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AMERICAN JBEE JOURNAL. 



Queens Piping Before Swarming. 



On page 22, Mr. George F. Evans 

 asks the meaning of several queens 

 piping before the exit of a swarm. Is it 

 anything different from the ordinary 

 programme at the time of the issuing of 

 any second swarm, or when "the old 

 queen has been lost, and a swarm issues 

 on the maturity of a young queen ? In 

 such a case, one queen is running 

 around in the hive piping in a shrill 

 tone, while another, or perhaps several 

 answer back from their cells in a 

 coarser tone. This noise made by the 

 queen at large is called "piping" or 

 " teeting," and the noise made by those 

 in the cells is called "quahking." At 

 least those names were formerly used, 

 and they apply very well now. 



Put your ear against the hive of any 

 strong colony that cast a swarm about 

 two days ago, and if a second swarm is 

 to issue, you will hear the piping and 

 quahking. C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, Ills., July 6, 1892. 



Red Ants — Good Honey Crop. 



I have been rid of red ants since Feb- 

 ruary, by keeping chickens in my apiary 

 of 33 colonies. My bees wintered well, 

 and I am getting a good crop of honey 

 from sourwood and white clover. We 

 have had no early honey nor honey-dew. 

 John F. Haeger. 



Hill City, Tenn., July 2, 1892. 



My Experience in Eee-Keeping. 



I commenced bee-keeping eight years 

 ago, and now have 32 colonies. My first 

 swarm issued on June 19, and I have 

 had several since that time, but have 

 put them back, and put on guards to 

 keep the queen in. I would like to 

 know if bees will do well with entrance 

 guards on their hives. This is the first 

 year that I have tried them. If they 

 will do as well with them on, it will be 

 quite a help if put on in the right time. 

 I do not expect much from my bees this 

 year, as it rains almost every day. I 

 have but 2 or 3 colonies that have done 

 anything in the sections. If it keeps on 

 raining next week as it has in the past, 

 I think" I shall have to feed them. I 

 had 21 colonies in the spring, bought" 

 20 more, and had to transfer 14 of 

 them. The first 9 that I transferred did 

 well, and 4 out of 5 of the last that I 

 transferred on Ma'y 30, as it was quite 

 warm, left the hive entirely, and I lost 

 3 out of 4- One of my neighbors got 



them. I was told that he had it in a 

 box, and I had to give him one dollar for 

 his trouble. As part of my bees are 

 kept from home, I have used guards on 

 the hives since that, and I do not see but 

 they are doing as well as my bees kept 

 at home. I would like to know what 

 made the bees leave, as 1 have trans- 

 ferred quite a number of swarms before, 

 and have been successful with them. It 

 was so warm that the comb broke down 

 some, and they were working on apple- 

 blossoms quite freely. 



I am much pleased with the Bee 

 Journal, and wish that I had taken it 

 before. I see my neighbor Doolittle's 

 name often in it. I live about eight 

 miles from him. All bee-men in this 

 section think that he is as good authority 

 as we have. W. F. Millier. 



Mottville, N. Y., July 4, 1892. 



Dead Drones and Virgin Queen. 



On page 21 Mr. George F. Evans men- 

 tions finding a dead virgin queen in 

 front of a colony that had not swarmed. 

 Probably the dead queen was a stranger 

 from some other apiary, that was lost 

 on her wedding trip. I have had this 

 happen in my apiary. I never knew of 

 sister queens making war upon each 

 other in the parent colony after they 

 were hatched. Last season I even found 

 six live queens in a swarm in the morn- 

 ing, which had been hived nearly 24 

 hours. 



Probably a small nucleus would cast a 

 swarm in the swarming season if two 

 queens were hatched exactly at the 

 same time. If virgin queens fought in 

 the parent colony, we would hardly see 

 swarms of a quart or two issuing from 

 colonies in large hives that were already 

 weakened by casting too many swarms. 

 Those dead drones might have been 

 taken from the combs when ridding 

 them of worms. J. H. Andre. 



Lockwood, N. Y. 



An Encouraging "Stray Straw." 



There is an old saying, that "drown- 

 ing men catch at straws." I was just 

 on the verge of despair when I received 

 Gleanings of July 1, and in reading 

 " Stray Straws," I noticed these words 

 from the pen of a worthy brother and 

 ready writer, Dr. C. C. Miller — "Don't 

 get clear discouraged ; I've known sea- 

 sons a good deal worse than I think this 

 will be." Now, are not the Doctor's 

 hopes strong? — "think this will be." 

 There is almost too much territory uu« 



