1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



243 



at the entrance ; a piece of old comb or even a 

 cotton rag will contain water for them if at- 

 tended to. As soon as the young queen hatches, 

 we place an empt^f frame in the centre of the 

 nucleus between these two full combs, and by 

 this time our little fellows have or arc ready to 

 commence operations, and wc have any quantity 

 of wax workers and nursing bees, and they will 

 inviti'iably fill this empty frame with nice worker 

 comb. The reader will remember our nucleus 

 hive contains three combs in each apartment, 

 and right here we will state that we stock the 

 four apartments all at the same time. We pre- 

 fer to give the parent stocks empty combs in- 

 stead of empty frames, for with an old queen 

 the bees are very apt to build too much drone 

 comb to suit us. If you have understood us 

 thus far, you will perceive, tliat the removal of 

 our combs containii% brood and adhering bees 

 from strong stocks and replacing empty worker 

 comb has not perceptibly injured the stock, 

 from which the nucleus was stocked. We have 

 lost nothing, but have gained a good nucleus. 

 To lv||ep this nucleus in good running or- 

 der, we extract the honey as it is required, 

 giving the young queen abundance of room to 

 depo.sit eggs, and the nursint,^ bees and wax 

 workers abundance of employment, and to keep 

 those nucleus strong and numerous, we exchange 

 combs occasionally, as required with strong 

 stocks, giving the strong stock an empty comb 

 or a comb containing eggs and young brood 

 from the nuclei, and giving the nuclei a comb 

 from the strong stock containing mature brood. 

 We think there is nothing gained, but a great 

 deal lost in keeping weak nucleus stocks. In 

 fact we want them fairly overrun with bees. In 

 the description of our nucleus hive we forgot to 

 mention, that there should be an inch hole near 

 the top of each apai^ment, directly over the 

 entrance, for ventilating in hot weather. This 

 hole can be opened or closed either with a slide 

 or a pine or cork plug. We prefer the plug. 

 It should usually be closed at all times in cool 

 weather or at night. You will now see tliat if 

 rightly managed, thei-e will be no desertion of 

 queens. Great heat will drive out a swarm from 

 any hive, and so it will from these nuclei, and we 

 have a miniature swarm here, so if we have two 

 queen cells, they are so strong and so numerous,* 

 that the fust queen iiatching will lead out a 

 swarm, therefore we must allow only one cell to 

 mature in the nucleus. If we wisli to raise 

 queens in these nuclei, we ins(n-t a comb (new 

 combs always preferred) in the centre of the 

 nuclei containing eggs and larvce just hatched, 

 and either cutting out holes and cutting down 

 cells to the foundation, or trimming up the 

 lower edge of the comb to suit our fancy, as we 

 like to have large cells hanging perpendicular 

 with abundance of food placed in the bottom ; 

 therefore, whether nuclei or standard stock for 

 raising good queens, the nursing bees must be 

 preparing large quantities of food for larva? at 

 the time of starting queen cells. We do not 

 like too many cells started, as we think in such 

 cases the nurses are apt to neglect all but a few. 

 Therefore we frequently have worthless natural 

 queens. 



Now, Mr. Eusticus, you will see with our 

 ideas and management there is not that great 

 necessity for the wire cloth partition that 

 many suppose. 1 have never used it, but saw 

 it used in Dr. Hamlin's apiary. We have- 

 thought that it might make the bees all of the 

 same scent, and thus at times create a difficulty, 

 but as we have never used it, we cannot speak 

 with certainty. 



With our method of stocking nuclei, we never 

 have to place them in the cellar. Recollect wc 

 are not giving our instructions to those that 

 know more than wc do, but to those that know 

 less. We prefer to leave the young queen in 

 the nucleus, until she has stocked it well with 

 brood and eggs. Before removing her, you will 

 recollect that we stated, we had about 60 

 pounds of extracted honey and 20 frames 

 filled with nice worker comb from one nucleus 

 hive, last season. Now, if you have understood 

 us thus far, you will perceive that these nuclei 

 thus managed will work just as well in propor- 

 tion to %heir numbers, as the strongest and 

 largest stock in your apiarj'', and we have vio- 

 lated no law of their nature, either in raising 

 queens or restricting the production of that 

 queen when she is raised, and we have received 

 a profit in honey and new comb fully equal to 

 the profit of standard stocks, as they are usually 

 manaued, leaving out the profit of extra queens 

 raised, &c. You will see in the article giving 

 the description of our hive, how to make a 

 standard stock of each of these nucleus hives in 

 the fall. 



Eltsha Gallup. 

 Ordiard, Iowa, March 15, 1872. 



[For the Americau Bee Journal.] 



Bees in Louisiana. 



Dear Friend : — After an absence of nearly 

 two years, I have retui'ned to my former home, 

 and much to my surprise, found at tlie Village 

 P. 0. all the numbers of your Journal, from 

 January, 1870. In my late home, my pursuits 

 were of such a nature, that I had but little time 

 to devote to my pets, and therefore did not 

 renew my subscription, which expired with 

 1869. * * -» 



Last year I had two colonies of black bees, " a 

 present from an old negro," with which to com- 

 mence. My limited leisure did not permit mucii 

 care of them, yet I increased them by artiticial 

 swarming to five stocks and secured five wild 

 swarms from the Cypress swarms in the rear of 

 my house. There was but little forage until the 

 month of March, when white clover was abun- 

 dant. This continued until about June 1st, after 

 which there was but little of anything to be 

 had producing honey. The rains in the spring 

 interfered much with the yield of honey, which 

 was very short ; say about twenty pounds to 

 each colony, leaving them an additional supply 

 of about ten pounds. They have wintered well 

 in the open air as is the custom here, and there 

 have been but few days during the entire win- 

 ter, when they were not flying. * * * 



