296 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 9, 1901. 



man's statement, that extensive experiments are needed to 

 get at a good idea of the proportion of gain secured, by the 

 removal of the excess of drone-combs. 



But even this rather insufficient experiment strongly 

 evidences the advantage of the removal of drone-comb, for 

 aside from the desirability of preventing the production of 

 inferior stock for reproducing purposes, the narrow margin 

 of profit there shown is more than sufficient to repay us for 

 the labor. In fact it repays it many times. Supposing the 

 increase in production to be only three pounds annually per 

 colony of bees, (where the drones are reduced to the lowest 

 possible number), these three pounds will pay the first sea- 

 son for all the labor and the cost of the worker-comb used, 

 and so in the very first year we already have collected back 

 the cost of the exchange. But we must remember that the 

 combs of a hive last many years. We have colonies in 

 which the entire set of combs has not been removed for 

 over 30 years, and during each year the saving made repeats 

 Itself without additional cost, so that we are actually mak- 

 ing an investment bringing us 100 percent annually! 



I see it asserted that queens will lay drone-eggs in 

 worker-combs rather than do without drone-cells. I have 

 never seen this in any but old queens whose fertility is 

 already impaired. We have, for years, made a practice 

 of removing drone-comb wherever found, and have never 

 noticed that it led to any such results ; we have never 

 known bees to tear out any comb to replace it with other 

 comb. The only instances where such a change was made 

 were in the case of combs that had broken down by heat 

 under the weight of the honey, or when old combs had 

 been thoughtlessly removed by the apiarist without being 

 replaced by other combs. 



I earnestly solicit those who have leisure and oppor- 

 tunity to make extensive experiments on these matters, 

 reminding them that it is necessary to make these in the 

 most careful manner, and on a scale sufficient to assure the 

 results against possibilities of inequality in the conditions 

 which would materially affect the total returns. I am sat- 

 isfied that such experiments will clearly evidence the advis- 

 ability of controlling the breeding of drones in the meas- 

 ure of our opportunities. Hancock Co., 111. 



I Questions and Answers. | 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. C. O. MILLER. Marengo, ni. 



[The Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail, — Editor.! 



Get a Bee-Book. 



For fear some beginner may not have read them. I 

 want to repeat here some words of the editor on page 244 

 that should be emphasized : ' 



"First get and read a good bee-book thoroly, then 

 get the bees. Then read your book again. Then you will 

 be ready for a good bee-paper, and, very likely— more bees." 

 _^^^_^ C. C. Miller. 



A Beginner's Questions. 



1. I have a hive ofiFered me. When I receive it what 

 would be the first thing to do to have it in trim for the 

 honey-flow ? 



2. I have a hive that about two years ago a colony died 

 in (of what cause I have no idea)— would it be safe to put 

 another swarm in ? 



3. The cells are filled with some kind of stuff somewhat 

 resembling a fine sawdust, very filthy, and a few webs, but 

 I can not find any worms. Is there any way to save them ? 



4. Wouldn't it be a good plan to winter two or three 

 colonies, outdoors, in a kind of enclosure made of boards, 

 back, two sides and a roof, with an opening to the south ? 



5. When would you put supers on ? Washington. 

 Answers. — 1. I am a little at a loss to know whether 



you inean a hive or a colony of bees. From your second 

 question I should judge you mean a hive, in which case I 

 should say that probably nothing more is necessary than to 

 see that the hive is clean. If it is an old hive, it is quite 



possible that it may need a thoro cleaning out. If you 

 mean a colons' of bees, the first thing to be done depends 

 upon the first thing that is needed. That might be a good 

 many different things, and some of them might be sup- 

 posed and answers given accordingly, but even then the 

 very one needed might be omitted. 



The first thing that is needed more than all else is a 

 thoro familiarity with a good text-book on bee-keeping. If 

 you have only a single colony of bees, it will pay you well 

 to become familiar with the contents of a text-book. When 

 you have done that, there will be plenty of questions that 

 will come up that may not be fully explained in the text- 

 book, and this department will be ever ready to help out. 



2. It will be entirely safe unless there has been foul 

 brood in it. You can find out whether foul brood has been 

 in the neighborhood. If it has not, there can be little risk 

 in using the hive. If it has, then you must try to find out 

 whether a diseased colony has been in that hive, and act 

 accordingly. If you use combs upon which a foul-broody 

 colony has died, you may safely count on the appearance of 

 the dread scourge. But the hive itself, with no combs in it, 

 Mr. McEvoy, the foul brood expert, says may be safely 

 used. 



3. Very likely what appears like fine sawdust is pollen, 

 and it may have been workt upon by some kind of insect. 

 The webs are likely the work of wax-worms, but the freez- 

 ing of winter has gotten rid of any wax-worms that were 

 present. If these combs are given one or two at a time to 

 a strong colony of bees they will be cleaned up, and if not 

 too badly riddled by the worms will do good service. 



4. Such an arrangement is often used with good results. 



5. One way is to watch for the first beginning of white 

 wax put by the bees upon the upper part of the combs and 

 at once put on supers when it is seen. Another way is to 

 put them on when you see the first flowers upon the plants 

 from which you expect your honey harvest. 



A Beginner's Questions. 



Last September I bought some Italian bees in double- 

 walled Langstroth hives, " Langstroth on the Honey-Bee,'* 

 Cook's "Bee-Keeper's Guide," and the American Bee Jour- 

 nal for one year, which I enjoy very much. My wife says 

 that I have had bees in my bonnet all winter. But I notice 

 that I'm not the only reader of the Bee Journal in my 

 home ! 



May 1st I return to the country and my bees, and there 

 are several things that I would like to know which do not 

 seem to be in the bee-book. 



1. How can I tell if my colonies are strong? 



2. How often should the hives be inspected ? and how 

 often can they be without injury ? 



3. Should all the frames be taken out ? (to be out at the 

 same time), and how long left out ? 



4. How can I tell if the frames are "well covered?" 

 and does " frames well covered " mean all the frames in the 

 brood-chamber ? 



5. Are particular frames used for brood ? and honey ? 



6. Do a May queen and nucleus usually yield surplus 

 honey the first year ? 



7. Do queens go out for a flight after their wedding- 

 trip ? 



8. Is there danger of using too much smoke ? 



9. How may I tell if there is a good honey-flow ? 



10. How long does it take honey to ripen ? 



11. When is the capping of honey done ? 



12. After being stung, what is the best method of 

 removing the stinger? New York. 



Answers. — 1. Look at 'em and see. If in April you 

 find combs covered with bees, and brood in them, you may 

 brag that you have a strong colony. If you find only one 

 or two frames covered, it is very weak. If four, it will 

 come out in good form. 



2. That's a tough one. If you mean for the good of 

 the bees, from one to half a dozen times a year may do. If 

 you mean for a crazy-headed fellow who is just beginning, 

 three times daily except Sundays will be about right, also 

 rather rough on the bees. Fortunately, however, they can 

 stand a good deal, and if the hive is only opened when it is 

 warm enough for them to fly freely there is perhaps no 

 appreciable harm if they should be opened once every day. 

 At any rate, remembering how crazy-headed I once was 

 myself and how little I have recovered from it in all these 

 years, I'm not the man to put any restrictions on your tink- 

 ering with the bees, always providing you do it when warm 



