Texas Beekeeping. 107 



be quite an item, especially if many colonies were kept. Further- 

 more, the value of the stock would increase from year to year, and, 

 if the improvement was continued, the gain in five or ten years 

 would amount to quite a snug sum. It pays, therefore, to spend a 

 little time in improving the stock of bees, and this should not be 

 neglected as much as it is. 



RE-QUEENING. 



In most of the apiaries, whether consisting of only a few colonies 

 or of a considerable number, there are always some colonies that far 

 outstrip others in honey yield, while there are maiiy that produce 

 very little, and some almost no honey at all. This condition is one 

 that costs the beekeeper considerable, in that the labor expended on 

 those giving almost no returns is practically the same as upon the 

 good ones, and is one that will not be allowed by the wise beekeeper. 

 Instead of wasting time with these inferior colonies, whose inefficiency 

 is generally due to the kind of queens, they should be replaced by 

 better stock. 



The best time to do this is immediately upon the close of the 

 honey season, as it is then that one is able to tell the colonies that 

 have done the best work and those that have not come up to the 

 mark. Another reason is that the prices of queens are lower at this 

 time than for those reared earlier in the season; and a third reason 

 is that the changing of queens at this time can be done without inter- 

 fering with the honey crop. All colonies should be re-queened as 

 soon as they are found to have inferior queens, no matter at what 

 time of the year. 



There are various ways of re-queening colonies. In case the bee- 

 keeper has not the time to rear his own queens, purchasing untested 

 queens by the dozen, if a large number are required, wiU make the 

 investment a slight one, as compared with the improvement of his 

 stock and the better and larger yields of honey that will be received 

 in return. Even the small beekeeper with only a few colonies will 

 do well to buy queens with which to replace the inferior ones he may 

 have. The beekeeper who has time to rear his own queens can have 

 ready by this time young laying queens, to be introduced in the reg- 

 ular manner, after the inferior ones are removed. 



Another method practiced is that of placing a hatching queen 

 cell in the super of each of the colonies to be re-queened, and paying 

 no attention to the inferior queen below. This method is the most 

 practicable one, if carried out on an extensive scale, as the young 

 queen hatching above will find her way into the brood nest below 

 and the chances are that the young virgin will kill the old queen. 

 This saves much valuable time to the beekeeper, which would other- 

 wise be consumed in hunting up the old queens, especially in strong 

 colonies. No matter what method of procedure is adopted, re-queen- 

 ing aU colonies that are not doing well on account of inferior queens 

 should be counted as a paying investment. 



