82 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURTST. 



tilized and the result was the same as 

 with those fertihzed when there were 

 plenty of yellow drones in some hives 

 several miles from the Punic yard. I do 

 not believe that one of my Punic queens 

 mated to any other than a drone of her 

 kind, as the apiaries were not less than 

 two miles apart at any time and there 

 were abundance of Punic drones with the 

 queens. I wish to say here that the 

 country hereabouts is not///// of yellow 

 nor black bees. There are no bees of 

 any race that I do not control. 



It is my opinion that yellow Punics 

 can be much easier reared than yellow 

 Carniolans, yet there is not the least 

 trouble in producing the latter. 



If a strain of yellow-banded Punics 

 can be produced that shall inherit all 

 the good features and desirable points 

 of the ebony Punics, there will be a va- 

 riety any beekeeper may feel proud and 

 boast of. 



No pains will be spared to keep the 

 ebony Punics in their purest state as it 

 is possible to breed them. The attempt 

 to produce yelbvv-banded Punics is an 

 experiment, a sort of side show, as it 

 were, to my regular business. 



I want to say lo those who purchase 

 Punic queens that while I guarantee all 

 queens shall meet Fi/nic drones, I do 

 not and will not guarantee that they 

 will all produce typically marked bees. 

 All must take their chances as to mark- 

 ings. 



I found that with last year's experi- 

 ence that no one can guarantee the 

 purity of these queens. The Punics will 

 be kept so far from other races that there 

 will not be the least danger of even one 

 queen mismating. There is a tinge of yel- 

 low blood in the Punics that it will take 

 time to breed out. No person in the 

 world can, at this early date, guarantee 

 that all his Punic queens will produce 

 ebony workers. Now I do not wish 

 any one to call me a swindler if I do not 

 after this replace a Punic queen whose 

 workers are not all an ebony color. 



When these queens were sent out in 

 the season of 189 1, I did not know that 

 it was so difificult to rear them to a true 



color. I really supposed that it could 

 be done as easily as it can with the 

 American bred Italians. 



All who order Punic queens must do 

 so in accordance with the above con- 

 ditions. In order to give satisfaction, 

 the price of Punic queens will be re- 

 duced. See prices elsewhere this issue. 



The Api has received circulars and 

 catalogues from nearly all the supply 

 dealers in America. They were not 

 given editorial notice however, for the 

 reason that this paper does not believe 

 in giving one or several persons a free ad- 

 vertisement, and compel others to pay 

 all the rate of 20 cents per line for the 

 same. Such free notices are an injus- 

 tice to the regular advertiser, and the 

 Api does not believe in doing business 

 in that way. 



In a letter received from Dr. G. L. 

 Tinker, he says : "The drone-and queen 

 trap is one of the most useful inventions 

 in the apiary, and I believe that bee- 

 keepers are only just beginning to ap- 

 preciate it. There should be thousands 

 in use where there is one now. I think 

 it is one of the best hivers, and I want 

 nothing better." 



Since the trap was introduced I have 

 received a good many testimonials as to 

 its utility, but none that illustrates its 

 practicability, or is more to the point, 

 than the following : 



1 bought the riglit from you to manu- 

 facture queen-ancl drone traps two or 

 three years ago. I now have something 

 over a hundred in use, and will say 1 had 

 rather care for 150 swarms throujih the 

 swarming season with the help of the 

 trap, than tAventy-five without it. It does 

 away entirely with the constant watching 

 and anxiety of the swarms running away. 

 Without tiie trap, at my age I could not 

 think of caring for more than twenty-live 



