1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



275 



able to fnniisli iis in the fall, and so the drone 

 laj'er was kept until the latter part of i\Jarch, 

 when some brood had to be given them to keep 

 them from failing, so that we had all old bees and 

 but few in number, yet in flying freely in Feb- 

 ruary no spot was left on the snow at all. 



Another asks if they all had pollen ; to which 

 we reply that we have not been able to find a 

 colony destitute of pollen, even in winter. 



In fact, out of the sixty-three slocks we found 

 ample material for studying the subject most 

 thoroughly, which we were compelled to do on 

 account of sharper criticisms than Gallui^'s, that 

 came from an individual much nearer us. 



If anything else besides a pure winter diet of 

 coffee sugar is needed, we shall have abundant 

 O])portunity to test it next winter, and will do it. 

 We shall discard every particle of natural honey 

 for winter use ; and then if the snow is not dis- 

 colored and all colonies healthy, which we have 

 never had yet, we shall sail all the hats we got, 

 old and new, " better half's," children's and all 

 (just their hats). 



Mr. Gallup's article on nuclei's hives, p. 243, 

 we most earnestly commend. If any one thinks 

 his plan too much trouble, we should tell them 

 that we really doubt whether a beekeeper can 

 use his time to any better advantage. The same 

 directions will apply to the ordinary Langstroth 

 hive, with such modifications as any one will 

 readily pei'ceive. 



We might here mention that as an experiment, 

 we killed the drone laying queen before alluded 

 to, and allowed the old bees, assisted by a few 

 young ones — less than a teacupful in all — to 

 rear queens. For some time no cells were 

 started, but at length, only two, and then they 

 were quickly capped, as the larvee was nearly 

 ready to seal over. 



One hatched in a very short time after 

 sealing, and our assistants could find no queen, 

 although the cell was opened properly, but we 

 saw her at once, as we knew by jirevious expe- 

 rience what to look for, viz.: a three banded 

 worker with rather tapering body, shaped like a 

 queen between the shoulders, and of quick, rest- 

 less movement, unlike a newly hatclied worker 

 bee. We killed her and let the other cell hatch. 

 She was much the same, only perhaps a little 

 more queen-like, and we will report if she lays, 

 and how much. 



We have had queens when first liatched al- 

 most as unprepossessing, that afterward became 

 the mothers of some of of our finest colonies, but 

 not usually. Some have laid only a few hundred 

 eggs or so, and then stopped or become drone 

 layers. 



"There, Mr. Novice, is a proof that full colo- 

 nies are best for raising queens, right before my 

 eyes." 



Oh, no ! not so strong as that, but so far a 

 proof, that a teacupful of bees, all either very 

 old or too young to fly in cool weather cannot 

 raise a guod queen, judging from many careful 

 experiments, we think that one pint of bees of 

 proper age, in warm weather, during a yield of 

 honey, will raise as good queens as a two-story 

 hive fidl of bees." 



"But I should prefer being ou the safe side." 



Before answering this we tried to speak mildly, 

 for we always try to speak mildly when an argu- 

 ment comes up; that is, if we don't get too 

 much interested. 



"Even to devoting every one of our sixty 

 colonies to queen raising just now, if it was 

 necessary to have sixty queens within a month." 



We fear queens would be more than five dollars 

 each at that rate, and we should be very anxious 

 to know whether such a proceeding would really 

 be any safer or produce any better queens. 



Our basswood orchard is at this date, May 

 11th, in our opinion, glorious: Almost every 

 tree has started, and some of them have put out 

 shoots three inches in length. 



The chestnuts arc also doing their best, and 

 altogether the effect of the thousands with their 

 delicate green round leaves just touched by the 

 rising sun, dew drops and all, is just what we 

 said — "glorious." 



That all our bee-keeping friends might stand 

 with us and feel the thrill of pleasure in con- 

 templating the willingness with which old "dame 

 nature" lends her wondrous powers to our 

 guidance, is the wish of your old friend, 



Novice. 



[For the Araerieau Bee Journal.] 



Transferring Bees. 



As quite a number have given their method of 

 transferring bees, and as ours is somewhat differ- 

 ent we send it. Our plan is as follows : 1st. We 

 prepare the frames by nailing two strips of wood 

 on each side with one-half inch elect nails. We 

 then pry the strips loose at one end, on one side 

 of the frame (the strips should run lengthwise 

 ou the frame), and turn one strip up and the 

 other down, each a quarter of a circle. We then 

 place the frame bottom side up on a support 

 prepared for the ))uri)ose. The frame should be 

 slightly inclined from us. 



2d. We prepare the hive by inverting it. Take 

 off one side of the hive that will leave the broad 

 side of the comb towards us. We then place a 

 box over the hive for the bees to go up into. 



3d. Transferring. We cut the comb to a meas- 

 ure to fit the frame, and place it in the frame. 

 We then turn the strips to their place and press 

 the nails into place with our thumb ; we then 

 place the frame into the hive, and it is done, so 

 far. We have transferred bees from the woods 

 without trouble. Ten or fifteen miiuites is long 

 enough to transfer a colony. In transporting a 

 colony we fasten two or more frames together at 

 the end that just fit into the hive ; these strips 

 are nailed to the frames. 



Will some of the readers of the .Journal tell 

 us if it makes any difference if the comb is 

 placed in the frame bottom side ui3. Some think 

 it does not ; we think it does. 



Sessaye. 



Bice Co , Minn, 



In a word, thou must be chaste, cleanly, sweet, 

 sober, quiet, and familiar ; so that they love thee 

 and know thee from all others. Butler. 



