126 



SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



Three questions by R. Ross, Mon- 

 treal, Canada. 



(1) Is W. H. Laws' methods of fer- 

 tilizing queens be successful ? Describe. 



(2) After the fertile queen is re- 

 moved from a nucleus, does the pres- 

 ence of eggs in the combs render lia- 

 ble to kill virgin queens placed therein ? 



(3) What is best receipt for label 

 paste, and that will keep? 



Replied by "W. H. Laws, of Beeville, 

 Texas — ^W. H. Laws' method of ferti- 

 lizing queens is successful. 



Small boxes with hinged cover hold- 

 ing one comb of honey with virgin 

 queen and a teacupful of bees caged 

 24 hours and set on a location 1-4 mile 

 from the Apiary at about sundown; 

 bees stay out, and in a few days young 

 queen will be laying. If desired on re- 

 moval of queen a cell can be given and 

 one or two more queens can be mated 

 with the same bees. The original plan 

 was to use these mating boxes only 

 once, renewing bees with virgin for 

 each mating. Plenty of work by this 

 plan, so much so that I prefer large 

 three frame permanent nuclei, and can 

 always have queens in plenty. These 

 little boxes can be used to great ad- 

 vantage, however, in caring for an un- 

 usual large order, or to care for an un- 

 usual number of cells when all other 

 nuclei have been supplied. 



The presence of eggs or larvae in 

 cells after first mating makes little dif- 

 ference where new bees are used with 

 each virgin for mating. Otherwise the 

 usual length of time must be had before 

 introduction of cell. 



We make paste to stick labels on tin 

 as follows: Common wheat flour mixed 

 with COLD water then cooked to a 

 paste will hold labels on tin. If mixed 

 with warm or hot water before cook- 

 ing, the labels will peel off when dry. 

 This formula is so cheap that we can 

 afford to make new paste with each 

 use of it. 



W. H. LAWS, Beeville, Texas. 



Mr. France: Part of the trouble with 

 any of our ordinary pastes, with tin, 

 is the oil that is upon the tin. Get 

 something that will take that off. Use 

 a little soda or vinegar. Wet the tin 

 with that and wipe it off and any 

 paste will stick. You have got rid of 

 the oil and that is all that is neces- 

 sary. 



Mr. Hershisher: I don't care to do 

 any advertising, but I might say use 

 Sapolio. 



Mr. Hershisher: In reference -to 



sticking labels on cans and glass, I 

 use LePage's glue, and that is another 

 advertisement. The way I use it is 

 this, I warm it up well and dilute it 

 a little with water and take a plain 

 surface of glass or smooth board and 

 spread the labels out upon it, and 

 with a brush spread the glue over each 

 one of them. Then take up an equal 

 number of labels and stick them to the 

 first lot, and that will keep them from 

 drying out too fast. You can prepare 

 a couple of dozen in that way, and you 

 can then pull them apart quite rapidly. 



Question — How to keep the brood 

 warm in cold weather in spring. — J. 

 Poindexter. 



Replied by Miss Chandler of Wis.— 

 The way I do is to leave the winter 

 packing on until time to put on sec- 

 tions. I've had little experience with 

 unprotected hives. When I moved 

 my bees to present location, I took ofC 

 their winter packing early in spring, 

 (April 5). The colonies were less 

 strong than usual att the beginning 

 of honey flow. It was due to want of 

 ■ spring protection. Last February I 

 visited my out- apiary. I found three 

 hives tipped overe and everything 

 come apart. I straightened them up, 

 wrapped the weakest colonies in heavy 

 paper, and left the strong ones un- 

 protected. Next fruit bloom the pro- 

 tected hives had strong colonies, while 

 a protector without hunting up and 

 were now weak with little brood. I 

 find paper closely wrapped about the 

 hives better than sawdust packing 

 for weak colonies. 



Question by A. C. Allen, of Wis. — 

 Is the plan of re-queening by inserting 

 a ripe or nearly ripe queen cell in 

 a protector without hunting up and 

 killing old queen reliable? What time 

 of year does this work best? 



Mr. Pratt: On the question of re- 

 queening, there are a hundred differ- 

 ent ideas. In the first place I don't 

 believe a cell protector is needed. 

 Mr. Doolittle claims it is. Then he 

 claims that the young queens will suc- 

 ceed the old one. I claim it will not. 

 It will ball the young queen at the time 

 she is ready to mate. Other men have 

 different views on it. If you have got 

 a cell from the combs, use a cell pro- 

 tector, but in- my view, it is folly to 

 use a cell protector. 



Mr. France: The same party asks 

 one other question: "Will placing 

 moth balls in stocks of unoccupied 

 combs" which may remain idle one or 



