Dec. 8, 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



825 



by whirling about and getting confused, when they might 

 keep up if they used their speed wisely. Then there's the 

 speed of the queen — pretty clearly illustrated when a swarm 

 runs away to the woods — faster than a man can pursue on 

 foot, but not beyond the speed of a man on horseback. How 

 much faster can a worker fly than a queen? The workers 

 fly up, over, and down, marking a course somewhat similar 

 to that moved by a spot on the rim of a wagon-wheel. If 

 the swarm progresses 15 miles per hour the individual workers 

 move say three times as long a oath, or 45 miles per hour. 

 In this case they may be capable of considerably more speed 

 than they are using — only the queen doing her best. Bee- 

 liunters often time the bees they are feeding to find their tree. 

 I have forgotten the exact figures, but they are moderate. 

 The time they get- is time on a double course, light one way 

 and loaded the other, and with an unknown period of wait- 

 ing in the middle. The waiting period can be eliminated by 

 comparing the time taken when a quarter mile from the tree 

 with that noted when a half mile distant. There still remains 

 the problem of the difference between work-a-day speed and 

 utmost speed. 



JMr. Latham's observation that bee-work lags when wind 

 gets up to 20 miles an hour, and ceases at about 30 miles is 

 valuable. But for one thing we might almost say "enough 

 said." The man who wants to be on the other side can 

 claim that a gale of wind always stops the nectar-secretion. 

 Time taken in loading from thin honey, 40 seconds. Thanks. 

 I had forgotten, if indeed I ever timed it. 



MELTED-WAX COMB-FOUNDATION PRESS. 



And so Adrian Getaz thinks it worth while to make a 

 serious effort once more for the melted-wax foundation press. 

 I wonder myself at the utter lack of call for a utensil sa 

 popular in Europe. One of the considerations he gives, the 

 enormous cost of getting small packages over some southern 

 railroads, ought to make desirable any cheap, handy way to 

 make one's own foundation. 



Valuable inventions. Have room and press both very 

 warm, and take out the sheet as soon as possible, and the 

 foundation will not be brittle. Brittleness caused by a 

 myriad little cracks from cooling while held fast. Set the 

 press at a sharp incline, so all surplus wax will run off 

 quickly, and you can get sheets thin enough for sections. I 

 should have predicted failure for the latter invention ; but as 

 he finds it to succeed I willingly submit. 



HONEY IN COOKING AT FAIRS. 



It's sad, Mr. Acklin. Takes a big lot of lioney-sweetened 

 pies to win first prize at a State Fair; and then the judges 

 and supernumeraries and too-handy friends eat 'em all up — 

 so the cost mounts up to more than the premium. Pshaw ! 

 That's not the spirit that conduces to a first-rate Fair. Such 

 an honor should be held far more than the cost of a few pies. 

 But it's a bright and winning idea that the great community 

 of womankind feel rather languidly interested in honey pure 

 and simple, but sharpen up greatly when cooking and canning 

 and pickling are hitched on. Page 744. 



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



Transferrins Bees-Using Hives Where Moths 

 Have Been. 



1. I have two colonies of bees in boxes, and would like 

 to put them into hives. When is the best time, and what is 

 the best way? 



2. Can I use a hive that has had moths in it? Iowa. 



Answers. — 1. Leave them as they are at present, and 

 don't think of transferring till fruit-bloom next year. Indeed 

 it will be better to wait till 21 days after the bees swarm. You 

 will find in your bee-book instructions for transferring, and 

 if you haven't one, by all means get one right away and study 

 it pretty thoroughly during the winter months. It will pay 

 you to do so — big. This department is intended to supplement 

 the books of instruction, and after you have studied one or 

 more of them thoroughly you will find many a question aris- 

 ing that is not fully answered in the books, and such questions 

 will be cheerfully answered here. 



2. Yes, the hive is all right, and the combs can also be 

 used unless torn so badly by the worms that scarcely anything 

 is left of them. You will be surprised how quickly a strong 

 colony will clean up combs infested by wax-worms, although 

 it will be wise to dig out with a wire-nail the large worms. 



Rttnnlns for Increase of Bees and Surplus Honey— 

 Itallanizlns;. 



I am a reader of The American Bee Journal, and enjoy it 

 very much. I have 80 colonies of bees in 8-frame dovetailed 

 hives, all in healthy condition. Next year I would like to 

 run an out-apiary of 25 of the 80 colonies, and keep the rest 

 at home, as I will have plenty of time to attend to them. I 

 would like to increase the out-apiary 25, giving me 50 colonies 

 there in the fall. 



1. What would be the best way to manage the 25 colonies 

 to get the increase, and secure a good crop of comb honey? 

 I could not stay there and take care of them when I would 

 have to work in my home apiary. 



2. If you would divide or shake them, how would you 

 do it? 



3. Would it be sat:-i:ictory to use the queen-trap in the | 



home apiary, and let the new swarm issue, carrying the old 

 hive to a new place ? Then set the new hive on the old stand 

 and let the swarm return to the new hive, releasing the queen 

 and leaving her with the swarm in the new hive, and placing 

 the super from the old colony on the new? 



4. Would not this method prevent afterswarms and mixed 

 swarms ? 



5. I have 6 colonies of full-blooded Italian bees, and the 

 rest are black bees. What would be the best way to get the 

 blacks Italianized? Wisconsin. 



Answers — 1 and 2. The supposition, of course, is that you 

 would be able to go to the out-apiary to make needed visits,, 

 although not to be there each day. Very likely the plan of 

 shaking swarms, one from each colony, would suit you as 

 well as any. When the time comes that you think the bees 

 will begin to consider the matter of sending out swarms, look 

 in perhaps three or four of the colonies that appear the strong- 

 est. If you find no queen-cells containing eggs or larvse, wait 

 a week or 10 days, and try again. When vou find queen-cells 

 occupied, you may shake each colony, leaving the shaken 

 colony on the old stand, and putting the brood on a new 

 stand with bees enough so the brood will not be chilled. Each 

 of the "stump" colonies thus left may be allowed to rear a 

 queen of its own, but it will be much better to give them 

 some aid in this direction. Queens may be bought and in- 

 troduced, or you' may rear queens in nuclei and h^ve them 

 ready. The most convenient way will probably be to give 

 each one a ripe queen-cell. You may manage it in this way : 

 A few of the strongest colonies will make preparations for 

 swarming before the others ; and these you will shake, allow- 

 ing them to complete their cells. Before the oldest of the 

 young queens has a chance to destroy all the other cells, cut 

 out the cells and give to the other colonies that you will now 

 shake, putting the cells in cell-protectors or cages. 



3. All right except that if you put the super on the swarm 

 at once, there is danger that the aueen may go up into it. 

 Either put a queen-excluder under the super for a few days, 

 or don't give the super for two or three days, till the bees get 

 the brood-nest started to hold the queen. 



4. There will be less likelihood of afterswarms than if 

 you put the swarm in a new place, leaving the old hive on 

 the old stand, but you can do still better at preventing after- 

 swarms. Put the swarm on the old stand, and put the 



