1878. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



40? 



and killed her. Just now (Nov. lltli, 1878) 

 the question is also being discussed, as to 

 Avhether a laying (jueen ever leaves tlie hive 

 for a second fertilization. Tlie facts indi- 

 cate very strongly, tliat imported queens, 

 and others that have been a long time con- 

 fined so that they can not lay, sometimes do 

 this. Clipping will certainly prevent this, 

 although it may result in the loss of the 

 queen. I think I prefer the chance of loss, 

 rather than that of a tested queen turn- 

 ing hybrid, and I will, therefore, until far- 

 ther notice, clip all wings before sending 

 them out. To make it sure that there can 

 be no flying, I would clip the greater part of 

 both large wings; the small wings, being 

 perfect, although smaller, will give her a 

 symmetrical appearance, while cutting off 

 both wings on one side, always makes her 

 look ever afterward, very much like a crip- 

 ple. If a queen is ever so fine, few people 

 can see her beauty, when she has two long 

 wings on one side and none on the other. 



CLIPPING queen's wings. 



For this purpose, you want a pair of slen- 

 der pointed, embroidery scissors. They 

 must be just as keen and sharp at the points, 

 as they can be made ; for it will never do to 

 liave the wing of a valuable queen double 

 up, or catch so as to frighten her out of her 

 little senses. With good scissors, you can 

 lift a Aving and clip it off without her hardly 

 knowing it ; but where two are to be clipped, 

 it may be well to adopt the plan given by 

 one of our feminine contributors, especially, 

 if you are nervous, and inclined to be fidgety 

 in doing such work. See page 183, June 

 No., Gleanings. How to manage during 

 swarming time, with clipped queens, will be 

 considered under swAimiNG. 



now QUEENS LAY TWC' KINDS OF EGGS. 



That they do lay two kinds of eggs, I 

 think few are inclined to dispute, since the 

 experiments Avith the microscope have de- 

 cided the matter so clearly, as given under 

 DRONES. Suppose a young queen goes out 

 to meet the drones so late in the fall, or so 

 early in the spring, that there are none; 

 what is the consequence? Well, sometimes 

 she Avill never lay at all; but, frequently, 

 slie commences to lay when 3 or 4 weeks 

 old, and her eggs produce only drones. In 

 fact, she can produce no other eggs, having 

 never been fertilized. How shall Ave dis- 

 tinguish such queens from fertile onesr* 

 You can not decide positively concerning 

 them, by any means that I knoAV of, until 

 their brood is ready to seal up ; then you 



will know, by the round, raised caps of the 

 brood, like bullets laid on a board, as I ex- 

 plained under drones. You can give a 

 pretty good guess, by noticing the Avay in 

 Avhich she lays the eggs; if they are feAV and 

 scattering, and sometimes, or often, in 

 drone cells, coupled Avith the fact, that she 

 did not commence laying until tAVO Aveeks or 

 more old, you Avould better not send her off 

 as a dollar queen, until some of her brood is 

 sealed over. A young queen, if properly 

 fertilized, never, or very rarely, lays an egg 

 in a drone cell, and Avhen she commences to 

 lay, she fills cell after cell in regular order, 

 as men hoe a field of corn ; her Avork also 

 has a neat and finished appearance that says 

 at once to the practiced eye, "You are all 

 right." 



NoAV, my friends, do not think me contra- 

 dictory, Avhen I tell you that a young queen 

 sometimes commences Avith all, or nearly 

 all, di'one eggs, and, after aAvhile, lays en- 

 tirely Avorker eggs as regular as one might 

 Avish. I do not know Avhy this is ; perhaps, 

 she has not yet got used to the ''machinery'', 

 or does not ''remember" distinctly just hoAV 

 her grandmother did it. Once more, my 

 friends; you must bear Avith me, Avhen I tell 

 you that any queen, the best one you ever 

 saAV, is liable, at any day of her life, to com- 

 mence, on a sudden, laying drone eggs alto- 

 gether, or only in part. I Avish you to re- 

 member this, that you may be more charita- 

 ble toAvard each other, in your dealings. A 

 nice laying, young queen, taken from a hive, 

 and shipped to a distance, may prove to be a 

 drone layer shortly after, or immediately 

 after, she is receiA^ed. Such things are not 

 very common, but they do occur. In an 

 apiary of 50 or 100 hives, I should expect to 

 find one drone layer, on an average, each 

 spi ng. During the sunnuer, perhaps one 

 ni; re Avill be found. It may be that the 

 queen Avas not fertilized sufficiently, if I 

 may use the term, and that the supply of 

 spermatozoa gave out, Avhile she AA'as in full 

 vigor, thus reducing her to the condition of 

 a virgin queen. Microscopic examinatioh 

 has shoAvn an entire absence of spermatozoa^ 

 in at least one or tAvo instances, Avhere 

 queens of this kind AAere killed and dissect- 

 ed. Similar experiments, given by Lang- 

 stroth, shoAV that the spermatozoa may be 

 chilled beyond recovery, by freezing the 

 queen, and yet the queen herself may be re- 

 suscitated. I think it likely, that liardship 

 and beuig sliipped long distances may pro- 

 duce the same results. Do not think I am 

 going to excuse those Avho sell queens, and 



