488 



TMM rn'MMMIGMm MMW jQwwmmi^. 



the ground 4 feet, and exactly 7 feet 

 apart. Four rows of girders, 2 by 4 

 inches by 22 feet and 4 inches are 

 halved in two and bolted to the inside 

 of these posts, the first row 5 feet 

 from, the ground, then three rows at 

 intervals of 7 feet until the top is 

 reached. The upper 3 lines of girders 

 are continued from each side of 'each 

 inside post, forming a brace on each 

 side of each post at intervals of 7 feet, 

 and forming the bearings for the wire- 

 covered frames which cover the top of 

 the cage. The space from the ground 

 to the first girder, 5 feet, is covered 

 with matched lumber nailed to the out. 

 side of the posts, leaving a smooth sur- 

 face on both sides. The upper 21 feet 

 on the sides and the top of the cage is 

 inclosed by wire-covered frames 7 feet 

 square, bolted to the girders on the 

 sides, and securely fastened with 

 screws to the frame-work at the top. 



The height of the cage is thus ad- 

 justable at 26 feet, 19 feet, or 12 feet 

 from the ground by simply lowering 

 the screen frames forming the top, and 

 the upper row (or two upper rows as 

 the case may be) forming the sides of 

 the inclosure, the purpose being not 

 only to determine whether queens or 

 drones would mate in this cage at full 

 .size, but also how small an inclosure 

 would be sufficiently large to give 

 suitable freedom and range of flight. 



These wire-covered frames are 

 framed like a two-light window-sash, 

 with a mullion in the centre, on which 

 the two breadths of wire-cloth meet. 

 Strips of wood secure the edges of the 

 cloth, and cover all joints at the sides 

 of the frames. With the lower board 

 of the siding settled into the ground, 

 and earth tilled against the inside, and 

 the door tight-fitting, the cage is bee- 

 tight. I used drab-colored wire-cloth, 

 which obstructs the light but very 

 slightly. A shelf is 'fitted against the 

 four sides of the cage on the inside 1 

 foot from the ground, and alighting- 

 boards directly opposite on the outside. 

 Upon this shelf the hives are placed. 



Each hive has an exit cut in either 

 end, and an exit is cut through the 

 wall of the cage registering with the 

 outer exit of each hive, over which, on 

 the outside of the wall, a piece of 

 queen-excluding zinc is nailed. These 

 hives are painted strikingly distin- 

 guishing colors, as red, white, blue, 

 green, yellow, and black, and a space 

 opposite each on the alighting-boards, 

 and a corresponding space on the out- 

 side of the wall of the cage are paint- 

 ed in corresponding colors. The colors 

 are repeated in the order named, 

 which separates the hives of the same 

 color a sufficient distance to prevent 

 confusion, and the bees and queens 

 readily distinguish their own hive by 

 means of color as readily as by location. 



If the inner exit be left closed for a 

 day or two after a colony is placed in 

 a cage, the worker-bees readily learn 

 to enter their own hive upon returning 

 from the fields. I found that the 

 queens had no difficulty on returning 

 to their own hives after taking flight 

 in the cage. To test that fact I fre- 

 quently opened a number of hives in 

 succession, and placing the queens 

 upon the palm of my hand tossed 

 them high in the air, when they would 

 take wing and fly away. 



Upon re-opening the hives a few 

 minutes later they would be found 

 upon the combs. The queens and 

 drones appeared to fly and disport 

 themselves with as much freedom and 

 regularity in the cage as they did in 

 the apiary outside. The virgin queens 

 were introduced from the nursery by 

 various methods. Some were hatched 

 in colonies in the cage from cells ma- 

 tured in strong queenless colonies, and 

 some from cells built under the swarm- 

 ing impulse, which this season could 

 be produced by artificial means onlv. 

 Mature drones were selected from the 

 hives in the apiarj-, and also from 

 those returning from their excursions 

 and liberated in the cage, and sealed 

 drone-brood was removed from the 

 hives in the apiar}' and hatched in 

 strong colonies built up in large hives 

 in the cage, and these drones all flew 

 with freedom and regularity. 



A few times I observed a queen em- 

 brace a drone and fly all about the 

 cage with entire freedom, and then, 

 the embrace being broken, each flew 

 away in diflerent directions, the queens 

 returning to their hives, anil the 

 drones at once rejoined their fellows 

 in the upper part of the cage. It is 

 needless to add that in such cases no 

 accouplement had taken place. 



The i-esults realized from this line of 

 experimental work have been so mea- 

 ger, and the circumstances attending 

 the experiments so exceptionally un- 

 favorable that it is not easy to form an 

 estimate of their value, or determine 

 their significance. Of the many scores 

 of trials made, but six were successful; 

 but six queens were fecundated in the 

 fertilizing cage. However, as the im- 

 pi-ovement of the bee to the highest 

 attainable excellence outranks all other 

 considerations in practical importance 

 and scientific interest, the methods 

 and results of any intelligently-con- 

 ducted experiments having this end in 

 view, are well worth placing on record. 

 Besides future trials may receive direc- 

 tion from a multitude of failures, and 

 the trying experience of the past sea- 

 son is not without compensating fea- 

 tures, for even the little grains we 

 make in positive knowledge, although 

 apparently trifling in themselves, have 

 often significant meaning and broad 



bearing on questions of great value and 

 importance. 



My experience and observation lead 

 me to believe that the main reason 

 why this experiment was not satisfac- 

 torily successful was because of the 

 protracted drouth and high tempera- 

 ture which lasted through the entire 

 breeding season, the like of which has 

 not before been known in this region. 

 From May, 18S5, until December, 1887, 

 drouth prevailed, broken only at long 

 intervals by light showers. The suc- 

 cession of two summers of excessive 

 heat and unbroken drouth insured dis- 

 aster to the present season cumulative 

 in kind and intensified in degree. Con- 

 tinous feeding has been required to 

 keep up breeding and to prevent star- 

 vation. 



Whenever feeding was suspended 

 for two or three days, throughout 

 nearlj' the entire season, oviposition 

 would cease, and the bees ate their 

 eggs, and it has required persistent 

 trials and careful management to rear 

 drones and keep them alive. It has 

 been difiicult to get three or four 

 queen-cells matured in colonies such 

 as in ordinai-y seasons would rear from 

 25 to 40, and of those permitted to re- 

 main outside in the apiary and seek a 

 mate at will, two of every three failed 

 of fecundation. 



During the entire season a large 

 majoritj' of the larval queens, being 

 insufficiently fed, died in the cell, and 

 when for days and weeks together the 

 temperature ranged from 110° to 120°, 

 F., in the sun during several hours each 

 day, the pap-food would ferment and 

 turn a dark amber color and dry up to 

 the consistency of thick glue at the 

 bottom of the cells with the dead 

 pupos. When the temperature ranged 

 from 100° to 110^, F., in the sun, the 

 average temperature in the hive was 

 from 5° to 2^ higher until 112° was 

 reached. Then, when the range in 

 the sun was from 115^ to 125° the 

 temperature did not go above 112° in 

 the hive. The fanners were able to 

 prevent the temperature rising above 

 112° in the hives standing in the sun 

 with a shade-board above the hive- 

 cover. The worker larvaj seem to be 

 able to endure a higher temperature 

 than queen larva-. 



This season, as a rule, the drones 

 were much smaller than drones from 

 the same ancestors in the summers of 

 1885 and 1886, and there was a great 

 inequality in the size of the drones 

 and queens of the same parentage, and 

 reared at the same time in the same 

 hive, and a revy unusual proportion of 

 the queens were deformed and unable 

 to fly. 



Continued observation and experi- 

 ment furnish corroborative evidence of 

 the correctness of the theory advanced 



