1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



79 



liive was a short distance from the rest, there 

 were but few bees around it, so tliat every thing 

 was promising a good view of tlie queen. I had 

 no doul>t but she would appear, for I find that to 

 excite the bees with warm sweets will invariably 

 bring out the queen, if she be of the right age 

 and the day favorable. In two minutes after 

 giving the sweets she appeared, large and bright. 

 Having taken a good view of her hive, she was 

 soon out of sight, but soon returned and entered 

 her hive, without much notice being taken of 

 her by the bees at the entrance. In ten minutes 

 she reappears, and now stays away a long time. 

 She is out twenty minutes; yes twenty-five. 

 And now my expectation is at its height. She 

 must soon arrive now, or not at all. Twenty- 

 seven minutes are now past, since she left the 

 box. At last she comes, pursued by a drone. 

 He is gaining rapidly on her. She is for enter- 

 ing her hive, but he is before her. Round and 

 round the box thef go ; but the queen gets 

 again to the entrance. In she goes, with ocular 

 evidence that she had already been fertilized. 

 The drone would also have entered, had it not 

 been that he was met by two or three workers 

 at the entrance, which disputed his right to that 

 hive. But the queen now complained most pit- 

 eously inside. The hive was opened at once, 

 and 1 saw the queen held fast on the bottom. 

 Without a moment' s delay the fumigator was 

 got, and freely applied to the parricides — for 

 what else can I call them. This compelled them 

 to let go. The queen now ascended the comb, 

 and the hive was closed. But in a moment she 

 came out, flying, and whirling around the box, 

 and after many littempts to enter again, she 

 succeeded, in spite of her vicious subjects. But 

 she was no sooner in, than out she came again, 

 on the wing, for precious life, inirsued by the 

 parricides. On entering the third time, she was 

 soon caught, and held fast, till liberated again 

 with smoke. I then caged her, and as I was 

 anxious to test her purity, I introduced her to 

 her own subjects in the evening, as if she had 

 been a strange queen ; and in two or three days 

 she had lots of eggs. 



Now, Mr. Editor, during this most interesting 

 hour among my bees, I flatter myself with the 

 thought of having learned something. But as I 

 feel my communication already too long, I can 

 only give you the result of some thoughts, with- 

 out any comment, which are as follows :— 



1st. That a very large queen cell may not pro- 

 duce a large queen, nor any queen. 



2d. That a queen, on her return, after being 

 fertilized, may be destroyed by her own bees. 



3d. That a laying worker is produced as de- 

 scribed above. 



4th. That a queen may pair more than once 

 with a drone. I have not the shadow of a doubt 

 but the queen descrilied in this communication 

 would have done, were it not that she frustrated 

 her pursuer's attempt by entering her hive. 

 What I now feel sorry for is, that I did not 

 close the entrance, so as to see what is seldom 

 seen. J. Andeuson. 



Tuerton, Canada, Sept. 11, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Extracted Honey. 



This being the first season that extracted 

 honey has been sold in this part of Maryland, I 

 was very anxious that mine should be put in 

 such shape as to establish a reputation, and 

 secure me a good market in future, when I 

 should have more of it to dispose of. 



As soon as I extracted thirty pounds, it was 

 put in a tin can, set in a vessel of boiling water, \ 

 and kept at boiling heat for twenty minutes. \ 

 This not only drives oft' all the moisture, which 

 would have evaporated, if the honey had been 

 left in the hive until sealed, but causes any 

 impurities, such as pieces of wax, &c., which 

 may be in the honey, to rise to the surface, when 

 they can be skimmed off — thus making it 

 perfectly clear ; but also expels all noxious sub- 

 stances. It is then poured into self-sealing glass 

 jars, and fastened up wliile hot. 

 • The first dealer to whom I showed the honey 

 asked me if I would "guarantee it not to candy 

 or ferment." I told him I was very certain it 

 would not do either while sealed up, but was 

 not so certain about it if left open. To test the 

 matter, I left two jars of it open, in a kitchen, 

 all the summer, and the honey is as good now 

 as it was when taken from the hive. 



I think heating the honey is very important, 

 and that it fully pays for the trouble, as the 

 combs can be emptied as fast as the honey is 

 stored, without waiting for it to be sealed ; thus 

 saving much valuable time to the bees in the 

 height of the season, and much trouble to your- 

 self in not having to uncap the combs. The 

 honey, after being heated, is about the con- 

 sistency of thick molasses, and beautifully clear. 

 I have known several instances of persons eat- 

 ing this honey with impunity, who could not 

 taste ordinary new honey without being made 

 sick by it. One of these persons was my assist- 

 ant in preparing the honej'. She had never in 

 her life been able to eat new honey, and now 

 she not only ate of this t-wice a day, but mixed 

 it with water and drank it, when she was heated 

 and tired, without its having the slightest bad 

 eftect upon her. 



That it is very popular and sells readily, may 

 be judged from the fact that I have, uj) to this 

 time, sold over a hundred and thirty-five (135) 

 dollars worth of it, at about twenty cents per 

 pound, from the seven hives on which I used the 

 extractor, as stated in the Journal for August, 

 and usually in the hot weather it is impossible to 

 sell honey at all in this neighborhood. I have 

 not the least fear of overstocking the market 

 with this honey, as it will pay well at fifteen 

 cents per pound, and every one who has used it 

 wants more of it. Besides, it can be used profit- 

 ably in making most excellent vinegai' — which 

 will serve to regulate prices. 



Daniel M. WoRTniNGTON. 

 St. Denis, Md., Sept. 12, 1871. 



Until the fifteenth century honey was used in- 

 stead of sugar. 



