1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



379 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. J. p. H. BROWX, AUGUSTA^, GA.. 



[Please send all questions relating to bee-keeping in the South direct 

 to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department.— Ed. 1 



Two Queens in a Hive — Feeding the Queen. 



Dr. Beown : — 1. Have bees ever been known to tolerate 

 more than one fertile queen in the same brood-nest at the 

 same time ? 



2. Can queen-bees feed themselves independent of the 

 worker-bees? I. S. 



Long, W. Va. 



Answers. — 1. Yes, sir ; they frequently do under certain 

 conditions. For instance, a queen is getting old, and the bees 

 proceed to rear another to supersede her. This young fertile 

 queen I have often seen on one side of the comb laying, and 

 the old one on the opposite side engaged in the same act. The 

 bees would seem to tolerate this upon the assumption that the 

 old mother would soon be gone, and it is not worth while to 

 hasten her departure. 



2. Yes ; but judging from their actions they much prefer 

 being fed. 



Bees Moving Eggs — One Instance. 



At various times I have seen reference made in the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal to the question of bees moving eggs. Some 

 writers flatly deny that this has ever occurred, but I knoiv of 

 at least one instance where bees moved eggs from one comb 

 to another, and I would not be surprised to at any time find a 

 queenless colony rearing a queen from an egg stolen from a 

 neighboring hive. This would not happen often, perhaps, for 

 the reason that laying workers would generally Interfere. 



Early in the spring I had a colony become queenless. As 

 soon as I noticed their condition I gave them a frame of brood 

 from my breeding queen. They reared a queen, but she was 

 lost at mating time, I suppose. By the time I discovered her 

 loss, all brood had hatched. I gave them another comb con- 

 taining eggs, and on examination a week later, I found several 

 queen-cells on the comb I had given them, and two or three 

 on each of the adjoining combs which were empty of brood, 

 and contained but little honey. Some of these cells were on 

 the outside of the combs. I suspected laying workers, but to 

 make sure of this very matter of the moving of eggs, I cut one 

 of the cells (after it was sealed) from the outside of one of 

 these empty combs, put it in a West cell-protector, and placed 

 it in a nucleus formed for the purpose. In due time a queen, 

 in all respects, hatched from that cell. No laying workers 

 developed in the old colony, as I could find no more eggs in 

 any of the empty combs. This colony now has a fertile queen. 



Holly Hill, Fla. C. S. Harris. 



A Bunch of Kiniis Reviewed. 



That " Bunch of Very Short Kinks," on page 278, con- 

 firms the oft-repeated theory of the past, and conceded fact 

 of the present, that experiences differ in different localities, 

 and that that which is attended with success in one locality, 

 would often prove a " dismal failure " elsewhere. 



ANTS — GREAT SOUTHERN BEE -ENEMIES. 



Mr. Scott's ant-preventive may keep them from "nesting 

 under the cover," but the Southern bee-keeper is more inter- 

 ested in preventing them from destroying his bees. It is 

 questionable if any bee-enemy in the South causes as much 

 annoyance as do ants. To open a hive of bees that have 

 fallen a prey to these merciless nocturnal marauders is a 

 spectacle eminently calculated to incite the deepest sympathy 

 for the industrious little victims, and a war of extermination 

 against the invaders. The ants congregate by thousands at 

 night around and over the hive, making their attack ex ahrupto, 

 biting off the legs and wings of the bees, thus disabling them, 

 and with the advantage of their sting-proof armor and power- 

 ful jaws, the total destruction of a colony is but a short job, 

 and the morning light reveals to the apiarist a writhing 

 mass of helpless, living, dismembered bodies heaped upon the 

 bottom-board.. 



In localities where, by the frequent visits of these pests, 



the vigilant apiarist has become familiar with the " cry," he 

 readily recognizes their prasence in an apiary by walking 

 quietly through the yard at night. As he knows the satisfied 

 hum of a hiving swarm, the contented hum in the hive at the 

 close of a day's work, the piping of rival queens, the note of 

 an angry bee, the hollow [?] hum of a queenless colony when 

 disturbed by smoke, or the sound of a swarm in the air, so he 

 knows the clearly-audible notes which emanate from a colony 

 invaded by ants. It is like the hopeless cry for help, pathetic 

 in tone of expression, and simultaneously arouses the sympa- 

 thetic and punitive nature of the apiarist to the utmost. Oil 

 or fire, or both, applied at their nest, I believe, is the only 

 effectual, practical means to be employed in a large apiary, 

 while the oiled string is no safeguard against destruction by 

 ants, in any case. 



CAPPING THAT HAS A WATERY APPEARANCE. 



From the same " bunch :" "A queen whose bees cap the 

 honey so it has a watery appearance should be superseded by 

 one whose bees cap the honey white." If the queen is other- 

 wise desirable, better give her colony an extracting " story," 

 and furnish the one possessing superior comb honey traits 

 with a super of sections. Possibly, by this management the 

 former would prove more profitable than her proposed suc- 

 cessor. 



FIFTY OR ONE HUNDRED COLONIES — WHICH ? 



Mr. Scott's claim that 50 colonies well managed will make 

 more money than 100 carelessly handled, may be a fact, but 

 why not increase the revenue 100 per cent, by giving 100 

 the same care bestowed upon 50 — as to care for 50 colonies 

 " well " supposes the attention and watchful care of one per- 

 son, while if so disposed, he could as " well " manage 150 ? 



EQUALIZING THE STRENGTH OF COLONIES. 



Again, we are advised that a good way to equalize the 

 strength of colonies is to "move them around." Now, that 

 wouldn't work here, either. The result of such a practice 

 would be quite the reverse, for the percentage of loss would 

 be greater with the weaker colonies than with the stronger 

 ones, and while all would probably be weaker, they would not 

 be made uniformly weak. "Gleaner" thinks that by the ex- 

 change, the weaker colony would gain. Perhaps it would, 

 but the chances against it are numerous, especially if prac- 

 ticed at a time when honey is scarce in the field. Aside from 

 the loss of workers resulting from their own warfare, nothing 

 could be better designed to excite robbing. 



New Smyrna, Fla. H. E. Hill. 



Why Italian Bees are Preferable. 



Dr. Brown : — I have an apiary of black bees which are 

 very gentle. Do you think I could better myself by getting 

 Italian queens '? If so, what kind, leather-colored or golden ? 

 I want the gentlest and best regardless of color. Of course, I 

 prefer the goldens, if they are as good. R. E. P. 



Grifton, N. C. 



Answer. — The Italians are preferable to the blacks, not 

 only because they are better workers, but they are more easily 

 handled ; besides, better looking. The leather-colored I have 

 found to average the best workers ; for " beauty " I prefer 

 the golden, and when bred for business they " score " well as 

 honey-gatherers. Some of the yellow strains have Cyprian 

 blood in them, which makes thera vindictive and great swarm- 

 ers — both objectionable qualities. 



Honey as I''oo«l aiitl ;^Ie«liciiie. — A new and revised 

 edition of this 33-page pamphlet is now issued. It has 5 blank 

 pages on which to write or paste recipes taken from other sources. 

 It is just what its name indicates, and should be liberally dis- 

 tributed among the people everywhere to create a demand for 

 honey. It contains a number of recipes on the use of honey as 

 food and as medicine, besides much other interesting and valuable 

 information. Prices, postpaid, are : Single copy, 5 cts. ; 10 copies 

 35 cts. ; 50 for .?1..50 ; 100 for $3.50. Better give them a trial. Send 

 all orders to the Bee Journal office. 



Only One Cent a Copy for copies of the American 

 Bee Journal before Jan. 1, 1895. We have them running 

 back for about 10 years. But you must let us select them, as 

 we cannot furnish them in regular order, and probably not 

 any particular copies. Just send us as many one-cent stamps 

 as you may want old copies, and we will mail them to you. 



