180 THE BEE-KEEPERS" REVIEW 



why should bees be an exception to this natural law? Our de- 

 licious and wholesome apple of the present day was originally the 

 sour, miserable Siberian crab; our sweet and juicy peach was from 

 a bitter fruit of Asia; our improved Irish potato sprang from an in- 

 significant tuber of South America. Our improved breeds of horses, 

 cattle, hogs, poultry and in fact all of our plants and animals, have 

 been brought up to their present state of perfection by intelligently 

 and carefullv breeding up from the wild originals. How far 

 this improvement can be carried with the bees is difificult to deter- 

 mine, as the organs of reproduction in the queen as well as her 

 fertilization are, I may say, anomalous, so unlike the breeding of our 

 domestic animals that the queen breeder Avill always have a lot of 

 difficulties to contend with. 



In breeding queens of any variety of bees there is a tendency to 

 sport and run back towards the original, especially is this true in the 

 yellow varieties. For this reason it is important to select breeding 

 queens that possess a strong individuality, and capability of stamp- 

 ing their characteristics upon their progeny. This information can- 

 not be had by the mere appearance of the queen, but by practically 

 testing her queen and worker progeny. 



DRONES SHOUI.D BE SEI.X:CTi:i». 



It is very important to select the most desirable drones for the 

 purpose of fertilization. Drones should be reared with as much care 

 and attention as our queens, and during the breeding season see to 

 it that your apiaries literally swarm with drones from the choicest 

 breeders. Drones from a vicious and irascible colony may corrupt 

 the worker progeny of the majority of the young queens in an 

 apiary. All impure and objectionable drones should be disposed 

 of by frequently examining the colonies and shax'ing ofT the heads 

 of the young drones in the cells; by cutting out the drone comb 

 and inserting worker comb in its place, and by the use of drone 

 traps. For this object I know of nothing better than Allen's queen 

 and drone trap. 



The highest type of a queen can only be obtained when all the 

 conditions for her development are the most favorable. These con- 

 ditions we can learn by observing a colony the evening before 

 swarming. The hive is crowded with young bees, the temperature 

 is maintained at a uniform heat ; honey and pollen are plentiful, 

 and the entire colony is infused with life and intensity of purpose to 

 perpetuate the race. Hence it would be but natural for them to put 

 forth their best energies in the development of the future queen 

 that is to lay the eggs to produce the population of the colony. 

 Therefore, the breeder should study the economy and condition of 

 the bees at swarming time, and endeavor to keep his breeding col- 

 onies in approximate conditions. 



