SEPTEMBER 15, 1916 



865 



IS A LAYING -WORKER COLONY WORTH SAVING? 



BY E. S. MILES 



There has been a good deal written on the 

 subject of laying workers. On page 879, 

 Nov. 1, 1915, Dr. Miller gives a good de- 

 scription of the indications that they are 

 present in a colony. It might be added, 

 however, that the unsealed larvEe from lay- 

 ing workers will not be regular and even in 

 size as from a normal queen. Sometimes a 

 defective queen will have scattering and un- 

 even-sized larvaj, somewhat similar. An 

 experienced apiarist will also nearly always 

 detect an unnatural action of a colony with 

 laying workers, altho this can hardly be de- 

 scribed so a novice would understand. One 

 more tiling, noticeable in many cases, I 

 think, is several eggs in a cell of any drone- 

 cells in the brood-nest. 



"The cure?" Doctor Miller says, "The 

 best cure is to break up the colony." I can- 

 not agree w'ith our good friend, unquestion- 

 ed authoritj' tho he be on bee matters in 

 general. I have found that a laying-worker 

 colony will accept a ripe cell in most cases, 

 if found soon after this abnormal condition 

 begins. If not found soon, and the colony 

 is weak and the bees all old, they are of no 

 value to another colony, and quite liable to 

 be killed rather than be accepted in unit- 

 ing. My experience has been that workers 

 take to laying only when the season is so 

 that the bees are anxious to breed, and no 

 queen is present, nor brood from which to 

 rear one. At such a time normal stocks are 

 strong with i^lentj' of brood, and the addi- 

 tion of a few old bees, even if one succeeds 

 in uniting, is of no practical value, and, un- 

 less one has more colonies than desired, the 

 following process is recommended to get rid 

 of the laying workers and at the same time 

 build the colony up. 



Go to any colony strong enough to spare 

 one or more frames of brood, and select 



combs that are well filled with sealed brood 

 — hatching brood if possible — putting in 

 their place the combs of laying-worker 

 brood, after having brushed all the bees 

 from them. Select, in this way, and give to 

 the laying-worker colony as many combs of 

 normal brood, a good share of it sealed, and 

 ready to emerge, as they had of the ab- 

 normal brood from the laying workers. 

 From two to four frames should do; and let 

 it contain also some eggs and young larva?. 

 If the laying workers have been neglected 

 until they have considerable sealed brood, 

 take a sharp uncapping-knife and shave the 

 heads from it before putting it into the 

 normal colonies, and they will promptly 

 (lu'ow it out and use the combs aright. 



The laying-worker colony treated this 

 way any time during the working season, 

 wlien a living or more is being gathered, 

 will usually rear a fair queen; but the best 

 way would be to have a ripe cell from good 

 stock to give them in from three days to a 

 week after giving them the normal brood. 

 It would be well, too, if giving a ripe cell, 

 to destroy any cells built on the brood. I 

 am not up on the philosoiihy of this treat- 

 ment, but suppose that the removal of the 

 abnormal brood, and giving a good supply 

 of normal brood perhaps leads the bees to 

 neglect the laying workers; and plenty of 

 young bees being on hand by the time the 

 larva? from the eggs given are of proper 

 age for cjueen-rearing brings the colony to 

 about the condition of a colony whose 

 queen has been suddenly removed ; hence 

 tliey will build cells and accept cells ready 

 to hatch. I have had this experience on 

 quite a few colonies with laying workers. 

 Let others try it and report whether it is 

 successful as a general rule. 



Dunlap, Iowa. 



TIDBITS 



r.Y ARTHUR C. MILLER 



What is the homing instinct of the bee? 

 Does a bee find its home by appearances? 

 In the language of an ancient investigator, 

 "Can a bee remember a hole in the air?" 

 Searcli me if you wish, but I carry not the 

 evidence. However, on September 2, 1915, 

 bees fleAV from a nucleus for a short time 

 one morning, then the hive was closed and 

 removed. At night about 150 bees were 

 clustered on the concrete walk near where 

 the hi\L' liad stood. Kach noon thercaf'ei- 



a few bees were to be seen hovering near 

 the place. At nightfall, September 1(5, on 

 the same spot 12(5 bees were gatiiered. What 

 is a bee's home, anyway ? And, say, do 

 vou suppo.'ie they had their own liive odor .' 

 i might ask some more awkward (|uestit)ns, 

 but I guess th(\se will .-^uriice now. 



Ever watch crows circling about a tree 

 wliere an owl was roosting? Ever watch 

 king-bii'ds darting down at a crow or other 



