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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



to within about 10 feet of a queenless 

 colony that I had just fed some honey a 

 few minutes before, and, to my astonish- 

 ment, the drones came rushing about 

 this queen on my hand like mad hor- 

 nets. One drone threw her over on her 

 side, but she was on her feet in an in- 

 stant. Several drones gave her each a 

 tap, and then left. 



In a short time the buzzing stopped, 

 and the drones all went back to their 

 hive. But not one of these drones left 

 any of the sex-organs adhering to the 

 queen. I do not know that this queen 

 is pregnated, but I shall watch her 

 closely for the next two days to see when 

 she begins laying, and whether she at- 

 tempts to leave the hive again. 



I have believed during the past that 

 the reason the bees from one queen vary 

 so much in color, is because the queen 

 on her wedding-tour meets and copulates 

 with different drones of various stripes. 

 Then my observation has been that only 

 about one-fourth of the queens that be- 

 come fertilized carry enough of the vital 

 fluid with them, received from the 

 drones, to be visible to the naked eye at 

 all. 



I have watched some virgin queens 

 very closely, have seen them come out of 

 the hive as many as a half-dozen times, 

 then I have opened the hive and scruti- 

 nized the queen very closely, but could 

 see no trace of fertilization until the 

 next two days, then I would see the ab- 

 domen begin to enlarge, and know in 

 this way that she had met some drones ; 

 for she would begin to lay at the ap- 

 pointed time. 



One fact is now settled, namely, that 

 the queen attracts the drones, and not 

 the drones the queen. The many are 

 attracted toward the one, and not the 

 one toward the many. 



Another truth is, that the queen must 

 be "on the spree," or have the desired 

 sexual-impulse to attract the drones. 



A few weeks ago, when there were 

 some 30 virgin queens on the wing one 

 day, I observed that the drones were so 

 excited as to fly in and out of their hives 

 like robber bees. 



Yes, reader, the drone fills his mission 

 well in life, and if we can do as well as 

 he, we shall feel well at the close of life. 



La Porte, Iowa. 



The Globe Bee- Veil, which we offer 

 on the third page of this number of the 

 Bee Joubnal, is just the thing. You 

 can get it for sending us only three new 

 subscribers, at $1.00 each. 



The Ming of Cut Honey. 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON. 



Although most farm products are 

 graded, there have never been any gen- 

 eral rules for the grading of honey. 

 Naturally dark honey is seldom mixed 

 with white honey, because, if this were 

 done the whole lot would bring only the 

 price at which the dark would sell, and 

 for the same reason unfinished sections 

 are seldom crated with the finished 

 combs. 



In reporting the market prices, deal- 

 ers usually make use of the terms ; 

 "fancy," "choice," "No. 1," and "No. 

 2 ;" but there is much confusion in re- 

 gard to the exact meaning of these 

 terms. A producer may think that his 

 honey is choice, or No. 1, but when it 

 reaches the dealer, the latter finds it far 

 from what the producer called it, and 

 from this condition arise disputes and 

 unpleasantness. 



Last fall, when the Northwestern Bee- 

 Keepers' Society met at Chicago, there 

 was an attempt to formulate a set of 

 rules that might be used in grading 

 honey, and, at the meeting of the North 

 American Bee-Keepers' Society at Al- 

 bany, N. Y., an improvement upon the 

 Chicago rules was suggested. Since then 

 the matter has been thoroughly dis- 

 cussed by bee-keepers, yet there are so 

 many points to be considered that an 

 agreement is difficult. Possibly none 

 will be arrived at until some set of rules 

 has been given a trial, that actual prac- 

 tice may point out more clearly what is 

 needed. After attending both of the 

 conventions mentioned, and reading all 

 of the discussions on the subject, I am 

 inclined to give preference to a formula 

 reading about as follows: 



"Fancy." — All sections to be well- 

 filled ; combs straight, of even thick- 

 ness, and firmly attached to all four 

 sides ; both wood and comb to be un- 

 soiled by travel-stain or otherwise, all 

 the cells sealed, and the honey of uni- 

 form color. 



"No. 1." — All sections well-filled, but 

 with combs uneven and crooked, de- 

 tached at the bottom, or with but few 

 cells unsealed ; both wood and combs 

 unsoiled by travel-stain or otherwise, 

 and the honey of uniform color. 



" No. 2." — Sections with comb, or 

 both, travel-stained, or otherwise much 

 soiled, and such sections as are less than 

 three-fourths filled with honey, whether 

 sealed or unsealed ; and the combs con- 

 taining two or more colors. 



