570 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



now bent so as to hook over the tops of 

 the frames, and thus the cell and pro- 

 tector were kept where I wished them. 



Some seem to prefer this way still, but 

 instead of doing this now, I take out the 

 comb I wish the cell on and, at the place 

 I wish it to stay, I make an indenture 

 in the comb with the side and end of my 

 little finger, and into this indenture I 

 place the big end of the cell-protector, 

 and by pushing against the cob stopper 

 the cage is so imbedded in the comb that 

 it is a fixture there. When this comb is 

 placed in the hive, and the frames 

 properly spaced again, the face side of 

 the opposite comb rests against the pro- 

 tector, and thus it is kept in place, 

 should the bees desire to work it out. 



If the weather is cool, or the bees few 

 in a hive, I insert the protector so that 

 the point of the cell comes near the 

 place of termination of the highest part 

 of the brood in the comb, for at this 

 place there is the most heat of any place 

 in the hive. If the weather is warm, 

 and there are plenty of bees in the hive, 

 I push the protector into the comb at 

 any place where it is the most conven- 

 ient. The piece of wire-cloth used in 

 making the protector is about 2K inches 

 wide by 3 inches long, but it can be 

 varied to suit. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



ImproTing tlie MarMngs of Bees, 



KEY. W. P. FAYLOR. 



To improve the color of our bees, as 

 well as their utility, is certainly a part 

 of apiculture that should not be neg- 

 lected ; and, by the way, this very thing 

 received considerable attention last sea- 

 son, and will receive more consideration 

 this year. 



Let it be distinctly understood that I 

 am no advocate of any certain number 

 of yellow bands. If our Italians, when 

 left to themselves, would hold or retain 

 their distinct markings, the matter would 

 be different ; but experience has proven 

 beyond a doubt, that our three banded 

 Italians, when left to themselves to rear 

 their own queens and drones in nature's 

 way, in a few generations lose all the 

 yellow in exchange for the brown or 

 black. 



The question naturally arises, how 

 shall we keep our bees handsome ? To 

 begin with, if we desire to rear queens 

 that will be yellow to the tip, it will be 

 necessary to make the bees start the 

 queens from the egg, or very young 



larva ; for queens that are reared from 

 advanced larva are usually dark in point 

 of color, and those reared from the egg 

 are always bright. 



Yet we may rear nice golden queens 

 and our bees not be very handsome, 

 either, if we do not look after our drones. 

 -To attain the most desirable results, it 

 is best to hand-pick the drones of a 

 handsome colony. This can be done in 

 July or August, during a spell of drouth, 

 when all drones are usually extermi- 

 nated, but the ones in the hive we have 

 kept. 



To keep drones in a hive, we have 

 only to make a colony queenless, and 

 see that it is kept queenless during a 

 spell of drouth. If necessary feed the 

 bees occasionally, then, on some cool 

 day, go through the hive, examine every 

 comb, and pinch the head off of every 

 drone that is not nice and yellow. 



Now, if your virgin queens, reared 

 from the egg, mate with these handsome 

 drones, you will have something to be 

 proud of. If one resides where drones 

 are abundant during all the Summer, 

 then try the experiment late in the Fall 

 — even after the frosts come. 



I would not advise late breeding, as 

 queens are less prolific when reared, 

 while the normal heat of the bees is too 

 low. I have some bees at present that 

 are nearly as yellow as gold — showing 

 only a little black at the tip. As far as 

 my observation goes, these yellow bees 

 come out ahead every time, and are just 

 as much an improvement over the three- 

 banded bee as the Poland-china hog is 

 in advance of the old "Elm Peeler." 



HOW TO ITALIANIZE AN APIARY. 



Had I 40 colonies of black bees to be 

 changed to Itallians, I would buy a good 

 breeding queen (only one), and introduce 

 her to one colony, and see that this col- 

 ony was strong in bees and brood by the 

 beginning of June, at which time I 

 should give them some nice drone combs; 

 then, as soon as young drones begin to 

 crawl out of their cells, I would give this 

 colony two or three bright combs — put- 

 ting them in the center of the brood- 

 nest. 



In two or three days, when the combs 

 are well filled with eggs, remove the 

 queen, and all other combs with un- 

 sealed larva, from the colony. Now, I 

 would stimulate this colony by feeding. 

 In six or eight days from the capping of 

 the cells, cut out a queen-cell for each 

 colony made queenless a few days pre- 

 vious, and insert the cell in a middle 

 comb of the brood-nest. Always take 



