August, ifx)S. 



American Hee Journal 



>ccuK-d to have a depressing effect. Is 

 it possible that abundance of stores in 

 sight encourages them to greater activity 

 in flight, just as it is believed to en- 

 courage them to greater activity in 

 brood-rearing? At any rate I prefer my 

 bees should have a goodly surplus of 

 stores on hand at all times.' 



"Editor Root tliinks Dr Miller's as- 

 sumption is borne out by previous re- 

 ports. 



'■Mr. Hand contends that tlie influ- 

 ence would be the same on the bees, 

 as that of bins full of wheat on a flock 

 of hens. It should be noted, however, 

 that it would probably make some dif- 

 ference in results as to whether the bees 

 or the hens had access to the surplus 

 food supply, p'ood locked up in the 

 granary would hardly influence the egg- 

 laying of the flock, nor would tons of 

 honey stacked away in the loft of the 

 house have any stimulating effect upon 

 tlie bees in the hive. One thing is cer- 

 tain : If tliere is not a store of honey 

 present in the hive, the colony can make 

 no preparation to build upon it. It may, 

 actually, be the consumption of tlie 

 stores that brings about the iinproved 

 condition and activity, but the' "consump- 

 tion" could not occur if the stores were 

 not present. 



"The writer has believed for years 

 that the presence of a goodly supply 

 of food in the hive had the effect of 

 stimulating activity in every way — 

 lirood-rearing and honey-gathering — nor 

 lias he yet been persuaded to abandon 

 a conviction that seems to have im- 

 pressed itself upon his mind as a result 

 of a life spent aiuong bees." 



It certainly looks like conceding rather 

 large reasoning powers to the bees to 

 imagine them as holding a consultation, 

 and saying : 



"There has been in the hive only 

 enough honey to fill part of a frame, 

 .•ind we've been limiting the amount of 

 brood reared in accordance therewith, 

 but now that our master has put in 2 

 solid frames of sealed honey we need 

 have no hesitation about starting all 

 the brood we can keep warm, for there 

 is no danger of the supply running out 

 till plenty of stores can be had from 

 the field." 



If they are such good reasoners, why 

 is it that it happens so frequently that 

 brood is starved because stores have 

 run out? But facts are stubborn things, 

 and when so many experienced bee-keep- 

 ers agree in the belief that bees accord- 

 ing Xu their oliservations do make bet- 

 ter work at building up when abundance 

 of stores arc on hand than when there 

 is nierely enough for the day's supply, 

 it is likely there is ground for the belief, 

 whether we can see any reason for it or 

 not. At any rate, it is well to be on the 

 safe side. It would not be well to put 

 before a horse or a cow, all at one time, 

 sufticient rations for the entire year. 

 Much of it would no doubt be wasted, 

 and starvation would follow before the 

 year's end. But our bee is a wiser 

 creature, and can be safely trusted to 

 take good care of all she does not actual- 

 ly need. 



A'riitilation to Kopiv.ss Kwarniiiig 



All inquirer was advised in (Ileanings 

 ■ lier up exlractinii-comli-i ;is an aid 



toward keeping down swarming, and a 

 Stray Straw added the suggestion : 



"Shove the second story either back- 

 ward or forward so as to make a l4-mcl\ 

 crack for ventilation: Do this with each 

 added story. This will double the se- 

 curity against swarming." 



The editor thinks it probable that 

 swarming will be hindered by so much 

 ventilation, but expresses the fear that 

 a large force of fielders will be forced 

 to stay at home to keep up the tempera- 

 ture. To this J. E. Crane adds the fol- 

 lowing, in Gleanings : 



"Doubtless the weather would make 

 some difiference; Init it seems to me that, 

 during July and August, quite as many 

 fielders would be required to ventilate a 

 hive two or three stories with only one 

 entrance at the bottom as to keep up 

 the temperature with more openings for 

 ventilation." 



If Mr. Crane be correct, that the ex- 

 tra force to keep up ventilation will 

 balance the e.xtra force required to keep 

 up heat in the other case, then the pro- 

 posed ventilation between each 2 stories, 

 when running for extracted honey, ought 

 to be a very important item. 



Labeling Extracted Honey 



The following appears in Gleanings in 

 Bee Culture, relative to the labeling of 

 extracted honey : 



"Bee-keepers can not be too careful or 

 painstaking in putting up their lioney for mar- 

 ket in a neat and attractive way. Wiien you 

 look over the shelves of the modern up-to-date 

 grocery^ and note the neatness and taste dis- 

 played in many of the tempting packages, you 

 will see the reason for care and forethought 

 in putting your honey in tasty and attractive 

 form before placing it on the market." 



This is well said. And the A. I. Root 

 Co., of Medina, Ohio, are prepared to 

 furnish a fine assortment of honey- 

 labels. They have a very complete label 

 catalog which they mail on request. 



If honey-producers ever e.xpect to do 

 a profitable business in honey, they must 

 put up their product in the most at- 

 tractive style possible — in a way that 

 will attract the eye first ; and then the 

 honey offered must be of such excellent 

 quality that it will satisfy the palate of 

 the consumer. It is the repeated sales 

 that count when it comes to the articles 

 of food. Only an occasional sale of 

 honey is not what bee-keepers are after 

 as a finality. They want people not only 

 to eat honey, but to keep on eating it 

 rcrjularly — every 'day. 



Ago of Iti-ood-Conibs 



The Australasian Bee-Keeper contains 

 a number of articles answering the ques- 

 tion whether brood-coinbs become too old 

 for use, and if so, how long it is advisa- 

 ble to keep them. There seems to be a gen- 

 eral agreement that, however, it may be 

 in America, in .■\ustralia combs used too 

 long result in smaller bees, and also that 

 old combs form a favorable soil for the 

 production of injurious germs. One 

 writei^ says brood-combs should not be 

 used in that country more than 4 or 5 

 years. Another says 6 years at the long- 

 est. Another says 10 years at the long- 

 est, although 6 or 7 would be belter. 

 W. Reid, Sen., seems to stand alone, hav- 

 ing conilis that have been in use 15 

 \ears ;ind ;is good as new, and he IJiiiiU-. 



they ought to be good for 50 years. 



H. F. McHugh, in giving his objec- 

 tion to old coiTibs, says : 



"The most important is that every 

 larva leaves behind it, attachea to the 

 wax walls of its cell, a thin layer of 

 cocoon material. The result is that the 

 diameter of the cell grows smaller with 

 succeeding batches of brood. The dif- 

 ference, not very appreciable at first, 

 amounts to a good deal in 8 or lo years, 

 with the result that bees are hatched 

 out stunted in size, and inferentially, 

 not able to do the same amount of work 

 as the larger bees bred in new combs. 

 I believe observing apiarists will con- 

 firm my observations." 



That sounds plausible, and the be- 

 ginner is very likely to think it entirely 

 reasonable. Nor can he feel that there 

 should be any less objection in this coun- 

 try, for bees fill cells with cocoons just 

 the same in Ainerica as in Australia. 

 But do the cells in old combs really 

 have any less capacity than those of 

 new combs? A transverse section of a 

 very old comb will show that there has 

 been such an accumulation at the bottom 

 of the cell that the septum will be 1-16 

 to 1-8 of an inch in thickness, but the 

 thickness of the cell-wall has not been 

 thus increased. If it were, there would 

 be no cell left, the opening being entirely 

 filled. Moreover, patient Investigations 

 across the water tell us that upon meas- 

 uring the amount of water in a new 

 cell and comparing with that in a very 

 old cell, the contents have been found 

 the same. 



If any harm comes from great age, it 

 must come from the difference in the 

 space between combs; for if the septum 

 has become 1-16 of an inch in thick- 

 ness, and the depth of the cell has been 

 kept unchanged, then the space between 

 two combs must be 1-16 of an inch less. 

 When new worker-combs are spaced 

 l^/% inches from center to center,, the 

 space between two combs is Yi inch. 

 Whether making this space 1-16 of an 

 inch may prove a damage, or whether 

 there may not be compensating advan- 

 tages, is a question. At any rate, the begin- 

 ner who is anxious lest he may be getting 

 smaller bees by not renewing his combs 

 may be reassured by the fact that many 

 of those who have had combs in use 

 a great number of years tell us that they 

 have observed no evil effects from con- 

 tinuing them in use. 



As to the fear that old combs may 

 he a favorable soil for evil germs, the 

 soil for the propagation of the germs 

 of the most dreaded diseases is found 

 in the bee-larvx, whether in old combs 

 or new. Combs of foul-broody colonies 

 are not lo be trusted, no matter how 

 new. 



If old combs arc so objectionable, 

 would not one expect the bees them- 

 selves to show a dislike for them? 

 So far from this, if they be allowed 

 a choice between new combs and very 

 old combs in good condition, do they 

 not always choose the old. whellior fin- 

 brood or honev? 



Apiarian Pictures 



We would be glad to have those who 

 can do so, send us pictures of bee- 

 yards, or of anything else that would be 

 of interest along the bee-keeping line. 



