92 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL^ 



[Oct., 



troduciiig young queens, just hatclied, into full 

 stocks. In almost every instance the workers 

 deliberately dragged them out, as if of too little 

 importance to be allowed hive room. From some 

 of these stocks I had removed the old queens 

 just before attempting to introduce the young 

 ones. Others had been queenless for several 

 days. I have seldom had any success in my 

 efforts to introduce unfertile queens. 



A FERTILE WORKER. 



My neighbor apiarist, Mr. P. D. Boyer, has 

 had quite a siege with a "fertile worker," in one 

 of his hives. This stock had been destitute of a 

 queen for some time, when he gave them some 

 sealed queen cells. In a little while afterwards 

 he found these cells torn out and an abundance 

 of eggs scattered through the combs, in both 

 worker and drone cells. Supposing that another 

 queen had by some means got into the hive, he 

 made a thorough search, several times repeated, 

 for her, but searched in vain. He then, suspect- 

 ing the presence of a fertile woi'ker, looked time 

 and again for her, but he could see no difference 

 in the appearance of the workers. Eggs con- 

 tinued to be scattered profusely through the 

 combs, sometimes as many as five in one cell. 

 The bees built what looked like queen cells over 

 the brood of this layer, but they failed to hatch. 

 After several efforts he succeeded in getting them 

 to receive a fertile queen, and then all went on 

 right. The brood from this animal, whatever it 

 was, hatched out droves. Those that were in 

 drone cells looked just like other drones. Qiocere. 

 Have such drones the power to fertilize queens? 



M. C. Hester, 



Charlestown, Ind., Aug. 25, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



AnotlieT Beginner in Iowa, 



Mr. Editor : — In reading your valuable paper, 

 I see now and then a word from a beginner, and 

 being in that plight of misery myself, I thought 

 I would let your readers know that there is still 

 another new hand, trying to gain a livelihood by 

 the way of stings and honey. 



I am yet a young man, just starting in life, a 

 resident of Jefferson, in Greene county. My 

 attention was first called to the "little busy bee" 

 by W. H. Furman, Esq., of Cedar Rapids, who 

 is well-known throughout the State, as a first- 

 class apiai'ian and breeder of Italian queens. 

 He attracted my attention to that branch of in- 

 dustry, while exhibiting at our County Fair, last 

 fall, and of him I purchased my first stand of 

 bees, in the "Langstroth Hive," also Langs- 

 troth's work on " i/te Hive and Hon,e.y i?ee," 

 and then subscribed for your valuable Bee Jour- 

 nal — neither of which I would now do without. 



Last spring I bought four more stands, all 

 Italians ; thus making my start with five colo- 

 nies. I concluded to commence right, by placing 

 myself under the instruction of a practical bee- 

 man ; and am spending the season in the apiary 

 of Mr. Furman, at Cedar Rapids. I have found 

 that, for a novice, there is something to learn. 

 My success thus far has been a doubling of my 



stock, two hundred and three (303) pounds of 

 honey from the lower part of the hive, taken by 

 the use of the slinger, and ninety (90) pounds of 

 box honey. Reports from home say that the bees 

 are still storing honey rapidly from some source. 



Why do not some of the writers tell us more 

 that would be of practical benefit, with less of 

 "I," or "my hive," &c. ? For instance, their 

 method of preventing robbing, which I find to 

 be one of the greatest difficulties at this time. A 

 little advice iij this line, I think, would be grate- 

 fully received by beginners generally.* 



Edwin A. King. 



Cedar Rapids, loioa, Aug. 21, 1871. 



* IL^" The former volumes of the Bee Journal 

 contain many articles and suggestions on pre- 

 venting and checking robbery by the bees. 



[For the Amencan Bee Journal ] 



Introducing Italian Queen Bees. 



I have had good success by the following 

 method : 



Take for a bottom a board six inches square ; 

 for ends two one inch strips ; for sides, 

 glass five by six inches ; top two and a quarter by 

 six inches, inside the space inclosed by the glass. 

 Cut most of it out. One large hole covered with 

 wire cloth ; a smaller hole covered with a paste- 

 board card made to slide, the end projecting out- 

 side for handle. Put a frame with comb inside, 

 with queen. Set the box over the bees ; with- 

 draw the slide a little, and let three or four bees 

 up. After awhile let up a few more, and repeat 

 the operation till the box is full of bees. In two 

 days more, withdraw the slide and the queen 

 will go down. The honey boards I use favor 

 this method. They are made of plasterer's 

 laths dressed to a quarter of an inch ; the ends 

 halved, and fastened with 2|^ oz. tacks. The 

 middle piece that runs lengthwise, is one inch 

 thick and two inches wide, nailed on the top, 

 which makes six holes. 



» 



Under the long middle piece tack straps of 

 tin to project three-fourths of an inch into the 

 square spaces ; make a separate corner for each 

 hole, to remove when the boxes are put on. 



J. WiNFIELD. 



Hubbard, Ohio, Aug. 3, 1871. 



Bees.— The Paris (Ky.) Mercury says : Farm- 

 ers tell us that this is a prolific year for humble- 

 bees — they have never seen as many "in their 

 born days." In numerous instances farmers 

 have stopped i)lowing in consequence, the bees 

 being troublesome to the plowman as well as to 

 his team. 



