186 MANUAL OP THE APIARY. 



any more sure way could be devised to injure our stocks than 

 the dollar queen business, which is now so popular. It is 

 quite probable that much of the superiority of Italian bees is 

 owing to the care and careful selection in breeding. Such 

 careful selection inbreeding, either with black or Italian bees, 

 is what will augment the value of our apiaries. 



The tendency of the dollar queen business is to disseminate 

 the inferior queens, many of \."liich will appear in every 

 apiary. These should be killed, not sold. Yet, many an 

 apiarist will think even the poorest queens arc worth a dollar. 

 My friend, Mrs. Baker, bouglit a dollar "Albino" queen last 

 season which was not worth a cent. Yet it cost only a dollar, 

 and, of course, no satisfaction could be secured or even asked 

 for. I think it behooves apiarists to think of this matter, 

 and see if dollar queens are not very dear. I have thrown 

 away three dollars on them, and have concluded to pay more 

 and buy cheaper in future. 



I believe our breeders should be encouraged to give us the 

 best ; to study the art of breeding, and never send out an 

 inferior queen. In this way we may hope to keep up the 

 character of our apiaries, and the reputation of Italians. 

 Else we are safer under the old system where " natural selec- 

 tion" retained the best, by the " survival of the fittest." 



REARING AND SHIPPING QUEENS. 



I have already explained the matter of queen-rearing. 

 After many inquiries, and some experience, I much doubt if 

 any apiarist can afford to rear queens, such as apiarists wish 

 to buy, for less than four or five dollars. Only the best 

 should be sold, and no pains should be spared by the breeder 

 to secure such queens. 



TO SHIP QUEENS. 



This is a very simple matter. We have only to secure 

 a square block two inches each way, and one and a half 

 inches deep — a hole bored into a two-inch plank to within 

 a quarter of an inch of the bottom serves admirably. In 

 this should be inserted a piece of capped honey, which has 

 been entirely cleaned by bees. Bees will speedily perform 

 this work, if the comb containing the honey is placed on the 



