Feb. 4, 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



91 



Peedine Glucose to Stimulate Bees. 



Is it safe to feed bees on glucose or corn sugar to stimu- 

 late them 7 We expect to feed our bees a good deal the com- 

 ing spring, as they were rather short of stores last fall. 



Michigan. 



Answer. — Yes, and no. After bees can fly daily in the 

 spring it is safe to feed almost anything in the line of sweets, 

 but it may not be safe to trust to glucose to keep them 

 from starving, for it is possible that you may find that they 

 will not take it. 



What Caused the Death of Queens? 



The first part of April I lost 9 queens in three days, 5 of 

 them only 10 months old. I saw one coming out of the hive, 

 fluttering around a few times, and drop dead. What could 

 be the cause of this — poisoning? And from what ? No 

 honey was gathered, and no dead brood or bees found in 

 these colonies which were full of brood and bees. 



Illinois. 



Answbr. — I don't know. If it were poisoning, the 

 queens alone would hardly have suffered, and you say noth- 

 ing of any deaths but those of the queens. 



Colony Died with Plenty of Honey. 



The other day I looked into two of my hives, and found 

 the bees down at the bottom, dead. They had plenty of 

 honey ; the colony was about 3 years old. The bees seemed 

 to work well all summer. The trap had been on one hive 

 for two years, I get HO pounds of honey from it. I would 

 like to know what was the cause of it. New York. 



Answer. — The bees may have died from diarrhea, in 

 which case you will find them badly daubed. If the dead 

 bees are dry and clean, it is probably a case of starvation. 

 You say, " They had plenty of honey." That may mean 

 they had honey in the fall but now have none. It may 

 mean that honey was left in the hive after the death of the 

 bees. It sometimes happens that a colony starves to death, 

 leaving a good supply of honey in the hive, but where the 

 bees could not reach it. Up to the date of your letter there 

 has been a pretty long and severe stretch of cold weather, 

 during which it would not be easy for the bees to reach the 

 honey if it was two or three frames distant from the cluster. 



Qetting Started with Bees. 



1. I am greatly interested in bees and want to start an 

 apiary. What make of hive would be the best for a begin- 

 ner ? 



2. How many colonies should I start with, and what 

 breed or strain ? 



-^ 3. Any other suggestions. I live near Medina river, 

 have mesquite, sage, or broom-weed, chapperal, etc., for the 

 bees to work on. Texas. 



Answers. — 1. The kind of hive for a beginner is the 

 one that will be best for him when he is no longer a begin- 

 ner. For it is not an easy thing to change from one kind 

 of hive — especially from one kind of frame — to another. 



Neither is it desirable. Whatever hive you intend to use 

 when fairly launched, that's the hive to start with. 



2. Generally speaking, a beginner should not start with 

 more than two or three colonies, increasing his number 

 with his experience. Special circumstances might make it 

 advisable to start with a large number, as where one is will- 

 ing to run the risk of the loss of a few colonies for the sake 

 of the experience. 



3. If there is any one thing in the way of advice that a 

 beginner needs, it is the advice to read up well. If you do 

 not expect to keep more than one colony, you need one bee- 

 book. If you intend to increase to SO or 100 colonies, it will 

 pay to have several bee-books and several bee-papers. You 

 can do a lot of reading this winter that will make next sum- 

 mer's experience doubly valuable. Reading a bee-book will 

 be of much use to you ; studying several will be of very 

 much more use to you. 



Wiring Foundation in Frames in Winter. 



I have 1,500 wired brood-frames to fill with foundation. 

 After filling they will be stored in a room where the tem- 

 perature will be about the same as out-doors. I have plenty 

 of time to fill some now, but am afraid the foundation will 

 break loose from the wires and top-bar if filled during cold 

 weather. L/ater I will be very busy. Please advise me. 



Wisconsin. 



Answer. — Fill 'em now. Do the work in a warm room, 

 and while they are still warm set them where they are to 

 stay, and then see that they're not disturbed till warm 

 weather. The cold won't hurt them so long as they are not 

 moved. 



Size of Hives and Supers. 



1. If you had just 80 Langstroth brood-frames, and could 

 not get any more, and were a husky young man working 

 your bees for comb honey, would you put those 80 frames 

 in eight 10-frame hive-bodies, or would you put them in ten 

 8-frame hive-bodies for best results, speaking from a prac- 

 tical bee-keeper's standpoint? 



2. Suppose you were running 20 colonies of bees for 

 comb honey, and you had one-half of them in 8-frame hives, 

 and one-half in 10-frame hives, the 10-frame-hive super 

 holding 30 one-pound sections, and the 8-frame hive super 

 holding 24 one-pound sections, which of the two sizes would 

 the bees fill tlie most supers in the season, under the same 

 conditions ? Illinois. 



Answers — 1. I fancy I can see a rather satisBed smile 

 on your face in asking that question, as who should say, 

 " I rather think that will be a pretty hard nut for him to 

 crack." And so it is, especially with the restriction that I 

 am limited to the 80 frames, and allowed to have no more. 

 Now, really, do you think it's giving me a fair show to shunt 

 a question like that at me without telling me anythinu; 

 about what's on those frames? If you set before me the eight 

 lO's and the ten 8's, and say that the same number of bees 

 will be in each hive, I'll take the ten 8's quick. If you say 

 the eight lO's are to have in all just as many bees as the 

 ten 8's, I think I'll take the eight lO's. 



2. I should expect the most supers to be filled by the 8- 

 frames. 



HARDY FRUIT TREES 



iflthe prnpa^'ute<i »li,-re .severe weuther prevails. It is with trees as wi 

 niun beiUk's the nuithener lan stand tile cold better than the southen 

 r sto.-lt IS raised in the blizzard belt of northern Iowa and will stand sev. 



weather. Our siicoeas is due to the quality and fruitfiilness 



- stock and honest dealing. Leaflet on hark ijraftlnK'. and .atalog free 



The Gardner INursery Co., Box 713. Osade. Iowa 



JU..-A^_JL 



J.W^--1 4":„ 



The Ormas 



There is but one kind of proof whieh 

 should have any weight in selei'ting 

 ap incubator. That is the percentage 

 of chicks it will hatch and rearto the 

 poiniof assured life. That's just where 

 the Ormas Incubatorleads. Itnotonly 

 '■shells 'em out," but it gives them a 



THE 

 INCUBATOR 



THAT 

 SHELLS 'EM 



OUT 



The Ormas 



Btronp htalthy start. Ifyouhaveany 

 doubt— or would like to read some 

 actual proofs, send for my new cata- 

 lotf. It is free and tellssorae truths in 

 words and pictures no one can deny. 

 L. A. BANT A 

 Llsonter, Indiana. 



Please mention Bee Journal -wben 'writing.- 



^ 



FROM MANY FIELDS 



] 



Moving Bees a Long Distance. 



Uq page II, " Nebraska " .isked you about 

 moving bees oq tlie raili'oat). Haviiiff had a 

 lilUe experience in that way of movint; bees I 

 take the liberty to write you how I liaadled 

 them. I cut 2x4 scantliDgs just long enough 

 to reach across the car, nailed them to the 

 bottom of the car both at the ends and several 

 places to the Hoor. So much for that part. 



My hives are the old-fashioned il-frame 

 Langstroth, telescope covers. I nailed the 

 caps down with S-penny nails, and nailed the 

 hive at each corner to the bottom-board, I 

 nailed with 8-ounce tacks a strip of wire- 

 cloth across the entrance, cutting it :i inches 



