ALEXANDER'S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 77 



and can not rear the necessary queens in time to make as early increase 

 as I advise. To those doubting Thomases I wish to say that we can 

 rear twice as many queens as is necessary to double our colonies before 

 June 10; and I assure you if you handled your bees as we sometimes 

 handle ours, all that I have ever claimed can 6e done. Many bee-keepers 

 seem to think that, if they set their bees out of the cellar about April 

 1, that is all there is to do until they hive some swarms and put on 

 their clamps of empty sections. We find about as much to do from 

 the time they are set out up to Aug. 1, when we commence to extract, 

 as we do when we are extracting; and there is no slack time. The 

 bees are kept busy every day, either to rear queens, make increase, 

 form nuclei, draw out foundation, or something that is necessary to be 

 done by them in order to be in proper condition for our August harvest. 

 We usually spend the last week in July uniting all weak colonies and 

 nuclei with stronger swarms so as to have the yard well cleaned up 

 of those that are not in condition to give us a good surplus. Then we can 

 give all our attention to extracting and caring for our surplus honey. 

 In conclusion let me assure you that there is not much danger of 

 having your colonies too strong in bees at any time if you will use 

 them as you should, for they are the principal factor in making your 

 business a success. We like them in the spring to rear those nice 

 early queens from. We like them to make our increase from. We 

 like them to get our surplus from. Yes, my friends, and there is a 

 pleasure in putting away good strong full colonies In their winter 

 quarters, as you would put money away in the bank to draw an income 

 from in the future. 



May, 1906. 



DO WEAK COLONIES HAVE GOOD QUEENS? WHEN TO BEQUEEN; ATTITUDE OF 

 FAEMEES TOWABD BEES. 



I have been asked to answer the following question: "After weak 

 colonies are built up in the spring, according to your plan, do they 

 usually do as well as other colonies, or should their queens be super- 

 seded?" 



In answer I will say that I have never had occasion to supersede 

 them oftener than other queens. With us all queens, when two years 

 old, are superseded unless it should be a very choice one. We usually 

 supersede queens for one of two reasons — either on account of their 

 arriving at the age limit, or when we buy bees, as we sometimes do, 

 they have queens of all ages and colors; then we supersede them as 

 soon as possible, and in their place introduce good well-bred Italian 

 queens. 



I am often asked if it is not as well or better to buy our queens 

 in the fall, at a reduced price, than to buy them in early summer. 

 That depends wholly on the condition our colonies are in. If the old 



