One of my Cyprian queens has upset an established doctrine in
bee-science, set at naught all the bee-books, and reversed
the old adage which says: “hope long deferred maketh the
heart sick.” In the latter part of last season I reared some
Cyprian queens from eggs and larvæ, obtained from Mr. Root;
they were 7 in number, and were hatched on the 6th, 7th,
and 8th days of Sept. The weather being warm and fair they
were all fertilized (except one, which never returned from
her bridal tour) by the 12th of the month, and a few days
later they were all laying except one; that being the finest,
brightest-looking queen of the lot, stubbornly refused to
commence the duties of a good queen. She was in a strong
nucleus which was fed regularly and bountifully, till the
hive looked as though the occupants were enjoying a bountiful
white clover harvest, but “nary an egg would she lay.”
She was provided with a clean empty comb, placed in the
center of the colony, and the feeding kept up till winter set
in, but no brood appeared. The hive was not opened from the
time it was prepared for winter (say Nov. 15) till the middle
of Dec., at which time there was not a sign of brood. Then
came the long siege of snow and bitter winds which lasted
till the 30th of Jan.; on that date our bees enjoyed a good,
cleansing flight, and I remembered my non-laying queen and
proceeded to look her combs over, and to my surprise, on one
of the center combs I found a little patch of brood about
half as large as a postal card, some of which was sealed
over. It was genuine worker brood, and no mistake. Since
which time she has been laying nicely, and now has a nice lot
of brood for the time of year.
My bees, 30 colonies with selected queens, have come safely
through the winter to the 1st of March, and there is really
but little danger of losing bees in this climate after
the 1st of this month, unless they are short of stores
and shamefully neglected. The bee-man is aware, above all
others, that there is “many a slip betwixt the cup and the
lip,” however closely he may watch his business. On the 30th
of Jan. last, when my bees were flying lively, I noticed
that one large colony with a tested Cyprian queen, were
not stirring like the others. I proceeded to open the hive
and found the bees so nearly starved that they could only
show signs of life by a feeble motion of their wings, which
produced no sound whatever. Not a bee seemed able to change
its position; the fore-runner of death was already present
in the form of a cold, damp atmosphere in the brood chamber.
I prepared some rich sweetened water, separated the frames
gently, and sprinkled the bees thoroughly with the sweetened
water, and poured some of it into the empty cells. The frames
were then readjusted and a dry woolen quilt spread over the
bees and the sun permitted to shine into the hive. In about
an hour I raised the quilt and the inmates of the hive were
stirring briskly, handing around the good cheer, while some
of them showed fight in a most patriotic style. They were
provided with stores, and are now a No. 1 colony. So much for
bee-science.
What a lesson this teaches! Here was a large colony of
bees perishing with famine, as one single individual; so
unselfishly had they divided their family stores amongst
themselves that when relief did come, though not till their
dire extremity, there was no practical loss of life. Before I
close I cannot resist the temptation to tell how my bees have
been carrying in meal, and prancing gaily on the alighting
boards with their white pellets exposed to the best advantage.
Christiansburg, Ky.
For the American Bee Journal.
Honey-Producing in California.