as workers, from impure a poorer color. Crickets abundant as well as spiders on hives
with old comb, do they not eat bee moth. Does not my plan of Colvin comb
guides leave too little room for drone comb. If so, of immense profit. Plan
to avoid so great a consumption of honey by drones. Early in the season
fill orders with tested queens of last year, taken from the proven stocks. 
These may be doubled or used as nuclei, repress drone comb, do not wage
war against the black drones by competition with them. Do anything to get
honey. Later by my plan [illegible] test drones and get more, then when
common drones are gone and more leisure, rear queens to fill later orders
and to replace any found in apiary impure. Not many drones sealed for this. 
Nuclei may now be formed in any number and no damage as in the Spring to the
stocks from which the bees are taken. In dissecting queens with naked eye find
that the ovaries of old or fertile ones are of a bluish color of young ones very white
almost like semen of drones, can press out the watery fluid from the spermatheca
of unfertile queens. New plan for sending queens by mail. Have four small
frames very light to hang inside of one nucleus frame. Fill these
with sealed honey in old comb, let bees fasten, put up such a
frame in very light box with say twenty or thirty bees. I think that
this may be made to answer well. (17th) Cloudy, dry, much cooler. 70 degrees highest. 
For the last ten days so much moisture in the air that things have not suffered as
much as two weeks ago. Two or three caged bees taken from express box did not have
bees collect upon them as a number of others had, the queens in them soon died. May I
not decide when cages unnoticed that the queens ought to be put where they can feed themselves. 
Another plan for keeping caged queens, have the cages rest against full honey
comb, suspended by a string or in any convenient way, and nest comb pressing them
up, against unsealed honey. A nucleus troubled by robbers moved when bees were not
out, they did not seem to return to old spot. Queens when comb is building prefer
new comb even if not worked to its proper depth, when honey scarce prefer old that
needs no more wax to make deep enough. A number of my strong colonies which
have not been fed rearing some drones. Is not the period soon after the destruction
of drones and before a second laying has been reared the golden one to get pure queens. 
When a queen has filled about as much brood comb as the bees will take care of
and before these hatch she may be caged or removed to the best advantage, and a
young one given which will be fertile about the time cells are vacated by hatching
bees. Can piping be a call for food as well as for other purposes. (18th) 62 to 70 degrees. Northeast, cool,
damp, smoky. When queens are cut out of cells prematurely, do not want food for half a
day, cannot be given to bees, put in a warm place till they want food. Many beautiful
queens have hatched, new plan seems to answer admirably for them. A rubber band