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THE AMERICAN BEE JOLH«al. 



April 28, 1904. 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Replacing' Lost Colonies of Bees. 



Dear Miss Wilson :— What would you do if you had 

 lost all of your bees excepting^ 2 colonies (saved 2 out of 12), 

 and wanted to increase them as rapidly as possible, rearing' 

 your own queens ? 



This has been the coldest winter on record in Connecti- 

 cut, and almost everybody has lost half, if not all, of their 

 bees, in this part of the State. I enclose a clipping- from 

 the Danbury News, written by Mr. H. L*. Jeffrey. 



The 2 colonies I have left have queens from Dr. Miller's 

 stock. Why they did not die I can not tell, as xhey were 

 packed exactly the same. 



I enjoy the Sisters' column very much, and find it very 

 helpful. Florence W. Sagendorf. 



Fairfield Co., Conn., March 25. 



Just what would be the best way for you may not be 

 easily told. In the first place, I should read up all the lit- 

 erature on hand pertaining to the subject in books and bee- 

 papers, and then try to decide which plan I could work best. 

 In Dr. Miller's " Forty Years Among- the Bees " you will 

 find some practical instruction on the subject, pages 252-261. 



In any case, the first thing is to let the colonies become 

 strong. Nothing will be gained, and something may be 

 lost, by attempting division too early. Here is one plan 

 you may follow : 



If there is a difference in queens, suppose No. 1 has the 

 best queen. When both colonies are fairly strong, each 

 having five or six frames of brood, take from No. 2 one or 

 two frames of the ripest brood and exchange with No. 1 for 

 frames with younger brood, or perhaps with little or no 

 brood. Perhaps a week later the same thing may be re- 

 peated. Thus No. 1 will be likely to swarm earlier. When 

 it swarms, hive the swarm on a new stand. A week later 

 divide the old colony into nuclei, giving each nucleus two 

 frames of brood with adhering bees, leaving on the old 

 stand only one frame of brood, as it will have the lion's 

 share of bees. See that each nucleus has one or more 

 queen-cells located where they will be sure to be kept warm. 



Perhaps the colony will not swarm, and you must then 

 take matters into your own hands. Possiblv that may be 

 all the better. You will add brood to No. 1 from No. 2, as 

 before mentioned, but in drawing brood never leave less 

 than four frames of brood in the one you draw from. Thus 

 you can bring No. 1 up to perhaps 8 or more brood, giving 

 a second story if necessary. When sufficiently strong, with 

 weather and forage favoring, take a frame of brood with 

 adhering bees and the queen, as a nucleus on a stand, of 

 course adding one or two combs with some honey. Eight 

 to ten days later divide the old colony into nuclei, as before 

 mentioned, putting one of the nuclei (this nucleus will need 

 only one frame of brood) in place of the queen, returning 

 the hive with the old queen to the old stand. Draw brood 

 from time to time from No. 2 for No. 1, till No. 1 again be- 

 comes very strong, when the process may be repeated. As 

 the season becomes later, make your nuclei stronger, per- 

 haps helping from the earlier nuclei, and be sure not to be 

 caught with a lot of weaklings at the close of the season. 



The clipping referred to in the letter above, reads as 

 follows, being dated March 24 : 



According to Henry .Jeffrey, expert in bee-culture of Litchfield 

 County, fully 80 percent, and perhaps more, of the honey-bees in this 

 section are dead, having starved, the honey on which they -would 

 naturally feed having been solidly frozen during the continuous cold 

 weather of January and February, when the thermometer on 33 

 mornings was below zero, and on two mornings 40 below, as against 

 only three days below zero in all the winter before. 



Throughout this section there is plenty of snow left yet, having 

 been on the ground coutiDuously for 90 days. No one in this section ' 

 can recall as severe a winter as the one just passed. 



Maple Sugar and the Sugar Bush, by Prof. A. J. Cook ; 

 44 pages ; price, postpaid, 30 cents. This is by the same 

 author as " The Bee-Keepers' Guide," and is most valuable 

 to all who are interested in the product of our sugar-maples. 

 No one who makes maple sugar or syrup should be without 

 It. Order from the office of the American Bee Journal. 





Dr. Miller's Answers 





Send Questions either to the oflBce of the American Bee Journal, 

 or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. 



Queen-Cell Among Drone-Brood. 



In overhauling a friend's bees to-day, I had a new experience. I 

 found a colony that was queenless (at least no i|ueen was noticed), 

 and no brood was found in any of the combs, excepting a small quan- 

 tity of drone-brood sealed up. Ninety-six drone-cells, actual count, 

 and 1 sealed queen-cell, no worker-brood at all. The queen-cell was 

 right among the sealed drone-cells. 



1. Now, where did those drone-cells come from? 



2. Is it possible that a laying worker deposited those eggs in the 

 drone-cells, and ihe bees reiliziug their queenlessness endea-vored to 

 rear a queen out of a drone-egg '. 



3. is this a very common occurrence, i. e, , to find queen-cells 

 started among drone-comb 1 Virginia. 



Answers. — 1 and 2. It is not only possible but probable that not 

 only a laying worker but a number of them were present, and that 

 the bees attempted to rear a queen just as you have suggested. 



3. It may be expected wherever laying workers are present. 



Rendering Combs in a Sun Wax-Extractor. 



1. I am going to have a sun wax -extractor. Please tell me how lo- 

 use it. 



2. I have some drone-brood combs; they are new combs left from 

 last year ia which the bees died Part of the combs are filled with 

 dead bees and honey. Can I put them in the extractor? 



3. Is it good to put water in the pan for the settlingsl 



4. If the cocnb is put through the sun extractor once, and not 

 clean, can it be put through again * Iowa. 



Ans-wers.— 1. You will probably get instructions with the extrac- 

 tor, although the working hardly needs instruction. Simply place the 

 extractor in a sunny place facing south, and if you want to hurry up 

 the melting turn it at different times to face the sun. 



2. Yes, but it will be better without the dead bees. Perhaps if 

 well dried you can shake them out; especially as worker-bees tit rather 

 loosely in drone-combs. 



3. Yes. 



4. Yes, but if you put in old combs you can't get the wax out 

 clean without some kind of a press. If old comb is broken up fine 

 and thoroughly soaked with water, you will get more wax out of It; 

 for the cocoons soak up the wax something like a sponge. If old. 

 comb is put in whole, have only one layer at a time. 



Superseding and Introducing Queens— Queen-Clipping 

 Device. 



1. Kindly " diagnose" this condition of bee-hive abnormality if it 

 is abnormal at all : Four days ago I opened my best colony and used 

 smoke to quiet the bees. I used a smoker that a neighbor burnt brim- 

 stone in last fall and which still, though cleaned well, retains the odor 

 of brimstone. Fuel used was rotten wood. On opening the hive I 

 found the bees balling the queen. I closed it rapidly. To-day — four 

 days afterward — 1 find two queen-cells started. There is an abun- 

 dance of brood, and the hive is boiling over with bees. I have used 

 stimulative feeding, two or three times. There are to my mind two 

 hypotheses: Either the bees and queen became unduly excited, or the 

 bees were about superseding the queen. I call you into consultation 

 in the case. 



2. I have taken from my cellar in fine shape "ai colonies. There 

 are only two queens dead. I have just sent South for two iiueens. 

 Now, I have 2 observatory hives. How would it be to introduce each 

 queen into an observatory hive, and in a few days, if well received, in- 

 troduce the comb from the observatory hive into the queenless colony ? 



I do not suppose there would be any trouble about introducing, but it 

 seems this plan would make assurance doubly sure. 



3. I still have quite a little difficulty in finding the queen. Is it 

 better to wait for u hoi day when most bees are ou the wing J 



4. Do you recommend any queen-clipping device that could be 

 used to sliD down on the queen and hold her on the combs whilst 

 clipping? Iowa. 



Answers. — 1. It does not often happen that a queen is super- 

 seded early in the season in a colony well stocked with bees and brood ; 

 and if she is superseded, she will continue laying until the young 

 queen emerges, or longer. You can decide by examining the queen- 

 cells. If it was a case of superseding, you will find pre-constructed 

 cells; that is, the bottom of the cell will be greater in diameter than 



II worker-cell. If you find a worker-cell at the bottom of the queen- 

 cell, then it is a post-constructed or energeucy coll, and you may know 

 that the cell was built because the queen was dead, or because they 

 were afraid she would be. It is not an unusual thing for a queen to 

 be balled when the bees are disturbed, especially in spring, perhaps 

 for her safety, and as soon as the excitement is over the queen is re- 



