GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



bers at swarming time, we would rather 

 have it thus than a little lower, especially 

 since cjueens that are incubated under a high 

 temperature are invariably liandsome in 

 color, and well nigh perfect in development, 

 other things being equal. It is said that the 

 color of combs, as well as the nature of the 

 soil, has an active influence in determining 

 the color of queens; but I am persuaded 

 that temperature of incubation is by far the 

 most important in deciding this matter. 



There are several reasons why we prefer 

 the introduction of day-old virgin queens 

 instead of giving the cells the day before 

 they are due to hatch. First, it affords an 

 opportunity to inspect the queens and dis- 

 card any that are not up to standard qual- 

 ity. Again, we don't like to handle queen- 

 cells any more than is absolutely necessary, 

 especially during cool weather, believing 

 that a uniform temperature, free from dis- 

 turbing elements, is highly desirable until 

 the ciueen is 12 hours old, which we regard 

 as the projoer age for the direct introduction 

 of virgin queens. 



The caging method of introducing virgins 

 was not a uniform success with us, for the 

 reason that in our hands bees behave differ- 

 ently toward a caged virgin than toward a 

 laying queen. Our losses were not only 

 greater than by the direct method, but 

 many survivors bore unmistakable evidence 

 of rough treatment by the bees. Occasion- 

 ally we would have a surplus of virgins, 

 Avhen we would cage them on the dual plan 

 as mentioned by the editor, page 372, June, 

 1913. We learned to regard this as a calam- 

 ity, however, for many would be missing. 



while others would be worried bj' the bees 

 to such an extent as to mar their beauty, 

 as well as cripple their usefulness. Some 

 would be minus a Aving or a leg, and others 

 would present that black and shiny appear- 

 ance, the result of balling. After introduc- 

 ing thousands of queens by every known 

 method, I know of no safe method of intro- 

 ducing a virgin queen to a colony when 

 eggs and larvae are present. Therefore, it 

 is a universal rule with us, never to run in 

 a virgin of any age or condition until three 

 days after the removal of a laying queen. 



The plan we finally adopted for the direct 

 introduction of virgin queens is the same as 

 recommended by the late Henry Alley, omit- 

 ting the tobacco smoke, as well as other 

 minor details that we did not find necessary. 

 First, make sure that the colony has been 

 queenless three days, then open the hive and 

 blow a puff' or two of smoke gently over the 

 top bars, and perhaps a little down between 

 them, not enough, however, to stamjiede the 

 bees. Shake the queen out of the cage, and 

 on to the frames, and quickly close the 

 hive. This method is simple and rapid in 

 operation, and resulted in a lower pei'cent- 

 age of lo.?s than any that we have yet tried. 

 Young queens that are run in at the en- 

 trance are quite likely to wander out again 

 and get lost unless the entrance is plugged 

 u]T. As we are opposed to closing the en- 

 trance of a hive, we i^refer to run them in 

 at the top. They will help themselves to the 

 first honey they come to, after which they 

 will not wander away, especially if of the 

 proper age. 



Birmingham, 0. 



KILLING A BEAR IN A BEE=YAMD 



BY ELMER HUTCHINSON 



When we moved to Northeni Michigan, 

 about eight years ago, we were unable to 

 find a vacant house to live in near any of 

 the bee-yards we had located, so we moved 

 into some old lumber shanties near Pioneer. 

 With the exception of a small clearing at 

 one side, they were entirely surrounded by 

 woods. A small spring brook ran near 

 them; there were hundreds of acres of rank, 

 luxuriant, wild red raspberries growing 

 around them, and scattered along the brook 

 were many small swamps, filled with golden- 

 rod and other fall flowers. Scattered 

 through the brush and woods, were tnou- 

 sands upon thousands of pine-clierries, 

 which, when the weather is good, are great 

 spring honey-yielders, helping out wonder- 

 fully with the stores, and building up the 



colonies in great shape for the raspberry 

 honey-flow. It was an ideal location for 

 bees, and we kept a large number of colo- 

 nies there, and made the place our head- 

 quarters for three or four years. 



Then we bouglit a place two miles from 

 there out in the settlement, and moved there 

 taking part of the bees with us, but leaving 

 about 100 colonies back in the woods. Now 

 it seems that this place was also a good 

 place for bears as well as bees. While liv- 

 ing there we had occasionally seen signs of 

 them, but they had never come very near 

 the shanties. That fall an old bear and two 

 cubs got in there and did about $200 dam- 

 age, and we moved the bees away. 



A year or so afterward, not liking to 

 abandon so good a location, I moved some 



