Sept. 8, 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



617 



of and see what is going on outside. If you need a lent at 

 all it is a good one that you need — and perhaps a flounce at 

 the bottom, with pebbles sewed in the edge to make it hug 

 the ground, might be suggested. But when one uses a tent 

 only when he has to use it, it may be that that point almost 

 never comes. Then, perchance, his tent gets out of order 

 and stays so. That's me. Kind o' suspect that I'm in the 

 majority, too — how is that ? My last tent the squirrels and 

 mice took all the cover oflf it for nests. 





Dr. Miller's Answers 





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

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



Heartsease, Ironweed and Bergamot. 



I enclose the blooms of 3 common weeds or flowers, 

 which are very plentiful here. I would like to have you tell 

 me their names and their value as honey-plants. Iowa. 



Answer. — No. 1 is heartsease, one of the great honey- 

 producers. No. 2 is ironweed, of no great value in this 

 vicinity, although it may be better with you. No. 3 is ber- 

 gamot, one of the mint family, and of considerable value. 



Afterswarm Going with Queen When Mating. 



Does an afterswarm always go out with the queen on 

 her wedding-trip ? My neighbor says that Prof. Cook says 

 that they do. I doubt this very much. Nbbraska. 



Answer. — I have looked with some care through Prof. 

 Cook's book without finding any definite statement on the 

 subject, although something may have escaped my notice. 

 It is not likely that he will say anything contradicting the 

 general belief that the swarm sometimes accompanies the 

 queen on her wedding flight, but not generally. 



Bees Hanging Out. 



What causes the bees to hang out of the hives on these 

 hot days. Haven't they enough ventilation ? I suppose it 

 is too hot for them. I have them under shade-trees in 

 Langstroth hives. Missouri. 



Answer. — Bees that hang out when storing is going 

 on rapidly need attention. They may need ventilation, and 

 it may be that they need more room. But if there is noth- 

 ing for them to do in the fields, and all the field-bees are 

 staying idly at home, their hanging out is no sign of any- 

 thing wrong. 



*-•-». 



Doubling Up Colonies for Wintering. 



I have SO colonies of bees. I will sell what I can of 

 them, and double up the rest so that I will have about 30 to 

 winter. I use Danzenbaker hives, and will double by plac- 

 ing one hive on top of another. 



1. Will it do to let them remain in that way all winter ? 

 or after the bees have been united would it be better to keep 

 them in one hive, and put the other away ? 



2. If there is only enough honey in the two hives scat- 

 tered through all the combs to winter the bees, how can I 

 proceed to have it condensed in the one hive, if your an- 

 swer to question 1 be to remove one of the hives ? Ohio. 



Answers. — 1. If the colonies are strong, as of necessity 

 they will no doubt be, it will probably be as well or better 

 to leave them the two stories, especially as the frames are 

 shallow. 



2. If you should prefer to reduce them to one story, 

 there will be no great difficulty in getting into one story 



the most of the honey, or at least all that will be desirable. 

 A little before the queen stops laying, put into the lower 

 story the heaviest frames of honey, with one frame of 

 brood, putting the rest in the upper story with an excluder 

 between. Three weeks later remove the upper story, of 

 course brushing back all the bees. Or, without any prelim- 

 inary work, when brood-rearing has about ceased, but while 

 bees are still flying freely, take away one story, and mass 

 in the other the combs having most honey. 



Very likely you may ask what's best to do with the 

 combs removed. Keep them in the cellar, and you will find 

 it a nice thing to have them ready for use next spring. It 

 will be well, however, to give them a week or two of freez- 

 ing weather so as to kill any worms that may be present. 

 If no other bees are near, you can do another way : Set 

 these hives with their contents several rods from the apiary 

 with entrance large enough for only one or two bees at a 

 time, and let the bees rob them out. 



I thank you for your kind words. 



Profit and Loss in Keeping Bees. 



1. How much profit would a single colony bring in a 

 season ? If the profit is small, can one person take care of 

 many colonies ? 



2. Is it possible that a complete failure could be the re- 

 sult of a season's work ? Nebraska. 



Answers. — 1. A single colony in a season may produce 

 all the way from nothing to 500 pounds of honey or more. 

 One person might without any help take care of enough 

 colonies to make a living by it, but such cases are very rare. 

 To do so, one needs to know the business thoroughly, after 

 years of experience, and the few who make a business of 

 bee-keeping exclusively generally hire more or less help. 

 The great majority of bee-keepers have some other business 

 besides bee-keeping. 



2. Yes, there are seasons when bees not only produce 

 no surplus but have to be fed to keep them from starving. 



Moths in the Hive. 



The moths are in my hives. Please tell me how to get 

 rid of them. Ili.inois. 



Answer. — Keep your colonies strong, and the bees will 

 take care of the worms without any help from you. It will 

 help greatly to get in Italian blood, for Italians are much 

 better than blacks at keeping out the moth. In the mean- 

 time, you can help the bees to clean them out in this way : 

 Take out the combs one by one and look for the galleries of 

 the worms in the sealed brood. Take a wire-nail or other 

 pointed thing and tear open the gallery a little at one end. 

 Then start at the other end and follow it up till the worm 

 hustles out, when you can dispatch his wormship in any 

 way that suits your taste. 



Money as a Health-Food is the name of a 16- 

 page leaflet (3 >^x6 inches) which is designed to help in- 

 crease the demand and sale of honey. The first part is 

 devoted to a consideration of " Honey as Food," written 

 by Dr. C. C. Miller. The last part contains " Honey-Cook- 

 ing Recipes " and " Remedies Using Honey." It should be 

 widely circulated by every one who has honey for sale. It 

 is almost certain to make good customers for honey. We 

 know, for we have used it ourselves. 



Prices, prepaid — Sample copy free; 10 for 20 cts.; 25 

 for 40 cts.; SO for 70 cts.; 100 for S1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 

 for $4.00 ; 1000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free 

 at the bottom of the front page, on all orders for 100 or 

 more copies. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office 



