Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-07-06
For the True Democrat The Honey Bee.

be paper dated May 4th, 1858, appeared an article. headed " 7Ae honey bee and is products, 1 by W4hietm Bruchjsh, ex-prcsident of the Sile. | sian bee-master union"
 took some interest in reading the above l named article, because have been actively en- gagged ln the "cuhure" of bees for the last 32 years Such being the fact. hope you will do me the favor and publish the following lines which cannot fail to attract the rotce nf all those persons who have read w. Bruckish's article n your paper, dated as above stated.
 In the year 1926 I commenced in company with two friends, the first "practical' expert ment in the culture of bees-after having qor0. et ourselves, previously 10 that period, with theories and scientific dissertations on "bee- nsasters," so thoroughly aud SD sufficient, that even the very honey itself seemed to us just as clear as mud,
 We engaged in the culture of bees merely as amoteurs' and for this ve-y reason it may be well admitted, that we cara more for to arrive at certain positive results ly dnt of close, keen, l and stiGation-thar for monetary gain.
 My two tretdS and myself continued our observations from 1926 to 1883 when, (lor req sons best kuown to myself) exiled myself al d my little family volunt ntarily from the old "iath erand," and settled in the (the,) territory of Arkansas, never loosin5 sight of that ever interesting insect, "the bee"
 Now for my |" erperTencen' There exists no such thing as "artifcial ra,sing qf queens"- ! queen may be taken from an original stock, and be transferred, (with a corresponding "colo- ny'' of bees,) to another hive; but the natural swarms are invariably the best and the surest.
 Moth and drone traps, preventives against robber- bees, ahortive bee bread, hunchback- breed and endless catalogue of such non- sense and techni calities, is "huaBuqr' and such are, Gas very believe, "Mose bee hjvrs,'' which MT. w. Bruckish offers for sale, on terms so liberal and so inviting for" green-horns"
 The 'queen' is the ''motic,'' of the "st0a,1n." She deposits all the eggs from which "queens, and " eoo'king-bees' are hatched She neuer dcposts drons-egg" Mir. Dzierzen and his echo, Mir. Bruckish, would have us believe To what absurdites would the dogma lead, that queens deposit oH sorts ot' eggst'-as the young queel-the working bee and the drone- egg. How coui the queen know, before she lays the egg; what sort of an egg she is going 1 {" lay?-and how to pick out the appropriate ! cell for each individual egg? most positively contend that drone-eggs" are never layed by "q"eens;" put by some of the jenla'e " ,e.rk- bees"
 At certain time. no drones can be found in a h'ue; at other times but few Then again-par- tcnlarlv before swarming-a great number of drones may be found, and nothing but trones" if the queen is missing.
 It can be readily observed, in g1nss-Aive," that the queen passes regularly from cell to cell and from row to row to deposit her eggs with positive regularity she passes along; never deviating from the straight course in order to deposit d "drone-egg," (which she fel; forth, cominS.) in any of the wayward "d,one cells" and Coy doing so) give or call into life "he,- na2phroiite," which the "drone" emphaticallv is. Nor can it be supposed, that at certain sea- sons Of the year, or under peculiar circumstan- ces, the queen should, arbitrarily, conclude to lay some sort of eggs to day, and some other sort tomorrow. Leave the bees to their own instinct and it will be found, that in the spring of the year, as soon as they find sufficient nour- ishment, they make their preparations for s1carming." These preparations cons st in building up cells for "queens." The old queen does always conduct the ".frst swarm," whilst the young queens remain at home Ii the old queen perishes in the expedition, then the "swa,na" will return home and wait for yonno queen to lead the next swarming. Thirtv-two years experience showed to me, that in the inst named case the earliest sW arming took place in five days, and the latest in seventeen days aft er sad return of the first swarm. The third and fourth swarm, etc, consider as mere parts and prtioles of the second swarm. Though there are instances, where after calm of two months (atter the first swarming) new and second swarmng time did commence.
 The ".frst' swarm is led Gas indicated ahovc1 by the old, and consequent, "pregnant' queen. The remaining old stock at home and their fol- lowing swarms, have then only "n,aideal queens' at the head of government, because the old queen is not ago,g to leave the "t,1be," with which she, em mgrated before she is ready to lead forth another young colony" During three or four days after the old queen has emgrated, (after the first swarming) the young queens will make frequent Irritation excursions, during which time they must become to be in "interest- ing circumstances" (egg bearing) or all hope is gone. The young queen of an old stock--such as has returned after loosing the old queen will not indulge in those filtration excursions before the whole of the remaining bee breed. which had been left to her care, is perfectly developed. This development takes place in about twenty days after the return of the swarm having lost their old queen-to the old home After this the young queen will daily indulge in excursions lasting from three to five minutes at time. until the desired object has been at- taned. Before those excursions take place. "intense bee teeling'' may be observed of mani festing itself "porteatiously' in the "dak lodges.''
 Without thosa Irritation excurSfonc tha o,ao,