598 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



combs; 3, no upward ventilation; 4, chaff cushions; 

 5, chaff walls; 6, bottom packing; 7, the vestibule; 

 8, the vertical entrance. 



But, I see a practical bee-man rising and saying, 

 "Mr. Hasty, is it not a great df al of work to get a 

 large apiary ready for winter by your method?" 

 Ah, me! it is lots of work — and perhaps you don't 

 want it .iust for that reason. B. E. Hasty. 



Biohards, O., Sept. 15. 188.S. 



Friend H., I am glad yon told ns in the 

 commencement that you succeeded with 

 your plan ; for had you not, quite a number 

 would have been ready to find fault with it. 

 In fact. I felt inclined to find fault myself; 

 but when T reflected that you did so well, I 

 concluded I wouldn't. I have been satisfied 

 that bees can be wintered safely under the 

 enameled sheets, and with no arrangement 

 for upward ventilation ; but to do it we need 

 some sure arrangement for lower ventilation, 

 just such as vou describe, and I do not know 

 but you would be obliged to keep the snow 

 away if you close the top up entirely, as you 

 suggest. I like the idea of your perpendic- 

 ular entrance very much, for I know it is a 

 bad thing to have the bees drop and close 

 up the entrance. We have had it happen a 

 great many times. I like the idea of your 

 vestibule, but it would be quite a diflicult 

 matter to have it in chaff hives. I am in- 

 clined to think that /should prefer a little 

 ventilation through the covering over the 

 bees, such as burlap instead of enamel 

 sheets, although I confess I like your plan, 

 and hope it may be tried quite extensively. 



OBSERVATIONS BY FRIENB STEPHEN- 



SON. 



jpN accordance with my promise, I send j'ou a few 

 notes from my bee journal, which I hope may 

 prove interesting to some of my friends. T have 

 been very careful in making observations and draw- 

 ing conclusions, as I have no desire to mislead my- 

 self or any one else. My remarks are arranged un- 

 der headings, and on perusal you will find instances 

 both confirmatory of and exceptional to some of our 

 generally accepted bee laws. 



WEDDING FLIGHTS OF QUEENS. 



Within the last few weeks I have been the privi- 

 leged though uninvited guest at the nuptials of 

 quite a number of young queens. No. 1 was amongst 

 the progeny of one of your imported Cyprians, and 

 hatched out in one of the original 1-frame nuclei 

 in which the brood-combs were shipped. These lit- 

 tle boxes, with the addition of a cover and an auger- 

 hole entrance, answer splendidly for queen-rearing 

 in warm weather. I also find them very useful for 

 transporting royal cells when on Italianizing expe- 

 ditions. As soon as I have closed cells sufficient for 

 my purpose in one hive, I get them all attached to 

 one comb; and by next day all is safe for the road. 

 Just before starting I place the comb with its ad- 

 hering bees into myb.)x, stop the auger-hole, and 

 tack on my gauze-cover, and nothing could be bet- 

 ter. On arrival ai my destination I liberate the bees, 

 substitute a wooden cover for the gauze, and I can 

 remove my cells at leisure. I have thoroughly test- 

 ed this plan, and by using wired foundation my 

 combs have borne horseback transportation with 

 perfect success. To return to our queen: I noticed 

 ber condition during one of my periodical examina- 



tions. She had evidently returned quite recently 

 from the wedding, as a whitish substance from 

 which two horn-shaped filaments depended was 

 clearly observable. This was on the fourth day aft- 

 er her emergence from the cell, and in three days 

 more she was laying. The increase in size after im- 

 pregnation was very remarkable, as in some young 

 queens this is not so noticeable. 



Another young queen, reared from the fine yellow 

 Cyprianess purchased from you was also observed. 

 She presented the appearance so well described by 

 Huber, "The last segment of her body appeared to 

 be filled wiih a whitish substance." On examining 

 her later on, the sack had become nearly detached, 

 and the bees were in full chase after her, evidently 

 endeavoring to remove it. She then looked very 

 much like a bee from which the sting had been par- 

 tially torn out. 



My next young queen, "one of the finest I ever 

 reared, gave me the opportunity of seeing her actu- 

 ally on the wing, and timing her flight. I was watch- 

 ing her nucleus, and happened to see something 

 like the glint of a golden sunbeam flashing before 

 the entrance, and it immediately occurred to me 

 that it must be "Her Majesty" out for an airing, 

 and so it turned out to be, as she shortly entered in 

 all her virgin beauty. Presently she took flight 

 again for a 5-minute sally. Then she rested awhile, 

 and, after a good square meal of honey, which T no- 

 feed her enjoying, she rushed forth again, and this 

 time she was absent some 26 minutes. But, alas! in 

 vain. It had then grown late in the evening, and 

 she rested for the night. Next day was fortunately 

 fiae, and about 2 pm. she took a preliminary flight 

 of a few minutes, and then she was absent for about 

 half an hour. Again she rested, and after once 

 more disappearing for nearly 45 minutes she re- 

 turned at length, bearing in her body unmistakable 

 proofs of a successful flight. 



IMPREGNATED QUEENS TAKING AN AIRING. 



Next diiy I observed this same queen whilst tak- 

 ing a short flight of 5 minutes or so, but I haA-e nev- 

 er seen her on the wing since. Another young 

 queen I intercepted on the alighting-board of her 

 nucleus, on her return from a successful flight. 

 Those flights were taken from the fourth to the 

 tenth day after emergence from the cell, and eggs 

 were laid 3 to 4 days after. 



QUEEN-REARING, WITH ORIGINAL QUEEN CAGED IN 

 THE HIVE. 



I chanced to verify this in a hive containing a 

 caffed quepn, but it was evidently done under pro- 

 test, as only one cell was completed, though suitable 

 brood abounded. 



PERSISTENT DESTRUCTION OF ROYAL CELLS. 



T have experienced considerable trouble in getting 

 some hives of bees to accept royal cells, even after 

 all ordinary precautions had been taken. I think, 

 though. I shall now succeed, as they have exhausted 

 all brood of suitable age. I find friend Doolittle is 

 not strictly correct in saying a royal cell is never 

 torn down when substituted for one built In the 

 hive, as I have had several most unaccountaoly 

 destroyed, even when placed where the original cells 

 were removed; I do not think fertile workers are 

 present, but will endeavor to satisfy myself on this 

 point by watching for their eggs. I should much 

 like a few sugeestions from you or other apiarian 

 friends on the subject. 



ACCEPTANCE OF OAOF.D QUEEN IN A HIVE ALREADY 

 CONTAINING A QUEEN. 



This occurred io a nucleus containing a virgin 



