184 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



White clover conimenced to bloom 

 by the tenth of June, but the weather 

 was so cold that the bees did but little 

 on that. Therefore, the prospect for 

 a good crop of honey here in New 

 England is far from encouraging. 



Hard Luck.— It is not often that 

 Ave have to cry "hard luck," but we 

 have had quite a set-back this spring 

 in the queen-rearing business. 



Out of two hundred fine queen cells 

 less than flfty per cent hatclied, and a 

 set-back like this, so early in the sea- 

 son, compels me to ask our customers 

 to be patient for a few days or till 

 about the time this issue of the Api 

 reaches them. 



By July 1 we shall have plenty of 

 queens, so that we can ship by return 

 mail. The cause of the non-hatching 

 of the early queen cells was soon dis- 

 covered, and the remedy at once ap- 

 plied. It was my opinion that the 

 trouble was caused by feeding the bees 

 with honey-dew honey which was 

 taken from some hives of bees I had 

 bought over fifty miles from my apiary. 

 I use no such honey now without tirst 

 scalding. 



While bees all about me, say within 

 a dozen miles, gathered honey-dew 

 freely last year, none of it was taken 

 by my bees. 



A BIG BATCH OF QUES- 

 TIONS AND ANS WEES 

 THERETO. 



Hamilton^ 0. 

 Mr. Henry Alley : — 



1. Would it hurt a queen to 

 handle her by the thorax 'i Some 

 say take her by the wings, but if 

 we get hold of the wings on one 

 side she would flutter and the wings 

 might be torn. 



2. Could you tell us how to 

 transfer the queen from the ship- 

 ping to the introducing cage? 



[1, No. Handle queens by the wings 

 taking hold of both wings at same 

 time. 



2. Let the queen out of shipping 

 cage on the window, handle as above.] 



Hamilton^ Minn. 



1 . What is the best distance from 

 centre to centre to space combs for 

 extracting in upper-stor}' ? 



2. Whicli is preferable for ex- 

 tracting, Victor frames 5| inches 

 deep or those 8|- inches deep ? 



3. What are the advantages 

 and disadvantages of drone foun- 

 dation for extracting? 



[1. From an inch and three-eighths 

 to an inch and a half. It would, in 

 my opinion make but little diflereuce 

 whether it is more or less. 



2. I know nothing about "Victor" 

 frames, but will say that there would 

 be less danger of the combs breaking 

 if a shallow frame is used. Old combs 

 would not break in extracting even 

 were they twelve inches deep. 



3 No advantage that I know of, 

 but the more drone comb the more 

 drones unless the queen is excluded 

 from them. Very little foundation is 

 made or used having drone cells.] 



Hope Valley, R. I, 



Mr. Alley : 



1. Should I use enamel cloth 

 or other cloth over frames in con- 

 nection with a honey-board? 



2. In putting queen cells in the 

 nursery, do you lay them down or 

 fasten them up in their natural po- 

 sition ? 



o. To remove a queen from the 

 combs and not hurt her do 3^ou take 

 her up with tiie fingers or use a 

 "catciier ?" 



War. M. Chapman. 



[1. No. 



2. Fasten the cell in, small end 

 down, in one of the small holes in the 

 cage. One of the apertures is for the 

 sponge, the other for the cell. 



3. We use no queen catcher. Al- 

 ways handle an old or fertilized queen 

 by the wings. When removing a queen 

 from the comb, take her by the wings 

 and pull ahead and no injury will re- 

 sult; if pulled backwards the legs 

 would be injured. A person who is 

 not nervous can handle a queen most 

 any way without injuring her, but 

 a timid, nervous person should use a 

 catcher, or handle a queen by the 

 wings.] 



