TTH® ?EMERIC3SI« MISM J@ltJMI«Mlf. 



309 



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Records of Queens, and Super- 

 seding Tlieni. 



Written fur the American Bee Jmirnal 



Query 540.— Is It beet to keep a record of 

 the queens, so as to supersede them when 

 they arc two or three years old. or let ihe 

 bees manage it In their own way '/—Indiana 



It is best to keep a record. — J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



Let the bees do it. — Dadant & Son. 



I let the bees take care of that mat^ 

 ter. — G M. Doolittle. 



Perhaps so, but I never have super- 

 seded my old queens. — Eugene Seoor. 



Keep a record of ever3thing, and 

 supersede the queen when she ceases 

 to be prolific. — A. B. Mason. 



I have never kept a perfect record, 

 but I am inclined to think that it is 

 the best way. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Keep a record anyway ; but I do not 

 know what is best as to the supersed- 

 ing. — C. C. Miller. 



It is much better to keep a record. 

 Supersede the queens when they begin 

 to fail — it makes no difference if they 

 are 1 or 3 years old. — P. L. Viallon. 



I let the bees manage it in their own 

 way, with all valuable queens. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



Deeds, not days, determine a queen's 

 usefulness. With experience you can 

 tell when a queen becomes unprofit- 

 able by looking into her hive, and I 

 should assist the bees as much as pos- 

 sible to supersede worthless queens. — 

 R. L. Taylor. 



I prefer to keep a record of all 

 queens, including pedigree, so far as 

 ascertainable. But I let the bees 

 supersede a good queen. They know 

 when to do it. — M. Mahin. 



I keep a record only of my fine 

 breeding queens, and the older thej' 

 are, the better for breeding purposes. 

 I let my bees supersede their own 

 queens. — G. W. Demaree. 



No ; let the bees manage it. I keep 

 records of sale queens only. The bees 

 do it better than we can, cost con- 

 sidered. — James Heddon. 



Keep a record always. Thus you 

 will know the pedigree, etc., and be 

 able at any and all times to know the 

 age of every queen in the apiary. — J. 

 E. Pond. 



Yes, keep a record of queens, but 

 supersede them only when they de- 

 cline in vigor. Superseding by rule 

 would often depose queens of great 

 value. The bee-keeper must have 



brains as well as a record J. M. 



Shuck. 



I think that the bees can manage 

 the matter for themselves. If queens 

 are found that are doing veiy poorly, 

 it pays to supersede them ; but age is 

 not the test. Our vision will serve 

 better. — A. J. Cook. 



As a rule, the bees will attend to 

 these matters more satisfactorily than 

 you could possibly do, and before j'ou 

 are aware that such was their inten- 

 tion. It is well enough to know which 

 hives your best queens occupy, and if 

 J'OU have many colonies it will neces- 

 sitate a record. — J. M. Hambauoh. 



I find that the bees manage that 

 thing very successfully, if you let them 

 alone. You will find many cases 

 where it is best to supersede, and you 

 will not be obliged to keep a record to 

 find it out. For a beginner in the 

 business, a record of all work is an 

 excellent help. — H. D. Cutting. 



I think that it would be a good idea 

 to keep a record of the age of queens. 

 I do not think, liowever, that it would 

 be advisable t" supersede queens less 

 than four years old, unless they prove 

 inferior ; in tliat case do so at once. I 

 supersede only such as fall below my 

 standard. — C. H. Dibbern. 



It is certainh' best to keep a record 

 of queens, but as to superseding the 

 queens, the bees will manage that 

 more satisfactorily themselves. — The 

 Editor. 



Metal Rabbets in Hives- 

 Queens. 



-Prolific 



Written f(/r the American Bee Journal 



Query 541.— 1. Do you use metal sup- 

 ports (called metal rabbets) in your hives ? "2. 

 If not, why not ? 3. With everything favor- 

 able, can a prolific queen keep more than 12 

 Gallup frames (or their equivalents in comb 

 surface) filled with brood ?— Q. 



1. Yes. 2. Yes.— P. L. Vl4.llon. 



1. Yes. 3. No— A. J. Cook. 



1. I do not. 2. I do not need them. 

 3. I think that is suflBcient space for 

 brood. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



1. No, except on reversible frames. 

 2. They hurt my fingers in handling, 

 and also get bent. 3. Yes. — A. B. 

 Mason. 



1. No. 2. They are of no use. 3. 

 No. — M. Mahin. 



1. Yes. 3. For a short time in May 

 and June, yes. — G. L. Tinker. 



1. No. 2. Principally because tin 

 rabbets make the frames too loose for 

 hauling. — C. C. Miller. 



1. I have used metal supports for 

 many years, and I like them on ac- 

 count of the bees not sticking them up 

 with propolis. 3. I consider the num- 

 ber of frames mentioned as abundant 

 for the purpose. — C. H. Dibbern. 



1. I do. 3. Twelve frames are 

 about as many as an average queen 

 can keep filled. — J. P. H. Brown. 



1. Yes. 3. I have seen queens that 

 would do it ; but when you say 12 

 frames filled with brood, you say a 

 great deal. — H. D. Cutting. 



1. Yes, in some of my old ones, but 

 not in any made within five years. 2. 

 Because their disadvantages just about 

 equal their advantages, and their cost 

 is an entire loss. 3. No, but a very 

 prolific one might for a time. — R. L. 

 Taylor. 



1. I use about one-half metal sup- 

 ports. Some object to them, but I 

 look upon them as of value. 3. I have 

 had queens keep 20, and in one case 

 30, Langstroth frames filled with brood 

 during a whole season. — J. E. Pond. 



1. I do not. 2. My greatest objec- 

 tion is, that they allow the combs to 

 slide around when moving the hive. 

 3. Yes. I have seen as high as 16 

 Quinby franles, well stocked with 

 brood from one queen. — J. M. Ham- 

 baugh. 



1. Not as a general thing. 2. Be- 

 cause they have as many disadvantages 

 as they have advantages, and do not 

 pay for their cost in my apiary. 3. 

 Yes, and in same cases more. But it 

 is not advisable to let them ever do 

 things in that way. Eight Langstroth 

 frames full of brood is enough for the 

 best results. I want the other two of 

 the ten frames full of sealed honey. — 

 G. W. Demaree. 



1. No. 2. Because I do not con- 

 sider them enough better to pay for 

 extra expense. 3. Mine do not aver- 

 age over 9 such frames full of brood 

 when working for comb honey. How- 

 ever, in working for extracted honey, 

 I have had them keep 20 or more 

 frames filled for a month at a time. — 

 G. M. Doolittle. 



1. Never,, in the brood-chamber. 

 Hanging frames bother enough in the 

 mo\able-hive system' of honey-produc- 

 ing without metal rabbets. I have 

 tried them again and again. In ex- 

 tracting supers of the Langstroth sys- 

 tem, I prefer them, but I am abandon- 

 ing the Langstroth frame for extract- 

 ing. — James Heddon. 



1. No. My hives are not made that 

 way. 3. Twelve Gallup frames full of 

 brood from May 15 to Aug. 15 would 

 be a good record for a queen in this 

 locality. Some might do better, but 

 with hives arranged for the average 

 queen-bee, such would be uselessly 

 prolific. — J. BI. Shuck. 



1. I have quite a number of hives 

 with metal rabbets. I like them better 

 alone than in conjunction with metal- 

 cornered frames ; with both thej' are 

 loo movaljlo for anj'thing except ex- 



