1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



299 



For the American Boo Journal. 



Reproduction in the Honey Bee. 



O. L. TINKER, M. I). 



After so many eminent investiga- 

 tors have stated that the drone pro- 

 geny of a queen matin?; with a drone 

 of another race, is not affected by 

 the cross, it would not seem to be of 

 much use for any one to dissent from 

 their views. Yet it is manifest that 

 they have overlooked some very im- 

 portant facts, which, if they were 

 known, would necessitate a revision 

 of the Dzierzon theory. I say mani- 

 fest, since the theory does not hold 

 true in practice, without which, its 

 correctness can only be assumed. 



To be true, the drone progeny of 

 sister queens, bred from a pureolooded 

 mother, should show some degree of 

 similarity in their marking, though 

 one of them should have mated with 

 a drone of another race, and produce 

 hybrid workers But we do not rind 

 it. In the one case the drones are 

 imperfectly colored and inferior in 

 many respects. In the other, there 

 will be found great uniformity with 

 the drone progeny of other sister 

 queens that have purely mated. 



The above facts have been observed 

 many times, and always with like re- 

 sult. An Italian queen mating with 

 a black drone, invariably begets a 

 mixed drone progeny, many being 

 well marked blacks, others being illy 

 colored, with none so finely marked as 

 those begotten of sister queens purely 

 mated. 



Further differences may be noted 

 in the growth of the hairs at the ex- 

 tremity, and beneath the abdomen. 

 On the pure Italian drone these hairs 

 are short and thinly set upon these 

 parts, in the pure black drone they 

 are comparatively longer, straight, 

 and thickly set, so as to be readily 

 noticeable. In the drone offspring of 

 Italian queens crossed with black 

 drones, these markings resemble those 

 of the purely black drone very much. 

 So much so, indeed, that I have a set- 

 tled conviction that there is black 

 blood in such drones, notwithstanding 

 the Dzierzon theory to the contrary. 



It is my opinion, therefore, that 

 every egg deposited by a fertilized 

 queen is impregnated in some way by 

 the spermatozoa of the drone with 

 which she mated ; and if it chance to 

 be a drone of another race, the entire 

 progeny will be hybrid. 



The principle of generation by which 

 male and female elements are formed 

 in the animal cieation, has never been 

 explained or understood. Like the 

 principle of life, it appears to involve 

 problems that are no nearer a solution 

 to-day than they were ages ago. And 

 until some of these principles are 

 solved, we shall not be able to explain 

 the modus operandi of reproduction 

 in the honey bee. 



Meantime, if any theory be ad- 

 vanced that does not comport with 

 well known facts, it may as well be 

 abandoned. 



The Dzierzon theory contemplates 

 that the drones begotten of queens 

 impurely mated are unaffected by 

 such cross ; but the standard for com- 

 parison must be the drones of pure 

 queens of the same race. If the drones 

 of impurely mated queens do notcome 

 up uniformly to this standard, it is 

 plain that there is something wrong 

 with the theory, that no amount of 

 philosophizing can ever establish. 



So too with the theory that queens 

 are impregnated with royal jelly 

 (drone's semen), while in the larval 

 state, enabling them to deposit eggs 

 that will produce variable drones. 



Many examinations have been made, 

 but no drone's semen or spermatozoa 

 have ever been found in royal jelly, 

 and without this can be done by a 

 competent microscopist, the theory 

 must be held not only untenable, but 



highly improbable ; for semen without 

 the sign of a single spermzoon, would 

 in' about as worthless as the irrepres- 

 sible theorist without brains. 



A very probable theory of the union 

 of sexual elements is, that immediately 

 after fertilization, the ovaries of the 

 queen are not only influenced and be- 

 gin to develop eggs rapidly, but that 

 there is also a primary fertilization, 

 that affects in a general way, every 

 embryo egg in the ovaries ; and a sec- 

 ondary fertilization of the eggs in 

 passing by the spermatheca by vol- 

 untary act of the queen when it is de- 

 sired to deposit eggs in worker cells, 

 and permitting the eggs to be deposi- 

 ted in drone cells, to pass by unaf- 

 fected. 



It is certain, at all events, that a 

 general fertilization of the ovaries is 

 not less possible in the fullydeveloped 

 queen than in the larval state. It 

 has not yet been shown that the 

 drones of virgin queens possess full 

 virile powers. Many have endeavored 

 to get queens fertilized early in the 

 spring by such drones, but have failed. 

 In an experiment of this kind 2 years 

 since. I wintered a virgin queen, and 

 had a fine lot of early drones. The 

 one queen reared to supersede her 

 (lew out many times every clear day 

 for 10 days without success, until some 

 drones appeared from another hive, 

 when she became fertilized at once. 

 Hence, it is pretty certain that the 

 Dzierzon theory is wanting on this 

 point also, viz : that the drones of vir- 

 gin queens are not possessed of virility. 



As to the transmission of certain 

 qualities of the queen and drones, I 

 think that the rules applicable to the 

 animal creation generally will hold 

 good in the honey bee. 



1. The female transmitts the de- 

 gree of fecundity, and determines the 

 size and the form of the female off- 

 spring. 



2. The male transmits the dispo- 

 sition and the energy to the female, 

 and determines the size and the form 

 of the male offspring. 



It happens, however, from causes 

 not yet understood, that some marked 

 exceptions to these rules occur, yet 

 the rules may be depended upon in 4 

 cases out of 5 applied generally. 



It has been further observed that 

 the drone influences the coloring of 

 the worker offspring in a marked de- 

 gree, and so far as I have been able to 

 judge, that of the drone offspring also. 



Thus it will be seen that I have 

 given to the drone greater importance 

 in the breeding of a superior race of 

 bees, than has been generally acknowl- 

 edged heretofore, and I feel certain 

 that what I have seen, others have 

 seen, and will be able to confirm what 

 must be a very common observation. 



New Philadelphia, O. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Wintering Bees in Texas. 



WM. R. HOWARD. 



At the close of the honey season we 

 should examine our bees, and put 

 them in condition for winter. To do 

 this, we must first understand what 

 are the requisites, and secondly, how 

 to secure conditions to fulfill these 

 requirements. 



Plenty of pure honey, the natural 

 food, pure air, the natural element, 

 and a full colony in a normal condi- 

 tion, with a prolific queen, are the 

 principal elements of successful win- 

 tering bees. 



Every full colony should have 25 or 

 30 lbs. of good honey to go through 

 the winter safely, and should be given 

 just what room they will occupy and 

 no more. If they do not fill the hive, 

 a division board should be used to con- 

 tract the hive to the proper size, to 

 accommodate our wants. Our honey 

 season generally closes with the ad- 

 vent of the first " norther," as they 

 are popularly called, but we often have 

 many warm davs after this, when bees 

 can fly. If our bees have not honey 

 enough to winter on in the hive at this 

 time, and we have no sealed honey in 

 frames in the store-room, we must re- 

 sort to feeding ; this we do inside of 



the hive on top of the frames with 

 pure extracted honey. We have tried 

 a syrup made from coffee A sugar, but 

 not sufficiently to justify us in coming 

 to a correct conclusion. Perhaps it 

 might do, but we cannot recommend 

 it. If pure honey is to be fed, they 

 should Be fed all they need to carry 

 them through the winter safely, as 

 fast as they can store it away in the 

 combs. Our hives should be protec- 

 ted if possible from the severe north- 

 west winds ; orchard trees, close fen- 

 ces, sheds, or boards laid against the 

 hives, will answer the purpose of wind- 

 breaks. 



Our hives should be water-proof en- 

 tirely. Ventilation is unimportant — 

 only the hive should be kept as dry 

 inside as possible. Our temperature 

 never runs low enough to make ice in 

 the hive from the condensed moisture 

 within the hive. 



Our bees wintered last winter, some 

 with the boxes, upper chamber, etc., 

 on, and others were covered as " tight 

 as a jug," using close top frames with 

 morticed entrances to upper chamber; 

 the bees glued the top bars together 

 in one solid plank so to speak (we use 

 thin wooden blocks to cover the mor- 

 ticed entrances, which the bees glued 

 fast to the frame as soon as placed in 

 the hive). We may see, by going 

 among the old box-hive men, bees 

 winter well in every sort of hive, some 

 with the top only laid upon the box, 

 and not nailed ; others with a crack in 

 the side from top to bottom an inch 

 wide extending across the top, free to 

 rain or snow or other imclemences ; 

 and others under some shed with the 

 top entirely off, and perhaps a foot or 

 more from'the ground, both ends open; 

 while others are out in some thicket 

 or briar patch in some old box of about 

 4000 cubic inches, and so little atten- 

 tion has been given it, that the box is 

 entirely rotten, only held together by 

 the " cross sticks," and bees working 

 out at every angle from it, " mother 

 earth " having claimed 2 inches of the 

 bottom of the gum, and yet these bees 

 have occupied this position for 6 or 7 

 years without loss in wintering. 



Bees are wintered in every conceiv- 

 able condition in this climate, except 

 without plenty of honey, proving be- 

 yond a doubt of the most skeptical, 

 that ventilation in this climate, is un- 

 important to winter bees successfully. 



If we have a few weak colonies when 

 winter approaches, they should be 

 united with other weak colonies, or, if 

 we wish to preserve the queens, con- 

 tract the hives to a suitable size, and, 

 with plenty of honey, they will go 

 through the winter safely. 



It will be seen from the above and 

 foregoing, that bees winter here al- 

 most without any attention, if they 

 have plenty of pure honey; and right 

 here we might add, that if our bees 

 are put away with plenty of honey, 

 and in comfortable hives, that all they 

 need is a " severe letting alone " until 

 the approach of the next honey sea- 

 son, unless we are satisfied that they 

 are starving, when they should be fed 

 pure honey on top of the frames with 

 as little disturbance as possible. 



Kingston, Texas. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Spruce Honey Kegs. 



JAMES HEDDON. 



A majority of the years of my honey 

 producing have been devoted to the 

 production of extracted honey. I pre- 

 sume I have marketed more than 

 150 000 pounds. I have used dozens of 

 different kinds and sizes of packages, 

 from a 1 pound glass tumbler to a 1 ,000 

 pound cask. I have used mainly an 

 oak 32 gallon barrel for selling in bulk, 

 but that carries with it the same ob- 

 jection that larger boxes of comb 

 honey do, viz.: Too large to suit many 

 customers, or to carry safely and han- 

 dle easily, and to pile up economically 

 in our rooms. 



The 50 and 100 pound cheap spruce 

 kegs just satisfy a long-felt want. 

 They need a slight soaking with clean 

 water, then drive and tack the hoops, 



and they are as tight as a drum. I 

 have always iiad the best success with 

 wood hoops ; they hold better than 

 iron ones. These kegs are a blessed 

 addition to our supply department, for 

 which Mr. Alfred II. Newman is en- 

 titled to our thanks. With spruce 

 kegs and spruce sections, do you not 

 think wearebeeomingquite "spruce?" 

 Dowagiac, Mich., Sept. 15, 1881. 



For the American Boo Journal. 



The Arrival of the Prize Queens. 



E. L. BRIGGS. 



No one but a bee-man can under- 

 stand the pleasing excitement of ex- 

 pecting, receiving, and disposing of 

 a half dozen rival queens, as contest- 

 ants for the highest honors, known 

 to the royal sisterhood, of beauty, 

 strength, gentleness of demeanor, and 

 numerical increase and prosperity of 

 subjects, over which she reigns a 

 queen. 



Shortly after my proposition went 

 forth to the public, 1 received and ac- 

 cepted the following queen breeders 

 as contestants for the SI 0.00 prize : 



J. Osborn & Bros., of Le Claire, 

 Iowa. 



William Lossing, Hokah, Houston 

 Co., Minn. 



Charles H. Lake, 93 W. Pratt St., 

 Baltimore, Md. 



Dr. I. P. Wilson, Burlington, Iowa. 



M. H. Snyder, of Elmwood, 111. 



Wm. P. Henderson,of Murfreesboro, 

 Tenn. 



As an alternate, I also accepted, J. 

 M.C.Taylor, of Louistown, Md., in 

 case any one of the others failed to ar- 

 rive. 



Of course it became my daily busi- 

 ness to haunt the Post and Express 

 offices, and no ten virgins ever looked 

 for the coming of the bridegroom with 

 more solicitude, than I looked for the 

 coming of the queens, upon every 

 train. After what seemed weeks of 

 waiting, the express messenger put 

 into my hands a 1-framed nucleus ob- 

 serving hive, from Dr. Wilson, of 

 Burlington, Iowa, containing a full- 

 sized Langstroth frame, with a queen, 

 and her attendant escort of workers. 

 Iitook her to the parlor table, and. in 

 the presence of my wife and family, 

 she was unveiled to our admiring 

 gaze by lamp light. The next day the 

 bees were set at liberty, and have 

 been prosecuting their work with un- 

 tiring zeal ever since. The queen 

 herself was duly installed as the regal 

 mistress of my colony No. 20, which 

 has been filled with brood, now 

 about ready to issue from their cells. 

 A young queen, a complete duplicate 

 of her mother, now reigns over the 

 nucleus, which will tell the judges of 

 the queen-breeding qualities of the 

 mother. 



Next came a small red-painted nu- 

 cleus hive, containing 3 frames, and 

 about a pint of bees as attendants of 

 their queen mother, from Mr. Lossing, 

 of Minnesota. She remains with her 

 right-royal looking children, the nu- 

 cleus having been enlarged from time 

 to time, till it is now almost large 

 enough to winter in. A royal prin- 

 cess has been reared from her brood 

 also, that, in appearance, is fully up 

 to the standard, and exactly like her 

 mother. 



Then came the queen of the south, 

 from Mr. Wm. P. Henderson, of Ten- 

 nessee, contained in a queen-cage 

 with from 25 to 50 workers as attend- 

 ants. I dare not, of course, speak of 

 these queens in comparison with each 

 other, until after the judges decide 

 upon their relative merits ; but, if all 

 the daughters of Tennessee areas fair 

 and gentle in appearance, and as regal 

 in bearing as this beautiful queen, 

 then the men of Tennessee are to be 

 envied. This queen, after a day's pro- 

 bation, was installed as ruler of colony 

 No. 16, where she still presides right 

 royally. 



On the 27th, a nucleus hive contain- 

 ing another trancendantally beautiful 

 queen and her escort, arrived from E. 

 J. Osborn & Bro., of Le Claire, Iowa. 

 She was without any probation gladly 

 welcomed, and installed over colony 



