rHt; BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



\21 



for the present their cherished hopes, aud 

 cheerfully do what sreins to be the greatest 

 good for the greatest number, and come to 

 St. Paul, my vote must go in favor of Lin- 

 coln, Neb. 



Since the above was put in type tiie Amer- 

 ican Bee Journal has come to hand, and it 

 contains a letter from Mr. E. Whitcomb of 

 Friend, Neb. He still urges the holding of 

 the convention at Lincoln, intimating that 

 as low rates can be obtained to that point as 

 to any. Probably, but not by a bee-keep- 

 ers' convention. It must be something like 

 the Ct. a. R. encampment that can get one 

 vent a mile rates. I still hope the western 

 friends will reconsider and decide to go 

 where we can get the low rates that will 

 draw a crowd ; but, unless they can see it 

 in that light, I feel that we must keep faith 

 with them. 



Difference in the Longevity of Bees, 

 1 have to thank my friend, J. R. Bellamy 

 for calling my attention to the fact that he, 

 Chas. H. Thies and Dr. Miller wrote on this 

 subject in the American Bee Journal in 189."^. 

 Here is what Mr. Bellamy first wrote : 



" I cannot hold my peace once u^ore be- 

 cause some of the experts in answering Query 

 syL did not suggest wanting an experiment 

 to test the value of longevity in diflferent 

 races of bees, or bees from different queens. 

 I have experimented a little with great re- 

 sults, and often thought of advertising for 

 queons that were positively 4 or 5 years old, 

 and I would breed from them if doing good 

 laying at such age, and if good in other ways 

 and quiet. I feel that I know more in this 

 line than I can tell. I have had hives with 

 8 frames of brood full from April until 

 August, and good looking bees and queens, 

 but would not give a swarm or store honey, 

 or be overcrowded with bees ; and others, 

 with the same amount of brood in the same 

 time, would have more than three times the 

 quantity of bees and honey in August. 



For sometime I thought that careless bees 

 from other hives joined with those that be- 

 came so extra good, but this year I have 

 proved that such is not the case, and that the 

 bees from certain queens live and work 

 nearly twice as long as others ; that is, have 

 better constitutions. Look at certain breeds 

 of horses — some are useless at 17 years, 

 others are good at 22 years. Now, when bees 

 become useless from age, or any cause, the 

 others put them out as they do drones, and 

 when bee-keepers see them putting them 

 out, they think that it was a robber that got 

 in, but if looked at closely, it will be seen 

 that the bee put out is very small, as are all 

 old bees, and dark. This difference in size 

 leads the keener to think that they are diff- 

 erent bees, from some bee-tree, or other 

 hive. " 



Jjater, Dr. Miller mentioned the matter, 

 aud this roused Mr. Bellamy to write to the 

 Doctor as follows : 



" Black Bank, Ont. Nov. 20. 



Dear Fkiend Miller :— I am very glad 

 you had your curiosity aroused in regard to 

 longevity of bees, by my article on page .'">.'{.". 

 of the Bee Journal ; but when you mention- 

 ed it on page 029, why did you not say if 

 you had ever noticed hives containing the 

 same amount of brood for a certain time, 

 and a wide difference in the gain of both 

 bees and honey ? Such being the case, how 

 could one colony get more bees than another 

 in said time, if it were not all in longevity ? 

 Just try to recollect, and inquire of all bee- 

 keepers. This should be sent to a bee-pa- 

 per as a query. 



You appear to doubt if any gains are had 

 from queens four or five years old ; then yon 

 change the appearance of your statement by 

 adding that it looks a little reasonable. Now, 

 you should have said it looks a big reason- 

 able. Perhaps you do not understand me 

 rightly, by wanting queens four or five years 

 old. Those queens have always been good, 

 but I could not know that they would hold 

 out until the fourth year, and if doing good 

 service then, and filled up rapidly with bees 

 in the spring, as my choice or select queens 

 do. 



There are two ways I judge young queens : 

 First, after a queen begins to lay in a full 

 colony, I allow her to build a piece of comb, 

 and if thev build drone, I do not expect 

 much of this queen. This test is to be after 

 swarming. Then about May 1st, I take 

 notice of certain hives which are ' going up, ' 

 as I terra it, while others are 'goiner down: ' 

 that is in numbers of bees. W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son has noticed this. I think, but could not 

 guess a reason, and I say longevity of the 

 bees is the only cause, if colonies, protection 

 and stores are equal. 



This year I kept some colonies building 

 comb all through the harvest ; that is, re- 

 pairing .">0 combs which a rat spoiled or 

 damaged by eating large holes through 

 them, which were in a large box last winter. 

 Did you ever notice that some queens with 

 colonies equal, and of the same age, at the 

 same time in a honey-fiow, the bees in some 

 would build drone-comb, and others not. 

 but would build worker comb ? Perhaps if 

 you always give full sheets of foundation, 

 you could not notice this, because they only 

 had one choice. I feel that you will not un- 

 derstand me rightly yet, as I am a very poor 

 orator or writer ; b'lt you may, if you study 

 my theory, and inquire of others, if they had 

 not noticed these thines. When W. Z. Hutch- 

 inson recommended hiving swarms on start- 

 ers, and eot worker-combs, he had a good 

 strain of bees for longevity, is my opinion. 

 Some larvie, as soon as hatched, are fed much 

 better than others. Some are fed almost 

 royal jellv ; others you cannot see the food 

 in the cells. Just think what effect extra 

 food has upon long life in a queen — living 

 three years ; or some larva poorly fed — a 

 worker — three months. " 



