THOUSAND ANSWERS 175 



when the swarm returns, to let the queen run into the hive with 

 the swarm. 



Q. If the queen's wings are clipped and queen-cells are cut out 

 every ten days, will that prevent swarming? 



A. The clipping of the queen's wings will not make a particle 

 of difference about a swarm issuing. A swarm will issue ex- 

 actly the same as if the wings were whole. Cutting out. queen- 

 cells every ten days may make a great deal of difference and it 

 may make a very little. In the ordinary course of events a prime 

 swarm is likely to issue when the first queen-cell is sealed. If, 

 at any time before this, you cut out all cells that are started, the 

 bees will be likely to start fresh cells, but this second time they 

 may not wait for the sealing of cells, and the oftener you cut 

 out cells the more eager they may be to swarm, so that finally 

 a swarm may issue immediately after you have cut out cells. 

 Sometimes, however, cutting out cells once or twice in the sea- 

 son may prevent swarming entirely. I think the character of 

 the baes has something to do in the case. Some bees are 

 more given to swarming than others. 



Q. Will a queen's wings grow again after they are clipped? 



A. A queen's wing that is clipped will not grow again ; never, 

 never; no, not the least little bit. 



Queens, Chilled. — Q. Will a queen that was chilled coming 

 through the mails be all right next spring? 



A. Hardly; but if you want to breed from her you may get 

 good stock, even if she lays so poorly as to be of little value for 

 honey. 



Queens, Color of. — Q. Do queens change color or get much 

 larger? 



A. There is considerable change in the appearance of a queen. 

 After she is three or four days old she is smaller than when she 

 first leaves the cell, andwill be larger after she gets to laying. A 

 queen often is darker after having gone through the mails. 



Q. I am told that "the color of a queen has nothing to do 

 with the bees she will rear;" that "pure Italian queens may be 

 yellow, leather-colored, or jet black, but their bees will be yel- 

 low." Is this so? 



A. That's not so very far from the truth. Some of the best 

 Italian queens are quite dark, although their workers are yellow. 



Queens Destroying Cells. — Q. Will you explain what is to me 

 still a contradictory mysticism? (a) It is said that the first queen. 



