"758 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



queen with them the majority of the 

 bees will stay witli her. This one 

 point of so many bees returning to 

 their old home, thereby causing the 

 brood and queen-cell given to perish, 

 is the great objection to most of the 

 plans stated for making nuclei. As 

 bees without a queen become attached 

 to their queen-cells, to nearly the same 

 extent they dn to a queen, I reasoned 

 that if a colony having queen-cells 

 were divided into several parts (each 

 part having a queen-cell), the bees 

 would remain where they were put 

 nearly as well as those would tliat had 

 a queen. After several experiments 

 in the matter I found the above rea- 

 soning to be correct. 



Hence, to make my nuclei, I found 

 out how many queeii-cells the colony 

 rearing cells contains, as soon as they 

 are sealed over ; and then I go to other 

 hives and get as many frames of brood 

 (having plenty of young bees hatching 

 out) as 1 have sealed queen-cells, less 

 those having queen-cells upon them, 

 in the queen-rearing liive. These 

 frames of hatching brood are placed 

 in the hive with those having the cells; 

 and if one hive is not large enough, a 

 second story is added. iSTovv leave 

 them until 48 hours before the lirst 

 queen is expected to hatch, when I 

 transfer the queen-cells till each frame 

 contains a cell. The next day these 

 frames are placed one in a hive, thus 

 making as many nuclei as there are 

 frames, leaving one on the old stand, 

 of course. I3eside the frame of brood, 

 bees, and queen-cell, I place a frame 

 of honey, and then shut them up close 

 to one side of the liive, by means of a 

 division board. If I wish to be sure 

 that none of tlie bees will go back, 1 

 shut the entrance and hive tight, for 

 36 hours, thus conlining the bees till 

 the young queen is hatched. Open 

 the hive hrst at nightand you will Hnd, 

 upon examination a day or two after- 

 ward, that you have asplendid nucleus 

 in good working order. 



HOW I GET THE CELLS. 



As I believe queens reared under 

 the impulse of natural swarming are 

 superior to those reared in queenless 

 colonies, most of the cells tor my 

 queens are built by colonies preparing 

 to swarm. As soon as the hrst cell is 

 sealed, the first swarm issues as a rule, 

 a part of which swarm, willi the queen, 

 is hived, and the rest returned, to keep 

 the brood warm, which is to be placed 

 therein for making nuclei as given 

 above. If but few queen-cells are 

 wanted, enough will generally be built 

 without any interference of the bee- 

 keeper, but as I desire its many as pos- 

 sible from my best colonies, I adopt 

 this plan : In going through the yard 

 spreading brood, etc., I find, a few 

 weeks before swarming, rudimentary 

 queen-cells, or queen-cups started. 

 All these are carefully taken from the 

 combs, and collected "in a disli I have 

 for the purpose. At the time I think 

 my best colonies are preparing lo 

 swarm, I take a frame of old comb and 

 cut it full of slots, about 1 inch wide, 

 or else take a frame and nail lour strips 

 of wood across the inside of it. and by 

 means-of melted wax, stick strips of 

 old comb to the under side of these 



wooden strips. Now, take the embryo 

 queen-cells, and with melted wax fas- 

 ten them all along on this comb, or in 

 the slots where it is to be set, in place 

 of the center frame in one of tlie best 

 colonies, which should be selected with 

 care as to all the points required to 

 give the best bees. By this ineans, a 

 large number of superior queen-cells 

 are secured (as the queen will lay in 

 these cups) and so arranged as to be 

 easily transferred. If from any cause 

 I wish more queens than can be reared 

 from my best colony in this way, I 

 proceed as above till I get the queen- 

 cups attached to the strips of comb, 

 when I go to my best colony and get a 

 piece of comb containing larvae just 

 hatched. The cells to this piece of 

 comb are shaved off near to the base, 

 when the little larvoe are easily lifted 

 from the bottom of the cells, by means 

 of a goose-quill tooth-pick, with a 

 curveclpoint, and jilacedin theqiu'en- 

 cups. Twenty-four hours previous to 

 this, I have taken a queen from a pop- 

 ulous colony, and at this time I take 

 away all their brood, leaving tlie combs 

 containing honey and pollen. If they 

 have none, two or three such combs 

 are given them, [n half an hour they 

 will show signs of distress by running 

 over the hive and llying about in the 

 air. Now give them the frame with 

 the prepared cells (putting the larvae 

 in the very last thing) and see what a 

 hum of content they will set up as you 

 leave the frame in the hive. In six 

 hours these cells are supplied with 

 plenty of royal jelly, and in about 12 

 days as large fine queens will be hatch- 

 ing as can be reared outside of natural 

 swarming. 



I see by the last number of the Bee 

 Journal that Mr. II. Alley has a 

 plan whereby he gets his queen cells 

 lunilt in full colonies having a laying 

 queen, and that these cells are built 

 just when and where he wants them. 

 This is something new, and if practi- 

 cal vfiW be of great benefit to those de- 

 siring to rear (]ueens. I understand 

 through Mr. Pond, the writer of the 

 article, that Mr. Alley is about to pub- 

 lish a book giving a full explanation of 

 his process of getting queen cells, 

 which will, without doubt, be (juite an 

 addition to the apienltural books al- 

 ready published. The above plans 

 maynot be as good as Mr. Alley's but 

 I believe tliem as good as any yet given 

 to the public. 



Borodino, N. Y., Nov. 23, 1882. 



"Boil it Down." 



Whatever you have to say, my friend. 



Whether witty or tjrave or gay. 

 Condense it as mueii as ever you can, 



And say it tlie rtadiest way ; 

 And whettier you write of rural affairs, 



Or of bees, or honey in town, 

 Jnst take a word of friendly advice — 



Boil it down. 



For if you so pplutteriiij; over a payo 

 When a couple of lines would do, 



Your honey is spread so uiuct), you see 

 That the bread loolis plainly throut'h ; 



So, when you have a story to tell 

 And would lilte a little renown. 



To uiaiie quite sure of your wish, my friend- 

 Boil It down. 



Prairie Farmer. 



Different Kinds of Bee- Keepers. 



MRS. L. HARRISON. 



Bee-keepers no longer hear the 

 whistling notes of a swarm, or the 

 happy hum of the bees, after a pros- 

 perous day, as they evaporate nectar ; 

 in lieu of this they love to hear the 

 jingle of clean cash as the result of 

 their labors. There are different 

 kinds of bee-keepers, though ; some 

 do not keep bees for profit, as, for in- 

 stance, the amateurs who rear them 

 for love, or recreation, or to acquire 

 knowledge of insect life. It is an or- 

 nament to a lawn to have a nice hive 

 tenanted with beautiful Italians, to 

 fertilize the fruit and to protect it 

 when ripe, from marauding boys. 

 There is yet another class who neither 

 keep bees for profit nor pleasure, but 

 apparently to damage others. This 

 latter class are an intolerable pest. 

 They keep bees in a hap-hazard way, 

 and do not care whether they get much 

 surplus, regarding the bees as a sort 

 of iiui.sance, and let them spread dis- 

 ease and raise moths <id lihituni. When 

 they have, by a mere streak of good 

 luck, some surplus honey to dispose 

 of, they bring it to market in bad 

 shape. Sometimes in sulphuring the 

 bees they spoil the honey ; sometimes 

 they load in the hive, dead bees and 

 all ; or sell •' chunk honey '' in tubs 

 and buckets ; some a little better 

 stored in rough boxes. A person does 

 not find ready sale for this stuff, and 

 as a last resort, puts it in a commis- 

 sion house, saying, " Sell it for what- 

 ever you can get." 



When a person who keeps bees as a 

 means of profit, comes to market with 

 honey in nice shape, and demands a 

 living price, he is hooted at by dealers 

 who ask, "Do you think I will pay 

 such an exorbitant price for honey f 

 The other day a commission merchant 

 offered me honey at ten cents per 

 pound, and some dark for as low as 

 four cents." A case of this kind oc- 

 curred not long since, and when the 

 bee-keeper inquired in what shape it 

 was, the dealer owned that it was not 

 in good marketable condition , But he 

 retaliated by saying, " If it was not in 

 sections like yours, some of it was just 

 as good and white, and would taste 

 just as well when eaten." 



It would be well for bee-keepers, if 

 they would imitate commercial trav- 

 elers more, and pack their grip-sack 

 with samples only, when they are 

 reay to dispose of their goods. In this 

 way they can quickly visit consumers, 

 groceries, drug stores and manufacto- 

 ries, and receive a far different recep- 

 tion than they would if they had a 

 wagon load attheir doors. And if the 

 bee-keeper needs anything in the line 

 of tliose to whom he seeks to sell 

 honey, so much the better. A mutual 

 Exchange benefits both. It is bad pol- 

 icy for bee-keepers to ship their honey 

 lo distant cities and towns, and leave 

 their own locality unprovided for, thus 

 forcing groceries and apothecaries to 

 (H'der these same goods from the cities 

 to which they were sent. The best 

 persons to sell extracted honey, owing 

 to the many adulterations in this class 



