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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



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For the American Bee Journal. 



Tlie Longevity of Bees. 



E. A. THOMAS. 



. It seems to me that this subject is of 

 vital importance to the successful cul- 

 tivation of the honey bee, and I won- 

 der that it has not received more at- 

 tention at the liands of prominent bee- 

 keepers. 



Every one has doubtless noticed the 

 difference in the length of life in the 

 human family ; how, in some families 

 generation after generation will live 

 to a ripe old age, unless prematurely 

 shortened, while in others each gen- 

 eration grows old nmch earlier in life, 

 and die of old age at an age when 

 others would be in their prime. You 

 will also notice, in examining the 

 records of families, that the average 

 length of life of each suceessive gen- 

 eration, many times either increases or 

 diminishes. This has also been no- 

 ticed in many of the lower animals, 

 and it is only reasonable to suppose 

 that there is also a great difference in 

 the length of insect life. 



As there is no effect witliout a cause, 

 we must endeavor to ascertain the 

 causes which tend to lengthen or 

 shorten the life of wpis melifica. I 

 have conducted many experiments 

 for the purpose of determining these 

 cau.ses, the result of which I give 

 below : 



First, in regard to the longevity of 

 queens, I have found that those reared 

 from the egg live to a greater age, and 

 their offspring are capable of greater 

 endurance and of longer life, than 

 those reared from old larvie. This is 

 demonstrated by noting the condition 

 of colonies having such queens, at 

 intervals through the season. Those 

 containing queens reared from the egg 

 will be found to steadily increase in 

 numbers until the hives cannot hold 

 tlieir teeming population, while colo- 

 nies having queens reared from old 

 larvse, never become very strong even 

 though the hives are crowded at all 

 times with brood. While the latter 

 may incMase as rapidly as the former 

 early in the season, tliey will fall far 

 beliind later on, when the places of 

 the fast dying bees must be supplied 

 by the hatching brood. It is reason- 

 able to suppose that a queen reared 

 from the egg will receive a more full 

 and perfect development, than where 

 the development is forced, as is the 

 case with queens reared from old 

 larvae. 



Thus I have found that the lon- 

 gevity of each succeeding generation 

 from any queen can be greatly aug- 

 mented by breeding from the egg and 

 every queen I rear in future will be 

 bred in this way. By breeding from 

 bees that are long lived, considering 

 both the life of the queen and her off- 

 spring, we may greatly improve our 

 bees in this direction. I will speak of 

 the value of long lived race further on. 



There are certain unnatural causes 

 which tend to shorten the life of a 

 queen and of her offspring. QueSns 

 that are balled and hugged by the 

 bees when introduced, until they have 

 a greasy appearance, will be found to 

 be very short lived. I consider such 

 queens as utterly worthless and des- 

 troy them at once. There are other 

 causes which time and space will not 

 permit me to speak of. 



Second, the longevity of drones 

 must have more or less influence upon 

 the length of life of the queen's off- 

 spring. As we cannot wholly control 

 the mating of our queens, we must 

 depend a good deal upon chance for 

 their mating with long lived drones ; 

 but we may considerably lessen the 

 chances of poor mating, by stimula- 

 ting the colony that produces the 

 tinest drones to rear a large number, 

 keeping all others cut off or trapped. 

 It is very difficult to ascertain the age 

 of drones, and almost impossible to 

 determine their average length of life 

 in different colonies. I once induced 

 a colony to retain their drones all the 

 winter, by stimulative feeding, and 

 allowed them to rear none the next 

 spring. In .June I found many drones 

 in the hive, which had every appear- 

 ance of being very aged, and I have 

 no doubt that they were the ones 

 reared in the colony the fall previous. 

 I induced this colony to rear a large 

 number. 



Third, the longevity of the workers 

 must depend upon that of the queens 

 and drones. This is a self evident 

 truth, and does not need to be demon- 

 strated by experiments. If we find 

 the workers in acolony very long lived, 

 we must conclude tliat either the 

 stock from which they sprang or the 

 drone with which the queen mated, or 

 botli,were long lived. While we have 

 no meansof knowingwhere the drone 

 came from, we can trace the stock 

 back on the side of the queen, if a 

 careful record has been kept — and here 

 is where the "Apiary Register" 

 proves of value. 



If the reader will pardomthe digres- 

 sion, I will say here that all who nn- 

 derstand the value of a fine strain of 

 bees, and who wish to improve tlieir 

 stock, will do well to send to the Edi- 

 tor of the Bee Joubnal and get an 

 Apiarii Register. lie has gotten up a 

 neat and well bound book which is 

 cheap at tlie price, and it should be 

 in the hands of every bee-keeper. In 

 my next article I will give a few hints 

 about keeping the Register, marking 

 the queen, etc. 



But to continue : In determining 

 the longevity of bees, you should note 

 their condition in spring ; in the case 

 of short lived bees, the colony will 

 dwindle badly in spring ; do not under- 

 stand nie to say that all bees tliat 

 dwindle in spring are short lived, for 

 •there are many other causes whicli 

 produce dwindling. The bee-keeper 

 who is troubled with spring dwindling 

 should investigate the matter, and if 

 he cannot lind any abnormal condition 

 of the bees that would cause the 

 trouble, it is safe to conclude that they 

 are short lived or weakly. The rem- 

 edy is to introduce new blood into the 

 apiary from some long lived race, 



breed from that stock and keep the 

 drones of the other cut off or trapped. 



The importance of this subjectmust 

 impress itself upon the minds of all 

 after a careful consideration of the 

 question. It is as important in breed- 

 ing a fine strain of bees to endeavor 

 to augment the longevity of the race, 

 as it is to breed for hardiness. Long 

 lived bees will endure more, and con- 

 sequently will store more honey in 

 summer ; the colonies will throw off 

 larger swarms, which will not dwindle 

 from the effects of hard work before 

 the new brood begins to hatch ; and 

 last but not least, they will live long 

 enough in spring to recuperate their 

 strength of numbers, and rear suffi- 

 cient brood to take their places when 

 they shall " give up the ghost." 



I can see a marked improvement in 

 my own bees since I gave attention to 

 this subject, and I am not troubled in 

 the least with spring dvi'indling or 

 with weak colonies ; they always keep 

 strong and vigorous. 



Coleraine, Mass. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



My Very Strange Visitor. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



A stranger by the name of L. W. 

 Vankirk called, a few days since, to 

 have a friendly chat with Doolittle 

 (see page 63, Bee Jouknal). As I 

 am always '' chatty " the time passed 

 off pleasantly. Upon departing the 

 stranger found Doolittle was more a 

 fact than fiction, for, somehovv', Doolit- 

 tle's talk was of about the same tenor 

 as his articles in the bee papers— thus 

 the stranger was satisfied that a chat 

 only developed the truth that Doolit- 

 tle was the same matter-of-fact man 

 which he had read about. However, 

 I learned some new things which 

 might be of great advantage to me and 

 as I am always free to give the readers 

 of the Bee Journal all that I learn, 

 I will tell you about it. 



Bee-keeping to be most profitable 

 should become a " side issue," for in 

 this way with the help of " the girls" 

 and a day spent " now and then," by a 

 busy farmer, $800 can be easily made 

 in a season. Also, if you wish to 

 make a big report, let your bees be- 

 come weak by keeping them in a cel- 

 lar ranging from 30^ to 35"^, cooling 

 them off gradually once or twice a 

 month (many may not wish to try this 

 plan, but my strange friend would) so 

 that you can double them down to a 

 small number. Now, do not feed back 

 any unsalable honey in getting the 

 bees ready winter, nor any of that 

 taken from the nucleus in uniting in 

 the fall, till after all is weighed and 

 thus you can make a big report, and 

 " do one hand's work on the farm " 

 besides. 



I had heretofore supposed to make 

 an honest report that no honey should 

 be counted but that acttially sold, but 

 my strange friend has put me on the 

 road, so that I can swell the amount 

 largely ; therefore look out for a " mag- 

 nificient " report next fall. 



Then again I learned how to " draw 

 largely on the sugar barrel " and thus 



