102 



SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OE THE 



will cluster closer together and keep 

 warmer in winter? 



Mr. Dadant — That is my idea. I think 

 more space between combs is a benefit. 

 It gives a greater thickness of honey above 

 them and the bees can winter better; that 

 makes up for the objection which Mr. 

 Hoffman found to it when he said we had 

 too much space. 



We agree with the comment of "A B C 

 and X Y Z of Bee-keeping" that where 

 wider spacing is adopted there is apt to 

 be more honey stored in the combs, and 

 less of worker, but more drone brood, but 

 we disagree on the ultimate effect upon the 

 bees. Where the cluster is located for 

 winter we believe a thick comb of honey 

 will make for better wintering although it 

 may mean a little less honey in the sections . 

 When drone combs are removed in early 

 spring they should be replaced with worker 

 combs. 



The fact that we have used the \}/2 

 inch spacing and have succeeded with it, 

 seems to me to evidence that it is not 

 injurious; the colonies are stronger and 

 winter better; if they were weak, it would 

 be a disadvantage. 



When honey storing is in progress, the 

 combs may be built two inches apart and 

 even further. Dzierzon gave 13^ inches; 

 Berlepsch said 1 3-8 inches apart. We 

 adopted the Dzierzon spacing of 1 J^ inches. 



The President — While we are waiting for 

 these papers I might offer one or two sug- 

 gestions. I have a bee-keeper friend who 

 is very much in favor of metal spaced 

 frames for the reason that they do not 

 split off at the sides; the splitting off of 

 the sides of the Hoffman frames can be 

 prevented by driving a nail through edge- 

 wise of the frame; one from each side. A 

 metal frame is of no advantage, it costs 

 more, dulls the knife in uncapping and 

 requires more labor in putting together. 



The question of moth in the honey house 

 troubles some of us; I think I have the 

 problem solved. Years ago I used a great 

 deal of carbon di-sulphide in killing moths 

 in the honey house. Freezing will kill 

 the moth. Have your honey house tight, 

 and don't carry moths in in the spring; the 

 combs from a dead colony in the spring 

 are apt to contain eggs of the moth; if 

 you carry that into the honey house, more 

 moths will be bred. 



Mr. Kannanberg — Where do you leave 

 them? 



The President — Put them on another 

 hive; when the weather gets warm, use 

 the combs from the dead colony for super- 

 ing another hive. 



Mr. Wheeler^ — I carry in spiders and they 

 kill the moths. I make beds of spiders; 

 the spiders kill the millers that lay the 

 eggs. 



Mr. Bull — With extracted combs, if you 

 pile them up tight one above the other 

 you will have no trouble. If you leave 

 combs so that the moth will get into them 

 they are going to get in, but if you close 

 them tight over winter, you can leave them 

 there until you get ready for them. I have 

 known combs to be piled up a number of 

 years, ten or twelve, and there were no 

 signs of moth. 



Mr. Wheeler — I believe pollen has a great 

 deal to do with moths. I have extracted 

 combs which I did not use, piled up where 

 they stood last winter; I did not have any 

 call for them, some hundreds or two of 

 supers; I never think of keeping the moths 

 out; let the frost kill them, and when I 

 ,", get ready I use them, whether it is this 

 year, or next year; there are no moths 

 1 hatched anywhere around my premises, 

 > and I do not allow them to breed or multi- 

 ply and I have the luck not to have neigh- 

 \bors that do. I do not have that trouble 

 unless I set away a comb with pollen in; 

 the moths will get after that. I have ex- 

 tracted combs that have been standing 

 ^there since a year ago last August; some 

 of them open just as I took them out of 

 the extractor and not a moth in them. 

 What I took down this summer were fi"ee 

 and are free yet. 



Mr. bull — You left them uncovered. 



Mr. Wheele — Not purposelJ^ 



Mr. Bull — Do the mice ever bother 

 them? 



Mr. Wheeler — Not when I have not 

 any honey in. 



Mr. Kannanberg — Mr. Wheeler has got 

 hij spiders trained so they keep everything 

 clear. 



The Preside»t;^Moths are not apt to 

 blother combs unless there is pollen or 



00 coons where young bees have been 

 -yraised. They will attack combs containing 



\ cocoons but if there have never been young 

 bees raised in combs they will not be apt 

 to attack them in this locality; in the 

 South I presume it is much worse. 



Mr. Bull — Did you ever have them get 

 into comb foundation? 

 I Mr. Dadant — I want to agree with the 

 ' President about what he said at first but 



1 cannot agree with him that unless there 

 is pollen or young bees moth will not get 

 in; I think moth will get into any combs. 



Moths breed three times a year; the 

 first time in June. There are only 400 

 eggs and one or two moths; the second 

 breeding there are two or three hundred 



