(Entered as second-class matter at the Post-Offlce at Hamilton, 111., under Act of March 3. 1879.) 



Published Monthly at $1.00 a Year, by American Bee Journal, First National Bank Building 



C. p. DADANT. Editor. 



DR. C. C. MILLER. Associate Editor. 



HAMILTON, ILL., SEPTEMBER, 1913 



Vol. LIIL— No. 9 



Editorial 



Comments 



Some Comments ou the August 

 Number 



WAX-WORMS IN COMBS. 



By way ot postscript to remarks on 

 page 258, I may say that years ago I 

 made a practise ot sulphuring my sec- 

 tions within a few days after taking 

 them from the hives. That would kill 

 all the little larvae of the wax-moth 

 that were present; but it would have 

 no effect upon the eggs. These would 

 hatch out, and then some 2 or 3 weeks 

 after the sections were taken off I 

 would sulphur again. If I did not 

 thus fumigate the sections, the little 

 bits of worms would soon grow into 

 big fellows that would get the cap- 

 pings off the sections, making a re- 

 pulsive sight with their ugly webs. 

 After some years the trouble ceased, 

 and now for years I never think of 

 fumigating at all. The reason is that 

 Italian blood has been introduced, 

 and Italians seem to be able to keep 

 the moths from laying eggs in sec- 

 tions while on the hive, but blacks 

 allow the moths that privilege. 



It is a common thing to warn 

 against allowing bits of comb to be 

 left lying around as breeding places 

 for moths. I don't want to encour- 

 age slovenliness, but the fact is that 

 in this locality not one time in a hun- 

 dred will pieces of comb lying around 

 become wormy. A hive of combs 

 left by a colony which died in winter 

 in the cellar will, if left undisturbed, 

 become wormy, as mentioned, and it 

 will be only a question of time when 



there will be in the hive only a mass 

 of webs. But if a hive filled with 

 frames has stood out doors all winter, 

 it may stand out all the next summer, 

 and will rarely become wormy. That 

 means, of course, that rarely will new 

 eggs be laid in it, for the freezing 

 of winter kills worms and eggs. And 

 this immunity from the moth is true 

 even if the combs are spaced no wider 

 than when occupied by bees, rr^arther 

 south it may be another story. 



ALWAYS SAY WHETHER COMB OR EX- 

 TRACTED HONEY. 



In that interesting letter on page 

 258 we are told that from 60 colonies 

 8000 pounds of white honey were har- 

 vested. If that means extracted honey, 

 it's one thing; it it means comb, it's 

 quite another thing; in the latter case 

 being something like 50 per cent more 

 than in the former. In this case it 

 is not as bad as usual, for in Europe 

 extracted honey is the usual, so oae 

 is pretty safe in guessing that ex- 

 tracted honey is meant. But too fre- 

 quently it happens that a bee-keeper 

 of this country reports in that blind 

 way, and leaves us guessing which 

 kind of honey is meant, and there is 

 nothing to guide us in our guessing. 



I said the yield was 8000 pounds 

 from 60 colonies. Maybe that's right, 

 and maybe not; for "he has 60 colo- 

 nies" now, and we are left to guess 

 how many he had when he got the 8000 

 pounds in 1911. 



Let me plead that those who make 



reports always observe two things: 

 Be sure to say whether the yield is 

 comb or extracted, and also from how 

 many colonies spring count it was 



taken. 



ANOTHER PRECAUTION ABOUT ROBBING. 



When there is any danger of rob- 

 ing, look out about making changes 

 in appearance. In other words, don't 

 offer any new opportunity for robbing. 

 A. weak colony may be standing in its 

 place in the apiary during a yield of 

 honey without being at all disturbed 

 by robbers; but let a dearth come, 

 and it is not so safe. But if it be 

 moved to a new place after a dearth 

 has come, the chances are ten times 

 as great that the robbers will pounce 

 upon it. Let a fresh crack, crevice, 

 or opening of any kind be made in a 

 hive during a time of dearth, and rob- 

 bers will be sure to investigate it, 

 whereas if the same opening had been 

 made when robbers were not bad and 

 left during dearth, the robbers might 

 not give it any attention. 



MOVING THAT MOTHER COLONY. 



I am moved with compassion for 

 the beginner who tries to understand 

 that passage on page 277, in the mid- 

 dle of the first column, where instruc- 

 tion is given as to how to prevent af- 

 terswarms. Here is the pasage: 

 ■'When the prime swarm issues, put 

 it on the old stand with the mother 

 close beside it. Then a week or so 

 later move the mother close beside it. 

 Then a week or so later move the 

 mother to a new stand." The much- 

 moved mother will be more comforta- 

 ble and the result will be better if 

 that second sentence be cut out en- 

 tirely. Then the passage will read: 

 "When the prime swarm issues, put 



