Aug. 21, 1902. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



537 



the one hived July 29, it i.s likely there would have been no 

 further swarmiiifj. Better still, if you had put the swarm 

 on the old stand July 29, puttinii; the old hive on a new 

 stand, that would likely have prevented further swarminff. 



Rearing Long-Lived Queens. 



1. Are queens reared in full colonies over an excluder, 

 from larva- not over 3 days old, reared either by the Doolittle 

 cell-cup plan or by the Alley plan are queens reared thus 

 inferior to (jueens reared under the natural impulse of the 

 bees, as by swarming or supersedure ? 



2. If so, are they inferior only as to longevity, or does it 

 also make them inferior in prolificness ? 



I have read with considerable interest the articles from 

 Dr. Gallup, as appearing in the Bee Journal, and, although I 

 would rather that the Doctor had been seriously mistaken 

 in his observations, than if he were not, yet the important 

 part of the thing is to know whether we are really rearing 

 queens by the aforesaid plans that will not give us the 

 amount of long-lived workers as will those naturally reared 

 by the bees. Ir.LiNOis. 



Answkks. — 1. They may be just as good. They may 

 also be inferior. To be just as good, conditions as to 

 strength of colony, yield of honey, and other things should 

 be all right. 



2. When they are inferior they are likely to be inferior 

 in both respects. 



If Dr. Gallup is right in saying that queens reared by 

 the Doolittle plan or by any other plan than by swarming 

 or superseding are necessarily inferior, then Mr. Doolittle 

 is either ignorant or dishonest. It is easier for me to be- 

 lieve that Dr. Gallup is utterly wrong than to believe that 

 Mr. Doolittle is either a fool or a fraud. Neither does Mr. 

 Doolittle stand alone, for a large number of others that I 

 believe are intelligent and honest stand with him. 



Bees Getting Black 'and Cross. 



What is the cause of our bees getting black and cross. 

 When I first got them, and for 3 years, I did not see any 

 black bees, and now more than '4 of them are blacks, when 

 they were all golden Italian, and all the bees here came 

 from the bees I brought. There were no bees in the woods 

 here. Minnksot.\. 



Answer. — It must be the working in of black blood. 

 Your young queens might meet drones from colonies a long 

 way off, and it would be difficult for you to be certain there 

 were no other bees within a radius of five miles. 



As to the cross bees, it is quite likely that if you observe 

 carefully you will find that all your colonies are far from 

 being alike. It may be that a single colonj- furnishes most 

 of the culprits. If so, kill the queen of that colony and 

 give them a queen of better stock. 



Diseased Brood—Feeding and Moving Bees. 



1. I have another nut for you to crack, and it is a serious 

 one this time, I think. I have 7 colonies in box-hives about 

 16 miles from here. Last April, the men that kept them 

 hived a fine swarm in a 10-frame hive, on 1-inch starters. 

 They filled the hive full of comb, and have a lot of honey. 

 They had a good-looking queen, a few old bees, a little 

 brood sealed, and a little not sealed ; a few eggs in worker 

 and drone cells. The most or all that was sealed, and part 

 of the unsealed, was dead. The dead ones are a little dark, 

 and very tough, but not ropy ; they smell a little sour, but 

 not much odor at all. The other two frame-hives are all 

 right, and the box-hive seems to be, too. They are in the 

 hot sun ; it has been from 100 to 108 degrees in the shade 

 for the past 6 weeks. Do you think it is either foul or black 

 brood ? No such disease has ever been here. 



2. If it is either foul or black brood they must have 

 caught it by using comb foundation. What do you think 

 about it ? 



3. If not black or foul brood, what do you think it is ? 



4. If I .send a sample to Dr. Howard, how large a piece, 

 and how should I send it / 



5. Would it be safe to ship a few colonies about .500 or 

 600 miles? 



6. If so, would early frost be the best time to do so ? 



7. I expect, on account of very dry, hot weather, to have 

 to feed .some. Will it be best to feed before or after I move 

 them. 



». Would it do to put one hive on top of the other in the 

 car '.' If so, ought I to nail strips to hold them together ? 



Answkks. — 1. I doubt it being either. 



2. It is pretty generally agreed in this country that 

 foundation will not carry the disease, and there are other 

 ways by which it may be carried. 



3. I don't know. 



4. Send a piece two inches square in a tin or wooden 

 box. Of course, the shape and size is not very important. 



5. They have been shipped farther than that. 



6. Then or a little later would be a good time. 



7. The combs will be lighter and less likely to break 

 down if you do not feed till after moving. But if you move 

 before feeding you must move early enough so that it will 

 not be too cold to feed afterward. 



8. It will be all right to put one on top of another pro- 

 viding you manage to give air enough. They should be 

 fastened firmly in some way so they cannot move about. 

 Strips would be all right. 



Robber-Bees Uniting Bees-Kingbirds. 



I have just purchased 3 colonies of bees in box-hives, 

 which I will number 4, S, 6, respectively, according to their 

 size. I also have two colonies in a weak condition, Nos. 2 

 and 3. After getting the box-hives home I placed bos 4 on 

 top of a 10-frame empty hive ; box 5, which is quite strong, 

 on a stand a few feet to one side ; and box 6. a rather small 

 colony, I attempted to transfer by the Heddon short method, 

 but in spite of all the pounding with a hammer and smok- 

 ing I could do, the bees refused to leave the box. Finally I 

 ripped open the box, and the bees went in the air. Finding 

 mostly empty combs, and brood in the combs with the box, I 

 went to hive No. 3 to get a frame of honey, and on my re- 

 turn the bees from the transferred box were going into box 

 4, making a great swarm. I immediately looked for the 

 queen of box b, and after searching half an hour found her 

 on a post near hive 3, having been carried there on my per- 

 son when I got the frame of honey. I placed the queen on 

 the brood in the new hive, but there %vere scarcely a hundred 

 bees within. 



To-day the big colony 4, busied itself by robbing hives 

 2, 3 and 6 ; these colonies were so weak in numbers, and the 

 robbers were so plentiful, that there was no fighting. The 

 robbers also hung in the entrance and unburdened each 

 home-coming bee of her load of honey and pollen. On open- 

 ing the hives I found what looked like a good-sized colony, 

 so I closed the entrances of hives 2, 3 and 6, carrying them 

 into the middle of a potato-field, where I left them to hum 

 until you can tell me what to do with them. 



Hives 2 and 3 have each an old queen, while number 6 

 has a nice, young queen. 



1. So far there has been no fighting. Do you think the 

 robbers, that are inclosed in these hives, will harm the 

 queen ? 



2. Will they unite with the other bees after being shut 

 up with them? 



3. How long can I safely keep them locked up ? 



4. If I feed sugar-water with a Boardman entrance- 

 feeder at night, will that help to make them stay ? 



5. Would you advise me to unite the 3 colonies now, 

 leaving them the young queen ? or let them drag until fall, 

 when I can secure bees from box-hives that the farmers are 

 going to kill for the honey in them ? 



6. If I unite the 3 colonies, will that be a good time to 

 introduce an Italian queen ? or would it be better to wait 

 until fall, when I add the bees from the farmers" box-hives? 



7. There are a happy pair of kingbirds in our orchard 

 that eat a good manv of my bees ; they are building a nest 

 of grass and cobwebs. Do you think they could materially 

 reduce the number of workers in a medium-sized colony of 



