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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Nov. 24, 1904. 



tions to start with ; but they hardly comprise all — perhaps 

 not even almost all. I would submit this : 



The cause of abundant nectar-secretion is the joint 

 presence of several different things ; and apparently we do 

 not yet recognize all the items. The best conditions for 

 pollen ization, the best conditions for the right insects to be 

 out, and the best conditions for nectar-secretion, are likely 

 to be identical, seeing they three work together for a joint 

 purpose in Nature. It even looks as if moist atmosphere 

 and dry atmosphere did some alternating at the behest of 

 other items in making up the best set of conditions. Dur- 

 ing some phenomenal flows dry air — and during some phe- 

 nomenal flows moist air — is the way I think we'll find it 

 when a full supply of observations is in. Page 693. 



INDOOR WINTERING OF BEBS. 



H. R. Boardman is high authority on wintering bees, 

 and his ripened, life-long conclusions merit our careful 

 study. He is rather unique in having good success above 

 ground. We may well suspect that bare ab.ove-ground and 

 below-ground count for nothing — only the pertinent condi- 

 tions, conditions, conditions, which happen to be a little 

 easier to secure when below. Some of us would have built 

 the rooms without windows. Perhaps his windows and the 

 admission of light as long as the bees will bear it may have 

 counted quite heavily in his favor. Much has been nega- 

 tived and much has been changed during the long years. A 

 complicated system of ventilation was thrown away as worse 

 than useless. Quieting the bees when they roar by letting 

 in outside air at night has also been abandoned as worse 

 than useless. (Quiets the bees temporarily, but increases 

 the mischief that caused the disquiet in the first place — 

 makes them start more brood.) Manifestly it takes time 

 and brains, and close observation, to reach the hardpan of 

 correct practice when it lies as far down as that. Setting 

 bees out for a flight, and putting them back again, has been 



negatived — also waiting for a warm, pleasant day to set 

 them out for keeps. Fire he finds good when needed, only 

 it must be in an adjoining room, and the warm air used 

 with discretion. He " sour grapes " exact evenness of tem- 

 perature because he has not been able to secure it. That 

 probably is one of the penalties which he pays for being 

 above ground. Favors for the latter part of the winter a 

 temperature higher than most of the brethren prefer. Per- 

 haps that's "sweet grapes" — easier to secure than not ; and 

 he finds it can be tolerated. His last great change is a 

 singular one. Gives up the manifest advantage of bees in 

 two rooms in order to have a larger volume of perfectly 

 pure air to conjure with. Pages 694 and 696. 



HONEY-TREKS ON THE MOUNTAINS. 



Honey-trees on a rugged mountain, and such culls that 

 nobody wants them for lumber, constitute a very valuable 

 asset for the bee-man. Page 700. 



ON THE WIRING SHALLOW FRAMES. 



Seven of the experts want shallow frames wired, and 

 19 say no — some inclining to negative wiring both for 

 shallow frames and deep ones. Page 709. 



SOME OF THE BEE-KEEPERS' GLUCOSE STORIES. 



Prof. Eaton gets after us with a very sharp and pene- 

 trating stick, anent the fibs we tell about glucose, because 

 we hate the stufi^ so. We see ourselves picking ourselves 

 up and remarking that we didn't know that it was loaded. 

 But for all that we should manage to remember the impor- 

 tant facts, that hydrochloric acid, and not sulphuric acid, 

 is used in glucose factories in this country ; and soda, not 

 lime, for the neutralizing alkali. We've been attacking a 

 man of straw while the real man sat on the fence and 

 grinned. Page 710. 



Send Questions either to the oftice of the American Bee Journal, or to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. 



Colony Queetiless Late In Pall. 



If you had a colony of bees quite strong with a lot of 

 drones, that was discovered as late as Nov. 1 to be queen- 

 less, what would you do with it ? Illinois. 



Answer. — I don't know ; it would depend upon circum- 

 stances. Before doing anything with it, I should want to 

 be quite sure it was queenless. "A lot of drones " in a 

 strong colony in the fall is not always sure proof of queen- 

 lessness, although something depends upon how large the 

 " lot " is. The absence of all brood Nov. 1 is no proof of 

 queenlessness, neither is the failure to find a queen, for the 

 queen is hard to find, because small. Unless you have some 

 stronger proof than the presence of drones, better leave it 

 till spring, and then break it up, dividing the combs and 

 bees among your weakest colonies. If sure it is queenless, 

 you can break it up now. In any case it will do no great 

 harm to leave it till spring. 



Wintering. Bees— Probably Cliilled Brood. 



1. My bees are in bad condition, and I should like to 

 know how large the cluster should be in diameter in order 

 to insure its safe wintering. 



2. What should be the amount of its winter stores for 

 wintering indoors 7 



3. L,ast spring I discovered a few colonies affected with 

 some disease which looked like pickled brood. There was 

 some dead brood, sealed and unsealed, which disappeared 

 when warm weather came, so I thought it was chilled brood. 

 What was it ? New York. 



Answers. — l. It's hard to put in cubic inches just how 

 small a cluster might be to get .through the winter all right. 

 Under favorable circumstances, with just the right tem- 

 perature and ventilation, quite a small cluster may pull 



through in a good cellar, even one with only enough bees to 

 fully cover two combs. The chances are much better if 

 there are enough bees to cover three combs, and if there are 

 bees enough to cover four or more combs there ought to be 

 no trouble. 



2. That varies very greatly. It is not so much what 

 they consume while in the cellar, as the amount they need 

 when brood-rearing goes on after the bees are taken out of 

 the cellar. The safe thing is to have 30 pounds of honey 

 for stores, although not the half of that may be needed in 

 the cellar. 



3. Hard to say. Likely it was only chilled brood, but 

 it will be well to keep a sharp lookout next year. 



Foundation in tlie Sections— Unlinished Sections- 

 Swarms Returning to tlie Parent Hive. 



1. Do you use thin or extra-thin foundation in the sec- 

 tions 7 I have been using thin, and find the bees cut lots of 

 it out of the sections.. 



2. Do you use, or know of, any extractor that can be 

 used for extracting honey from unfinished sections, regu- 

 lar size ? 



3. I was troubled with prime swarms returning to the 

 parent hive last spring. After putting them in nice, clean, 

 new hives they would go back to the old hive. Some four 

 or five did that, three of them coming out again in a week, 

 the others not coming out again at all. This was the first 

 year they ever did this. Was it general all over the country 

 last year, or was it the fault of the queen ? Missouri. 



Answers. — 1. I use thin. The extra-thin is torn down 

 by the bees worse than the thin. If vqu use the thin you 

 will probably not have much trouble about tearing down, 

 unless you leave the sections on a go .' deal too long after 

 the harvest is over. 



2. Yes, I have extracted unfinishci sections, but not of 



