to Dzierzon slits. This stock last year had queen that went with
black drone, either this year or last they changed their queen, had a
very dark one, if the drones are from her they look well. The color
of drones from different queens very variable. Had another Dzierzon
queen, color only fair. To remove queens now a great advantage to
the stocks. In such a season if my stocks had pure queens I could
fill my orders easily and depend on the stocks to rear their own queens. 
Some nuclei very earnest in queen rearing, start a very large number. 
It seems to me that the pure Italians incline to rear many more
than the black bees. Spiders I count on as friends. Last season
I put away small frames of comb under a box and the spiders
kept them free from moths. This year I had a number of
hives with empty combs, no bees, and they have guarded
them well. Wherever a spider has her web there it will be
safe to keep empty combs. I shall try an experiment of
sending queens by mail, beginning with queens that I do
not value. Take a piece of board 1 1/2 inches thick
by 2 1/2 inches x by 2 1/2 inches or 3 inches. Get a long piece,
bore holes with a bit or auger 3 inches
deep, then saw into separate pieces. Nail wire cloth on
one end, cut out a circular bit of comb with sealed honey,
fasten this in a [inserted: circular] shaving, so that it will go properly in the
orifice of the block, put in queen and a dozen workers first
letting bees lick up any running honey, then close the
wire sliding door and nail fast, block large enough for
directions. If the plan succeeds it will greatly cheapen
and facilitate their dissemination. (9th) Found an old (notched wings)
black queen in a hive which had a beautiful young Italian queen. 
She must have flown in. Removing wings of queens will prevent
to a great extent such things in an apiary. A colony whose
workers are handsome very cross, raise queen from to see if old queen is
impure. A [inserted: pen] knife a good thing to scrape off stings, the one used
to loosen frames.