CHANGING OLD QUEENS FOR YOUNG ONES.
ON my plan of bee management, if a stock does not change its queen
for three years in succession, the fourth season the old queen should
be taken away, if she shows the least sign of failing, and a young,
laying queen substituted in her place It often happens, if the queen
in a stock dies or becomes seriously injured, that the bees will, of
their own accord, rear another to take her place. But if her failure
has been gradual, the bees may not have the means to do so, when she
at last fails entirely, for the reason that she may cease laying, for
several days or weeks previous to her death, in which case it would
be impossible for the bees, without assistance, to rear another queen
to take her place. They must have an egg not over five days old, from
which to rear a queen. The great necessity of close observation, in
order to keep each stock always supplied with a healthy, prolific
queen, cannot be impressed too strongly on the mind of every bee
keeper. Be sure not to neglect this very important point in successful
and profitable bee keeping.
But very few seem to know the average duration of life of the honey
bee. The average term of life of the worker is only a few months--not
more than from two to four--a great many do not live out half that
time. So it will be seen that it is only by keeping healthy and
prolific queens in each stock, that we can have populous stocks, such
as will pay a good profit.
In my experiments I have in several instances taken from a vigorous and
very populous stock their queen, and at the same time deprived them
of the means of rearing another. This was done in the honey season.
In such cases the bees kept on with their labor, though with visible
reluctance and an appearance of discouragement, the number of bees
decreasing very rapidly, and in from two to three months nearly all had
disappeared, not more than two or three hundred remaining, where there
had been from thirty thousand to fifty thousand all in a prosperous
condition.
Other instances have come under my observation, clearly showing that
the life of the worker honey bee is only of few months duration. One
case in fact will show: I removed the native queen from a very strong
stock of native or black bees, in the honey season, and introduced an
Italian queen, in order to change the stock from native to Italian. The
reader will readily understand that every egg deposited by the Italian
queen, after her introduction, will produce the Italian variety, the
workers of which are entirely distinct in color from the natives. In
a few days after the introduction of the Italian queen I found the
natives were disappearing, and soon after the Italians began to appear.
The change was very rapid. In about two months not a native or black
bee could be found about the hive--all were Italians. The natives had
gradually decreased, until all had disappeared, showing conclusively
that they had died in the same ratio that they would have passed away
from a stock naturally. During the winter season, as the bee is in a
dormant state for the greater part of the time, they are given a longer
lease of life.
When it is discovered that a stock has a barren queen or has lost
its queen, or from any cause she has ceased to be prolific (and in
consequence the bees are dwindling away,) take means immediately to
substitute a prolific and healthy queen in her place, and at the
same time re-enforce the stock, by taking one or more frames filled
with hatching brood from a populous stock, and exchanging for those
destitute of brood. In this manner the bees will be increased so as
to insure safety for a few days, after which the stock, having been
furnished with a prolific, healthy queen, will regain their former
prosperity and vigor.
The queen being the mother of the entire swarm, and consequently all
increase being dependent on her, every intelligent bee keeper will
readily understand that in order to succeed, he must be sure that each
stock has a prolific queen.
[Illustration]