5^ 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



number of nuclei. Mr. Doolittle himself 

 admits that it is not profitable. — It might be 

 well for us to remember, however, that when 

 a colony or nucleus has been queenless long 

 enough to build and seal over queen cells, 

 that it will accept a virgin queen even if she 

 ■is old. — In forming nuclei, Mr. Doolittle 

 prefers to shake the bees into a box, keep 

 them confined a few hours until they "beg" 

 for a queen, then give them a virgin queen 

 and hive them upon a frame of honey and 

 one of sealed brood. There is too much 

 work about this, and we fail to see any ad- 

 vantages over the plan of making a colony 

 queenless a few days, and then dividing it up 

 iiito nuclei, giving each nucleus a hatched 

 queen or a cell. The^ e queenless bees will 

 adhere to a new location sufficiently well 

 when given a queen or a cell. — We are sorry 

 to be obliged to disagree with our friend 

 upon so many points, but here comes one 

 upon which we can agree most heartily, and 

 that is in regard to the importance of having 

 the ijueens mated with drones from the best 

 stock. Mr. Doolittle tries to have all drones 

 reared bv choice stocks. He furnishes them 

 plenty of drone comb, keeping up their 

 strength, if necessary, by giving them 

 worker brood from other colonies. Drone 

 comb is withheld from other colonies. He 

 doesn't like drone traps ; they answer the 

 purpose, but it is more economical not to 

 rear drones that must be destroyed. — Mr 

 Doolittle asserts that, from many carefully 

 conducted experiments, he is forced to the 

 conclusion that the drone progeny of a 

 (lueen is affected by her mating. This is a 

 point we connot criticise. — A chapter is 

 given up to the subject of queen introduc- 

 tion, and we believe that we agree wholly 

 with the Author upon this subject. A queen 

 just taken from a hive runs but little risk of 

 rejection compared with one that has been 

 away from the bees several days. Our Au- 

 thor's favorite plan of changing a queen 

 from one colony to another in the same 

 apiary, is to take two combs with the adher- 

 ing bees, having the (luten between them, 

 and hang them in the hive from which a 

 queen has been removed and to which the 

 queen is to be inti-oduced. He condemn:-- the 

 Peet cage, both for shipping and intodiicing. 

 The space is too large for a shipping cage, al- 

 lowing the bees and qut en to be banged about 

 too much from one side of the cage to the 

 other when the mail bag is thrown from a 

 train in motion ; while it does not cover suffi- 



cient comb surface when used as an intro- 

 ducing cage. Mr, Doolittle's favorite intro- 

 ducing cage is of wire cloth, 3x7 inches in 

 size, and % inch deep. It is a sort of shal- 

 low, wire-cloth box. It is used the same as 

 the Peet cage. The plan recommended by 

 Mr. Doolittle for making nuclei, also fur- 

 nishes a safe plan for introduction. — Pow- 

 dered sugar should be used in making 

 "Good" candy, the sugar and the honey both 

 warmed, and it must be kneaded and mixed 

 so stiff that it will not change its shape if 

 laid upon a flat surface.— In catching bees 

 to send away with a queen, use those from 

 six to ten days old. — The sudden check in 

 egg production caused by taking a queen 

 from a full colony for shipment, frequently 

 injures her prolificness. It is the sudden 

 check in laying, rather than the hardships of 

 the journey, that causes the trouble. This 

 Mr. Doolittle has proved by caging queens 

 several days, when some of them lost their 

 fertility in a degree. Some of the cages were 

 subjected to rough usage, but this made no 

 difference. — Like nearly all who have tried 

 the Syrians and Cyprians, Mr. Doolittle dis- 

 carded them. He also tried the Carniolans 

 slightly (two queens), but was not impresed 

 in their favor. From his account, we should 

 think he did not have pure Carniolans. He 

 will try them again. Thus far, he has found 

 nothing equal to the Italians. — There are, of 

 course, a great many points that it is impos- 

 sible to notice, even in so extended a review 

 as this, (rf// details are necessarily omitted) 

 and we will close by most heartily urging all 

 queen bi-eeders to read the book. Address 

 the publishers. 



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3-89-3t Please mention the Reuiew. 



i OUE[NS, 



