1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



507 



the apiary has boon my schoolhonse, I thought 

 I would investigate this thing. I found an egg 

 in the upper story, the same as Rambler, and 

 have seen them more or less all through my 

 apiary work of 12 years. Well, I then believed, as 

 others, that the bees carried the eggs and plac- 

 ed them there. To prove or disprove it, as the 

 case might b(>, I have taken some of those 

 queen-cells with egss in them, and given them 

 to queenloss colonies ; and every time that I 

 succeeded in getting the eggs saved I found they 

 all hatched drones; and never, in all the cells I 

 have yet tried, have I seen any thing but 

 drones hatched from them. " Well," thought 

 I, '• you surely ought to have more sense than 

 to select a drone egg (or an egg laid for a drone), 

 every time, to raise a queen from." 



By very careful and close watching I have 

 found that all such eggs are deposited there by 

 workers— I mean laid by workers. I know that 

 almost .the whole bee-keeping world thinks 

 that workers nel^>er lay while they have a lay- 

 ing queen present; but I have found this not to 

 be the case. I also find that the first place a 

 laying worker wants to lay inis queen-cells or 

 queen-cell stubs. It might astonish somebody 

 for me to say right here that I have counted 

 more than fifty eggs laid in queen-cell stubs by 

 laying workers ; but it is true, nevertheless. 

 If there are no queen-cells or queen-cell stubs, 

 the laying workers will then use the drone 

 comb first, and, lastly, they will lay in worker 

 combs; and I have seen eggs so evenly deposited 

 by laying workers that their work could not be 

 detected till the larvie were scaled. 



Well, I have wandered away from my sub- 

 ject in talking about laying workers. But if 

 any one will prove to me that the eggs found 

 whore no queen has been produce either queens 

 or workers, then I will give it up. But in the 

 remark of mine to wliicii Rambler refers, I was 

 thoroughly satisfied tliat beos never carry eggs 

 from one cell to another, nor to any part of the 

 hive, nor anywhere else, for that matter, and 

 deposit, with the view of raising queens or 

 workers; and I am now satisfied that such is 

 not the case, nor are there any oxcipiioiis to 

 this rule. So, Mr. Rambler, the next lime you 

 see an egg in the combs, queen cell or not. 

 where you are .su7'e no queen has bfoii lately, 

 please take good care to see what kind of in- 

 sects they make; and if you get a worker- bee 

 or a queen, then I am fooled. I have often 

 read whore some poople have been surprised 

 and troubled to know where the beos got ogg'< 

 to rear a queen, when no queen, nor egg- from 

 a queen, had been in their hive for a mi»iit.li. 

 They did not wait to see what the cell would 

 deliver, as they probably did not know by the 

 looks of the cell that it was a drone, and would 

 affirm that the bees had a queen-cell, etc. 

 Well, a great many such things come about by 

 people not thoroughly investigating such mat- 

 ters, and go the rounds as facts, while the 



parties are perfectly honest and conscientious. 

 It is a mistake, that the bees reared a queen 

 from such a cell. Remember that one can tell 

 a cell that is going to hatch a queen, from one 

 that is going to hatch a drone, by its shape, 

 etc.. as a drone-cell will be rather smooth (or a 

 queen-cell with a drone larva in it) ; and I may 

 add, right here, that the drone as often dies 

 as hatches, as it seems, at a certain age, he 

 coils himself just as far from the food as possi- 

 ble, as though it did not agree with him. This 

 I notice a day or two before the cell is sealed, 

 and the drone larva will keep coming up away 

 from the food, and the bees will keep extending 

 the cell to cover him, and run out a great long 

 ugly cell. Such drones do not often hatch. 



RAISING QUEENS. 



I believe I have somewhere read a request 

 that I give my improvement on rearing queens 

 or starting queen-cells by my method. Well, I 

 will suppose that all read my plans of grafting, 

 etc., in Gleanings, last year. I have found 

 that, by careful selection of the larva used, say 

 about 8 to 12 hours after it hatches from the 

 egg, or, to make it plainer, just as soon as a 

 little bit of food can be seen about it, so I can 

 tell it has hatched, I use it. Then I select a 

 good strong prosperous colony, take away all 

 brood and queen, and let them so remain on 

 combs of honey till they mourn, as soon as the 

 cover is raised, which is usually 12 to 24 hours, 

 and show signs of restlessness; then I take the 

 small larvai as above from my breeder; have 

 cells all ready ; sit right down by the hive, 

 graft the cells, and place them on the combs 

 just under the sealed honey, or, say, half way 

 down the frame, and give a little extra space. 

 I have often 19 saved out of 20, and the finest, 

 evenest lot of queens 1 oversaw, natural cells 

 not excepted. 



Beeville, Tex., June 1. 



[You have given us a new theory or solution 

 of this problem, accounting for the presence of 

 eggs wIhm) tlien^ is no queen present. From 

 th.' facis you relate, it would seem you are 

 right. But siimotimes the best of observers ai'e 

 led to a wrong conclusion; we should like, 

 therefore, to hear from our qiioen-breoders on 

 this question — particularly Iroai Mr. Doolittle. 

 — EdJ 



i^ I ^ 



CRAMPS IN QUEENS. 

 feak assigned as the cause. 



B)i J. B. Case. 



I used to be bothered a good deal by queens 

 getting the cramps, when caging them. Some- 

 times they would appear all right when put 

 into the cage, but would keel over and lie on 

 their side motionless for several seconds, with- 

 out showing a sign of life, then begin to move 

 their legs, and then would drag themselves 

 around feebly, but would soon be all right 

 again, and as spry as ever. I was afraid they 

 might be injured, and returned several to their 



