Feb. 25, 1904. 



THK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



151 



was hindered a whole lot by rain and cold weather. In 

 May, 1903, we had a frost that killed all the new leaves on 

 the trees, and the spring was cool until late. 



2. Is it necessary to have straight orood-combs in a 

 colony that is run for comb honey only ? 



3. Are the Holy Land bees a different kind from all the 

 others, or are they a substitute under a different name? I 

 would like a description of them, color, etc. Missouri. 



Answbrs. — 1. The dozen bees received look like black 

 bees with a very little mixture of Italian blood; yet they 

 may be half bloods. If all the bees of the colony are like 

 the ones sent, the colony is not far from being pure blacks. 

 If you have picked out the dark bees, and about half of the 

 colony have yellow bands, then they are half bloods. If 

 they do not do as good work as you like, it will be worth 

 while for you to buy a new queen in the hope of getting bet- 

 ter blood. 



2. Yes, it is important to have straight combs whatever 

 kind of honey you produce, unless you do not care to handle 

 the frames. 



3. The Holy Land is "^he same as the Palestine, and 

 comes from Palestine. They are distinguished as being 

 very prolific, and for starting and maturing a great number 

 of queen-cells, but for some reason they seem not to be in 

 general favor. 



'^-•--^ 



Catnip and Rocky Mountain Bee-Plant Seed. 



Where can I get catnip seed, and when is the best time 

 to sow it ? Where can I get the Rocky Mountain bee-plant ? 

 I am anxious to improve my bee-pasture. Minnesota. 



Answer. — Order from any seedsman or dealer in bee- 

 supplies. If you have no sweet clover in your neighborhood 

 you will likely find it worth more than either or both the 

 ones you have mentioned. 



Straw Skep Bee-Keeping— Queen Re-Pertilization. 



1. Can you furnish me book references, giving accounts 

 of bee-keeping in straw hives or skeps ? 



2. What notes have been recorded that queens are ferti- 

 lized more than once? This is believed by some authorities 

 to be the case. Massachusetts. 



Answers. — 1. I do not know of any book now published 

 giving instruction for bee-keeping in skeps. 



2. There have been some cases reported in which it was 

 believed that queens were fertilized more than once, but I 

 am sorry to say that I can not refer you to them. It is fair 

 to believe that if such cases do occur the occurrence is by no 

 means frequent. 



*-.-» 



Dead Brood and Bees— Sick Bees. 



1. I had a colony die last week ; it left about IS pounds 

 of honey in the brood-frames, so it didn't starve. Last 

 summer it swarmed once and stored only about 10 pounds of 

 surplus honey. I fear it is foul brood, for I examined the 

 brood-frames and there was about 3 inches around that was 

 drone-cells, and they were all dead in the cells. They were 

 white, and the shape of bees, but they never got out of the 

 cells. The empty combs looked rather glossy, and that glue 

 had an awful smell. I found a whole lot of old bees dead in 

 cells, also ; they were stuck in the cells head first, but there 

 were not many old bees in the hive when I found that they 

 were dead. What do you think caused their death, was it 

 foul brood ? Can the old hive be used to put a new colony 

 in, or not. 



2. Does it hinder the old bees to have enough dead bees 

 in the hive to cause a slight smell ? What should be done 

 with a hive like that ? 



3. Can foul brood be smelled in a hive at this time of 

 the year, or just in breeding time? 



4. I have a few colonies that stain the wood of the 

 brood-frames and the bottom-board with big, black specks. 

 Is it a disease, or is it natural ? My brother has a few colo- 

 nies that does the same way. The stains are about a '4- 

 inch speck, but brown color. My brother claims it is diar- 

 rhea, or something like it. What should be done with 

 them ? Missouri. 



Answers. — 1. Your finding,-- drone-brood at this time of 

 year rather indicates that it is a case of a drone-laying queen 

 — possiblj' of laying workers. In that case there would be 

 few bees — just as you found — for no worker-bees have been 



reared for some time, and the bees would be dying off from 

 old age. Very likely the foul smell was from the mass of 

 dead bees. If this surmise is correct, it will be entirely safe 

 to use the hive and combs for swarms. 



2. No great harm will come from enough dead bees to 

 make a slight smell, but the cleaner the hive the better ; so 

 it will be well to clean out the dead bees by means of a wire 

 bent at the end, or something of the kind. 



3. It is the brood that decays and makes the foul smell, 

 and at the time of the year when no brood is present there 

 will not be the characteristic smell. 



4. The spots are deposits of fecal matter from bees hav- 

 ing the diarrhea. Look up the subject of diarrhea in your 

 bee-book. The best help for the bees will be a day warm 

 enough for them to fly, so that they can empty their intes- 

 tines. 



Flat Hive-Cover with Closed Air-Space. 



Is your zinc-covered hive-cover, with a dead air-space, a 

 flat cover or a gable cover ? The dead air-space is entirely 

 enclosed, is it not ? New York. 



Answer.— The cover is flat, and the air-space is entirely 

 enclosed. 



Preventing Swarming in an Out-Apiary. 



I keep about 100 colonies of bees all the time, and it is 

 about all I can keep in the home-yard. The demand for my 

 honey is increasing, so I am thinking about starting an out- 

 apiary about 2 miles away. I run all my bees for extracted 

 honey, using the 8-frame Langstroth hive. I always fol- 

 lowed natural swarming at home, but if I start the out-yard, 

 I intend to run the two myself, and my whole trouble will be 

 to prevent swarming. I have read everything laid down in 

 the American Bee Journal for the last 10 years, as I have 

 been a subscriber all that time. How would it do to cage the 

 queen near swarming-time ? and where would you put her 

 when caged ? Would you leave the cage in the brood-cham- 

 ber ? Would I have to keep all cells cut out all of the time 

 or would it be better to put the bees on starters and put the 

 brood in an upper story, with a queen-excluder between ? 

 Or would the " shook " swarming plan be better ? Give me 

 your best plan, as I can't afford any swarming in the out- 

 yard. Ontario. 



Answer.— Try all three ways so as to compare them 

 but I am pretty sure you won't like caging the queen, sovou 

 better try that on a very small scale. Leave the caged queen 

 in the brood-chamber, and cut out queen-cells so there will 

 be no possibility of the hatching of a queen. As you are 

 working for extracted honey you can give abundant room 

 and that alone will prevent most swarming. The second 

 plan you mention is a certain prevention of swarming with 

 some, but not with all. Try that and shaking swarms, side 

 by side, and see which works best. Possible either'plan 

 will be a success. 



-* • » — 



Outdoor Wintering-Shipping-Cases. 



1. In wintering bees on the summer stands, what were 

 the longest periods between flights that brought them 

 through in fair condition ? 



2. Have you any record of successful outdoor wintering 

 when the thermometer went from zero to 18 degrees below 

 as frequently as this winter, averaging about 3 nights per 

 week ? 



3. Is it of great benefit to have the temperature warm 

 enough for the cluster to change position in the hive with- 

 out having a flight ? 



4. What is the object in manufacturers making ship- 

 ping-cases to hold only 20 sections of the 4xoxlJs plain, 

 thus taking 5 cases to hold 100, when S-row, 5 in a rowi 

 would require but 4, and look better, or, if 4-row is standard' 

 it seems possible to get 6 in a row ? The size of sections 

 makes no difference in the price in this locality. 



Pennsylvania. 



Answers.— 1. I don't know. The question is an inter- 

 esting one, and I throw it open for our constituency. Has 

 any one ever had a colony come through in fair condition 

 after having been confined to the hive 100 days without a 

 flight, of course, outdoors ? If any of you has gone beyond 

 this, please tell us how far. 



2. Not in my own experience ; but my experience in out- 

 door wintering is very limited. Just as you put the ques- 



