130 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Dec, 



could not imagine for what purpose she inserted 

 her body, if it was not with the design of de- 

 positing an egg therein. 



In former days, I watched hives with queen 

 cells very closely, when the cells were sufficiently 

 advanced for the reception of an egg, but 1 never 

 before noticed a queen near a queen cell —usually 

 finding the first eggs on my examinations in the 

 morning. These eggs I found fastened on the 

 bottom of the cells, the same as in other cells, 

 and I was then satisfied that only the queen her- 

 self could do it. A. GuiMM. 



Jefferson, October, 1871. 



^^ It IS known that, under certain conditions, 

 numerous queen cells are sometimes started in 

 colonies, .and again deserted and abandoned, in 

 their rudimental state, by the workers — having 

 been advanced only so far as to have received, at 

 most, a form resembling somewhat that of a 

 minioture acorn cup. It is also known, that such 

 queen cells as are designed by the workers to be 

 used, from first to last, for queen production, 

 undergo various modifications in the coarse of 

 construction, and even after they have been 

 capped over. Mr. Grimm's observations, given 

 above, render it almost absolutely certain that 

 the queen does deposit the egg in the royal cell — 

 a point about whicli there has heretofore been 

 much doubt and controversy ; but which, in 

 view of his statement, can hardly be regaided 

 as debatable any longer. 



But it now becomes desirable to ascertain the 

 precise form of the royal cell — particularly the 

 diameter of its mouth, at the time the queen 

 makes the deposit. We conceive the size and 

 form of these cells must, at that time, si> greatly 

 to resemble those of the common worker cells, 

 as to induce or tempt — if we might not rather 

 say, mislead, the queen to use them as egg de- 

 positories. For it does appear altogether un- 

 likely that a queen, even when perambulating 

 the comb in quest of empty cells, would be led 

 or misled to lay an egg in a wide-mouthed cell, 

 placed so differently from any which she had been 

 accustomed to see, and so little resembling them. 

 It hence seems probable that among the various 

 changes and modifications which these cells are 

 known to undergo, from their foundation to their 

 ultimate— not their first apparent — completion, 

 there is one which deceives the queen, or mis- 

 leads her to take it to be a common worker cell, 

 though somewhat oddly placed. And, further, 

 that this modification is of such nature as to 

 enable the queen, when ovipositing in such cell, 

 to impregnate the egg. which it would seem im- 

 possible for her to effect in a wide-mouthed cell, 

 such as the royal cell is usually conceived to be. 

 We cannot suppose, either, that a queen, con- 

 sciously and voluntarily, lays an egg in the royal 

 cell, for the purpose of initiating tlie production 

 of a rival or a natural enemy, to which she is 

 known to bear instinctive implacable hatred, and 

 for the destruction of which from — or even prior 

 to — its birth, her strenuous efforts are exerted 

 and directed. 



At all events, there remains a mystery here, 

 to the elucidation of which close observation 

 and patient watching, if not "happy accident," 



may lead. That a queen can distinguish at least 

 between cells of diftei'ent size, is evident from 

 her careful avoidance of drone cells at certain 

 periods ; and as it is not supposable that she 

 designedly selects or elects a cell for the purpose 

 of depositing therein an egg, destined to produce 

 her deadly natural foe, is it not more probable 

 that she is deceived into doing so, by strategy 

 on the part of the workers ? and that the same 

 strategy secures, at the same time, another 

 primary object of the arrangement and opera- 

 tion — the impregnation of the egg deposited? 

 We may, ere long, have occasion to recur to this 

 subject, and discuss it more fully in its various 

 aspects and bearings. — [Ed. 



[For tho Americau Bee Journal.] 



Improvement of Bees. • 



Can bees be improved? This question is not 

 without its importance to the beekeepers of this 

 country. But so little has been done in the way 

 of eft'ort in that direction, that we are left with- 

 out the light of any very extended experience to 

 guide us. Yet there are facts within our reach 

 which will aid us in coming to a correct conclu- 

 sion in regard to it. 



There is a marked difference in bees. The 

 difference in the bees of the northern and south- 

 ern portions of the United States — the black 

 bees of the north and the gray bees of the south — 

 is well known. In this region we have both, 

 with various shades of mixture. A close ob- 

 server of our native bees cannot fail to notice 

 dilferences in size, color, temper, disposition to 

 gather honey, and disposition to rob. The same 

 is true, even in greater measure, of the Italian 

 bees. They not only differ widely from the black 

 and the gray bees of this country, but they differ 

 among tlien)selves. They differ in size, in shape, 

 and in color, and marking. They differ also in 

 disposition. While they are, generally, more 

 tractable than the natives, some are more irrita- 

 ble than others. These and other dilferences 

 seem not to arise from admixture of foreign 

 blood, but from a tendency to vary from the 

 primitive type. And this tendency I believe to 

 be greater in the Italian than in the native bees. 



Another important fact is, some queens are 

 far more prolific than others. And if we judge 

 by analogy, we will be compelled to believe that 

 superior fecundity is transmissible. It is so in 

 the case of all our domestic animals, and among 

 all other organized beings, as far as we have had 

 opportunity of accurate observation. 



It is a fact worthy of consideration, that the 

 queen impresses her own character upon her 

 progeny more strongly than the drone does. The 

 progeny of a pure Italian queen, which has 

 mated with a black drone, show much more of 

 the qualities of the Italian than of the black 

 race ; while the progeny of a black queen and 

 an Italian drone, resemble the black bees more 

 than the Italian. 



From the above-named facts, it seems reasona- 

 ble that by careful selection, bee.s, as well as any 

 other kind of stock, may be greatly improved. 



