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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 my 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- 
