THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Translated for the American Bee Journal. 



Early and Full-developed Queens. 



Whoever has, even superficially, exam- 

 ined the internal arrangements of the 

 hive, can see readily how differently the 

 ■development of the stock takes place un- 

 der varying circumstances. You may have 

 .seen a swarm fill in three days an ordinary 

 .sized hive, while it would take, with other 

 .swarms, three years to accomplish the 

 same. 



Hanneman tells us that in Brazil young- 

 swarms after one month send out new 

 .swarms, while under other circumstances 

 such a young swarm would not think of 

 swarming under a year. As with the 

 development of the whole hive, so it is 

 in resemblance, if not in proportion, with 

 the develoj)ment of each individual under 

 various circumstances and at different pe- 

 riods of the year. How marked the dif- 

 ference, we may see in the varying lengths 

 of the life of the worker bee at different 

 periods of the year. Of those bred in April 

 •or May, not one will be living six weeks 

 afterward ; or at least very few ; while 

 those born shortl}^ before lived to hoary 

 old age. Those hatched in August or 

 September, appear six months afterwards, 

 in Spring, as young and active as though 

 just one day old. Such is the effect ot the 

 constant and incessant labor during the 

 ,Summer,and the protracted rest in Winter. 



Should we observe the queen, the most 

 perfectly developed of all the bees, upon 

 whom depends the development, populous- 

 ness and profitableness of the hive, we 

 would see that her activity differs great- 

 13^ at different portions of the year. Nor- 

 mall}' her activitj' with us ceases entirely 

 during the last three months of the year. 

 Only in swarms which breed a queen late 

 in the season, or which are for a long 

 time queenless do we find any brood in the 

 fall and winter months, Avhich is owing to 

 the fact that the bees have a desire for it, 

 •owing to their long queenlessuess ; having 

 on hand in their cells a store of brood-food. 



This untimely ])reeding, especiall}^ if it 

 extends into the Winter, works to their 

 injury, and is as undesirable as the, in oth- 

 er hives, too early and extensive breeding 

 in Spring for fear of the cold. Also to- 

 wards the close of the honey harvest, an 

 earlier shrinking of the quantities of brood 

 would bo advantaireous. 



On Ihe other hand, in the early months 

 immediately preceding the honey harvest, 

 in April, May, and June, the bee keeper 

 desires to stimulate breeding to the ut- 

 most, and prevent any possible interrup- 

 tion. The more brood the hive now pos- 

 sesses, the more workers it will have to 

 gather the harvest. At the first start 

 young swarms are very industrious, but 

 this gradual^ diminishes, owing to inevit- 

 able loss of workers, without any supply 

 being furnished until three weeks later 

 when the young brood begins to hatch 

 out, and renew the life of the swarm. 

 From a strong colony we can gradually 

 remove great masses of bees, without any 

 injury- to its strength, either as regards its 

 flight or building capacity ; but should the 

 queen dej)art, either by natural or artifi- 

 cial swarming, or by any other means, all 

 building will at once cease, and how sadly 

 the swarm falls gradually behind hand in 

 its working capacities, all bee keepers well 

 know. 



The brood supply will disapjsear in a 

 few weeks, in which time several strong 

 swarms might have been reared, and per- 

 haps at the height of the honey harvest, 

 the hive will be almost empty of bees and 

 will have no surplus for its winter support, 

 if it even lives that long. Here becomes 

 apparent the advantages of the movable 

 comb hives and a rational system of bee- 

 keeping. Here these dangers of queen- 

 lessuess are so diminished as to be ren- 

 dered almost harmless. The swarm can be 

 readily su])plied with brood from time to 

 time, and more readily supjjlied with qneen. 

 While in other hives, eleven to thirteen 

 days will elapse before a young queen 

 will be hatched out, I can now remove a 

 laying que.en, and usually in two days after 

 have a young queen hatched, which in 

 eight daj'S Avill begin to lay. From April, 

 as soon as drone-brood is to be seen, I seek 

 constantly to have a supply of queen-cells 

 on hand. 



I utilize the queen as soon as hatched ; 

 generally, howevei', use the queen-cells 

 just before the queens hatch. ITo remove 

 a fertile queen, and introduce a young one, 

 or insert a queen-cell, will often miscarry. 

 One must adopt many maneuvers to reach 

 his object. To an unqueened stock, in the 

 meantime, I give a comb of brood from 

 another stock or nucleus, upon which are 

 found (|ueen-cells some days old, and give 



