April 25, 1901. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



265 



surprise discovered a dipt queen. How she came there I 

 do not know, but I think she is the premium queen I had of 

 Dr. Miller last year, which I thought the bees killed while 

 robbing-. I put the empty combs (as I thought) in this liive, 

 and must have taken the queen without knowing it. Any- 

 how, she has a nice lot of Italian bees. Subscribkk. 



Answers. — 1. In formingnuclei, don't goby the montli, 

 but by the posies and the strength of colonies, altho June 

 will probably be the month. When the first white clover 

 blossom is seen, it will be early enough, altho you might 

 commence a little sooner if colonies are very strong, and in 

 any case not till they are strong. One way to form a 

 nucleus is to take three frames of brood with adhering bees 

 and pen them in a hive bee-tight, plugging up the entrance 

 by cramming into it green leaves. Not sooner than the 

 next day at noon open the entrance, and they will be likely 

 to stay. It is easier to get queenless bees to stay in a new 

 place. Try this : Take the colony that has your best 

 queen, and if it is not strong make it strong by giving it 

 frames of brood a week before you operate upon it. Then 

 take from it two frames of brood with adhering bees and 

 the queen, and put them in a hive on a new stand. Not less 

 than seven and not more than nine days later, form your 

 nuclei by giving each three frames of brood with bees, put- 

 ting one of the nuclei where the nucleus with the queen has 

 been for the past week, and putting the hive with the queen 

 back on the old stand. See that each nucleus has two or 

 more good queen-cells near the center, so there will be no 

 danger of chilling. 



2. No : from a strong colony you might take more than 

 that and still get a fair crop. But taking before white 

 clover is much more expensive than taking later. In a 

 good season it would hurt less to take two frames every 10 

 days if you wait till they are storing well on clover. 



Feeding Sorgliutn Molasses. 



What would you say about feeding bees sorghum molas- 

 ses (that is, molasses made from cane)? Do you think it is 

 injurious to the bees ? 



I am keeping bees for another man, on shares. I just 

 began last fall, but I have kept from one to five colonies of 

 my own for five years. Last year was a total failure here, 

 no clover at all, but the prospects are good for this year. 

 Clover is coming on in fine shape. Bees are flying nearly 

 every day, and are working on elm. I don't know what 

 they get. Missouri. 



Answer. — It would not do to feed sorghum molasses 

 for winter food, but when bees are flying daily in the spring 

 they may be fed sorghum or anything else they will take 

 that is not actually poisonous. 



Inverting to Destroy Queen-Cells. 



I have nearly decided to adopt the Heddon hive in my 

 future plans for increase in the apiary, and I have seen it 

 stated by Mr. Heddon that a sure way of destroying queen- 

 cells in that hive is simply to invert the section and the 

 bees will destroy all queen-cells. Can you tell me if it is a 

 fact ? Have you ever given the Heddon hive a trial ? As 

 hunting for queen-cells forms no inconsiderable part of a 

 day's work in the apiary, a plan that will destroy those we 

 do not want as easily as reported, is very desirable, if true. 

 And as it is scarcely practicable with the suspended frame. 

 I am ready to adopt an invertiblehive, if it will do the busi- 

 ness. "Rip Van Winkle." 



Answer. — A few years ago it was thought by some 

 that inverting queen-cells would lead to their destruction by 

 the bees, but after further trial the plan has been found to 

 be altogether unreliable. I have never tried the Heddon 

 hive. 



Swarming. 



1. When a prime swarm issues does the queen always 

 come out about the last of all. and first when an after-swarm 

 issues ? 



2. In swarming-time, when a colony seems to be about 

 ready to swarm, how would it work to place a cage in front 

 of the hive with a bee-escape from hive to cage, and another 

 from the cage to another hive standing at one side with I 

 full sheets of foundation ? And about the second day put I 

 a queen in the new hive, and leave them arranged in that I 



way for several days ? Would I succeed in running most of 

 the workers from the old hive into the new ? If so, would 

 they accept the new queen and go to work all right ? Would 

 the queen and bees left in the old hive give up the idea of 

 swarming ? Iowa. 



Answers. — 1. No fixt rule about it. The queen may be 

 among the first or among the last in either case ; but she 

 is more likely to be among the last in a prime swarm and 

 among the first in an after-swarm. But as to the after- 

 swarm I have had very little chance for observation, and 

 am ready to be corrected. 



2. Sorry to say I don't believe it would work at all ; but 

 having never tried it I may be mistaken. My guess would 

 be that it would fail in each particular. 



Beet-Sugar Factory's Effect on Bees. 



I attended a beet-sugar meeting the other night, and in 

 discussing the matter a man from Rockyford said that bee- 

 keepers would have to move their bees a mile or so from 

 the factory, as acids and chemicals were used there that 

 would kill the bees. It was not a bee-meeting, so I could 

 not discuss this subject, but I would like to have you tell 

 us thru the columns of the American Bee Journal whether 

 or not this is true. It is a matter of great importance to 

 bee-keepers out West. Colorado. 



Answer. — I don't know whether a beet-sugar factory is 

 a bad thing for bees or not. Some subscribers must be 

 living within a mile of one of these factories; will they 

 please tell us ? 



% The Afterthought. * \ 



The "Old Reliable" seen thru New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By E. E. HASTY, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, O. 



EXTRACTING HONEY. 



Yes, sir-ee. Mr. Aikin, propolis will go to the bottom 

 where it can't do anything else than burn on. Burrs and all 

 sorts of scrapings with propolis in should go thru the solar 

 extractor the first thing. Then, as after transactions, re- 

 melt the wax, if necessary, and re-treat the waste cake. 

 And — another yes, sir-ee — the stubbornness with which cold 

 comb honey refuses to take heat is quite incomprehensible 

 to the beginner in bee-practice. Sometimes when in a 

 hurry one can run the combs thru the extractor and throw 

 out part of the honey, then hang them up in a warm atmos- 

 phere an hour or two, then run them thru again. But don't 

 hang the combs very close together, even if three-fourths 

 empty. The idea of a large gravitating tank with chance 

 to heat it underneath is an important idea. Two such 

 tanks, so one could be undisturbed while the other was 

 being filled, would seem to be the ideal arrangement. And 

 the whole article on page 167 is one of the very best Mr. 

 Aikin has given us. 



QUEUING robber-bees WITH GUNPOWDER. 



" And sometimes civilization does git forrard 

 Upon a powder cart." 



We know that ; but most of us never thought of civiliz- 

 ing robber-bees with gunpowder. No doubt it would "hist 

 'em " if the charge was big enough. And any very offen- 

 sive smell may discourage them if they are only fussing 

 around and not getting much. Some brother who has a 

 too-well-worn hat, present it to Peacemaker as a premium 

 for his contribution. Page 175. 



THAT GENEROUS DOG AND BEE-STINGS. 



That was an all-right and head-level sort of dog, on 

 page 175, that wanted to share with his young master the 

 bliss of communion with bumble-bees. Masters like the 

 aforesaid should not object to tasting of dishes which they 

 have cookt. 



DOLI.AR-A-POUND HONEV — EXCLUDING BEES. 



Honey at a dollar a pound is rather dear. But health 

 and fun at a dollar a pound — well, most of us would fain 

 purchase a little occasionally. So let Mr. Metcalf go on 

 hunting his doUar-a-pound wild honey. Page 180. 



So Chicago can get along nicely without a bee-exclusion 



