170 DR. miller's 



there shall be no lack, and a number of extra young queens are 

 also reared. At the last there may be a duel to settle which one 

 of these young queens shall reign, and that gives you a chance to 

 have the most vigorous one left. 



Q. Can you give me the cause for a young Italian queen 

 hatching with only a part of a wing? 



A. Insufficient nourishment or a slight chilling, which may 

 occur in a weak colony. Even in a strong colony a cell on the 

 lower edge of the comb might be chilled on a very cold night. It 

 has been said that letting a queen-cell fall, or shaking it might 

 result in crippled legs or wings. In rare cases, also, a moth-worm 

 may have traveled through the wall of the cell and clipped the 

 queen's wing. 



Queens, Age of. — Q. How long is the life of the average 

 queen? 



A. Perhaps about two years, varying from a few weeks to 

 four or five years. 



Q. Is there any way to tell the age of a queen, and also how 

 old should a queen be allowed to get? 



A. There is no certain way to tell by the looks of a queen 

 how old she is. After you have some experience you will be able 

 to make a fair guess as to whether a queen is old or young, as an 

 old queen is more inclined to have a shiny look, because her 

 plumage is worn away. Sometimes, however, a young queen has 

 the same look. An old queen is not likely to move about on the 

 combs in as lively a manner as a young one. 



There are different views as to how old a queen should be al- 

 lowed to become. Some think not more than two years. In my 

 own practice I allow her to live as long as she will, for when she 

 gets too old the bees will supersede her without any interference 

 on ray part. Of course, if she is unsatisfactory in any way, I get 

 rid of her as soon as I can. 



Queen Balled. — Q. What is meant by the bees "balling a 

 queen ?" 



A. Very much what the word indicates; hostile bees will grab 

 hold of the queen at different parts until there are bees all about 

 her; then other bees will seize those that have hold of the queen, 

 until there is a ball of them as large as a hickory-nut or larger. 



Q. What should be done to a queen if balled? 



A. Throw the ball in a dish of water and the bees will leave 

 her. Or, you may smoke the ball; but hold the smoker at a dis- 



