1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



769 



Our own manipulations with this frame justify 

 their statements. Where they gain in speed 

 rests in the possibility of handling three or four 

 frames at a time: and propolis, after these 

 frames have been in usefor years, cuts no figure, 

 but it probably would in your locality. As we 

 have explained before, in older to remove a 

 loose or open-end frame, it is necessai'y lo finger 

 over several frames before it can be drawn out, 

 otherwise the bees will be rolled over and some 

 killed. With the HofPman. when we crowd one 

 we crowd over all nexttoitat once, and then we 

 can remove the fi'ame we want, and yet really 

 handle only one fianie. Then, too, there is a 

 great gain 'in closing up a hive with these 

 frames. All that is necessary is to crowd on 

 the outside frame, and they are all simultane- 

 ously spaced, and the hive can be closed. There 

 are several other points where we gain in speed 

 of handling; but as I have before explained 

 them, it will not be necessary to go over the 

 ground again.] 



THE INTRODUCTION OF VIRGIN AND LAYING 

 QUEENS. 



TAKING AWAY THE 01,D BEES 



I have been reading an answer by G. M. Doo- 

 little on introducing virgin queens, and I have 

 been thinking of writing something on the in- 

 troduction of (jueens in general, as, at this sea- 

 son of the year, to many it is not an easy under- 

 taking to introduce a queen safely. There have 

 probably been almost hundreds of suggestions 

 as to ho'w to introduce queens, and I find almost 

 every method will at times fail, and almost 

 every method, on the other hand, will succeed. 

 The introduction of virgin queens I find so diffi- 

 cult and unci^rtain that I avoid doing so, when- 

 ever I can: by holding the queen-cell between 

 my eye and the light. I can generally see if she 

 is about ready to come out. She can be seen 

 distinctly, moving slightly in the cell, perhaps 

 only a leg. but the movement is almost contin- 

 uous: then if the larva is at the right stage 

 when given to the queenless colony there need 

 not be much doubt about the time the cell is 

 ready to hatch; and whenever there is room I 

 introduce the cell directly into the nucleus. 

 When a colony or nucleus has capped cells it is 

 not a difficult matter to introduce a virgin 

 queen; or if there has been a virgin queen im- 

 mediately before, it is not a difficult matter to 

 introduce a virgin queen. The bees want just 

 what they had before; if before, a laying 

 queen, then a laying queen; if a virgin, a virgin 

 and so on. During a heavy flow of honey we all 

 know the conditions are favorable to the intro- 

 duction of queens. 



I will give a method which has been given to 

 me, of introducing a valuable queen. Take one 

 •comb of uncapped brood; place it in a hive with 

 perhapsoneor two empty combs; remove the old 

 colony, the one you wish to introduce the queen 

 into, to a new stand, leaving the hive having 

 the comb with brood, etc.. on the old stand. 

 The bees old enough to have mai'ked their 

 location will leave the old colony, and fly back 

 to the old stand, when the valuable queen may 

 be introduced with safety, as the younger bees 

 will not molest her. Of course, time enough 

 must be allowed for the old bees to fly out from 

 the hive, which, in good weather, should be not 

 more than one day. After the queen has been 

 introduced, the old hive may be placed on the 

 old stand again, the hive having one frame of 

 brood anywhere. The old bees, as they fly out, 

 will return to the old hive one by one. and not 

 molest the queen. 



The other day we were examining a nucleus 



having a virgin queen when she flew from the 

 comb and immediately went into another nu- 

 cleus having no queen at all. Upon examining 

 it a day or two later we found her all right; 

 they had accepted her at once. I think an 

 Italian virgin queen is more easily introduced 

 than a hybrid or black, as they are quieter in 

 their movements. R. F. "Hoi.tekmann. 



Brantford. Out.. Can., Aug. 17. 



A NON-SWARMING RACE OF BEES. 



THKY AKE a SXAKE AXD A DELUSION. AC- 

 COKDING TO ONE WHO HAS BEEN EXPERI- 

 MENTING ALONG THIS LINE. 



After reading T. W. Livingston's letter, and 

 your foot-note, page .587. July 1.5, I could not 

 help smiling; and whenever I see an advertise- 

 ment of non-swarming bees I think it is the 

 most misleading thing that could be put into a 

 bee-journal. I have been working at this non- 

 swarming business for six yeais. and I had the 

 nonswarming bees to my entire satisfaction. 

 I would build my bees up for the honey harvest 

 till the hive was running over witli bees. 11 

 frames to the hive, frames 14'sXlO, then I would 

 reduce it to 8 frames, put on my cases, and get 

 from two to three cases of honey, 37 sections in 

 each case, and not a swarm. I was so sure I 

 had the non-swarming bee that I was going to 

 advertise queens for sale last spring; but the 

 spring was so favorable, and the bees built up 

 so fast, I concluded to wait another year, and 

 see the result before I said any thing about 

 non-swarming bees. Now for the result. A 

 large number of colonies were marked for honey, 

 and the rest for queen-rearing in the home 

 yard. The honey -flow commenced; and so 

 gi-eat was the flow that the ground would be 

 full of bees dropping down, unable to reach the 

 hive. The second case was put on. No bees 

 hanging out, all at work. I told my better 

 half that, if this honey-flow continued as lofig 

 as other years, the way they ai'e rolling it in we 

 should get over 100 lbs. per colony. 



"Why," says she, "look up there at those 

 bees." 



Out was coming a swarm, and it continued 

 on from day to day till every colony swarmed 

 that was in the yard, that was marked for 

 comb honey, and my non-swarming race of 

 bees was gone I 



I think that, as long as the honey-flow is not 

 too great, and the bees can build comb and 

 store it out of the brood -nest, you can control 

 swarming; but whenever the flow comes with 

 a rush as it did this year (and it may be ten 

 years before it comes that way again), and ev- 

 ery cell in the brood-nest is filled with honey, 

 eggs, or brood, and they can't build comb fast 

 enough to receive it in the sections, they will 

 swarm. I don't care what kind of bees they are. 

 It's nature, and they are going to follow it. 

 Lots of colonies hadn't a queen-cell started 

 when they came out, and plenty of room in the 

 sections. C. M. Hicks. 



Fairview, Md., Aug. 1.5. 



[Yes: but, friend H.; it is worth something to 

 have a race of bees that swarms but once in ten 

 years. When this tenth year comes along with 

 its tremendous rush of honey we can aftord to 

 let 'em swarm. A race that is not inclined to 

 swarm, during 07-c7mory seasons, and. with prop- 

 er care, won't swarm, is much desired. We agree 

 with you, that we shall probably never be able 

 to develop, by careful selection, a race that is 

 absolutely non -swarming, even in a rush of 

 honey. Some bees are greatly given to swarm- 

 ing, and others go much toward the other ex- 



