Hello George & All,
George & I usually agree as George as posted about my posts.   However in
this post I need to make a few comments.   I also recommend Chapter eight of
"H & H bee" but at times have problems with *ALL* of Norman Gary
assumptions.  I also think Norman Gary did not do beekeepers a favor in his
State Farm commercials for obvious reasons I won't go into.  I am not the
only beekeeper with the above opinion!

>The queen bee makes NO  decisions about anything, including swarming,<
 <how many eggs to lay,

Got to question the above as I have in past posts. Of course I realize I am
on safe ground as neither I nor Dr. Gary can prove for certain either way.
I have seen package bee queens only lay in porportion to the number of
workers with plenty of open cells. I have seen queens slow egg production
with onset of winter with plenty of open cells. Workers or queen decide????

> whether   they are to be drones or workers

It is common knowledge and observations I have made myself that the queen
measures each cell with fore leggs and determines if to lay a fertilized egg
or not.  I have seen queens lay unfertilized eggs in worker cells forcing
workers to convert perfectly good worker comb to drone comb. I have seen
queens at various times of the year REFUSE to lay in drone comb.  Making it
hard to raise fall queens.  How can we say workers are totally controlling
the above situation?   I saw a very unusual thing happen last year and saved
the comb for a long time to show other beekeepers.  A hive drew the whole
side of a new plastic foundation with drone comb. The queen did not lay in
said comb. I pulled the comb and agreed with the queen extra drones were not
needed in said hive!   I later requeened the hive as the above is not a
trait I want in my bees. Drone comb belongs around the edges of the oval in
my opinion and not in the center in my opinion.

>, or how much she eats.

I would love for somebody to prove the above  statement. Will a worker NOT
feed a queen wanting food?  Will ALL workers in the hive withhold food to
the queen prior to swarming? I wish I knew the answer to the two theories.
Also I HAVE seen laying queens fly with my own eyes and can prove the fact
by using a method I learned from Dr.C.C. Miller.

>, and that their  minds are "programed"  by GOD (nature) from the moment
>of >their creation; and this has not changed  since days in the Garden of
<Eden, nor >can man teach anything to a honey bee.

Many researchers believe and have expressed the opinion that in the
beginning all bees were SOLITARY. As a raiser of solitary bees I notice
solitary bees like to build their nest right next to other solitary bees.
Did bees change from solitary to social as those researchers claim? If so
what happened to the programing?  I don't know the answer but have read the
researchers opinions.

>They build queen cells, make the queen lay eggs in  them,

Again there is just as much to suggest that the bees simply take a cell with
the correct (and at times incorrect age larvae) and make a queen cell. I
have a hard time with *making* a queen lay in a cell.

 >minimize the feeding of the queen so she can lose weight so she can fly
which  also practically stops the queen from laying eggs,

The above is one theory. Many other beekeepers believe she stops eating on
her own and quits laying eggs on her own. Many beekeepers are divided on the
subject and sadly the above is unprovable. Workers quit feeding or Queen
quits feeding on her own? Maybe *Dr.Dolittle* could ask a queen for us?

  and lastly, don't use bees that have a
> high  propensity for swarming like Carniolans (which I have and prefer).

I am  switching to Carniolans myself.  Not by choice. Hopefully the method
of beekeeping i practice will limit swarming with carnolians as it does with
my*Marla Spivak* Italians.  Myself and my beekeeping *partner* have taken
delivery of  two lines of II SMR queens.  They are  released and are laying.
We hope to graft from the SMR queens in a week.  I am not looking forward to
looking for dark queens again. I raised quite a few midnights years ago
until I got tired of those supercedure queens!

> No longer can you learn by attending the local meetings of bee
associations
> with  their tall-tale stories, "how Daddy kept bees", parties and door
prizes.

The above is a real *cheap shot* at all the wonderful and excellent
beekeeping assn. in the U.S..  I would advise Sharon to join and attend the
assn. closest to her.  She will in my opinion be a better beekeeper for it.
As I have said in many a post "There are many ways to successfully keep
bees. Georges work for George and thats great. Mine are different and work
for me.  At beekeepers meetings excellent information can be gleaned.  I
belong to the Midwestern Beekeepers assn.and  was their president for three
years and have held many other jobs.   Our newsletter has won awards from
Bee Culture two times for being in the top three of newsletters in the U.S..
Our oldest member was over ninety years old when he passed away a couple
years ago. Willard Madole wrote for ABJ and kept all his hives as two queen
for the last 30+ years of his life. I personally miss being able to ask
Willard questions myself.

>  You have to  KEEP UP  WITH THE TIMES.

I agree completely! Subscribe to either Bee Culture or the American Bee
journal AND join your local bee assn!

> I hope I have helped, and I apologize for the length of this note.

I have got quite a bit of respect for George Imirie. Please do not take
offense George at me presenting different views. This is a discussion of
beekeeping issues and we are not always going to totally  agree. George and
I might never get our books written but at least our opinions will be
prsented for all to read forever on Bee-l.
 Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri