86 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 7, 



However, some such theories as the following might be 

 advanced in favor of early queens: Spring seems to be the 

 most favorable season for the young of many insects and ani- 

 mals to obtain a foothold upon life. And those that begin 

 their existence during this season are supposed to possess, on 

 an average, more vigor than the ones of other seasons. Farm- 

 ers want spring colts, fanciers early birds for their breeding 

 pens. If this be true largely with animals, surely bees are no 

 exception. I think the effect should be more marked with 

 them. For then, they bend their energies to brood-rearing — 

 later, to honey-gathering. 



Now, every bee-keeper, I presume, has been enchanted 

 by their gladsome hum and tireless industry — had cares 

 driven away, and purer thoughts and nobler actions inspired. 

 Do you not feel some such sensations to a degree somewhat 

 proportionate to the activity displayed by the bees '? When is 

 this activity greater than at swarming time ? Now, who will 

 say that bees do not generate a large amount of magnetism, 

 or electricity, if you prefer, when their nerves are strung to 

 such high tension — that is, transmitted to their attendant, as 

 from one person to another ? How else do you account for the 

 buoyant feeling and increased energy when working with 

 them at certain times ? Don't say it is all excitement. Here 

 is probably the charm, aside from the money there is in bee- 

 keeping, that holds most apiarists. 



Now this electricity, or nerve force, is the source of life and 

 power. Is it not reasonable to suppose that the development 

 of the queen's nervous system, so to speak, depends largely 

 upon the amount of energy in the hive during the first stages 

 of her existence ? Whenever we can get the greatest energy 

 and nerve force properly directed, we shall secure the best 

 queens. We can secure physical development almost any 

 time, but we cannot obtain the strong nerves and their at- 

 tendant energy at all seasons. 



But facts are what we want. "One fact is worth a thou- 

 sand theories." Yet a few colonies for only one season hardly 

 furnish a safe guide, and this is about as far as my observa- 

 tion extends along this line. The queens that I shall here 

 take notice of were reared the previous season — the early ones 

 in April, artificially ; the second lot in June, by natural 

 swarming ; the third in August, artificially. They are all 

 from the same queen. The best early one gave over 200 

 pounds of honey ; the best late one about 50 pounds. There 

 was but little difference between the June and August queens. 

 The total average was about 4 to 1 in favor of the early 

 queens. They also gave an increase of 25 per cent., while the 

 late ones gave none. The season was such as to put them to 

 a severe test. During a favorable season I think the differ- 

 ence would be much less, probably very small. But we want 

 bees that will give us a crop in just such years as the past one. 



So, early queens seem to be more vigorous, more prolific, 

 and longer lived than later ones. Hence they give us stronger 

 colonies of hardier bees that are longer lived, and more ener- 

 getic workers, which in turn give larger crops of honey. 



I shall be glad to hear from others on this subject. With 

 my present knowledge I shall be slow to follow Mr. Simmins' 

 advice — to use only fall queens. Newtonville, Ala. 



Quc5tior)s ^ A^swcr5. 



CONDUCTED By 



7JR. C. C. aX/LLER, M-AVtmSiaO, ILK. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.l 



A Plan of Dividing Colonies. 



Mr. Go-he has a very strong colony of bees, which he 

 wishes to divide in the following manner : Dividing the 

 combs and bees as nearly equal as possible, leaving the old 

 queen with one-half, and putting a virgin queen with the 

 other half, using two new hives, and locating them not farther 

 than six feet apart. Will the virgin queen hold her colony ? 

 Will either swarm out or abandon the brood and hive ? 



Belden, N. Y. C. G. M. 



Answek. — A good deal depends upon circumstances, es- 

 pecially as to how the colonies are placed, and what surround 

 them. If the part with the virgin (|ueen is put farther from 

 the old stand than the other part, or if any colony is nearer 

 the old stand than the hive with the virgin queen, then you 

 may count on all the bees deserting the virgin queen except 

 the nurse-bees, or those under 16 days old. Indeed this will 



be the case whether they have the virgin or the old queen. In 

 neither case, however, are they likely to abandon entirely the 

 hive, for these young bees will stay with the brood, even if 

 they have no queen at all. There will be less desertion from 

 the old queen than from the virgin, and if a virgin queen of 

 too great age is given immediately on making the division, the 

 bees will be likely to kill her. Either give a virgin queen not 

 more than perhaps 12 hours old — younger might be better — 

 or else leave the bees queenless24 hours or more before giving 

 the queen. On the whole, you may not like the plan so very 

 well, still it is practiced by some. 



The Botanical Name of Cat's-Claw. 



I am further indebted to Bro. Abbott for the use of his 

 sharp eyes in finding names. A postal from him says : 



I could not give up the hunt for cat's-claw, and I finally 

 found it. It is local, mostly in western Texas, and belongs to 

 the Pulse Family, which furnishes most of our honey-plants. 

 It is Acacia Qreggi, and by some is known as A. WrlQliti. 



We are having very fine weather. Had a storm last night, 

 but it is fine again to-day. Emerson T. Abbott. 



St. Joseph, Mo., Jan. 12. 



Wintering Bees in a Shed. 



I put 46 colonies into a shed boarded up on the back and 

 in front down to within 5 inches of the bottom, then nailed a 

 4-inch strip edgewise on the inside, and put the hives up 

 against the strip, and then packed with dry shingle and saw- 

 dust all around and on top, perhaps 8 or 10 inches deep. I 

 left the covers on with the blankets. There is a good roof ou 

 the shed. Ought I to have taken the covers off, and have I 

 got them too warm? I looked at two colonies one week ago, 

 and they were all right. Do you think they will mold if the 

 covers are tight? F. E. G. 



Racy, Mich. 



Answer. — I should think your hives are all right as they 

 are, although I have had but little experience in that line. 

 Don't have the entrance too much closed. Perhaps it's best 

 to have the entrance as large as in the middle of summer. It 

 might be a good thing to see that thp wind doesn't have a 

 chance to blow directly in at the entrance. A board a foot 

 wide placed a foot from the hives would break the force of 

 the wind. 



Combs^Molding in the Hives in the Cellar. 



Some of ray bees have molded in the cellar. I made a 

 frame and raised them one inch off the bottom-board, and left 

 off the covers, using a quilt of 3.<-pound of cotton to each col- 

 ony, covered with burlap. I never wintered any bees in the 

 cellar before. I had them all out, and they had a good flight 

 last week. I took out all of the empty combs, and put them 

 up where they will be perfectly dry. My cellar is not damp, 

 to speak of. We have had very warm weather here this win- 

 ter, for this locality. What will be my best remedy for the 

 moldy combs ? S. D. M. 



Albany, N. Y. 



Answer. — You have already applied the best remedy. 

 Just kee^ the combs in a place that is perfectly dry, and then 

 next summer give them to the bees, and they'll make a nice 

 job of cleaning them up. Your cellar is probably a little too 

 close. Plan some way to give it a little more air, and that 

 will stop the molding, and also make it healthier for your 

 family to live over. 



Patented Hives in the*United States. 



Are there any bee-hives in the United States patented so 

 that a person cannot make them for his own use ? If so, 

 please name the kinds ? ZZ2 cij — : — j D W. H. R. 



Woods, Oreg. 



Answer. — I should be obliged to go to the Patent-Office 

 records at Washington to find out all the hives that are pat- 

 ented, and I suppose It would take up a large part of the Bee 

 Journal just to contain their names. Of course, if there is a 

 patent on a hive, you are not allowed to make it either for the 

 use of others or for yourself. i . . .jz ■ *" j 



There seems io be in the minds ot a gooa many people the 

 belief that if an article is patented, the pt.*,3nt is only to pro- 



