1899 



GIvEANINGvS IN BEE CULTURE. 



835 



ed the cells enlarged and an extra amount of 

 pap. No larva in this comb could have been 

 more than one day 18^ hours old. The 

 youngest were probably not more than 24^ 

 hours old. 



On the other combs I found no queen-cells. 



I very much regret that nothing more pre- 

 cise can be said about the cells on comb b. I 

 can not prove positively that the two cells 

 started on it may not have contained larvae 3 

 days 22)4 hours old. To make this possible, 

 however, the queen must have commenced 

 laying in this comb the minute it was put in 

 hive S4, while the probability is that she did 

 not begin laying there for some hours after- 

 ward. Moreover, the cells were started at 

 least some little time before the observation 

 was made, so something must be deducted 

 from their age at starting, on that score. Be- 

 sides, the fact that four times as many cells 

 were started on comb c as on comb b, the lar- 

 vae in c being less than two days old, hardly 

 looks as if they would prefer the oldest larvae 

 in b while at the same time they preferred any 

 thing so much younger as the larvae in c. But 

 I must leave others to form their own judg- 

 ment. 



If the bees had asked my advice in the mat- 

 ter they probably would have done somewhat 

 differently. I should have said to them, "So 

 long as a larva is only three days old, it's all 

 right for a queen; and as you're in a hurry for 

 another queen you'd better start all your cells 

 on comb b." But they didn't ask my advice. 



July 7, 4 P. m. Three more queen-cells on 

 comb b. These were started from larvae 2 

 days 20j4 hours old or older. No cells were 

 started on comb b at any later time. 



Comb c has 16 cells, two of them being emp- 

 tied of their contents. No larva in this comb 

 could have been more than three days old at 

 the time of this observation. 



No queen-cells on combs d and e. 



July 8, 4 p.m. Comb c has another cell, 

 making 15 on it (not counting the two that 

 were emptied). 



Comb b has its first cell, started over a larva 

 that was less than 2 days 6 hours old. 



July 10, 11.30 A. M. No additional cells on 

 comb c. 



Comb d has 3 additional cells, these having 

 been started over larvae less than 4 days 1 y z 

 hours old, and they might have been not more 

 than 30 hours old. 



July 11, 8 a.m. Comb c has 17 cells. If 

 there is no mistake in previous observations, 

 the two additional cells on this comb must 

 have been built over larvae at least 4 days \}4. 

 hours old. That would surely be taking too 

 old larvae when younger were present. There 

 is a bare possibility that these two cells were 

 overlooked before, and were now more easily 

 seen when sealed. But I give it just as I find 

 it in the notes taken more than two months 

 ago. 



Comb d has 6 cells, the last two started over 

 larvae less than 4 days 22 hours old, and pos- 

 sibly not more than 3 days \%, hours old. 



July 12, 9 A. m. Comb d has 8 cells, the 

 last two started over larvae less than 5 days 23 



hours old, and possibly not more, than 3 days 

 22 hours old. 



Comb e has 3 cells, the first it has had. 

 These cells were started over larvae less than 4 

 days 23 hours old, and possibly not more than 

 2 days 22 hours old. 



July 13, 6 A. m. No additional cells on any 

 but comb e, which has now 6 cells, the last 

 three being started over larvae less than 5 days 

 20 hours old, and possibly not more than 3 

 days 23 hours old. 



This closes the testimony of the bees, no 

 cells being started later. In some respects it 

 is not exactly what I desired and intended the 

 bees should give, but they are to blame for 

 that and not I. I know very well that this is 

 only a single case, and that the next case 

 might be different, for " bees never do any 

 thing invariably; " but let us see what conclu- 

 sions may be reached from the testimony giv- 

 en. 



In the first place, it certainly is not proven 

 by the testimony given that, bees made queen- 

 less are in such haste to rear a queen that they 

 at once select larvae too old for the purpose. 

 Moreover, I have had the matter in mind 

 throughout the season, and in every case the 

 cells first started were over larvae that were 

 very small. If any one has accepted the chal- 

 lenge thrown out by me to prove that bees at 

 once selected too old larvae, I hope he will re- 

 port at once. 



It is certainly very clear that in this case, at 

 least, the bees did not start all their cells with- 

 in about 48 hours' time, as Bro. Hutchinson 

 says his do. The first cells were started before 

 July 6, 10.30 A. M. The last cells were started 

 after July 12, 9 a.m. From that it is easily 

 seen that the time from the first to the last 

 cells started was 6 days lacking lyi hours. It 

 was that much at least, and it may have been 

 more. Henry Alley's experience agrees in this. 



While the bees at first select larvae sufficient- 

 ly young for good queens, they afterward use 

 some that are too old, continuing to start cells 

 when larvae of proper age are no longer pres- 

 ent. Editor Hutchinson says his bees build 

 cells that he calls fool-cells, because they are 

 so insignificant and poor, and he does not 

 know how to account for them. If he will 

 observe with sufficient care, I think he will 

 find that they are nothing more nor less than 

 cells started over too old larvae, probably after 

 larvae of proper age were no longer present. 



I must not evade the observation that, some- 

 thing more than b% days after the removal of 

 the queen, the bees started cells over too old 

 larvae when younger larvae were present. I 

 might say that sometimes bees hold eggs with- 

 out hatching for more than three days (Dzier- 

 zon says two weeks), but I will not press that. 



Until some one brings forward some proof 

 to the contrary, I feel safe in saying that when 

 bees are made queenless they are not in such 

 haste to rear a new queen that they select too 

 old larvae, and that there is no error in selec- 

 tion during the first five days of queenlessness. 

 If the combs with the cells be taken within 

 the first five days and put in the upper story 

 of a colony having a laying queen, there will 

 be no too old larvae in the case. If left with 



