce queens, 

 we should say whether the same will do for all 

 seasons. Some directions will do for spring that 

 Avould fail in every instance in the fall. On page 

 10 of the Journal for July, friend Nesbit gives a 

 lamentable account of failures in introducing 

 imported queens. But why didn't he tell us the 

 time of year it was? He might have saved all 

 his queens on the plan I give above, which is the 

 same used by Mr. A. Grimm, for fall operation ; 

 only Mr. G. does not fix the feed in the cage. 

 I think the feed necessary ; but be careful that 

 you do not fix it in so as to besmear the queen 

 with honey. I generally put half a dozen bees 

 in with her to lick the honey off. Bees will not 

 always feed a caged queen, is the reason I think 

 the feed placed in is necessary, 



R, M, Argo. 



Lowell, Ey., July 6, 1871. 



Our mode of introducinir queens is as fol- 

 lows: Kemove the old queen a day be (ore you pro- 

 pose to otter hei' successor ; leave off tlie honey 

 board, and place the cage you intend using on the 

 fi-ames, over the place where the bees are most 

 densely crowded. Scent the cage with peppermint, 

 and spriukle the bees with sweetened peiipermint 

 water, or give them a supply of this in a feeding boi ; 

 thfu replace the cap or top of the hive. Next day 

 scent the cage afresh, and sprinkle the bees liberally, 

 or feed as before. In the evening, if your new queen 

 has arrived or is available, place her in the cage on 



