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42 THIRD ANNUAL REPORT 



can't do it any other way, and if a man once in a while tells 

 a different way, they will ridicule him and go on doing the 

 same thing. I would like to see Dr. Miller get up and say 

 that this nonsense stop, and we quit making colonies queen- 

 less a minute. That is, if we want to get use of the queen. I 

 should like to know what you mean. The best time for what, 

 or for whom ? Do you mean the best time for the fellow who 

 has the queens to sell, or the best time for the colony of 

 bees, or the best time for the man's pocketbook? If you 

 mean the best time for the man who has them to sell, why 

 then that's a good time. He wants to get rid of them and he 

 would like to have some fellow think that that was the time 

 to buy them. If you mean the best time for the colony of 

 bees, then it would have to be a queenless colony; and if you 

 mean the best time for the man who is investing the money, 

 I would say, don't do it. If you mean the best for success — 

 now you may buy one for $5.00 in the spring, you may buy 

 one for $2.00 or for $1.00, but if you pay $1.00 for a queen 

 in the fall, and buy five queens for five colonies and you lose 

 them, then you are out your $5.00 which you might jugt as 

 well have had in your own pocket as in the other man's 

 pocket ; but of course he didn't think so because he had queens 

 to sell. A great deal of this is gotten up like the patent 

 medicine man, all sorts of diseases, and you must think you 

 have some of them. You can diagnose your own case, and 

 his medicine cures it, and you buy his stuff. 



Mr. Starkey — Let me tell you the best way to introduce 

 a queen. I agree that Mr. Abbott's plan is all right, but 

 I want to give you an improvement on it. [Laughter.] His 

 way would be to open the hive and put the queen on top. Put 

 the queen on the inside of the cover, 



Mr. Abbott — Any place about the hive where the bees 

 can get at her. 



Mr. Starkey — I would only open the hive once. He will 

 open it twice. I have to open the hive only once because I 

 put the queen in the box that she shall remain in until the 

 bees take her out by eating the honey or candy between. I 

 introduce her in this manner. Now, of course, lots of men 

 introduce queens that way, but that way will work. Now, in 

 regard to the best time, we will have to say for what purpose. 

 If a man wants to change a colony of bees, kill the old queen 

 and introduce a better one, the fall of the year is a good 

 time. Mr. York knows whether or not I have been buying 

 them, because he sold them to me. I am not speaking for 

 Mr. York, or any other man, but bees certainly do introduce 

 nicely in the fall. As to robbing, they will rob whenever 

 you examine them, if you happen to get robbers at them. If 

 I have had any time to introduce after the harvest was on, 

 I don't remember it. I have introduced several since. I be- 

 lieve the fall is the better ; you can get the queens cheaper, 

 and you can get them more promptly, because the bee-men 

 have them on hand. That is the great difference over the 

 spring-time, but you have to carry her over the winter. If 

 you count on losing your bees, I 'say, don't introduce them. 



