Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-26
TRAFFIC IN QUEEN BEES
A NOVEL INDUSTRY CARRIED ON
IN NEW YORK.
Where the Winged Workers Raised in
the West and South Are Dis
posed OF.

rom tne new tork Evening Post.
OF the many orders for queer things re-
ceived by New York exporters from various
quarters Of the globe, perhaps none is more
Interesting than an occasional request for
queen bees. Such orders come principally
from the West Indies. and inasmuch as the
commission merchant is generally called
upon to handle the honey and wax pro-
duced there by the progeny of these insects.
he finds safe business investment in ship
ping the bees. even though they form no
source of profit in themselves
Queen bees are reared in the west and
south. in the districts where clover Is
abundant. and the industry is by no means
Insignificant Ohio is a large breeding CEN
ter. There is one firm In Medina which has
800 colonies devoted to the rearing of high
class honey queens, besides a factory in
which are manufactured the hundred and
one things used by the up-to-date bee
keeper.
Different Grades of Queens.
There are many grades of queen bees. and
the breeder must thoroughly understand the
highly organized insects If he expects to
produce vigorous, healthy stock that can
be depended on to gather honey in large
quantities To this end he selects for moth
ers none but honey queens Casually import
ed)-queens whose progeny have eNcellad
all others in the apiary. In placing his or
der the buyer is requested to specify
whether he desires red clover or A
honey" queen. The first mentioned stock
is bred for red clover while the last named
will show up well during ordinary honey
flow from clover. Eastwood and other flow
ers. The prices vary according to the
grades. An INFESTED queen costs 81, a test
ed queen 81. and those called select tested
So. Breeding queens and select breeding
queens bring s. and $3.50. respectively, and
an extra select" one year old, is worth
the best breeders of that country, are the
ones usually sent to the West Indies, and
they are thoroughly tested in the western
apiaries before shipment. They cost from
So to 50 each, but common Italian queens.
bred in this country from pure imported
stock, can be bought at lower figures.
How Bees Are Shipped.
Bees cannot be supplied before May ID nor
later than November 10. They travel in a
certain amount of luxury. being shipped in
ventilated boxes containing one or more
roomy apartments. and the postage to all
parts of the United States and Canada is
cent. All the cages. as they called, are
proviSoned with special bee candy. SO that
the queen may never go hungry, and the
export cages, in addition, with a small por-
ton of sealed honey. The honey and the
prepared food make a satisfactory combina-
ton, and 30 to 40 per cent of the queens
are delivered alive, no matter what length
the Journey may be. Bees for export travel
in cages larger than the ordinary size and
come to New York through the malls or by
express, afterward going to their West In
dian destination. not in a mailbag. but
under the care of the steamers purser. The
cages are marked Queen bee! Deliver
quick" and postmen, expressmen and
ships officers follow the instructions faith
fully.
Honey Gathering in West Indies.
Cuba, Jamaica and Santo Domingo are
the islands to which the greatest number of
queens are sent, and it is from there that
New York receives the bulk of its imported
honey Last year more than 1900 pack
ages-tierceS barrels and tinS-were receiy-
ed here and as a fierce will hold 100 gall
Ions a barrel 30 and a tin something less
than 20 gallons, 1t may be seen that the
merchant is amply repaid for the trouble he
takes in supplying the orders for queens.
There are various grades of imported
honey. the quality depending on the kind
of flowers from which it is extracted Where
bees feed on the flowers of the tobacco
plant honey is dark, and contains slight
flavor of tobacco, but in some parts OF Cuba
the apiarist grows fields OF certain nower-
producing plants, and from these the tiny
workers extract an excellent syrup. All of
it. however contains dead bees and other
foreign matter, and must be clarified after
its arrival 1t goes through the hands or
the broker here to large grocery houses.
jobbers and confectioners, and when the
New York market is dull the surplus Is ship
ped in bond to Germany and Holland, as
these countries consume even more per
ca pita than the United States. In Germany
honey cakes" are a well-known article or
food while in Holland honey often takes
the place of butter among the poorer
classes