AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL- 



ITS 



to the hive, I purchased several small 

 hives last season, but it being a very 

 sorry season, the results proved very 

 unsatisfactory. I expect to test them 

 more thoroughly the coming season, and 

 will report the result. 



Now, fellow bee-keepers, I would like 

 to hear from some of you on this sub- 

 ject. I mean you in the South who 

 have pasturage similar to ours. 



Deport, Tex. W. H. White. 



Something' New Discovered. 



I have proved to my own satisfaction 

 that young queens do not lay drone-eggs 

 In worker-cells at first, and then turn 

 out and lay 0. K. Neither do I believe 

 that all old queens lay drones in worker- 

 cells, as some claim. I have an old 

 breeder that stopped laying altogether 

 last fall, and I kept her up (or her col- 

 ony) by giving brood from black queens. 

 Well, after the bees hatched out and 

 new pollen began coming in, I noticed 

 eggs in two combs. Later on I discov- 

 ered the brood was all drone. I mur- 

 mured out, " You have laid yourself out. 

 Old Lady, and now lay all drones." 



But when the drones began to hatch 

 they were all black, so I " caught on " 

 that laying workers did the work with 

 the old queen with them, as her drones 

 were as yellow as gold, and I knew that 

 would not do. So here is a plain case 

 where laying workers are present while 

 they yet have a queen, but the queen 

 was not laying any at all. But if I had 

 not taken particular notice of this, I 

 might have concluded the old breeder 

 laid all drones in worker-cells. But the 

 truth is, she did not lay any at all, and 

 the workers, some of them, laid the eggs. 



Now, when we rear a queen in a hive 

 that has been queenless some time, or 

 introduce one just as the conditions 

 come right for the young queens to be- 

 gin to lay, the laying workers also be- 

 come ready and go to work with the 

 queen, and after a time said workers die 

 or disappear, and the queen goes on 

 with her duty, and all worker-eggs in 

 worker-cells is the result. 



But while the laying workers were 

 with her, the brood was partly drones 

 in worker-cells. Now, this is not always 

 the case, but is often so. I say that if a 

 queen begins to lay drones in worker- 

 cells, it is a sure sign of weakness, and 

 she never quits it, and soon dies. But, 

 on the other hand, when the laying 

 workers cease, the queen gets full con- 

 trol, and no drones in worker-cells. Do 

 you see the point ? I know this to be 



true, as I have tested it thoroughly be- 

 fore mentioning it in print. 



Now, I know that some will criticise 

 me on the above, but when you test this 

 matter as I have, you will decide wtth 

 me. 



I am going to test several other things 

 that I have " caught on to," then I wil) 

 give you all the benefit of it, and I want 

 you to get me down in your scrapbook, 

 that a young queen that lays drone-eggs 

 in worker-cells to any extent never gets 

 over it, or quits it. She's " no-good.*' 

 Jennie Atchley. 



Another Way to Catch Skunks. 



Mrs. Atchley : — I notice that you 

 want a way to catch a skunk, so here is 

 the best : 



Take a barrel, and make fast a piece 

 of comb on the side well down to the 

 bottom. Now put something under the 

 front edge so as to raise the barrel 

 about half way up, and put a wide piece 

 of board in front so that the skunk can 

 get in, and when he goes to get the bait 

 he turns the barrel up. CD 



You want to set the barrel so the 

 comb will be on the upper side of the 

 barrel when set. cz; 



We have three feet of snow here now 

 — Jan. 8th. Bees are put in about Nov. 

 15th, and put out about April 1st. They 

 consume about 9 to 12 pounds while in. 



Fredericton, N. B. J. McManus. 



Honey Usel In ProJocing Bees. 



Query 909. — How much honey Is con- 

 sumed in producing a given number or 

 amount (say one pound) of bees ?— Ohio. 



I don't know. — E. France. 

 I don't know. — C. C. Miller. 

 I do not know. — J. A. Green. 

 I don't know. — H. D. Cutting. 

 I don't know. — J. M. Hambaugh. 

 I don't know. — Will M. Barnum. 



