180 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



as safe for an}' and all who travel 

 over it in the same way as I do 

 myself. If any wish to know my 

 plans and methods tliey will find 

 them generally stated in the " Api," 

 and I shall be happy to give fur- 

 ther information to all who apply 

 personally or by letter. 



Foxboro, 3Iass., June, 1887. 



tUlEIli, 



Answers by Practical Apiarists. 



BEST TIME TO INTIIODUCE QUEENS. 



Query No. 26. When is the best time to 

 clKiiige vr supeibede old queens? 



KoviCE. 



ANSWER BY G. AV. DE^IAREE. 



I prefer to change queens just at 

 the close of the white clover har- 

 vest. 



ANSWER BY DR. TINKER. 



I let the bees supersede all old 

 queens. All good queens usually 

 remain prolific and valuable to the 

 last. 



ANSWER BY DR. C. C. MILLER. 



Perhaps at or near the close of 

 the honey harvest. Possibly, it is 

 best to leave such mattei's in charge 

 of the bees. 



ANSWER BY R. L. TAYLOR. 



During the swarming season and 

 not much earlier than four weeks 

 before the close of the white clover 

 and bassvvood seasons. 



ANSWER BY JAMES HEDDON. 



As soon as you feel the need 

 of such re-queening, during the 

 months of May, June, July and 

 August, when good queens can be 

 produced in this latitude. 



ANSWER BY H. ALLEY. 



At any time when queens can be 

 procured. 1 would not disturb a 



colony at work in the sections for 

 the purpose of changing queens. 

 Introduce queens at an}- other time 

 when desirable. 



ANSWER BY WILL. M. KKLLOGG. 



When there is a good honey 

 flow, when you can leave dripping 

 hone}'^ exposed in the apiar}^ and 

 bees will not take it up, queens 

 then can be introduced by almost 

 any method, so the}' know they 

 arc queenless. 



ANSAVER BY P. R. RUSSELL. 



Well, that -depends. Generally 

 speaking, the best time is as soon 

 as we can get ready (when the 

 season is suitable) and young 

 queens are to be had. Queens are 

 more safely introduced during the 

 honey harvest and at night fall. I 

 am seldom obliged to supersede 

 oM queens, especially Italians, as 

 the bees attend to that matter them- 

 selves and too often supersede 

 them when it seems uncalled for. 

 I have changed queens frequently 

 while a natural swarm was being 

 hived and always with success. 



ANSWER BY J. E. POND. 



I do not consider it advisable or 

 necessary to re-queen a colony or 

 supersede a queen, so long as the 

 old queen is doing her duty sat- 

 isfactorily, unless it be desirable 

 to do so for the purpose of chang- 

 ing from one race to another ; in 

 such case it may be done at any 

 time under proper precautions, 

 but the novice will find it safer to 

 make the exchange when honey is 

 being gathered freely. 



I hnd a queen last year in her 

 fifth year, procured from our edi- 

 tor, that was to all appearances as 

 good as ever last fall, both in 

 strength and prolificness. She was 

 a very light yellow Italian, not Al- 

 bino. 



