interfere with it, but so much needed that it would be base to grieve over the loss of honey. 
Am getting a great many mismated queens. The golden time was after colonies
of black or mixed bees had killed off their drones and before the appearance of the second
crop of drones. (3rd) 80 degrees. Warm night. Bees began as soon as they could see to fly to
bring in honey in a most surprising manner, about 9 AM, a heavy shower passed around us
only a sprinkle here. They worked but little after this, although the weather was apparently very
favorable, warm and close. In the PM, all still among them at 4 o'clock the hour
they were so very busy yesterday. Mr. Cross's bees, Mr. Douglas 1 1/2 to 2 miles off and Mr. 
Grey's at Riley, six or more miles off, showed the same surprising energy in working. 
Mr. Douglas thinks it might have been smartweed. Mr. Grey thinks that one of
his stocks used for queen raising eggs from a caged queen. Have heard from Mr. Cary
of the safe arrival of the queen sent to him by mail. (4th) Began to rain with heavy
thunder and lightning at 9 o'clock yesterday. At 8 AM today 4 1/2 inches had fallen. Weather
quite warm. Bees get but little. (5th) Began to rain with very heavy thunder and lightning at
about 10 PM, last night, 3 1/2 inches fell by sunrise this AM. 8 inches in a little
over 34 hours. Warm today till late PM. Bees get very little. An unusual number
of queen cells are failing to hatch. Could corn cobs be nailed to sides of hive as a lining. 
Could they be split and nailed. Could they be sawed by power. 6th Cool, cloudy, damp. 
Many queen cells fail. Dzierzon queen has almost ceased to lay, she appears very
lively, but slender like an unfertile queen. Many of the eggs are laid on the sides of
the cells half way down, is she in her dotage. Bees for the last few days do next to
nothing. Two strong colonies deprived of queens or having queens caged found today without any
queen cells. Four such instances have occurred. More drone queen cells. This is a
very common thing. 7th. Cloudy and warm most of the day, bees work considerably on the
buckwheat. Was dreadfully stung by a hybrid colony, pain intense, swelling little and soon
over. When their queen was removed they had refused to rear others, and had got rid of an
unfertile queen given to them. Removed a queen whose cell was opened by a rival, too young to hatch
does the young queen hurt them unless they fight. (8th) Beautiful day, a little rain last night,
a warm clear up. A peculiar drone layer. Gave to (13) a Dzierzon queen (impregnated as
I supposed) August 17th-20th. Queen laying freely. Sept. 8th. Thousands of sealed drones
in worker cells, some beginning to hatch, among them a few workers hatching, some
few sealed workers. Color of old bees poor, of young ones good. Is this queen unable to use
perfectly the mechanism for impregnating eggs. (9th) 54 to 80 degrees. Very heavy dew, some fog. 
Beautiful day, bees work considerably. Very difficult to get bees to take unfertile queen a few
days old, if caged apt to be starved. Give queen just hatched and all right. Habit of young
queens to dive head foremost into cells very common, more drone queen cells. (10th) 64 to 80 degrees. 
Hot, showery north of us, splendid weather. Nuclei seem to be filling up well with honey, bees
doing uncommonly well for the season. Have had many splendid queens hatch, 12 from one litter. 
If exposed queen cell right, closed in a very short time. Bees in original Dzierzon stock had a
queen cell started before I removed her to supplant her. Hatched and had killed one, and but for
examination would have killed 14 or more. Put a drone worker comb into a strong colony on
the 17th of August at 6 AM, on the 18th at 3 PM, found queen on comb, she had laid evidently