368 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
have brought out the swarm. While examining a glass 
hive, during the past summer, I saw the bees construct¬ 
ing a royal cell. I watched it for more than a week. 
When finished I predicted a swarm, (although none 
were crowded outside for want of room.) The very day 
I expected them, they came out. In eleven days after, 
a second swarm came out. Previous to the last leav¬ 
ing, I had the satisfaction of seeing a young queen 
several times while making the piping noise, such as 
we can always hear just before the coming out of all 
swarms excepting the first of the season. She ap¬ 
peared very uneasy, running about in all directions, 
only stopping to vibrate her wings against her body, 
which was done simultaneously with the sound. This 
proves that queens sometimes make the noise when 
they are not in the cells. The other bees made no at¬ 
tack upon her, as some writers have stated they will 
do in such cases. 
The supposition that all hives are left destitute of a 
queen when ihe first swarm leaves, has led to error in 
practice. Mr. Colton, of course, thinks, that young 
queens are unnecessary to produce swarms, as it is 
said his hive can be made to swarm within two days, 
at any time. Mr. Jones’ dividing hive is on the same 
principle. I had supposed it w r as an established fact, 
that if a swarm was driven out with the old queen, 
leaving plenty Of bees and young brood in the comb, 
queens might be raised as well as if they had swarmed, 
but I was mistaken. I tried three at first—not one 
swarmed. The only way in which I have ever suc¬ 
ceeded in making them raise a! queen from workers’ 
eggs or larvae, is to give them but a small piece, and 
then twelve days is as soon as they can perfect one. 
When I have occasion to take out a swarm and leave 
bees in the old hive, I find I must be very cautious, es¬ 
pecially if it is not in swarming season. If I can see 
no preparation for a queen, I generally supply them 
with one in the cell. If any one doubts there being 
any young queens commenced, at the time the old one 
leaves, they can be satisfied that they are so, (at least 
sometimes,) by the following mode of examination. 
The evening after a swarm has left, or the next morn¬ 
ing, blow some tobacco smoke into the hive to stupefy 
the bees; turn the hive bottom upwards, puff some 
smoke between the combs; the bees will retreat and 
give an opportunity to examine the combs; to the dis¬ 
tance of six or eight inches into the hive. In many 
hives there will be some sheets of comb that do not ex¬ 
tend across the whole way, making an edge some¬ 
where near the middle. On this edge is generally 
placed the royal cells. Sometimes they are on the 
outside, next the hive, and often on the bottom. Look 
through the hive, giving the bees a puff of smoke oc¬ 
casionally, to keep them quiet. It is very seldom the 
queen cells are so near the top as not to be seen. I 
counted nine the past sumrper, in one hive, within two 
inches of the bottom. Some were sealed over, others 
not more than half done. This was the next morning 
after a swarm had left. 
Another point in dispute, is whether the queen ever 
leaves the hive, excepting when leading a swarm. I 
have seen them do so often, in all instances between 
one and three o’clock, P. M., at which time more 
drones are out than at any other. She always came 
from a hive that a first swarm had left some fifteen or 
20 days previous; consequently they were young queens. 
Mrs. Griffith, of New-Jersey, I think, has watched 
for this, and felt confident that no such occurrence ever 
took place, and she has added as an objection, that as 
the prosperity of the hive depended on one bee, and 
that one should lea've for an excursion in the air, it 
would be liable to be devoured by birds, driven off by 
winds, or destroyed by other casualties, by which the 
hive would be lost. Now, just such cases do actually 
occur. The queen at this period, from some oaSse, is 
Deo, 
occasionally lost-—one in twenty on an average, and 
with me this year, one in ten. The apiarian who can¬ 
not ascertain this loss, does not understand his whole 
business, and as there are many who do not, I will say 
that if they would take the trouble to look at their 
hives for a minute in the morning, before the bees com¬ 
mence work, about fifteen or twenty days after swarm¬ 
ing, they could, by the commotion of the bees, ascer¬ 
tain the loss of the queen. They will see the bees 
running about in all directions, while in other hives 
they are quiet. In the middle of the day it is not so 
easily perceived. After two or three mornings they 
seem to become reconciled to their fate, and continue 
their labors as others do. I noticed this in one of my 
hives before I had half a dozen, and occasionally ever 
since. The result generally has been, that before cold 
weather, or very soon after, the bees would all be 
gone, and yet the hives nearly as heavy as others. 
Now, when I have a case of this kind, and I have 
had a swarm within a week, I proceed to look for 
queen’s cells, and with a broad knife I cut out one or 
more, (as they generally have several I have no fears 
of leaving them destitute,) and introduce it in a vertical 
position into the hive that has sustained the loss. In a 
short time all will be quiet. I have often put it in through 
a hole in the top of the hive, taking care that the lower 
end shall touch nothing. If more than a week has 
passed after a swarm has left a hive, it is unnecessary 
to look in that for a spare queen, for they are general¬ 
ly all destroyed by that time, unless they intend to 
swarm again, which can be ascertained about the 8th 
day, by listening close to the hive for the piping noise. 
Second and third swarms often have several queens 
•—I once had six in one swarm. When necessary, I 
take one of these and put it in the hive—even if there 
is but one, I take it and let the swarm go back; which 
is often an advantage, besides giving the old hives a 
queen. But if no queen can be had in any way, a 
piece of brood comb containing eggs or larvae of work¬ 
ers must be introduced, but this is more uncertain to 
produce a queen. If all these circumstances were duly 
attended to, we should have less complaint of hives 
being found destitute of bees and full of honey—or as 
is often the case, full of worms. Such instances often 
occur with negligent bee-keepers, when they supposed 
the bees \Vere doing well. 
One of your correspondents supposes that bee-bread 
is changed to honey. I wish he had stated the time 
necessary to effect the change. I have had it two 
years old, or more, and it was still bee-bread. I have 
“lots” of it every year when I am making wax. I 
have put it on my garden, but can see no great effect 
from it as manure, and should like to turn it to some 
better account. There is no doubt that the bees col¬ 
lect the pollen or bread for food for their young. One 
Circumstance in particular confirms me in this belief. 
When a hive loses its queen, and is not supplied with 
one, there is of course'no brood, but if there is plenty 
of bees, nearly every cell will be two-thirds full of 
bread, and finished out with honey and sealed over. 
The comb looks very well outside, but it is disagreea- 
ble to eat in this condition, and it is.impossible to sepa¬ 
rate all the honey from it, and I have never been able 
to get out all the wax. 
I have had two or three young swarms lose their 
queen a few days after being hived, and they filled the 
hive nearly full of what appeared to be very nice honey; 
but a person taking it for such would be greatly mis¬ 
taken—it is as much bitter as sweet. 
Other theories have been advanced which are con¬ 
trary to-my experience, but the objections would lead 
to little practical utility, and I shall say nothing of 
them here. I did intend to have said something on 
economy in the construction of bee-hives, but have not 
room. Coxsackie, N. Y., 1§47. M. Quinsy. 
