86 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



and the idea of enclosing between 

 the plates a film of hot wax, and 

 cooling the same in situ seem 

 to me to be an "original idea" and 

 sufficient to warrant the appella- 

 tion of "Inventor" to Monsieur 

 Guazzoni. 



The season for "Introduction of 

 Queens" is now gaining upon us 

 fast, and as among our English 

 brethren the "Senimius" system 

 has proved very successful, it may 

 not be out of place to give some 

 particulars of Mr. Senimius' 

 methods. 



First Method. Upon receipt of 

 a queen, go to the hive, and remove 

 that one to be superseded (or 

 otherwise). At dusk take the new 

 queen quite alone (after having 

 kept her so for not less than 

 thirty minutes previously, but 

 quite warm, and moreover, with- 

 out food meanwhile) ; lift quilt at 

 one corner, drive bees back with 

 very little smoke, and then permit 

 the queen to run down. Close the 

 hive and make no examination un- 

 til after forty-eight hours. Leave 

 the operation until so late that a 

 lamp is necessary. 



Second Method. When queen 

 is received, at ouce make up a nu- 

 cleus to receive her, thus : from a 

 strong colon}'- take one frame of 

 hatching brood, with adhering 

 bees, and place in a nucleus hive, 

 then shake off most of tlie bees 

 from another comb into such small 

 hive, and on either side of the 

 one containing brood place one 

 comb of honey ; close entrance 

 with perforated zinc, and place on 

 top a sheet of straining cloth, 

 tacked to a simple frame. Thus 

 securely confined, and having am- 

 ple ventilation, they are to be 

 talten into a warm dark room. In 

 a few minutes finding themselves 

 confined, and queenless, a great 

 u[)roar will be heard ; now slide 



frame of strainer cloth off one cor- 

 ner, and let queen run in, keeping 

 bees back with little smoke if nec- 

 essary. Close again, and let them 

 remain in-doors until the third day, 

 when stand out where desired. 

 After a day or two give another 

 frame of hatching brood which re- 

 peat at intervals of seven days, or 

 as often as they appear able to 

 cover more combs, until well estab- 

 lished. 



Philadelphia^ Pa. 



NEW OBSERVATIONS OF 



THE NATURAI HISTORY 



OR BEES. 



Br Francis Huber. 



(Continued from p. 253, Vol. III.) 



If you have satisfactory evidence 

 that the matter seen on the last rings 

 of the female is truly masculine, it is 

 more than mere presumption in favor 

 of the truth. 



Perhaps it may be necessary that 

 the male should seize the female 

 under the belly, which cannot be 

 easily done but in the air. The 

 large opening at the extremity, which 

 you have observed in so particular a 

 condition, seems to correspond with 

 the singular size of the organs of the 

 male. 



You wish that I should suggest 

 some new experiments on these in- 

 dustrious republicans. In doing so, 

 I shall take the greatest pleasure and 

 interest, as I know to what extent you 

 possess the valuable art of combining 

 ideas, and of deducing from this com- 

 bination, results adapted to the dis- 

 covery of new facts. A few at this 

 moment occur to me. 



It may be proper to attempt the 

 artificial fecundation of a virgin 

 queen with a pencil, at the same time 

 observing every precaution to pre- 



