40. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June 30, 



Ing, I find that where thecolony casting swarms is in a normal 

 condition, the egg intended for a queen is deposited in the 

 embryo queen-cell from 3 to o}i days before it hatches into a 

 larva. This larva is in the larval form from 5>i to 6 days, at 

 which time the cell containing it is sealed. After the cell is 

 sealed it is in the chrysalis form 7 days, making a period of 

 about 16 days from the time the egg was deposited in the cell 

 to the time the queen hatches. 



When the queen first emerges from the cell she is a white, 

 weak thing, unless kept in her cell after maturity by the 

 workers, as all who have handled queens well know, and is no 

 more fit for leading out a swarm than she is for egg-laying; 

 but during the next 48 hours she gains strength rapidly, so 

 that when she is about 30 to 36 hours old she begins to " pipe " 

 or "peep," as it is termed ; and when she is from 48 to 60 

 hours old she is ready to lead out a swarm, where there are 

 rival queens in other queen-cells. 



Prom the above it will be seen that the second swarm does 

 not issue on the day the young queen hatches, but about two 

 days afterward, if the weather is propitious. This, I believe. 

 Is according to M. Quinby in his " Mysteries of Bee-Keeping 

 Explained," which I have always found to be very nearly cor- 

 rect on all topics on which it treats. 



Some may object to the term " leads out a swarm," and 

 if it were applied to the first or prime swarui it would not be 

 correct, for with a colony having an old or laying queen the 

 bees seem to be the leaders in the swarming movement, but 

 with all atter-swarms the case is different, for with these we 

 find the young queen first, or among the first, to leave the hive. 



When a colony is in a normal condition, or when an apiary 

 is not afl'ected with the swarming mania, the first swarm 

 issues with the sealing of the first queen-cell, unless kept back 

 by unfavorable weather or circumstances. By issuing upon 

 the sealing of the first queen-cell I mean this : If the cell is 

 sealed at sometime during the hours of 8 to 12 a.m., the 

 swarm is likely to issue from 12 m. to 3 p.m. of thesame day; 

 but if sealed from 2 p.m. to 8 a.m., then the swarm will 

 doubtless issue during the forenoon, so that In the latter case, 

 which is the usual one, the cell will be sealed anywhere from 

 one to 18 hours before the swarm Issues. 



I have been particular in this matter, so that we could 

 know just when to cut off the queen-cells to prevent these 

 after-swarras. If we cut off all the cells but one on the fifth 

 or sixth day after the Issuing of the swarm, as has been rec- 

 ommended many times, we are not sure that the cell left will 

 hatch ; and, furthermore, the bees still have larv» young 

 enough to convert Into queens, which they are almost sure to 

 do, and in this case they will often kill the queen which 

 hatches first instead of allowing her to destroy these later- 

 started cells, when we not only have as many after-swarms as 

 we should have had had we not cut the cells, but we have also 

 the disadvantage of having queens reared from old larva;, 

 which all concede gives inferior queens. 



Now, if we wait about this cutting of cells till the eighth 

 day we shall run no risk of thecolony swarming; where the 

 first swarm was not kept back by foul weather there will be 

 no larvae young enough to convert into queens, and, as a rule, 

 the first young queen will be hatcht, and thus we can make a 

 sure thing of the matter, if we are sure we cut off all the 

 queen-cells there are in the hive. For these reasons I now 

 wait till the morning of the eighth day after a prime swarm 

 has issued, when I open the hive, take out the first frame and 

 hastily glance over it for nearly-ripe queen-cells, and if none 

 are found I shake the most of the bees off near the entrance 

 of the hive, into which they will immediately run, when the 

 frame is closely inspected for queen-cells, peering into every 

 nook and corner for them ; for, should some small, crooked 

 one be mist, swarming would surely result. 



All cells are cut off after a frame has been shaken to rid 

 it of bees, for this shaking of the young queens in their cells 

 is likely to cause them to be deformed, if not killed outright. 

 The next frame is treated in the same way unless ripe cells 

 are found, in which case it is set outside of the hive awaiting 

 the finding of a cell from which the queen has hatcht, when 

 all are cut off. Should none have hatcht, then the best one of 

 the ripe cells on the frame set out is saved and put back into 

 the hive. 



In this way we can make sure that no after-swarm will 

 issue from this hive, and it is the only certain plan that I 

 know of, and this I say after having tried nearly all of the 

 plans ever given to the public, and quite a few that were 

 given privately to myself. Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



Every Present Subscriber of the Bee Journal 

 should be an agent for it, and get all other bee-keepers possi- 

 ble to subscribe for it. See premium offers on page 410. 



A Few California Notes and Comments. 



BY W. A. PKYAL. 



I notice that many, yes, all the California correspondents 

 in the American Bee Journal mention the dry year in this 

 State, and the failure of the honey crop. This may be all 

 right for the southern and the greater portion of the central 

 portion of the State, but I am having the best honey crop I 

 have had in five years. I will get over 60 pounds per colony. 

 If I had known the year was going to be so propitious here, I 

 should have managed to work the whole apiary for honey. 



Do you know, I have not so much faith in the honey- 

 gathering propensities of the Italians as I used to have — have 

 had 20 years' experience now. This is a good year as a test. 

 I find that my darkest bees are as good as any Italians, and 

 they are just as gentle, too. One or two colonies of them have 

 beaten the best "Dago" blood in the yard. I have been run- 

 ning for extracted honey. Still, as I like the looks of the 

 "Dagoes" the best, and as the queens are far the easiest to 

 find, I am going to bring, as nearly as possible, all the dark 

 bees to pure Italian blood. I am requeening all dark colonies 

 this summer. 



So Mr. Newman complains of the cold winds in San Fran- 

 cisco. Well, he should come to this side of the bay, where 

 there is a decent climate. I pity the poor soldiers who are 

 encampt on the Pacific side of San Francisco. 'Tis mighty 

 cold and desolate there. Uncle Sam should look after the 

 "boys" better than he seems to be doing. I saw Gen. Merritt 

 in San Francisco to-day on Market street; I had a mind to 

 stop him and command him to remove his troops to a 

 milder climate — to Oakland, for instance ; but I was afraid 

 that he would tell me to mind my own business ; or, perhaps, 

 he might have said, "Just wait awhile and I will give them 

 plenty of warm climate in Manila." Perhaps that would be a 

 good climate for Gen. -(Manager) Thomas G. Newman, too. 

 The next time I see him I will suggest that he take his Philo- 

 sophical Journal to "pastures new and fresh" — in Manila. 



I notice in the American Bee Journal recently that my 

 friend, J. H. Rambler Martin, intended to run an apiary in 

 the northern portion of the State. Those southern California 

 folks only have to live long enough to find that if they want 

 to get a living off the earth in this State they have to move up 

 north. That is what sheep and cattle, even, are doing this 

 year. 'Tis dry as a bone, so I'm told, down below. 



I might remark that the rains that we should have had in 

 April have been falling during the past two weeks, and the 

 prospects are that they will continue to do so at intervals dur- 

 ing June. Of course, rain at this time is bad for the fruit 

 crop and hay that has been cut, or that is ready to cut. But 

 it has been invaluable for late-sown grain, vegetables, and 

 pasturage on the lowlands. Hay had run up to $27 per ton 

 before the late rains ; now it is between .SI 5 and .$20. The 

 usual price at this time is from .$8 to .'pl2 per ton. If we had 

 not had this recent rain, thousands of head of horses, cattle 

 and sheep would have to be wantonly killed — just for their 

 hides and tallow. 



I hope honey goes up In price — I have a lot for sale. What 

 has the war done for honey, so far ? No Cuba honey now, I 

 guess. Alameda Co., Calif,, May 31. 



FACING COMB HONEY. 



Opinions, Suggestions and Advice from the 

 Commission-Men. 



[Continued Irom page 386.1 

 [We have received the following response to our letter 

 on page 371, since our last week's issue. — Editor.] 



George W. York & Co.— 



Oentlernen : — Replying to your kind favor, we will say that 

 we have read the letter on the " facing comb honey " question, 

 and also remarks by other dealers regarding the matter; we 

 are also much interested in the subject, and wish to bear 

 record that we are emp?iaftcrtU!/ and always In favor of comb 

 honey in sections being placed in the cases so that when the 

 face or glass side of the case is presented, the seller and the 

 buyer will Itnow that all the sections in the case are fairly and 

 truly represented by the front or face. While in all the rela- 

 tions with each other a good appearance is very desirable and 



