'.t28 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1. 



conies in boxes that must be opened, making a 

 big muss, which, in the hurry of the moment, 

 is left, and so it goes, one thing after another, 

 until any one might easily imagine that things 

 never were in order and never would be. 



A bee-keeper always has many odds and ends 

 as well as regular tools and fixtures to store 

 away until needed. They are sure to be needed 

 some time, but the problem is to keep them all 

 in plain sight so they can be readily found 

 when wanted without having to spend more 

 time looking for them than they are worth. 

 We sometimes nail boxes against the wall, 

 forming little cupboards in which the odds and 

 ends are placed, or any thing we wish to store, 

 such as T tins, wire stoppers for hives, etc. 

 Then by glancing around the room we can 

 usually find what we want, without much 

 trouble. Emma Wilson. 



Marengo, 111. 



[Your remarks on order ai'e excellent. From 

 what w(> saw on our visit to Dr. Miller's we 

 have no doubt that you practice what you 

 preach. It is a good deal easier to keep things 

 in order every day than it is to have a general 

 " clarin" up " once a month; but we suspect 

 that, if you were to visit the ajiiary at the 

 Home of "the Honey-bees during the busy sea- 

 son, you might wonder whether we ever had a 

 ■' clarin' up." While we are dictating, we cast 

 our eyes over our office desk. It looks decidedly 

 neglected — books, pajjers, manuscripts, electro- 

 types, bee-traps — well, ^^■e won't say any more, 

 because we ai'e ashamed already. We have de- 

 cided to have a clarin' up before Dr. Miller and 

 W. Z. Hutchinson give us a call. If folks 

 would only let us ?fj(0ir when they are coming, 

 we would try to have the grass cut down from 

 our entrances, hives all leveled up, tools all i)ut 

 away, and our desk in apple-jjie order.] 



Our Quest/on - Box, 



WITH REPLIES FROM OUR BEST AUTHORITIES. 



Question 197. After <i swarm has issued 

 wo}Ud you advise introducing a laying queen 

 to the parent hive, or let them raise a queen of 

 their own f 



I introduce a laving queen. 

 Ohio. N. W. 



A. B. Mason. 



For general practice I think It better to let 

 them rear their queen. 

 Michigan. C. A.J.Cook. 



Where one has skill and time to rear and in- 

 troduce queens, introduce them; otherwse, let 

 them develop their own. 



California. S. R. Wilkin. 



If they are No. 1 bees, I would ; if they are not, 

 I would improve the opportunity of introduc- 

 ing a good one. 



Illinois. N. W. C. Mrs. L. Hakrison. 



I don't know. I haven't had experience. I 

 rather think if I let them swarm I'd follow in 

 the same line and let them raise a queen. 



Illinois. N. C. C. Miller. 



Let them develop their own queen, which is 

 'already half developed at the time the swarm 

 issues. Do not introduce any queen. 

 Michigan. S. W. James Heddon. 



Yes; for by so doing I gain time, prevent 

 second swarms, and run no risk of having a 



queenless hive by the young queen getting lost 

 on her bridal tour. 

 Louisiana. E. C. P. L. Viai,lox. 



That would depend much upon locality. If 

 you -have a fall flow of honey, and need the 

 bees, introduce a queen to the parent colony. 

 If not. let them raise a queen. 



Ohio. N. W. H. R. Boardman. 



With our honey resources I should prefer to 

 have them raise a queen of their own. With 

 present prices of honey, the bee-keeper should 

 avoid labor that does not pay. 



New York. C. P. H. Elwood. 



My practice is, to let them raise their own. 

 Eggs require about six weeks to eventuate in 

 honey-gatherers; and six weeks after swai'ining 

 time, the harvest, in many localities, is over. 



Ohio. N. W. E. E. Hasty. 



It will be the most profitable to let the par- 

 ent colony raise a queen of their own, because 

 such queens count among the healthiest and 

 best queens raised. But all after-swarms should 

 be prevented. 



Ohio. S. W. C. F. MuTH. 



If I had good laying queens, with no other 

 use for them, I would introduce them at this 

 time. Usually I prefer to introduce a virgin 

 queen that I know has been raised from good 

 stock. 



Illinois. N. C. J. A. Green. 



We should prefer introducing a laying queen 

 of choice stock, if we had one; and we would 

 then destroy all the queen-cells to prevent fur- 

 ther swarming. If, however, the colony thus 

 swarming was a choice one, we would not hesi- 

 tate to let them raise their own queen. 



Illinois. N. W. Dadant & Son. 



If it is an early swarm I should prefer to in- 

 troduce a queen. A later swarm toward the 

 close of the honey-flow might be allowed to 

 raise their own queen. I want egg-laying to 

 go on briskly when there is a pj'ospect of those 

 eggs hatching bees that will gather honey. 



New York. E. Rambler. 



With us, Avith our short honey season, I would 

 rather let them raise their own queen. If we 

 should introduce a laying queen after the sea- 

 son was so far advanced, bees hatched from her 

 eggs would never gather any surplus honey for 

 us, as the season would be over before they 

 would hatch out. I would much rather not 

 feed brood at that time. Let the bees put all 

 their force to gathering honey. 



Wisconsin. S. W. E. France. 



I would let them raise their own queen. In 

 this locality the giving of a laying queen causes 

 the parent hive to swarm again right in the 

 midst of the honey-harvest, which is a great 

 detriment; while the bees produced from the 

 eggs laid by this queen during the first two 

 weeks of her stay in the hive become consumers 

 at the end of the harvest, so here again it is 

 a disadvantage without any recompense, as 

 these bees all die before winter, so are of no 

 advantage, even for this purpose. 



New York. C. G. M. Doolttti>e. 



I would say to most people, let them raise a 

 queen of their own if the stock is desirable; if 

 not, cut out all queen-cells and give them a cell 

 from a choice colony. But my method is. to cut 

 out all queen-cells the fourth day after they is- 

 sue, and again in 8 days; and in two or three 

 days after. I run in a virgin queen raised from 



