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Queries f Reflies. 



Tlie Slating of Virsin Queens. 



Written for Uic American Dec Journal 



Query 556.— 1. If it is neceesary to put 

 colonies as near as a foot apart, will virgin 

 queens, on returning' to the hives, be likely to 

 enter the wrong- outs ? 2. How long after a 

 prime swarm issues, will a virgin queen gen- 

 erally take her first Bight?— Tenn. 



1. Yes, unless well provided with 

 land-marks. — C. C. Miller. 



1. To a certain extent. 2. From 15 

 to 21 days. — G M. Doolittle. 

 . 1. They will usually go to the right 

 place. 2. About 13 days. — A. J. Cook. 



1. I would be afraid of it. 2. From 

 10 to 20 days. — J. M. Hambadgh. 



1. Not usually, but they may some- 

 times. 2. From 8 to 24 days ; usuallj' 

 about 14 days. — A. B. Mason. 



1. It is best to have them 3 feet 

 apart. 2. If with a second swarm, 8 

 days after ; if for her bridal flight, 

 about 10 days. — P. L. Viallon. 



1. Sometimes they will, but gen- 

 erally they will get safely home. 2. 

 Generally in about 2 weeks, sometimes 

 less, and sometimes more.. — M. Mahin. 



1. Yes, they may. 2. It depends on 

 the age of the queen-cell at swarming 

 time. It may be only 5 days, and it 

 may be 10 or 12. — Dadant & Son. 



1. Yes, unless some pains are taken 

 to so fix the hives that they can be 

 easily recognized. 2. It will depend 

 upon the weather, to some extent. 

 Under favorable circumstances, in 5 or 

 6 days. — J. E. Pond. 



1. In many instances, if no special 

 " land-marks " are provided. 2. About 



12 to 15 days. — James Heddon. 



1. Not often, especially if a twig of 

 leaves be suspended just over the en- 

 trance of the hive before the virgin 

 queen is expected to issue. 2. About 



13 or 14 days.— G. L. Tinker. 



1. It is better to have the hives at 

 least 4 feet apart. There is consider- 

 able danger of losing queens by enter- 

 ing the wrong liives if of the same ap- 

 pearance when only 1 foot apart. 2. 

 I do not know certainly, but I think 

 about 14 days. — C. H. Dibbeen. 



1. Sometimes they do mistake their 

 own hive. 2. Probably in 10 or 12 

 days, on an average. This depends 

 upon the advancement of the queen- 

 cells when the swarm leaves. — J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



1. They will often enter the wrong 

 hive at tliat distance, unless you have 

 some distinctive mark placed on the 

 hive. A piece of red cloth 6x12 inches 



is a good mark, tacked on the front of 

 the hive. 2. From 2 to 21 days.— H. 

 D. Cutting. 



1. Not often, except when their own 

 bees threaten them as they alight at 

 the entrance on returning from a 

 flight. 2. Ten or twelve daj-s, but 

 the different circumstances make the 

 time vary very much. — R. L. Taylor. 



1. I think that they seldom get into 

 the wrong \d\ e. It would be an easy 

 matter to put some temporary dis- 

 tinguishing mark in front of the hive 

 from which a queen was expected to 

 fly. — Ecgene Secor. 



They are not likely to do so, as a 

 rule, but they sometimes may. There 

 is more or less commotion at the en- 

 trance of the hive diu-ing the absence 

 of the queen on her bridal tour. Ital- 

 ian bees often swarm without even 

 starting a queen-cell, if they are 

 strong, and there is a sudden flow of 

 honey. — Mks. L. Harrison. 



1. I would not have mj' hives that 

 close if I liad to sell half of them to 

 get more room. I do not think that 

 young queens are often lost by enter- 

 ing the wrong hive. I have spent con- 

 siderable time investigating the cause 

 of the loss of so manj' young queens at 

 mating time, and the cause is usualh- 

 in their own homes. The young 

 queens are "balled" when they re- 

 turn from their wedding flight, and 

 sometimes killed. 2. If no after- 

 swarm issues, the first young queen 

 that hatches will destroy all queen- 

 cells, and will be ready for her flight 

 in 18 or 14 days after the swarm is- 

 sues. — G. W. Demaree. 



1. Thev may do so. ' It is best to 

 mark the hives bj' paint of different 

 colors, or by laying bricks or blocks or 

 green boughs on the alighting-boards, 

 so that the queen may distinguish her 

 own hive on returning. 2. The time 

 may vary greatly. I have examined a 

 hive after swarming, and found no 

 queen-cells even started, while on the 

 same day I have examined another 

 hive that had just swarmed, and found 

 the virgin queen walking over the 

 combs. The time has varied with me 

 from 4 to 20 days. Some writers give 

 rules, but I have never found an}'. The 

 weather also afl'ects the time of flight 

 of the new queens. — J. M. Shuck. 



1. Yes ; the danger lies in tliat direc- 

 tion. If thej" are placed so closely 

 from necessity, they should be painted 

 difl'erent colors, or some distinguishing 

 objects should be placed to assist the 

 young queen in marking the location 

 of her hive. 2. Usually about two 

 weeks — it may be much less, or more, 

 depending upon the stage of develop- 

 ment of the queen-cell at the time of 

 the issuing of the prime swarm. — The 



EUITOK. 



Summer Management of ChafT- 

 Paokcd Hives. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Querr 557.— I use the double-walled chaff 

 hiv.es. the Inside hive and also the surplus 

 cases being ?8 of en inch thick. In working 

 for surplus in June and July, I remove the 

 wall of chaff at the sides, leaviqg the cushion 

 on top. Will it pay to return the chatt to the 

 side walls after each manipulation? Or shall 

 I leave it out entirely ?— S. P.. Mich. 



Leave it out. — A. B. Mason. 

 I should leave it out. — Eugene 

 Secor. 



Leave it out entirely. — J. M. Ham- 



BAUGH. 



I would leave it out — J.P.H.Brown. 

 I would leave it out, by all means. 

 — G. W. Demaree. 



No, no ; leave it all off', certainly. — 



R. L. T 4.YL0E. 



1 would leave it out entirely. — Mrs. 

 L. Harrison. 



Leave the chaff' out entirely, after 

 settled warm weather arrives. — J. M. 

 Shuck. 



It may be for your State, but in the 

 South we use single-walled hives all 

 the year round. — P. L. Viallon. 



After taking out the chaff' in the 

 sunmier time, leave it out ; also the 

 cushion. — G. L. Tinker. 



I would not bother about returning 

 the chaff" ; a dead air space, or none at 

 all, is just as good. — C. H. Dibbern. 



If you mean that when the wall of 

 chaff is removed from the sides, I 

 think it will pay to return the chaft' to 

 the side-walls. If not, not. — M. Mahin. 



If 1 wanted to use a chaff-packed 

 hive, I would use one that I did not 

 have to disturb the packing at all. — 

 H. D. Cutting. 



I see no rea.son for taking it out. 

 Surely, it would better be put back if 

 taken out. I presume that I do not 

 understand the question. — A. J. Cook. 



If I understand the question rightly, 

 I should say that it was not necessary 

 to return the chaft'. Chaff' is not nec- 

 essary in any part of a hive in July 

 weather. — G. M. Doolittle. 



Leave it out entirely during the 

 summer season. It only tends to keep 

 the sun from warming up the hive. — 

 J. E. Pond. 



At the present prices of honey, the 

 man who makes a lot of extra work 

 will not succeed in our business. — 

 James Heddon. 



Chaff' is entirely unnecessarj- in the 

 hive, in summer. It 'keeps the hive 

 too cool early in the season by not 

 pei-mitting the sun to aft'ect the inside, 

 and later in the season it tends to keep 

 it too warm. — The Editor. 



