1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



257 



In extra strong stocks, made so by an extra 

 prolific queen, the bees renew their queen. Why ? 



In introducing queens it is not always a per- 

 fect success, though she may be accepted for the 

 time. After a few eggs are laid, the bees start 

 cells several times after being destroyed by the 

 keeper ; and less and less eggs are laid by said 

 queen until finally she is non-est. 



If cells are started, remove the queen and build 

 her up a stock with brood combs and bc^es, and 

 generally she proves her good qualities after 

 being fed by her adopted stock, or her own 

 bees. 



If bees swarm and are put back, or the queen 

 gets frightened or refuses to go with the swarm, 

 or falls down Avith the burthen of her eggs, 

 thereby proving her to be an extra prolific 

 queen, the bees will generally persevere until 

 she is killed, or a young swarm is sent off, and 

 the queen is generally lost in the melee. I have 

 saved such queens two years in good condition, 

 and it may be done longer. Give them room to 

 lay, or rest, as the case requires. 



Robber bees may enter some stock, attack the 

 queen, or change her scent or deportment, so as 

 to frighten her bees and induce them to start 

 queen cells. 



A queen may acquire an offensive odor from 

 being taken in the hand, or by picking her oif 

 one comb and placing her on another ; and the 

 bees will start cells to replace her. Is there any 

 better way to save such queens than to remove 

 them ? 



J. M. Marvin. 



St. Charles, Ills. 



[Fur tlie American Bee Journal.] 



Eaising Queens. 



At the request of a correspondent, I give a few 

 words about using the nucleus hive, described in 

 the Bee Jourkal of October, 1870. 



All that is wanted is in some way to get in each 

 compartment a frame of comb with bees, and a 

 sealed queen cell taken from a full hive. 



When the time comes for raising queens, select 

 a hive to be used for that j:)urpose ; find the queen, 

 and put the frame she is on, together with the 

 adhering bees, in one compartment of your nu- 

 cleus hive. This, of course, leaves the hive from 

 which the ciueen was taken (which we will call 

 hive A,) queenless, and the bees will immediately 

 go to raising queens. 



In about ten days queen cells will be sealed 

 over, when a frame containing one or more queen 

 cells may be put in each compartment of the 

 nucleus hive, together with the adhering bees ; 

 and the bees from another frame may also be 

 brushed into each compartment, and the frame 

 returned to hive A. If hive A has been flourish- 

 ing, so that it contains a good many young bees, 

 your nuclei will need no further attention. All 

 the older bees will fly back to hive A ; and if 

 there be only a few bees in the nucleus, it may be 

 well to fasten them in for a couple of days when 

 the nucleus is first formed. Frequently the queen 

 colls will be all found on one or two frames, and 



,in that case, a cell should be cut out for each 

 nucleus that lacks one. 



The queen that was taken from hive A and 

 put in the nucleus hive, may now be returned to 

 hive A ; and as soon as the frame from which she 

 was just taken in the nucleus hive, has queen 

 cells started on it, insert a sealed queen cell. If 

 the queen cell is inserted when the queen is first 

 removed, the bees will destroy it. The bees in 

 hive A will accept their queen without caging. 



If, however, you wish to raise more queen 

 cells, instead of returning the queen to hive A, 

 take a frame of comb from hive A, brushing off 

 the bees, and after takitig the frame containing 

 the queen out of the nucleus hive, insert this 

 empty frame in the nucleus hive, and brush the 

 queen and bees down upon it. The frame you 

 have now removed the bees and queen from, will 

 of coin-se contain eggs and larva3. Put it into hive 

 A, and the bees will immediately start queen 

 cells on it. These cells, as soon as sealed, may 

 be given to any of the nuclei, which have failed 

 to raise a queen. 



You may commence operations for raising 

 •queens as soon as drones appear, or as soon as 

 dione brood is sealed ovei-, probably about the 

 first of May, in the Middle States. 



As often as a queen is removed from a nucleus, 

 give it a queen cell, and let the bees raise another 

 queen. Your nuclei will raise queens by simply 

 giving them young brood ; but unless they are 

 quite strong, you had better give them sealed 

 queen cells from a full hive. 



In the luatter of 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



I generally adopt apian that I learned, I think, 

 from Mr. R. C. Otis. Suppose you have two 

 hives, Ko. 1 and No. 2, both strong, and an 

 empty hive, No. 3. 



From No. 1, take frame after frame, brushing 

 back all the bees into the hive, until only two or 

 three frames are left ; and as fiist as the frames 

 are emptied of bees put them in No. 3. Fill vip 

 the vacancies in both hives with empty combs or 

 frames. 



Remove No. 2 to a new location, and set No. 

 3 in its place. The returning bees from No. 3 

 will supply No. 3 with a good colony and will 

 raise a queen ; but it will save time if you fur- 

 nish them with a fertile queen from a nucleus. 

 To do this, as soon as No. 3 has started queen 

 cells, which will be in two or three days, simply 

 put in the queen at the top of the hive, or at the 

 entrance, without caging or any precaution what- 

 ever. I have not yet found an exception to the 

 rule that (i queenlss colony which has queen cells 

 started will readHy accept any queen, fertile or 

 unfertile. 



I am asked whether the Peabody melextractor 

 •will suit any but the Langstroth frames. I think 

 it will suit any frame in use, but I have never 

 tried it with any but two kinds. 



C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, Ills., Feb.. 1871. 



Water is absolutely indispensable to bees when 

 building comb, or raising brood. 



