690 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jiovember 



o. 



ferrcd to by Mr. Dadant, I have to say that I am using, 

 largely, thick top-bar frames, which are spaced quite closely 

 in early spring — not more than a flush 1 ^4 inches — and the 

 removal of one frame in a 10-frame hive adds 1% inch space 

 to be distributed among the remaining frames, which makes 

 simply a wide bee-space, but will not cause the bees to thicken 

 the comb, as I said in my former statement, providing they 

 have a prolific queen, and there is surplus room given in the 

 story above if needed. At least this is my experience. 



This, and a chaff hive, are used almost exclusively in 

 northern Ohio for out-of-door wintering, and are universally 

 liked. Mine are the only hives of the kind in this locality, 

 and while the season has been an extremely unfavorable one — 

 one of the poorest known in this part of Illinois — my bees 

 have not only most bountifully supplied themselves with win- 

 ter stores, but have given me nearly 700 pounds of surplus, 

 about equally divided between extracted and comb honey, 

 while a neighbor, about 80 rods from me, theoretically "way 

 up " In bee-keeping, with more colonies than I have, but in 

 another kind of hive, has secured less than 30 pounds of sur- 

 plus. But he does not take the " old reliable" American Bee 

 Journal. 



But it matters not what kind of hive one uses: as I said 

 before, the time and manner of manipulation has a wonderful 

 effect upon results, and no person should attempt to keep bees 

 who is walking about asleep. 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPEKS' UNION — A SUGGESTION. 



One other matter, which perhaps may seem presumptuous 

 In me to refer to, as I am not a member of the United States 

 Bee-Keepers' Union is, What is the surest method of 

 Increasing its membership ? It has occurred to me that, if all 

 county associations were made branches of the United States 

 Union, and were governed by Its constitution, contributing to 

 its maintenance by the payment of dues or assessments, and 

 were represented at Its conventions by delegates, as many 

 other organizations are conducted and supported, it would 

 soon become a wonderful power for good to the beekeepers 

 of the United States. This is simply a suggestion, perhaps 

 impracticable. Kankakee Co., 111. 



Introducing Virgin Queens to Nuclei. 



On page 632, a Jamaica bee-keeper suggested that queen- 

 breeders be requested to answer this question in the American 

 Bee Journal : 



"With what method of Introducing virgin queens to 

 nuclei are you the most successful ? Also give the age of the 

 queens." 



The following responses have been received up to this 

 time : 



In reply to the question for queen-breeders, I will say this 

 is about as good a plan as I have ever tried : 



I have my queens hatcht in the West spiral cage. When 

 the queet has been hatcht from one to ] dajs, I roll in a 

 piece of tissue or other paper sufficient " Good " candy to fill 

 about one inch of the cage, and place the cage in the hive in 

 such a way that the candy can't fall on the queen when 

 nearly eaten out. By this plan the nucleus has been queen- 

 less 3 days or more. With this plan I have been very suc- 

 cessful. 



I might succeed better with the tobacco plan, but In the 

 hand of a novice there would be danger of robbing ; and then, 

 I don't use tobacco, and of course don't allow my bees to in- 

 dulge. W. J. FOBEHAND. 



Lowndes Co., Ark. 



I have been very successful in introducing virgin queens 

 to nuclei as follows : I use the introducicg-caee, consisting 

 of a wire cage ?8X%s33< inches, and a tin cap % of an inch 

 long that just fiis Inside the open end of the cage. This cap 

 has a ?-4-inch hole in the bottom, and is filled with candy that 

 will take the bees about two days to eat out, when the queen 

 will be liberated. The nucleus should be queenless at least a 

 day before the virgin queen Is caged, and If many days de- 

 stroy the cells. 



This method differs only from Introducing laying queens 

 in having the nucleus queenless a day or two while the laying 

 queens are caged, as soon as the undesirable queen Is removed. 



I have used this cage successfully since 1883, and have 

 introduced hundreds of virgin queens with little loss. I have 

 no trouble introducing a queen a week old, but prefer one 

 from 24 to 48 hours old. James F. Wood. 



Worcester Co., Mass. 



I will here outline the method, or several methods, which 

 I have used quite successfully during the past season, for In- 

 troducing virgin queens. It Is not possible to give In a nut- 

 shell all the little kinks and hooks that are necessary to the 

 best of success, but these will soon be acquired by the practi- 

 cal apiarist. 



One method with which I have been especially pleased is 

 Dr. Miller's " pulled queen method," as I call it. During the 

 past season I have introduced somewhere around five or six 

 hundred pulled queens, and have lost but very few when cer- 

 tain rules were observed. The rules are these : 



The queens are not to be more than a few hours old, ani 

 the nucleus must be at least three days queenless. At all 

 times, and when honey is not coming In very briskly, the 

 nucleus should be queenless one or two days more, or the 

 queen Is liable to be balled as she grows older. It is a fact, 

 the bees will accept one of these pulled queens when they 

 have been queenless but a few hours, but the idea is not only 

 to have them accept the queen, but to have the queen become 

 a laying one. My experience says when the queen Is given to 

 the bees too soon they will invariably ball and kill her after 

 the first two or three days. 



For Introducing virgin queens not more than three or four 

 days old, I follow the same rules as for a laying queen. A 

 colony that will accept a laying queen will accept a young 

 virgin. To Introduce a virgin 5 or 10 days old is quite 

 another thing, and, to prove this for yourself, take a pulled 

 queen and one of these oldish virgins and place them on the 

 same comb at the same time, and you will find that the bees 

 will promptly attack the older queen while the pulled queen 

 will receive no attention whatever. To get the above results 

 use bees which have been queenless for but three days. 



To introduce these oldish virgin queens, I usually wait 

 until the bees have capt queen-cells, then run a queen right 

 in at the top of the hive. It is a good idea to roll her In honey 

 first. Tills work should he done in the evening, towards sundown. 



Another plan for Introducing these queens is to wait until 

 the nucleus is queenless for three or four days, and then pro- 

 ceed to introduce as you would a laying queen to a colony 

 that has been queenless for a few hours, or whose queen has 

 been just removed. 



All the above directions are for colonies or nuclei in a nor- 

 mal condition, except that they are queenless, of course. 



Huron Co., Ohio. H. G. Quirin. 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' UNION. 



Report of the 29th Annual Convention Held at 

 Omaha, Nebr., Sept. 13-15, 1898. 



DR. A. B. MASON, SEC. 



LContlnued Irom page 675.1 

 FIRST DAY— Evening Session. 



The evening session was called to order by Pres. York, 

 and opened with the singing of the " Bee Keepers' Reunion 

 Song." 



Pres. York — The first paper is one by Mr. E. R. Root, of 

 Ohio, on 



Recent Progress in Apicuilurc. 



E. R. Root — I have no regularly prepared paper. Not 

 having had the time to prepare one, I thought I would simply 

 give you some of my old rehash. I want to say in this con- 

 nection that I was in hopes I should not be put on the pro- 

 gram for any paper. I was rather of the opinion that a pub- 

 lisher should not come before the convention to discuss a sub- 

 ject. We want to have an opportunity of hearing from those 

 who do not so often have the opportunity of being heard from. 



At the meeting held in Lincoln, Nebr., I had a subject 

 very similar to this; but I suppose Dr. Mason thought that 

 the times had changed so much that we could discuss the same 

 subject again. 



