THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



377 



Gleanings, brings up a point upon 

 which I believe there has been but 

 little, if any, reported experience. He 

 saj's: 



"To decide whether a virgin queen 

 is present, a common way is to give a 

 frame of eggs and young brood, with 

 the understanding that, if a young 

 queen is present, no queen-cells will 

 be started. It is pretty safe to follow 

 the rule that, if no queen-cells are 

 started, there is a queen present; but 

 I have ceased to put faith in the oppo- 

 site rule, that the presence of cells 

 shows the absence of any queen; for 

 too often cells will be started, even 

 with a good virgin queen present. It's 

 a good thing, all the same, to give the 

 young brood. [You are just right 

 The presence of cells under some cir- 

 cumstances does not necessarily indi- 

 cate the absence of a queen; but they 

 may show that the old queen-mother 

 is playing out, or they may show the 

 fact that the hive was queenless at 

 one time, and that a virgin present 

 for some reason had not seen fit to de- 

 stroy the cells and thus put out of 

 the way any possible rival.— Ed.]" 



In my experience as a queen breed- 

 er, I have often noticed this same 



point that the doctor brings up. Sup- 

 pose that a nucleus has been queenless 

 three or four days, and then a virgin 

 queen is given, and the cells they 

 have started are left undisturbed, they 

 are quite likely to be left undestroyed 

 by the bees for several days. If a 

 queen is given to a nucleus at the 

 same time that the laying queen is 

 removed, or before the bees have 

 started any queen cells, it is very sel- 

 dom that cells will be started, but af- 

 ter they are once started the bees seem 

 loth to destroy them, or to allow the 

 queen to do so, until she has actually 

 been fertilized. It seems strange that 

 they should do this, when they will 

 allow the first-hatched queen of a 

 batch of cells that they have built 

 themselves, to go on and destroy all 

 of the other cells, and even help her 

 to do it. 



When I go to a nucleus to introduce 

 a virgin queen, or to put In a cell, and 

 find cells started, I always destroy 

 them, because, unless the queen is 

 lost, they will seldom start others, and, 

 if I do find them starting others I can 

 feel that it is quite likely that the 

 queen is lost, and govern myself ac- 

 cordingly. 



General Index to Volume XV. 



INDEX TO SUBJECTS. 



Adaptability of Stock 207 



Ailtin's Plan of Producing Comb Honey 117 



Alfalfa, the Truth About 55 



Alfalfa Contains the Most Protein. When. ..270 



Alfalfa too Soon, Cutting 207, 231 



Ants, How to Destroy 52 



Artificial Pasturage 295 



Banquet for the National Association 272 



Bee Cellar that Resemblesa Cistern in 



Bee-keeping for Profit 148 



Bee Escapes 206 



Bisulphide of Carbon for Killing the larvae 



of the Bee Moth 238 



Bleaching Honey 215 



Breeding in the Spring 51 



Breeding, Scientific 56 



Button tor the Members of the National 



145. 175. J76 



Breeding, Problems in 170 



Business Management 206 



Business End of Bee-Keeping 235 



Canards About Hone v no 



Carload of Honey and Some of the Prepara- 

 tions Nee.ted for its Production 39 



Cellar that Resembles a Cistern, An Out- 

 Door 261 



Cellar, A Damp Bee 303 



Clipping Queens 103, 280 



Competition not do be Feared in the United 



States, Tropical 208 



Cook's Manual of the Apiary 174 



Conventions, The Value of Time at 242 



Conventions, Attending 243 



Confidence, Importance of 88 



Committee on Organization, National 325 



Co-Operation, Benefits of 329 



