_Murfreesboro, Tenn._, Aug. 31, 1870.
[NOTE: The Italian queens are, from the brightness of their color,
a much more “shining mark” when on the wing, than black queens.
Hence, when out on their excursions, they are more liable to be
“snapped up” by birds, and doubtless many are thus lost every
year. Southern bee-keepers probably suffer more from this
circumstance than their northern confreres, as insectivorous birds
are more abundant with them.
In some portions of Italy the Ligurian bees were cultivated for
centuries, side by side with the common or black bees; yet the
difference between them, as regards color or quality, seems to
have attracted no attention. But it must be borne in mind that
bee-culture fell into decay there, after the fall of the Roman
Empire, passing into the hands of a rude and ignorant peasantry.
Whereas the superiority of the Ligurians and Cecropians was well
known and appreciated in the classic period of the nominal
republic. Since the revival of the bee business in Italy (to which
it has largely contributed) the Ligurian bee has measurably
recovered its pristine favor, and is getting to be preferred
everywhere.--ED.]
* * * * *
The yield of honey by various plants and trees depends not only on the
character of the season, but on the kind of soil on which they grow.
[For the American Bee Journal.]
The Queen Nursery.
As the readers of the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL are somewhat anxious to hear
about the Queen Nursery, invented by Dr. Jewell Davis, of Charleston,
Illinois, I will say that it is a perfect success. I have, since the
first of June, kept mine running to its full capacity (twelve cages). I
have allowed the queens to remain in the cages six or eight days after
hatching. I now have his fertilizing attachment, but have not yet tested
it. Young, unimpregnated queens can be introduced by Alley’s process, to
any queenless colony. I will give a fuller report, and how to use it,
this fall or winter. I consider it quite an advantage to save all
natural queen cells, and hatch them out in the Nursery; and it is no
disadvantage certainly to have a supply of young queens on hand, at so
small an expense, to give to a natural or artificial swarm, at swarming
time, even if they are not fertilized. When you can draw on your nursery
for a queen, at any time at sight, it is quite an advantage; at least I
consider it so. It is a positive fact that queens perish in their cells
by the thousand, in the natural state, in extremely hot weather. In
using the Nursery we can control this matter; for if the weather is
extra hot, we place the Nursery in a small colony; and in a large strong
one, if the weather is cool. Thus you will see that we have the hatching
entirely under our own control, and it is not left to chance. The queen
breeder can readily see the advantage of separating all his queen cells
as soon as sealed over, and having them perfectly safe. I have kept my
Nursery in a medium swarm, where they had a perfect queen breeding at
the same time. As I said before, queens can be kept in the Nursery any
length of time, with perfect safety. I place a small piece of comb
containing honey in the cage, between the tins, then place the cell in
the cage in a natural position and fasten it with a pin. A very slight
fastening answers, as the bees cannot get at it to gnaw it down.