AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



461 



CONDUCTED BY 



Greenville. Texas. 



In-Breeding of Bees. 



Mrs. Atchley, will you please tell us 

 what you know of In-breeding of bees? 

 What difference it makes, and how long 

 does it take to tell the difference, if any? 



Sage, Calif. C. S. Lewis. 



Friend Lewis, you have struck me at 

 a weak place, and I must say I don't 

 know. Whether God intended that in- 

 breeding of the insect tribes should or 

 should not make a difference, is a point 

 I am stalled on. I do know that it makes 

 a vast difference In the animal creation, 

 and that retrograding begins just as 

 soon as in-breeding starts. It is said 

 that it holds good Tvith bees, but when 

 these sayings get started they go ahead, 

 right or wrong. I always try to keep 

 down in-breeding as far as possible, as 

 there might be something in it. I know 

 of about 30 colonies of black bees in 

 box-hives, that have been kept for 15 

 years, at least, 10 miles from any other 

 bees, and they started from one colony ; 

 and they are the most hardy, best honey 

 gatherers, and do the best of any bees 

 of their race that I know of. So you see 

 I say I don't know. 



Some Hints on Transferring Bees. 



I am pleased to see the ladies taking 

 up the bee-question, and proud to see 

 that at least some of them are getting to 

 the front, ahead of many of the sterner 

 sex. Being myself a bee-keeper for the 

 last 20 years, and having spoken 

 through the Bee Journal many times 

 before, giving and taking good, solid 

 blows, but always good naturedly, and 

 to the end, that we may all be benefited, 

 I would like to make a few suggestions, 

 or possibly corrections, about Lesson 

 No. 1, of " Our School in Bee-Keeping," 

 about transferring bees, on page 204. 



1st. I would not use a dipper to re- 

 move the bees to the new hive, as it 

 must kill or maim some of them, and 

 make the colony cross. I take a dish- 

 pan and turkey wing, and brush the 

 bees into the pan, then pour them in the 

 new hive, making a more complete trans- 

 fer, and have them out of the way. 



2nd. I would not lay the combs on the 

 frames to cut and fit, but would lay the 

 combs on the board, then lay the frame 

 on the comb, and cut with a sharp, thin 

 knife, on the inside of the frame, and 

 thereby have a smooth, exact-fitting 

 comb, that will just go into the frame. 



Remove the trimmings, then place two 

 strips of wood for cleats, across the 

 comb, extending just above and below 

 the frame. Place the other board on 

 top, and turn all over, remove the upper 

 board, and place two more cleats op- 

 posite those already there, and in place 

 of nailing them to the frame, tie the 

 upper and lower ends of the cleats with 

 twine, and place all in the new hive. 



When they have been there a few 

 days, gently lift the frames out, one at 

 a time, cut the upper string, and the 

 cleats will be easily removed, without 

 prying or jarring, as would be the case 

 if nailed, and the brood under the cleats 

 will hatch out, or be removed after the 

 cleats are taken off. 



With kind intentions, and a desire to 

 see the ABC class prosper, I am, their 

 friend. C. F. Greening. 



Orange Park, Fla. 



Age When Virgin Queens Mate. 



On page 916 of Gleanings for Dec. 15, 

 1892, Mr. Wilder Graham says that a 

 queen must mate in 21 days, or she 

 never mates. Will Mr. Graham please 

 excuse me, when I say that he is wrong 

 again ? Now just listen, and I will show 

 where he is mistaken, and I will tell 

 just when a queen is past being impreg- 

 nated. 



First I will say, that a good many 

 years ago, when I noticed a good deal 

 said on this subject, it put me to exper- 

 imenting. I have reared queens in No- 

 vember, kept them till the next March, 

 and had them mate and lay all right ; 

 and it was not only one queen, or two, 

 but, I think it will be safe to say I have 

 had a hundred, so treated; and all of 

 them, with a few exceptions, have proved 

 to winter over as virgins, and then mate 

 in the spring, and be just as good as any 

 of the rest. These queens were never 

 allowed to fly at all, as an excluder was 



