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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1 



when her hive was opened. I have had sim- 

 ilar cases. Such queens are often balled 

 and killed by their own bees, while one of a 

 more phlegmatic temperament is left undis- 

 turbed, no matter how much we may over- 

 haul her colony. 



With this free-and-easy way of introduc- 

 tion there are a few factors besides fasting 

 which I generally observe, though they are 

 not always necessary. When introducing a 

 queen to a colony just dequeened I usually 

 give them several vigorous puffs of smoke 

 from above and below ; and as soon as it has 

 blown aside I let the new queen run in. If 

 the new queen has been caged for several 

 days so she has stopped egg-production, or 

 if she is timid, I do not ordinarily disturb 

 the colony for two or three days after her 

 introduction; but if she is just from one of 

 my own hives I can look her up within an 

 hour or less if I so wish. If it is at a sea- 

 son of scarcity of nectar, or there has been 

 any robbing, in introducing I use rather 

 more smoke ' ' to take the fight out of the 

 bees." I use this method on colonies queen- 

 less for any period from one minute to the 

 stage of acute laying workers. 



I have been studying these latter curiosi- 

 ties a good deal, and have had many oppor- 

 tunities to test queen-introduction to them, 

 and so far have met with no failures by the 

 direct system. Can this be said of any cag- 

 ing method? 



It is a reasonable supposition that each 

 colony has its individual odor, but we have 

 no positive proof of it. Because a bee is 

 challenged in trying to enter a strange hive, 

 it is no proof it is on account of odor. It is 

 a fair presumption that such is the cause, 

 but it is not proof. The only act approach- 

 ing proof of body scent is that of bees 

 searching over objects with which queens 

 have recently been in contact. But this is 

 sex odor. We can do many things which, if 

 " home odor " existed, or if existing was of 

 vital import, we should not be able to do. 



Basing practice on theories which ignore 

 odor, I can do the same things which the ed- 

 itor does by other methods. If current be- 

 lief is right I should fail often, but I don't; 

 while, on the contrary, methods based on 

 the odor theory are far from being uniform- 

 ly successful. Further, if odor is the con- 

 trolling factor, why will confined bees re- 

 ceive any queen without previous caging? 

 If we stop to analyze our reasons for follow- 

 ing the caging systems (and many others for 

 that matter) they will be found to be based 

 on "follow the leader." It was advised 

 years ago, and has been passed down the 

 line ever since. 



As I have studied bee-books ancient and 

 modern I have been astonished at the many 

 beliefs and practices which have come to us 

 from early times solely because each author 

 has, without question, copied from a previ- 

 ous one. 



Our methods of education lead us to ac- 

 cept as authoritative whatever we read in 

 books, and it is hard to break from this 

 habit. One of the first things taught in 



many advanced schools of to-day is to doubt 

 the text-books until the student has proved 

 the statements for himself. This attitude 

 is not the one common to beedom; but until 

 it is we must expect to continue to advance 

 in circles. It is to try to break such a cir- 

 cle that I have challenged the editor's posi- 

 tion on caging. It is his position as repre- 

 sentative of bee-keepers at large. 



If my position in the matter of odor is 

 wrong i shall be glad to have it shown me; 

 but I shall need more convincing proof than 

 any that has yet been offered. Let us have 

 exact facts, not beliefs. 



Providence, R. I., Oct. 24. 



[I will explain to our readers that what I 

 said in reference to the matter of scent in 

 its relation to the general subject of queen 

 introduction was based largely on data and 

 information received from Dr. E. F. Phil- 

 lips, of the University of Pennsylvania, from 

 Geo. W. Phillips, now a student at Denison 

 University, this State, and E. T. Abbott, of 

 St. Joseph, Mo. Dr. E. F. Phillips has spent 

 two summers with us, making the scientific 

 side of bees his special study.. Mr. G. W. 

 Phillips, no relative of the former, was born 

 in Jamaica, and has raised many thousands 

 of queens, both in Jamaica and here. He 

 has large apiaries of his own in Jamaica, 

 and while in Medina had charge of the Root 

 Co. 's queen-rearing business. The experi- 

 ence of both the Phillips is confirmed by my 

 own experience in several seasons in queen- 

 rearing a few years ago. I can only believe 

 that, if our friend Mr. Miller had had a 

 long experience in rearing queens in a 

 large way, he would probably modify sever- 

 al of his conclusions or otherwise interpret 

 the phenomenon mentioned. As Mr. G. W. 

 Phillips has gone over this scent question 

 thoroughly for several years, I asked him 

 to reply in detail, which he has done. — Ed.] 



WHY SCENT IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN 

 QUEEN-INTRODUCTION. 



No one need be afraid of truth, even if it 

 conflicts with orthodox beliefs. Mr. Miller 

 is correct in a few of his assertions. But 

 while I admit some of his statements to be 

 facts. I can not agree with the conclusions 

 he endeavors to deduce from them. 



Mr. Miller seems to take it for granted 

 that we believe scent to be the only factor 

 worth consideration in introducing queens. 

 Oh, no ! There are many other conditions 

 that play an active part in this matter, and, 

 like him, we know that queens may be ac- 

 cepted or rejected, "smell or no smell." 

 So, we are not surprised that, where every 

 thing is exactly right, a queen may be al- 

 lowed to crawl over to the combs of some 

 other colony not long queenless; or that bees 

 confined for less than five hours (not much 

 after that time), and while still in a state 

 of excitement, may accept a strange queen; 

 or that bees sufficiently deluged with smoke 

 to "take the fight out of them" should 

 make no resistance when a strange mother 

 is given— no more so, indeed, than we are 

 to understand that a desperately queenless 



