2G2 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



being abundant tliis year, much of it has 

 been filled with drone bi'ood. When the 

 season is poor, the bees are slow in rear- 

 ing drones. 



The fact that there are young worker 

 bees in the hive, as you assert, proves 

 that they have a fertile queen, and we 

 have never heard of an instance where a 

 fertile worker, much less a drone-laying 

 queen was tolerated in a hive with a per- 

 fect queen. 



If you could examine the hives, you 

 would find, we think, that in the centre 

 of them there is much drone comb. The 

 small size of some (the drones) indicates, 

 we think, that part of the brood was fed 

 too little — not more than enough for 

 workers. This is frequently the case 

 where too much drone comb in the cen- 

 tre of the hive is found. We don't know 

 but we guess that the bees get tired of 

 feeding many drones so bountifully. 



If any one can explain our correspon- 

 dent's trouble any better than this, let us 

 hear from him. Did any one ever know 

 of a fertile worker in a hive that contain- 

 ed a fertile queen ? 



will serve as a comparison. Has any 

 reader of the Journal seen instances, 

 where the hatching of brood has been 

 suspended in this way ? 



Dear Editors : — On June Cth, I took 

 off a box of honey with brood enough in 

 it to fill a Langstroth frame. On Septem- 

 ber 8th, I i5ut this in a hive and it all 

 hatched out alive, having laid in the cel- 

 lar three months and two days. Have 

 you among your correspondence any case 

 similar ? Such authority as Mitchell and 

 Zimmerman, think it impossible. 



Napoleon, O. G. M. Le Van. 



We should also pronounce it impossi- 

 ble, unless you are certain there is no 

 mistake. Did you see the young bees 

 hatching? Is it not possible that the bees 

 removed this brood, it being dead ? 



Was the brood left in the cellar with- 

 out any bees about it ? 



We would be glad of nil the pai-ticulars 

 of a case, which seems to us at variance 

 with all natural laws. What would be 

 thought if we should assert that we have 

 taken eggs nearly ready to be hatched 

 from under a hen, put them in the cellar 

 for months, and then put them again 

 under a hen and then hatch. The cases are 

 not parallel, because insect life is not like 

 that of the fowl, but they arc similar, and 



Dear Editor : — Please answer the 

 following : 



1. Is the black bee more apt to store 

 surplus lioney in boxes than the Itali- 

 an ? 



2. "Will a hybrid queen mated with 

 a black drone produce hybrid drones ? 



3. I had a swarm of bees this sum- 

 mer that had a queen who begun at 

 the bottom of three honey boxes to 

 fill them, and did fill them. What 

 Avas the matter? 



4. How "will it work to pack a 

 double walled hive with sawdust, to 

 stand out of doors all winter? 



Bees liave done very well here this 

 season. The largest amount of honey 

 that I ever lieard of being taken from 

 one swarm, was one belonging to my 

 neighbor; a young sw\arm that made 

 56 lbs. of surplus honey. 



5. Stockton, N. Y. L. N. Siiedd. 



1. We have never seen any differ- 

 ence in the two varieties of bees, in 

 regard to their working in boxes. If 

 honey is plenty antl the colony large 

 enough, and boxes are put on early,, 

 any bees will work in them. 



2. We do not know what the 

 drones Avould be called in that case — 

 "hybrid"' we suppose. 



3. There was nothing the matter. 

 Bees often fill boxes in that way, es- 

 pecially if the bottom of the box is 

 very near tlie comb below, or if the 

 top of the box is too smooth. 



4. We have never tried a double 

 walled hive, packed with sawdust, and 

 cannot advise it ; but if yon jDut a dry 

 goods box six inches larger than the 

 hive, over it and fill the space be- 

 tween with straw, hay, or chaff, 

 covering the top of the hive also with 

 straw and putting on a cover, leaving 

 the entrance of the hive a little way 

 open. Your bees will winter well 

 out of doors. AVe would in'otcct 

 double walled liivcs in this Avay, as 

 well as single. It is not much trouble^ 

 if it does take some words to tell yon 

 how. 



