1919 



State. Early in May I noticed the 

 adult bees from one of the five colo- 

 nies we wintered acting in a strange 

 manner. From the symptoms I con- 

 cluded it was a case of paralysis. 

 They were treated in several ways 

 without success; all other colonies 

 were healthy. 



We were now eagerly waiting for 

 the pound packages of bees with 

 queens which had been contracted 

 for, and yet being short of empty 

 combs and frames of honey, we were 

 glad that they did not arrive, for at 

 the time the weather was unfavora- 

 ble, raining most every day. When 

 they did come it was still raining. 

 Taking them into the kitchen, I ap- 

 plied heavy syrup to the sides of the 

 cages. After the bees had all the 

 feed they could take they were put 

 in a warm place until the next day, 

 when we hoped for clear weather. I 

 made ready' ten hives at home, where 

 the five colonies were, one of them 

 having paralysis, there being at this 

 time a large number of dead bees on 

 the ground in front of the entrance 

 of_ the affected colony. I opened 

 this colony, found and killed the 

 queen, then placed one frame of 

 brood and bees from this colony in 

 each of the prepared hives. A comb 

 having little or no brood was given 

 an extra supply of bees. A frame 

 of foundation was placed each side 

 of these combs. The ca'ses were then 

 opened and the bees shaken onto the 

 bottom board and gently urged onto 

 the comb of brood. When most of 

 them had gone there the cage was 

 placed on the bottom board to allow 

 the remaining bees in it to join those 

 on the comb. In one instance the 

 greater part of the bees returned to 

 the package. Later, before moving 

 these hives to an outyard, they were 

 given another frame of brood. 



As the season advanced I failed to 

 note any evil results due to giving 

 these packages of bees combs of 

 brood and bees from the colony hav- 

 ing paralysis. Very likely a good 

 warm feed and the introduction of a 

 number of healthy young bees and a 

 new queen would have helped mat- 

 ters in the diseased colony. Since 

 there has not been any of this dis- 

 ease present lately, have not had the 

 opportunity to try out the plan. 



Other packages of bees were taken 

 to the outyards as soon as received. 

 They were given frames of brood, 

 but no bees, since by now I was 

 keeping the strong colonies busv 

 drawing out foundation into combs 

 for increase. Our main flow comes 

 after August IS. We have no flow 

 from clover here. After fruit bloom 

 and locust blossoms are gone there 

 usually is a little honey coming in 

 from tulip trees during June. What 

 honey we get at this time is very 

 dark, but there is a good local de- 

 mand for it. If this so-called "Black 

 Strap Bug Juice" could be produced 

 by the ton. New Jersey would become 

 famous in the beekeeping world, I'm 

 sure. At least I would be content to 

 remain where at present located. 



After tulip bloom there is a period 

 of several days during which there is 

 no surplus honey coming in. Early 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



in July we sometimes enjoy a heavy 

 flow from sumac, which usually lasts 

 long enough to fill the brood cham- 

 ber and complete the unfinished sec- 

 tions in the super. I now know it is 

 a mistake to try to produce section 

 honey here. 



During this time we started some 

 3-frame nuclei, purchasing queens to 

 head them. When sumac had gone 

 there was no nectar coming in and 

 none was expected until about Au- 

 gust IS. In buying our supply of 

 queens we purchased half dozen and 

 dozen lots from different sources in 

 order to try out many advertised 

 strains. They certainly were full of 

 energy. These bees did not waste 

 time gluing up the hive fixtures, for, 

 owing to a former experience, the 

 bees were on staple-spaced frames; 

 but, judging from the way they 

 treated the frames of foundation and 

 partly drawn combs they must have 

 worked day and night trying to tear 

 out the wooden splints; as a result, 

 all the foundation and partly drawn 

 combs that were in the hives were 

 reduced to ribbons. I then gave the 

 bees wired frames of foundation. I 

 found that excellent combs could be 

 gotten by placing these frames of 

 foundation supported by splints into 

 the brood chamber of strong colo- 

 nies, one or two at a time, when the 

 bees were gathering honey. When 

 promptly drawn out, these combs are 

 attached to the frames at all points, 

 excepting perhaps a small space in 

 the lower corners. The combs are 

 practically perfect, brood being 

 reared up close to the top bar, due 

 to the absence of any sag in the 

 foundation. If I were located where 

 there was a good spring or summer 

 flow I would try them again, but not 

 as many as 1,200. 



The ISth of August arrived, and I 

 had bees in 80 hives, and soon after 

 I realized that I would not have that 

 many colonies, worthy the name, 

 ready for the fall flow. I promptly 

 killed a number of undesirable 

 queens and when the work of unit- 

 ing had been finished I had 60 colo- 

 nies. They all gathered sufficient 

 stores for winter, a few gave 25 to 30 

 pounds of extracted honey from 

 aster. We prepared them for winter 

 by wrapping in tar paper. The en- 



17 



trances were contracted down to %x 

 6 inches. 

 Wanawah, N. J. 



Care of Virgin Queens 



By C. C. Miller 



A CORRESPONDENT writes: 

 "Could you not give some ad- 

 vice in the American Bee 

 Journal as to how virgins should be 

 handled from the hatching-cage to 

 egg-laying? This period is the 

 sticker. Everybody tells how to rear 

 them, which is easy; but to get them 

 accepted, mated and laying is, in- 

 deed, another game." 



There is probably no one, however 

 experienced, who can count each 

 year on having successful layers out 

 of 100 per cent of the young queens 

 which emerge from their cells, and 

 nothing can be said here in the way 

 of teaching that would warrant any 

 such expectation. 



If a sealed cell be given to a nu- 

 cleus which is queenless, and fully 

 conscious of its queenlessness, which 

 is as much as to say that it has been 

 queenless 24 hours or more, there 

 should be little doubt as to kindly 

 acceptance. But if a virgin be given 

 from a hatching-cage, as our cor- 

 respondent mentions, the case may 

 be different. If a virgin be taken 

 just as soon as she emerges from her 

 cell, supposing that she has not been 

 imprisoned by the bees some time 

 after she is ready to emerge, nothing 

 is more sure of acceptance. But if 

 she be left in the cage until a week 

 old, her chances of life are slim, no 

 matter where introduced. While very 

 young, supposing she is mature 

 enough to emerge from the cell with- 

 out being picked out, the bees seem 

 indifferent to her, not considering 

 her in the light of a queen, but as an 

 innocent young thing that is utterly 

 harmless, and she will be tolerated 

 even in a colony having a good lay- 

 ing queen with which the bees are 

 perfectly satisfied. But when she be- 

 comes old enough, and begins to put 

 on airs as one of royal blood, then 

 she is considered in quite a different 

 light. If it be in a colony with a 

 laying queen, even though she has 

 been kindly treated in her babyhood, 

 just as soon as she begins to put on 



C. B. Palmer's apiary in summer. Sweet clover helped make a big yield. 



