Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-01-13
TRAFFIC IN QUEEN BEES.
Winged Workers Raised in the South
and West Sold by New York
Dealers.

Of the many orders for queer thingsre
eeiyed by New York exporters from |
various quarters OF the globe, perhaps |
none is more interesting than an occa- |
sional request for queen bees. Such Or !
1ers come principally from the West !
indies, and inasmuch as the. commits
sion merchant is generally called upon
% handle the honey and wax produced
there by the progeny of these insects,
lie finds a safe business investment IN
shipping the bees, even though they
'orm no source OF profit in themselves.
says the New York Post.
Queen bees are reared in the west aud
south, in the districts where clover g
abundant, and the industry is by no
means insignificant. Ohio is a large
breeding center. There is one firm in
Medina which has 900 colonies devoted
@ the rearing of high-class honey
queens, besides factory in which are
manufactured the hundred and one
hings used by the up-to-date bee
keeper.
There are many grades Of queen bees,
and the breeder must thoroughly un-
1erstand 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 mothers none but
honey queens usually imported)-
queens whose progeny have excelled all
others in the apiary. In placing his or
Ter 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
f ast named will show up we'll during an
q ordinary honey flow from clover, bass
wood and other flowers. The price:
, vary according to the grades. An un-
tested queen costs one dollar, tested
y queen two dollars, and those called Sc
iect tested, three dollars. Breeding
queens and select breeding queens brins
+ five dollars and $3.50. respectively, ant
. an extra select" one year old, is worth
a So Imported Italian queens, furnished
3 by the best breeders of that country, ar
h the ones usually sent to the West Indies
G and they are thoroughly tested in tn
o western apiaries before shipment. The.
O cost from three to five dollars each, bu
4 common Italian queens, bred in thl
y country from pure imported stock, cal
', be bought at lower figures.
q Bees canont be supplied before May 1
= nor later than November Is. The
\ travel in a certain amount of luxury, be
. ing shipped in ventilated boxes, contain
q ing one or more roomy apartments, an
:, the postage to all parts of the Unite
States and Canada is one cent. All tn
:. cages, as they are called, are provisione
-, with special bee candy, so that tn
- queen may never go hungry, and tt
- export cages, in addition. with a sna
portion of sealed honey. The honey an
the prepared food make satisfaction
=, combination, and so to rs per cent. of til
queens are delivered alive, no matte
what length the journey may be. Be-
for export travel in cages larger tha
the ordinary size, and come to New YoT
,. through the mails or by express, afte
: ward going to their West Indian dest
=. nation, not in a mailbag, but under II
-. care of the steamers purser. The Gag
- :. are marked Queen bee! Deliv'
~ luick!" and postmen, eXpressmen al
~ ships officers follow the instruction
:. faithfully.
Ia Cuba, Jamaica and Santo Domin:
- are the islands to which the create
- number of queens are sent, and it
le from there that New York receives Il
o. bulk of it's imported honey. Last ye
y more than IS 900 packages-tierces, ba
- rels and tins-were received here, al
IL as a tierce will hold 100 gallons, ba
is rel so and tin something less than
gallons, it may be seen that the mercha
oe is amply repaid for the trouble he tax
in supplying the orders for queens.
There are various grades Of import
honey, the quality depending On t
nt Kind Of flowers from which it is extra
;" ed. Where bees feed on the flowers
ei the tobacco plant. honey is dark, a
., contains a slight flavor of tobacco, b
81 in some parts of Cuba the apiarist gro
- fields of a certain fiower-produci
plants, and from these the tiny workt
hx extract an excellent strip. All Of
n, however, contains dead bees and 9th
N. foreign matter, and must be clarifi
,rs after it's arrival. 1t goes through
10. hands of the broker here to large grCce
K, houses. jobbers and confectioners, a
when the New York market is full
surplus is shipped in bond to Germa
and Holland, as these countries consul
se even more per capita than the Unit
States In Germany Honey cakes" {
well-known article of food, while
Ter Holland honey often takes the place
nd butter among the poorer classes.
IN Making Ferro-SilicOn.
A considerable industry has recen