612 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 30, 



benefit to the crop. Mr. Jacob Maulhart said to me that he 

 was satisfied that his crop was better for having my bees at 

 his place last year. I have never heard of a practical grower 

 who dissented from this view. Ventura Co., Calif. 



Trials and Troubles of a Novice at Oueeu-Rear- 

 iug — The Honey-Guide, Etc. 



BY S. A. DEACON. 



After having well studied the theory of queen-rearing — 

 the works of Doolittle, Heddon, Sirarains and others — I have 

 Just been trying my prentice hand at the practice, and find 

 them two totally different things! It is early summer just 

 now in these latiiudes, the mercury ranging anywhere 'twixt 

 65° and 104° in the shade. There's a very slight honey-flow 

 jdst at present, but I am feeding. The following is my first 

 experience of queen-rearing: 



October 1 I made a strong colony queenless and broodless, 

 as per the books ; and gave 14 Doollttle's dipt cups contain- 

 ing just-hatcht larviB floating in royal jelly. Oct. 4 I lookt 

 and found only two accepted. Oct. 6 I tried again with 

 another strong colony. No cups this time, but tried Heddon's 

 plan of breaking three cells into one, whereby, we are in- 

 formed, we can get from 40 to 75 fine, vigorous queens from 

 one colony ! Well, Oct. 8 I opened this hive and found two 

 cells built out, and the remainder, i. c, the dozen or so other 

 breakages, all neatly repaired ! 



1 then went home, lay me down, and took a big think — 

 a la Doolittle. I knew it was no good consulting my bee- 

 books — I might as well have turned to the Psalms of David or 

 Solomon's Song ; their authors don't admit the possibility of 

 you getting less than a score or two of the finest queens the 

 oldest man ever saw from adhering to their simple directions. 

 As a result of the big think, I got puzzle-headed, but decided 

 to try again ; so, Oct. 9 I broke down cells — a la Heddon — 

 again, to find on Oct. 11 the partitions again neatly recon- 

 structed ; that's to say, all but two, as on the former occasion. 



I took another big think, and concluded it was owing to 

 the honey-flow not being strong enough. But, then, Heddon 

 says when that's the case, feed — and I fed. Now, just when 

 all this was going on, I happened to transfer some old box- 

 hives. One of these I found was queenless, and they had any 

 number of queen-cells ! This hive contained any quantity of 

 sealed brood, and, left to themselves, queen-rearing was a 

 success. Why on earth, then, do Heddon, Sirnmins, Doolittle, 

 etc., insist upon a colony prepared for qiieeu-rearing being 

 deprived of all its brood ? If they would only assign a reasoii 

 for It; but they don't. I see a contributor to the Bee Journal 

 for Oct. 19, 1893, does say, "Remove all combs containing 

 unsealed larvaj," and that any one can understand ; but why 

 those who have publisht books for our guidance should all 

 agree in demanding that the prepared colony be deprived of 

 all its brood, puzzles me entirely. 



Now, can any one tell where, in this my first essay at 

 queen-rearing, I have been at fault ? Suggestions, advice, or 

 Information leading to a knowledge of the why and wherefore 

 will be most liberally rewarded— with thanks. My own idea 

 Is, that the deprivation of all their brood discouraged the bees. 

 But, then, what do / know about it ? All I have to do is to 

 follow implicitly and unquestioningly the plain directions 

 given by t<liose experienced loaders of our calling whose names 

 I have mentioned. For instance, in the Bee Journal of June 

 28, 1894, a writer not merely direct* that all the brood be 

 taken away, but even underlines the word all. Heddon directs 

 placing the comb of hatching larv;c on which you wish your 

 queen-cells built, in an empty hive, and secure a population 

 for it by placing it on the stand of a strong colony. This will, 

 of course, catch only flying or nectar-gathering bees. Some 

 other authority — Doolittle, I think — says again that such boss 



are no good for the required purpose, but that the majority 

 should be nurse-bees, with any amount of chyme about them 

 all ready to feed the little infantas with. 



Do your census returns, in giving the number of inmates 

 of your mad asylums, slate the causes of said inmates' dis- 

 ease '? I ask because it would be rather, interesting to know 

 what proportion had gone dafty as the result of embarking in 

 the honey-producing business, and in vainly trying to reconcile 

 the strangely conflicting statements and assertions of those 

 who volunteer for its literary department. 



THE HONEY GUIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



In the number for July 30, 1896, Mr. James B. Drury 

 contributes a gossipy couple of columns on a great variety of 

 subjects more or less related to our pursuit ; inter alia, he tells 

 us all about the Indicator Minar, or " Honey-Guide" — tho not 

 all: and seeing that he suggests that I should give some In- 

 formation about this wonderful little bird, I will supply the 

 omission. 



Mr. D., or his informant, opines, or as good as asserts, 

 that the bird's object in leading human beings to a bee-nest is 

 to secure a feed of the larviB, or grubs. Of course, such a 

 meal invariably results from its intelligent and highly inter- 

 esting labors, but if the satisfying of his appetite were his sole 

 object, how comes it that instead of to a bee-nest he occa- 

 sionally leads one to a big puff-adder, or other of the serpent 

 tribe ; or, as it once happened to myself, onto the fresh spoor 

 or track of a big tiger ! It was in a narrow, rocky gorge, or 

 cleft in the mountains, and being unarmed, I rapidly retraced 

 my steps, muttering anything but blessings on the orultho. 

 logical little brat that so perseveringly led me into danger. 

 Altho in most cases the bird guides one to a bee-nest, it is 

 always advisable for his follower to keep his eyes open to 

 guard against being led into danger by it. 



MAILING QUEENS TO SOUTH AFRICA — AN EXPERIMENT. 



I have just received from Mr. Doolittle — through the ordi- 

 nary letter post — a beautiful, or once no doubt beautiful — 

 Italian queen ; for, alas ! she and her retinue of about 20 

 workers arrived lifeless. It was an experiment, and I am in- 

 clined to think very nearly a successful one ; for fully three 

 parts of the candy must have been consumed, inducing the 

 belief that they died when near their journey's end. From the 

 date of mailing, at Mr. D.'s home in New York, to arrival 

 here, was 45 days. They came, by my own suggestion, by 

 direct steamer from New York city — a very slow service I 

 have since ascertained. Had they been mailed via England, 

 the journey would not have occupied more than 30 days, and 

 the chances of their safe arrival would have been greatly in- 

 creast. Of course, I was terribly grieved about it, but it be- 

 ing an experiment, failure was not altogether unlookt for. 

 But good Mr. Doolittle (whose great works so strangely belie 

 his patronymic) is possest of too much determination, enter- 

 prise and pluck to own up beaten by one failure, and the ex- 

 periment will be repeated. 



South Africa, Oct. 23, 189(5. 



ISomehow, the foregoing article was misplaced, or it 

 would have appeared long ago. But the delay doesn't seem to 

 have lessened its interest and readableness. — Editor] 



Closing of the Season — Mating 

 Autumn Work. 



of Queens- 



BY L. A. ASl'INWALL. 



Irrespective of climatic conditions, the wheels of time 

 move onward, and with our best efforts, wo fail to keep apace 

 with Its inevitable trend. Most of us plan in excess of our 

 ability to accomplish, both as regards the things attempted 

 and the time occupied. 1 fully intended to clip all virgin 



