604 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Dec. 21, 1899. 



■were started over larva; less than 4 days 23 hours old, and 

 possibly not more than 2 days 22 hours old. 



July 13, 6 a.m. No additional cells on any but comb c, 

 which has now 6 cells, the last three being- started over 

 larv* less than 5 days 20 hours old, and possibly not more 

 than 3 days 23 hours old. 



This closes the testimony of the bees, no cells being 

 started later. In some respects it is not exactly what I de- 

 sired and intended the bees should give, but they are to 

 blame for that and not I. I know very well that this is only 

 a single case, and that the next case might be different, for 

 " bees never do any thing invariably ;" but let us see what 

 conclusions may be reacht from the testimony given. 



In the first place, it certainly is not proven by the testi- 

 mony given that bees made queenless are in such haste to 

 rear a queen that they at once select larva; too old for the 

 purpose. Moreover, I have had the matter in mind thruout 

 the season, and in every case the cells first started were 

 over larvae that were very small. If any one has accepted 

 the challenge thrown out bj- me to prove that bees at once 

 selected too old larva\ I hope he will report at once. 



It is certainly very clear that in this case, at least, the 

 bees did not start all their cells within about 48 hours" time, 

 as Mr. Hutchinson says his do. The first cells were started 

 before July 6, 10:30 a.m. The last cells were started after 

 July 12, 9 a.m. From that it is easily seen that the time 

 from the first to the last cells started was six days lacking 

 lj4 hours. It was that much at least, and it may have been 

 more. Henry Alle}''s experience agrees in this. 



While the bees at first select larva; sufficiently young 

 for good queens, they afterward use some that are too old, 

 continuing to start cells when larva; of proper age are no 

 longer present. Editor Hutchinson says his bees build cells 

 that he calls " fool-cells," because the5' are so insignificant 

 and poor, and he does not know how to account for them. 

 If he will observe with sufficient care, I think he will find 

 that they are nothing more nor less than cells started over 

 too old larva;, probably after larva' of proper age were no 

 longer present. 



I must not evade the observation that, something more 

 than SV-z days after the removal of the queen, the bees 

 started cells over too old larva; when younger larva; were 

 present. I might say that sometimes bees hold eggs with- 

 out hatching for more than three days (Dzierzon says two 

 weeks), but I will not press that. 



Until some one brings forward some proof to the con- 

 trary', I feel safe in saying that when bees are made queen- 

 less they are not in such haste to rear a new queen that they 

 select too old larva;, and that there is no error in selecting 

 during the first five days of queenlessness. If the combs 

 with the cells be taken within the first five days, and put in 

 the upper story of a colony having a laying queen there 

 will be no too old larva; in the case. If left with the queen- 

 less bees till larva; of proper age are no longer present, they 

 will build cells over too old larva; — what Mr. Hutchinson 

 calls " fool-cells." McHenry Co., 111., Sept 29. 



[This discussion started originally from my saying, or 

 from some one else saying, that Doolittle-reared queens 

 were to be preferred, because if the bees were left to them- 

 selves they would take larv;e too old; and hence queens 

 reared by Nature's method would not average as well as 

 those reared by the Doolittle plan. While I still believe 

 the statement is correct, yet the main prop to support it has 

 been knockt out. 



I am always open to conviction ; and when any one 

 produces evidence of this kind right from the hive, I can- 

 not see it is any weakness or lowering of dignity to ac- 

 knowledge my error. It appears then, that if bees have a 

 choice between old and young larv;v, they will select not 

 those which are three days old, as is generally supposed, 

 but those which are just hatcht out, or somewhere about 24 

 hours old. By the Doolittle method it has been our custom 

 generally to select just-hatcht larv;e ; and in so doing we 

 have been in exact accord with Nature ; for the bees seem 

 to say, if their preference is any gauge, that the one-day 

 limit is the best. 



I have read over the experiments very carefullj', and if 

 the Doctor conducted them exactly as he says (and we have 

 no reason for doubting his statement), then he has a pretty 

 strong clincher on his opponents. Until I received this 

 communication I was inclined to believe he was worsted in 

 the argument ; but, thanks to his persistency (a quality that 

 seems to be verj' markt in his make-up), he has not only 

 proved himself right, but has given queen-breeders a valu- 

 able pointer as to the proper age of larva; to be preferred 

 for queen-rearing. 



But I said that I still believe that the bees left to them- 

 selves would not rear for the queen-breeder as good queens 

 as when reared by the Doolittle method. By the latter a 

 decided preference is given b^' Doolittle and his followers 

 for the rearing of cells under the swarming or supersedure 

 impulse. Under such circumstances the cells are more lav- 

 ishly supplied with the royal food than queens reared from 

 the cells made by the bees. 



Referring to Mr. Hutchinson's statement that bees build 

 most of their cells within 48 hours" time, my experience 

 says there is a great difference in bees. Holy Lands and 

 Syrians will start 25 to 30 cells within a few hours ; and 

 after once being started they seem disinclined to start other 

 cells on succeeding days. Black bees will do most of their 

 cell-starting within 48 hours, and Italians and hybrids, es- 

 pecially the former, will extend the period almost up to the 

 limit of available larva; that can be possibly used for the 

 rearing of queens. 



There will be very markt exceptions to the statement 

 above; but when I was doing all the queen-rearing myself 

 I was imprest over and over with the general truth of it. — 

 Kditor.] — Gleanings in Bee-Culture. 



Report of the Proceedings of the 30th Annual 

 Convention of the United States Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, Held at Philadelphia, 

 Pa., Sept. 5, 6 and 7, 1899. 



BY DR. A. B. M.4S0N, SEC. 



[Continued from pag-e 790.] 



Mr. W. L. Coggshall, of New York, then read the fol- 

 lowing paper on 



Out-Apiaries for Extracted Honey. 



By mistake this paper was announced as relating to 

 comb hone}'. As a matter of fact I produce but little comb 

 hone}', only part of two apiaries being run for it. My opin- 

 ion is that to produce comb honey to the best advantage it 

 is necessary to see the bees oftener than I can see my out- 

 apiaries. 



My first out-apiary was establisht in 1878. Now I have 

 14 ranging from one-half mile to 20 miles from home, the 

 average distance being 10 miles. 



This season my help consisted of Harry Howe, when he 

 was not looking after his own bees, Harry Bever, and one 

 man during the extracting season only, with my own two 

 boys, 12 and IS years old. 



My loss was rather heavy last winter, which leaves me 

 about 1,300 colonies in the 14 apiaries. These apiaries are 

 scattered irregularly around, south, east and west of home ; 

 my brother with his 600 colonies and several smaller lots 

 occupying the remaining territory. 



My apiaries are located with more regard to pasturage 

 from buckwheat than from any other consideration. 



My system of operation is to make just as few motions 

 as possible ; to do just as little teaming as possible; in 

 short, to have as little friction as possible. Each operation 

 has been studied carefully to see how to do it with the least 

 motions, while the existing conditions of each location 

 have been workt out with equal care to reduce the work to 

 the lowest limit consistent with the best results. Nothing 

 is done for the looks of it, or because others do it that way. 

 Utility not looks, honey not fun, results not theory, is the 

 plan. It takes time to have the hives in straight rows, and 

 the bees gather no more honey in that way. It takes money 

 to have the latest thing in hives and fixtures, and there is 

 nothing but satisfaction to be gotten out of them. 



The extracting season is not the time that the work is 

 done that secures the results. That is only the harvest ; 

 the time to begin to prepare for a crop is at the last empty- 

 ing in the fall, when one must see that there are plenty of 

 stores to last until honey comes again. Then careful pack- 

 ing, and all that is implied in the wintering problem, comes 

 in. 



The amount of bees and their distance from home com- 



