166 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



when it is found that there is not one 

 out of the twelve in whose stoclcs an 

 occasional black young bee can not be 

 found crawling out of the cells. They 

 are hardly mixed enough, I suppose, 

 to please"^our friend Heddon, but yet 

 not one of them is inire and flt to breed 

 from. While these breeders, I suppose, 

 weed out all black bees near them, yet 

 they tolerate hybrid queens, thinking 

 that their drones will answer, and in 

 this way they are raising the Apis 

 Americana of a certain kind, but cer- 

 tainly not Italians. 



2. I don't know, but I feel pretty 

 sure that they go farther than our 

 friend Alley puts it in the "Handy 

 Book." 



3. I think the brood nest should 

 never contain more than eight L. frames 

 or its equivalent, in any plan of boxing. 



4. According to my experience the 

 Holy Lauds are much worse about 

 swarming than the Cyprians or any 

 other kind except perhaps Carneoleans. 



5. I can see no diflerence in results 

 between wood and tin separators, but 

 I use wood rough, and i inch thick; 

 as it is cheaper and is worked more 

 consistently. I have not tried perfor- 

 ated separators, but have tried narrow 

 strips, leaving i inch slots between 

 them, without any visible increase in 

 quantity of honey, but with a damaged 

 quality, as the bees gridironed the cap- 

 ping to correspond with the strips. 



G. I prefer glue. It is more certain 

 to hold, is easier to apply and makes a 

 neater job. 



I have no "personal knowledge" as 

 the lawyers say, on the subjects of 

 eitiier of Mr. Demaree's questions, 

 except I have noticed in several cases 

 of fertile workers, the past season, 

 that they die out, or cease to lay, before 

 all the workers are gone. 



Bmind Brook, N. J. 



ANSWEnS BY A. J. COOK. 



1. Practically, yes. Some contend 

 that a fowl once impurely mated is ever 

 afterwards impure. A few beekeepers 

 hold to the same view as to bees. The 

 presence of the sperm cells, they say, 

 renders the queen impure. If such is the 

 case, it must arise through cell inocula- 

 tion. I have tried extensive experiments 

 with fowls, and have observed closely 

 for years with bees, and I have yet to 

 see the first proof of the truth of the 

 above. My impurely mated Italians, 

 always gave, apparently at least, pure 



Italian drones.. The same has proved 

 true of my Syrians. Is it not possible 

 that those who have thought they saw 

 proof to the contrary had impure 

 queens to commence with? 



2. I don't think any one knows. 

 Mr. Alley thinks close by. I have 

 known the queens to be out twenty 

 minutes and come in showing signs of 

 impregnation. They can fly a long 

 distance in that time. 



3. I have not used Langstroth 

 frames for some years. Others could 

 speak with moi'e wisdom. 



4. Have no experience with Cypri- 

 ans. Syrian bees are no more given to 

 swarming than are the Italians. 



5. Think if the wood is good there 

 is no diflerence. I should not care for 

 any holes. 



6. I have never glassed sections. 



7. I have had queens five years old. 

 Think, the way they are usually reared, 

 two years would be about the average. 



8. ? I think it tends that way from 

 the first nual of royal jelly. 



9. No danger at all. The queen, 

 unlike lower animals, is sexually per- 

 fect as soon as she comes forth. 



10. ? 



answp:rs by p. h. klwood. 



1. Slightly tainted, but pure enough 

 for all practical purposes. 



2. Do not know. 



3. Seven if Italian bees and surplus 

 receptacles adapted to that number. 



4. No experience. 



5. Wooden decidedly. No better 

 with holes. 



6. With care and the best of glue 

 a good job can be done, especially with 

 nailed boxes. With dovetailed i)oxes 

 tins are probably safer. It takes a 

 little more time to tin and you have 

 something reliable, but you get a hand- 

 somer job with glue. 



7. Not much over three years with 

 us. Where the winters are less severe 

 they may live longer. I have had them 

 five years old. Last spring Mr. C. H. 

 Lake of Baltimore. Md., showed me a 

 queen from the mountains of Italy that 

 was seven years old. 



8. Probably in the larval stage and 

 previous to the last day before sealing, 

 as queens reared from larvse of that 

 age lose most of their distinctive char- 

 acteristics, and so are usually called 

 fertile workers. There is enough dif- 



