140 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the emergency. The honey-emptying machine 

 i9 one grand step in advance in the right direc- 

 tion; and together with the introduction of the 

 Kalian bee and the movable comb principle, has 

 given the business a wonderful impulse. If the 

 bee keeper will but understand his own interest 

 he cannot afford to do without these three im- 

 provements. By the way, however, for fear 

 some one should think that I am recommending 

 to the public something which I have to sell, I 

 will state that I have neither queens, hives, 

 nor machines for sale. J. W. Leay. 



Monroe, Iowa, Oct. 9, 1868. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Workers Beared in Drone Cells. 



In an experiment of driving out two full stocks 

 of bees that had not swarmed, and putting them 

 in a hive of entirely drone combs, they raised 

 all workers, except three or four drones that 

 seemed to be raised through mistake, as they 

 sometimes do in worker cells. What will the 

 advocates of Mr. Wagner's theory say about 

 the eggs being impregnated, by being laid in 

 small cells, when bets can raise workers in drone 

 cells, and drones in worker cells ? The drone 

 cells were not taken down to the base and built 

 up in worker cells, as might be expected. 



Here is a point for Mr. Wagner's theory. 

 The cells were changed from the middle to the 

 outer end, making them the size of worker cells, 

 with extra wax, making them in funnel shape 

 on the inside, with some irregular cells here 

 and there. 



The experiment was tried in a scarce time of 

 forage. In a time of a large yield of honey, or 

 on especial occasions, such as swarming or re- 

 newing of queens, they would raise too large a 

 portion of drones for profit, if having the combs 

 ready for doing so; while the case is different 

 if the combs are all of the worker kind. The few 

 drones they might raise in the small cells do not 

 generally amount to much, and the profits are 

 proportionally greater, having little or no drone 

 comb. J. M. Marvin. 



St. Charles, Ills. 



WW No full and precise statement of what is 

 known as the "Wagner theory" has ever been 

 made. The brief reference to it in Mr. Lang- 

 stroth's treatise on "The Hive and the Honey 

 Bee" is a mere outline of its general features as 

 then held by us, subject to such modification as 

 lurther observation and reflection might suggest. 

 We have not since felt called on to present our 

 views more in detail, nor do we propose to do 

 so now, contenting ourselves with the remark 

 that we do not regard the determination of sex 

 in the worker egg, by the queen, like Dr. Kiich- 

 enmeister, as a process altogether mechanical, 

 nor like Dzierzon as an act of pure volition. 

 We conceive the matter to be susceptible of 

 explanation, without reducing the insect to a 

 mere machine, or endowing it with faculties and 

 powers surpassing those conferred on any higher 

 order of creatures. The case stated in the fore- 

 going communication does not militate against 

 our views, but rather corroborates them. 



The notion, revived by Harbison, that "the 

 eggs to produce drones or males are generated 

 in or produced from the one side or branch of the 

 ovaries, and those producing females from the 

 other side," was advanced and exploded long 

 before he was born, unless he is a much older 

 man than we suppose him to be. It could not 

 even pass current with the Buncomites of those 

 days. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Queens Mating with Two Drones. 



Queens often mate with a plurality of drones. 

 I have known this since the fall of 1863, at which 

 time I raised my first Italian queen. I watched 

 one raised in an observing hive at that time 

 very closely, and found that she mated with four 

 different drones, bringing in the signs of con- 

 course very distinctly. I noticed that, after 

 mating, the queen does not fly again the same 

 day, but may do so again some otber day. 



Since the case mentioned, I have noticed the 

 like of it with more than twenty queens. When 

 we use the Kohler process, we should remember 

 these facts. They can be proved. 



I wish to state my opinion or theory based on 

 the above observations. It may be stated thus: 

 — A queen may mate with drones of different 

 breeds, as Italians a-nd blacks; and the sperma- 

 tozoids will not influence each other, but the 

 queen will. Consequently we may raise pure 

 and impure queens from such a mother. The 

 pure ones mating with pure drones of their own 

 kind will produce pure stock, both drones and 

 workers. If this theory is true, it will ac- 

 count for the various appearances in the proge- 

 ny of hybridized queens. Prove all things and 

 hold fast to that which is right. 



Delhi, (Mien) J . L. Davis. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Queens Mating Twice. 



I have observed this in the sense intended by 

 J. E. Pond, Jr., on page 110 of the December 

 number, to take place in a few instances. 

 Queens seen returning, or soon after their re- 

 turn, with the plain marks of copulation were 

 discovered, generally after three days had pas- 

 sed, to have again met the drone. In these 

 cases it was indisputable that the queen had 

 met different drones and on different days. I 

 account for it by supposing that, as is the case 

 with animals, copulation may sometime 3 take 

 place without resulting in impregnation. These 

 queens were caiefully watched thereafter, but 

 their progeny did not vary in color, as might be 

 expected had they been impregnated twice by 

 drones of different species. Of course, this 

 proves nothing, as they probably had paired 

 with pure Italian drones in both cases. It is 

 my opinion, however, that, when impregnation 

 is once effected, we have no reason to beneve 

 that any subsequent copulation takes place. I 

 thus account for the occasional cases of ob- 

 struction owing to the retention of the male or- 

 gan and consequent barrenness of the queen, 

 on the ground that "accidents will happen." 



Oxford, Ohio. J. T. Langstroth. 



