May, 1908. 



American ~Bee Journal 



danger from lack of drones, but often there 

 may be a few scattering drones that you would 

 not easily notice. 



2. You probably have reference to the Alex- 

 antler plan of putting a \M-ak colony over a 

 strong one in spring. If cither queen is killed, 

 it is likely to be the upper one. 



3. I should use splints, and should be a lit- 

 tle careful, first time putting frames in ex- 

 tractor, whether splinted or wired. 



Using Empty Combs — Dewey Found- 

 ation Fastener — Selling Comb 

 Honey to Hotels — "Pound" 

 Sections. 



1. I have a number of empty combs. Can 

 I place these over strong colonies with an ex- 

 cluder between, extract the honey as fast as it 

 comes in, and feed it in an Alexander feeder 

 at night, to the colonies run for section 

 honey r 



2. Have you ever used the new foundation- 

 fastener? I think it is the Dewey Automatic. 

 Where is it made? 



3. Did you ever try to sell comb honey to 

 city hotels? They buy it readily here. 



4. Why do some . producers keep harping 

 about a pound section when there is no trouble 

 in selling it by the piece? This kind of agita- 

 tion is detrimental to all concerned. 



Massachusetts. 

 Answers. — i. Yes, but it is a question wheth- 

 er It will pay. 



_ 2. I have not had one long enough to give 

 It a thorough trial, but it seems to be an ex- 

 cellent machine. I think it is made by the 

 inventor, E. H. Dewey, of Massachusetts. 



3. I never tried it, out it's a good thing 

 to do. 



4. I'm not sure just what you refer to. 

 There can be no objection to selling by the 

 piece; but there may be very decided objection 

 to selling 14 ounces for a full pound. 



Feeding Bees Glucose, Sorghum and 

 Candies — Packing for Winter. 



I. Is syrup that contains 95 percent glucose 

 and 5 percent sorghum, good to feed to bees? 



-• -Is candy such as lemon drops or any 

 kind of run-through-each-other candy good for 

 bees? 



3. Will bees winter on their summer stand 

 if covered all around with Y^ foot of the fol- 

 lowing: Sawdust, shavings, or straw, and cov- 

 ered with boards to keep sawdust around? 



Wisconsin. 



Answers.— I. No; glucose is not fit stuff for 

 man or bee. If fed when bees are flying daily, 

 and m such way that none would go into 

 surplus, it might do no harm; but it is 

 doubtful if you could get bees to take it in 

 such large proportion. 



. ^- ,y^^ ,'" spring for brood-rearing, it would 

 be all right, and some of it would be all right 

 for winter. \ ou know there's much difference 

 in candy, that made from pure sugar making 

 good winter food. 

 _3. Very likely, especially if not in a windy 

 might be as good as 



Wants Increase and Honey — Queen 



and Drone Traps — Bee-Escapes — 



Selling Honey. 



1. 1 have but 5 colonics of bees, therefore I 

 am after increase and honey combined. What 

 IS the best way to increase, and how about 

 so doing with the frames from the stronger 

 colonies .'' 



2. llow about the queen and drone trap catch- 

 ing a queen when swarming? Would it pay 

 me lo buy one? 



3- As I am not thoroughly experienced yet, 

 would you advise buying one or more Porter 

 Dec-escapes ? 



4. My bees wintered well, and I am very 

 glad of it, too. I am looking for a good year, 

 and if I do have a good flow of honey, say 

 150 pounds for 5 colonies, how would you ad- 

 vise me to dispose of it? Indiana. 



Answers.— I. It isn't an easy thing to tell 

 what is your best way to increase. For some 

 natural swarming is best, and for some arti- 

 ficial increase is best. If you depend on natu- 

 ral swarming, and want also to get a honey 

 crop, then plan to have only one swarm from 

 each colony. When the prime swarm issues, 

 hive it and set it on the old stand, the old hive 

 close beside it. A week later move the old 

 hive away 10 feet or more. That will weaken 

 the old colony so it will not swarm again, be. 

 cause the field-bees will all join the swarm; 

 and the swarm will be thus strengthened so it 

 will do good work in the supers. 



Yes, you can increase by the nucleus plan, 

 having a laying queen in a nucleus and add- 

 ing frames of sealed brood taken from strong 

 colonies. _ If you take these frames of brood 

 in sufiicient numbers about the time bees are 

 likely to swarm, the old colonies will not 

 swarm. 



2. If there is no one on hand to see when a 

 swarm issues, it will be a good thing to have a 

 queen-trap to catch the fiueen. But you will 

 still have the case to deal with just the same 

 as if you had been on hand to attend to it. 



3. You can get one escape ana try it, and 

 then you can tell better whether you want 

 more. 



4. With no larger quantity than you men- 

 tion, there would be no trouble in selling at 

 good prices directly to consumers. A sign, 

 ■ honey for Sale," facing the roadwav, would 

 likely bring enough customers. You could 

 also trade honey for groceries, blacksmith bills. 



Management to Prevent Swarming. 



The season of iqoS will be my first trial at 

 the production of honey. I have 38 colonies 

 to work with, do not want any increase, but 

 will not complain if a small number of swarms 

 issue. I can devote from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. 

 each week-day in the apiary. All brood-combs 

 will be straight, and reasonably free from 

 drone-cells. Ten- frame dovetailed hives will be 

 used, an extracting super used as the first 

 super and a comb honey super be placed be- 

 tween the hive and extracting super several 

 days later. Then when both are well started 

 in, they are to be reversed again; that is, the 

 extracting super placed next to the hive. When 

 more room is needed new supers will be placed 

 above the extracting super, but always under 

 the comb honey supers already on. Now if 

 there is back ventilation at the bottom of the 

 hive, and a bee-space opening made bv sliding 

 supers forward on the hive and each other, 

 will the bees swarm to any great extent? You 

 see. I have the time to sort over unfinished 

 sections found near the opening and can place 

 them in the next super going on the hive. 

 Then toward the close of the season ventilation 

 will be reduced from the ton in order that the 

 sections be better filled nut and the unfinished 

 work will be found in the extracting super. I 

 have studied your several ways of preventing 

 swarming and will use them if you think that 

 this plan is not sufficient to reduce swarming 

 to a small percent. Iowa. 



Answer. — Yes, your plan ought to reduce 

 swarming to a very small percent, especially 

 if drawn-out combs are in the first super, but 

 just how satisfactory it will be as to sections 

 remains to be seen. You do not say, but I 

 suppose all supers after the first are to be sec- 

 tion-supers. Then vou sav that at the last the 

 unfinished work will be found in the extract- 

 ing super. That sounds as if you meant to 

 practise extracting until the close of the sea- 

 son. If you do that vou will have work mostly 

 in the extracting combs. 



Combs Built Together. 



I have a colony of bees in a Tumbo hive. 

 I think it is queenlcss. It is full of honev. 

 very hi-avy. I tried to t.i'Ke out the frames to 

 see. The combs are joined together with bur- 

 combs. I got the division-Tioard out bv cutting 

 loose from both sides. Then I tried to cut 

 loose the frame, and the honey ran too much. 

 I was afraid to keen at if as the combs seem 

 to be so solid together. Thev all seem to be 

 that way. What is the best thing to do with it. 

 nr how would I best manage it? I have 3 more 

 like it except that they are not queenless. What 

 must I do to prevent them from joining the 

 combs together hereafter? I don't see how the 

 combs can be manipulated. 



West Virginia. 



.•\nsw-er. — First, as to nrevention. If you 

 use full sheets of worker-foundation, as many 

 of our best bee.keeners do. there Is practically 

 no danger of crooked building. Even if vou 

 h,ave only a shallow starter, there is little dan- 

 cer, for if each comb is started at the top at 

 the middle of the top-bar, the bees will not 

 vary nmeh from the perpendicular in liuilding 

 down. Without wiring or splints, there is dan- 

 cer, esnecially if a slron<T swarm is thrown 

 upon the frames, that there may be some 

 breaking down. So it is well in such cases 

 to examine the frames within ' to i days, and 

 correct any wrong of the kind that may have 

 started. 



As to what should he done with those al- 

 re.-iflv on hand in which there is some crooked 

 buililing. much depends unon just what the 

 condition is. It mav be that only one nr 2 

 combs arc out of the way. in which case a little 



cutting will free the comb from the frame to 

 which it is partly attached. Even if every 

 comb in the hive is built wrong, if each comb 

 is attached properly to its own top-bar through- 

 out most of its length cut away the small part 

 that is attached to the wrong top-bar, then 

 crowd back the comb into its own frame, se- 

 cure it there by tying strings about it, and the 

 bees will do the rest. 



It is just possible that nothing was used 

 in the way of foundation or comb for starters, 

 and the combs are built crosswise. In that 

 you are to consider that you have, practically, 

 a box-hive on hand, and you will deal with it 

 just as you would with a box-hive. It is, how- 

 ever, just a little better than most box-hives, 

 because you can take a hand-saw, cut away all 

 attachments of comb to the sides of the hive, 

 turn the hive upside down, and force out the 

 whole business, frames and all, lifting off the 

 hive. If you wait till the colony swarms, you 

 can deal with the case 21 days after swarming, 

 when there will no longer be anv worker- 

 brood in the hive. 



Starved Brood — Dividing Colonies. 



1. I am a tenderfoot in the bee-business and 

 would like some information. I have 13 colo- 

 nies and there are 5 of them that are carrying 

 out brood almost ready to hatch. What is the 

 trouble, and how can I prevent or remedy it? 



2. How can I get the moth or wax-worm out 

 of the founuation frames? 



3. When is the proper time to divide colo. 

 nies? My bees came through the winter in fine 

 shape and are extra strong. 



4. I have some old colonies that have a dark 

 red substance on the division-board and frames. 

 They appear to be healthy and all right. 



5. When you answer this letter please use 

 plain U. S. language as I have no book-learn- 

 ing. . Oklahoma. 



Answers. — i. In the spring of the year the 

 bees are likely to use large quantities of stores 

 in rearing brood, and it generally takes several 

 years for a beginner to learn that unless they 

 have a big lot of honey on hand there is danger 

 of starvation. You have on hand, almost cer- 

 tainly, a plain case of starvation, and of course 

 there is just one way to prevent or cure, and 

 that is to feed. 



2. Prevention is ever so much better than 

 cure. The way to prevent the wax-worm from 

 getting in its work is to have strong colonies 

 of Italian bees. Even black bees will generally 

 hold their ground, if colonies are strong; and a 

 weak colony of Italians will also hold its 

 ground. The same thing (strong Italian colo- 

 nies) will also serve as a cure. You can, how- 

 ever, give the bees some help by getting out 

 the big, fat fellows. Take a sharp-pointed wire- 

 nail, or something of the kind, and pick open 

 the burrow of the worm at one end. then 

 commence at the other end and dig along until 

 Mr. Worm comes out, and then take vengeance 

 on him. If you have eniptv combs infested 

 with worms, take a small oil-can filled with 

 gasoline, and squirt a little of the gasoline into 

 any place where you think there is a worm. 



3. Generally when bees begin to swarm natu- 

 rally is the best time to divide, or as soon 

 thereafter as colonies are strong enough. 



4. The bees have been troubled to some ex. 

 tent with diarrhea, and it is their droppings 

 that you see. They prefer to empty themselves 

 when on the wing at some distance from the 

 hive, but when confined too long, or when 

 troubled with diarrhea, they empty themselves 

 in the hive or at the front. 



5. I've tried to give you my best brand of 

 U. S. talk, and if you find any words not en- 

 tirely satisfactory, return them and I'll replace 

 them with fresh stock. 



Rearing a Few Queens — Making In- 

 crease. 



Ho 



fo 



crease? I have the "A B C of Bee Culture," 

 "Langstroth on the Honey-Hee," Cook's "Man- 

 ual of the .-Vpiary," "Forty Years .\mong the 

 Bees," Donlittle's "Queen-Rearing," and "Im- 

 proved (Jueen-Rearing." I also have some 

 smaller books. The first three have been re- 

 vised since I bought. Now it is Doolittle 

 that has bothered me, as it seems his book 

 gives one the imnrcssion that he must graft in 

 order to get good queens. I tried it once and 

 failed, .\nyway, I think so many books arc 

 confusing to any one without experience. 



2. In your "Forty Years" (page 238) you 

 recommend partly drawn out foundation with 

 larva:. Dr. E. F. Phillips uses larvs. Mr. 

 Alley, in his book, and Swartlimore in "In- 

 crease" (page 8), use eggs. Mr. Doolittle 

 says bees will nbt start cells at once, and that 

 being so, why would it not be better to give 

 the bees eggs instead of young brood? 



