AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



19 



value of which, at the suggestion of 

 Mr. Aikin, of Loveland, Colo., I under- 

 took to test : 



Early in spring two colonies were 

 selected, as nearly alike in strength as 

 it was possible to get them. They were 

 kept at the same strength, the amount 

 of brood in the hives having been 

 equalized several times. The harvest 

 did not open until about July 6th, and 

 upon the 8th supers were given them. 

 July 12th queen-cells were found partly 

 constructed in colony No. 1. The queen 

 was removed, and four days, and also 

 eight days afterward, all queen-cells 

 were destroyed. On July 25th (13 days 

 after her removal) the queen was re- 

 turned. This colony did not swarm at 

 all. 



The other colony (No. 2) was allowed 

 to work without interference, and it was 

 not until July 21st that they swarmed. 

 As the harvest from linden was about 

 closing, the swarm was returned, and 

 all queen-cells destroyed in the hope 

 that they would not attempt to swarm 

 again before the close of the season. 

 They did not swarm, yet it may be sup- 

 posed that this interference with their 

 instincts tended slightly to decrease 

 their energy. The results in total 

 amount of honey gathered are as follows: 

 No. 1 gained in weight 37 pounds be- 

 tween July 6th and 25th, and No. 2 

 gained 46 pounds during the same time. 



If from the total gain of No. 2 we 

 subtract 5 pounds as the weight of 

 brood it contained in excess of the brood 

 in No. 1 on July 25th, we still have 4 

 pounds as the amount of honey gathered 

 by No. 2 greater than the amount gath- 

 ered by No. 1. These colonies were 

 both worked for comb honey with like 

 treatment of supers. 



This experiment is valuable testimony 

 to prove that the removal of the queen 

 to prevent swarming does somewhat 

 affect the amount of honey gathered 

 by the bees. The supers showed even a 

 larger difference in the amount of honey 

 stored in the sections for the reason that 

 where the queen is absent the bees fill 

 the brood-chamber with honey. When 

 the queen is returned this will, to a 

 greater or less extent, be removed to the 

 sections. Although the interference in 

 this manner, with the economy of the 

 hive, probably always reduces the 

 amount of honey stored, yet because of 

 the lessening in the labor and watching 

 necessary during the swarming season, 

 I deem it advisable to follow this method 

 when any similar plan seems necessary. 



Agricultural College, Mich., Nov. 17. 

 (Continued next week.) 



Some Facts About those Hybrid 

 and Black Bees. 



Written for the AmerUxm Bee Journal 

 BY " MINNESOTA." 



I note the criticisms by Mr. Jas. A. 

 Green, on page 691, on the answers to 

 my question. Query 867, on page 494, 

 and I desire to reply by giving a brief 

 history of my bees. 



I follow diversified farming, and took 

 up bee-keeping on account of poor 

 health, thinking it would add to my in- 

 come, and was adapted to my business. 



I began with 4 colonies of hybrids (a 

 cross of the Italians and blacks) some 

 12 years ago. For about 4 years fol- 

 lowing, my neighbors all around me had 

 black bees. During a poor season my 

 neighbors' bees all starved to death; 

 since that time there have been no bees 

 kept within 43^ miles from me. I do 

 not restrain drone-rearing, or kill them ; 

 during the swarming season there are 

 plenty of them in the air. Wild bees 

 cannot winter here. Have not I a good 

 reason for saying that my bees have 

 reared queens from their own progeny ? 



How do I know that my bees are good, 

 comparatively speaking, as Italians ? 

 By comparing their, product and its 

 quality with other apiaries equally 

 situated. 



There has been a general complaint 

 for the last few years of a partial fail- 

 ure of the honey crop. At our State 

 Fair I have been asked, "Why don't 

 you bring your honey here ? It has 

 been a failure throughout the State." 



I took some comb honey, stored by 

 these hybrids, to the Fair last year, and 

 took the first premium on the most at- 

 tractive display of comb honey, and first 

 on the display of 20 pounds of comb 

 honey, quality and manner of putting 

 up for market considered. I mention 

 this to show that my hybrids are as good 

 as Italians, as to the quality of their 

 product. 



With the exception of the poor season 

 mentioned, my bees have always paid 

 me a fair profit on the amount invested 

 in them. They have done so well that I 

 have hesitated about introducing new 

 and strange blood among them. The 

 object of my query was to find out from 

 the respondents how long I could safely 

 in-breed without deterioration. 



I have found out from experience that 

 for all practical purposes in this State, 

 some grades of animals are equal, if not 

 superior, to pure bloods. Why not bees ? 



I will acknowledge that I have paid 



