May, igii. 



149 



American ISae :Joarnal 



saw-kerf to receive the foundation, and close 

 beside this is another kerf to receive the 

 wedge that fastens in the foundation. The 

 length of the top-bar is 18^8 inches, and J'sx- 

 0-16 is rabbetted out of each end to receive 

 the end-bar. The end-bar is 8 o-itixi!-4xJs. 

 The bottom-bar consists of 2 pieces, each 

 I7^sx^x'«. This allows 's inch between the 

 two Darts to receive the foundation, making 

 the bottom-bar i' s inches wide when nailed. 



The object of the two parts to the bottom- 

 bar is to allow the foundation to come down 

 between them, thus making a close fit with- 

 out any pains to cut the foundation exactly. 

 After the comb is built in the frame the bot- 

 tom-bar is no better for being in two parts— 

 perhaps not so good. Some of my frames 

 have a solid bottom-bar i7^8XiHx'/». with the 

 foundation cut to fit exactly down on the 

 bottom-bar. I like them just as well. 



The side-spacing, which holds the frame 

 the proper distance from its next neighbor, is 

 accomplished by means of common wire- 

 nails. These nails are 1'* inches long and 

 rather heavy, about 3-32 inch in thickness, 

 with a head less than 'a inch across. By 

 means of a wooden gauge which allows them 

 to be driven only to a fixed depth, they are 

 driven in to such a depth that the head re- 

 mains projecting out a fourth of an inch. 



Each frame has four spacing-nails. A nail 

 is driven into each end of the top-bar on 

 opposite sides, the nail being about an inch 

 and a half from the extreme end of the top- 

 bar, and a fourth of an inch from its upper 

 surface. About 2.'* inches from the bottom 

 of the frame a nail is driven into each end- 

 bar, these nails being also on opposite sides. 

 Hold the frame up before you in its natural 

 position, each hand holding one end of the 

 top-bar. and the two nails at the right end 

 will be on the side from you. while the two 

 nails at the left end will be on the side near- 

 est to you. 



The end-spacing is done by means of the 

 usual staple, about H inch wide. 



Winter Packing and Heat Transferrence 



Having read your book and writings until I 

 feel as if we were your personal friends. I 

 make bold to furnish you with the informa- 

 tion that you say you lack in replying to 

 "Ontario." on page 52. of the February 

 American Bee Journal. While paper is 

 lacking, no doubt, in the absorptive proper- 

 ties that planer-shavings possess, it has only 

 about half the conductivity, the figures be- 

 ing, paper .27 to 35; mill shavings .65: 7'idg 

 "The Transmission of Heal Through Cold 

 Storage Insulation." by F^aulding. sold by D. 

 Van Nostrand Co.. 23 Murray St.. New York. 

 N. Y. So many factors enter into the matter 

 of heat transferrence that I feel that E. R. 

 Root and many other writers should master 

 the formulce in this little book before " lay- 

 ing down the law." I don't wish to be criti- 

 cal, especially of a person who is doing the 

 good that you are doing, but merely suggest 

 to be helpful, that all bee-writers should 

 have a book on refrigeration engineering. 



Michigan. 



Answer.— This letter from The Johnson 

 Milk Co.. Battle Creek. Mich., will help out 

 " Ontario." and perhaps others, in a matter 

 plainly not so well understood by bee-keep- 

 ers as it should be. The writer evidently 

 speaks ' by the card." and hearty thanks are 

 hereby tendered for the information. 



Exchanging Brood for Foundation — Hive- 

 Ventilation — Queen-Cage Candy 



1. When 2 frames containing brood are re- 

 moved from a hive, and frames with full 

 sheets of foundation are given, should the 

 latter be placed at the side, or where the 

 frames are removed? 



2. Would it be a good plan to bore holes in 

 the rear of the hive for ventilation ? and 

 where ? 



3. In Farmers' Bulletin «7. page 41, under 

 "introducing Oueens." Dr. Phillips writes 

 " In view of the fact that disease may be 

 transmitted in mailing cages, etc.. the queen 

 may then be put in a clean cage with candy 

 known to be free from contamination (made 

 from honey), etc." How is this kind of candy 

 prepared? Illinois. 



Answer.— The gist of the plan is to cage or 

 remove the queen after getting the colony 

 very strong. 8 or 10 frames of brood if pos- 

 sible; then in lu days divide into nuclei, 

 giving each nucleus 2 frames of brood with 

 queen-cell and adhering bees and a comb of 

 honey. So far nothing unusual. Now comes 

 the special part of the Somerford plan, 

 which is to close the entrances to the nu- 

 clei by stuffing into them green moss, grass. 



or leaves, making it so tight that the bees 

 will be 2 to 5 days gnawing it open. 



Replying to your questions, you can hardly 

 say that you return the queen to the parent 

 colony, for the colony is broken up; but you 

 do leave her on the old stand at the time of 

 division. My advice would be not to cage 

 the queen, for you will get more cells to re- 

 move her. If she is old. you may kill her. 

 Likely you will want to kill her. as she is 

 supposed to be extra-good stock. So when 

 you unqueen the colony, make a nucleus on 

 a new stand by taking two frames of brood 

 with adhering bees and the queen, also a 

 frame of honey. Then at the end of 10 days, 

 when you make the divisions, put the hive 

 with the queen on the old stand, and put 

 one of the nuclei on the stand from which 

 you have just taken the queen. Neither of 

 the entrances of these two hives should be 

 fastened shut. Thus you see the old queen 

 never stops laying. She is put in a nucleus 

 for 10 days, and then goes oack on the old 

 stand. 



Do not unqueen the colony until it is very 

 strong and the bees are busy gathering; and 

 this will not generally be until the time 

 when bees begin preparations for swarming. 



Using Hives Where Bees Died 



I wintered my bees in the granary last win- 

 ter, and of IQ colonies only 8 lived through 

 the winter. They seemed to be troubled 

 with dysentery, and the stuff they passed 

 was '4 inch thick on top of the frames. The 

 last 4 hours of the bees' lives they seemed 

 to pass nearly a teaspoonful. and all of very 

 bad odor. This winter I left them on the 

 summer stands with these results: From 18 

 colonies all but 3 died of the same disease. 

 The hives are full of nice looking honey. 

 Would It be all right to put a colony of bees 

 in these same hives without removing the 

 honey ? I have an idea that the sudden 

 change in temperature caused the hives to 

 become damp, and thus the disease. 



Minnesota. 



Answer.— The likelihood is that the gran- 

 ary was too cold a place. A well ventilated 

 cellar might give better results, being 

 warmer. It is possible, also, that they were 

 not packed warmly enough on the summer 

 stands, especially on top. It is just possible, 

 also, that the honey was at fault, but in that 

 case it would likely be dark from honey- 

 dew. It will be all right to use these hives 

 without removing the honey. Even if it 

 should be honey-dew, the bees can stand 

 that all right when flying daily. 



Getting Honey and Not Increase 



1. Suppose a person does not want to buy 

 any more hives then he has, and all his 

 hives are filled with bees. What is the best 

 way to follow to get a good honey crop; that 

 is. to prevent weakening colonies by swarm- 

 ing? In such a case, as I understand. " shook 

 swarming" can not be practiced, because 

 an empty hive is required. "The problem 

 then is. notwithstanding possibilites of 

 swarming, the colonies are to be maintained 

 to utmost capacity. Production is for comb 

 honey. 



2. On page 52, on "Prevention of Swarm- 

 ing. ' you say in answer to a question "If 

 you should remove the queen a few days, 

 etc.." I do not understand your answer. If 

 it takes a queen 16 to 17 days to develop {the 

 queen of the colony having been removed), 

 how could a swarm issue before the end of 

 8 days ? You will see that the item referred 

 to might answer my question, but if it does 

 so completely. I do not understand it. 



3. Did you ever practice the strengthening 

 of a weak colony oy reversing the hives, re 

 spectivelyof a weak and a strong colony? 

 As you seem to understand German. I will 

 state that Berlepsch recommends this dur- 

 ing a " volltracht." which I suppose means a 

 "fullfiow." This looks very easy, only may 

 be too late for securing full advantage from 

 the strengthened colony. 



I haves colonies, and so far every one has 

 wintered well. Yesterday (April 5) was 

 almost the first mild day. and things were 

 lively all over, even in case of a colony made 

 up last September by uniting, and which to 

 some extent had been robbed, and from 

 which I removed during the winter a lot of 

 dead bees. Pennsylvania. 



Answers.— I. A very old-fashioned way is 

 simply to return each swarm as many times 

 as it issues. That's all there is to it. You 

 will hardly like the plan— too much work. 

 You can cut out most of the work. When a 

 colony swarms, return the swarm and kill 

 or remove the old queen. Seven or 8 days 



later cut out all queen-cells but one— the 

 bees will do the rest. Instead of this way. 

 you may like another way: Return the 

 swarm and kill the queen, as before. In a 

 week begin to listen each evening for the 

 piping of the first virgin that emerges from 

 her cell, by placing your ear against the side 

 of the hive. You will hear her more easily 

 in the evening because it is quiet then. 

 When you hear her in the evening, go to the 

 hive the next morning and destroy .;// queen- 

 cells. There will be no more swarming. 

 This last way is better, because if you de- 

 stroy all cells but one you may not leave one 

 of the best cells; indeed, there is such a 

 thing as you leaving a cell with a dead larva 

 In it. 



2. Your estimate of 16 to 17 days is too 

 much. I- ifty years ago that was accepted as 

 correct, perhaps because observations were 

 made in nuclei or weak colonies. The latest 

 estimate is 15 days from the laving of the egg 

 to the emergence of the virgin from her cell, 

 if the colony is strong and all conditions 

 most favorable. "Virginia" proposes to 

 remove the queen, and then 8 days later de- 

 stroy all cells but one. Suppose the queen 

 had laid an egg in a Queen-cell before her 

 removal. In g days more, or 16 days from 

 the time the egg was laid. " Virginia " goes 

 to cut out cells, and finds the virgin is out 

 ahead of him. Suppose, however, that at 

 the time of the removal of the queen no 

 queen-cells had already been started. The 

 bees would start cells with larva; a day or 

 two old— possibly less than a day old— and 

 no virgin would emerge until 11 or 12 days 

 after the removal of the queen. In that case 

 he would be all right to kill cells 8 days after 

 dequeening. 



?. I think I never tried strengthening in 

 that way. There is danger of the death of 

 the queen in the weaker colony unless in a 

 time of a fullfiow. and strengthening of weak 

 colonies generally occurs before the heavy 

 now. or after it. 



Seemingly Resultless Effort — Soft Maple 

 — Getting Swarms from High Trees 



1. My bees work early and late on catnip, 

 sunflower, cucumbers and muck-melon 

 vines without any apparent success. 



2. Last year the outside-wintered colonies 

 produced more honey than cellar-wintered. 



3. Do bees get food or honey from the sap 

 of soft maple stumps or logs recently out in 

 the spring? 



To get a swarm from outside limbs of 

 rather high trees, take a long pole or two 

 fence-ooards nailed together, tack a horse- 

 shoe on the end, hook over the limb close to 

 the bees, then by giving a quick jerk the bees 

 will fall and fly, and likely to re-alight on the 

 pole. Unhook and let the bees down. 



Illinois. 



Answers.— I. Probably at the time they 

 are working on these plants they can not 

 gather more than they need for their daily 

 wants, yet that amount is important, for it 

 saves just so much of the stores already 

 present. 



2. That might, and it might not, be due to 

 wintering, but as you are only a little north 

 of latitude 40 degrees, outdoor wintering is 

 likely to be better for you. 



3. It is probably used up as food; but if 

 they should get enough of it they would no 

 doubt store it. 



Management to Prevent Swarming 



1. Just before swarming time if I raise the 

 brood-chamber and put an empty one under 

 it with a queen-excluding honey-board be- 

 tween them, then take one frame of brood 

 and the queen and put below, what will be- 

 come of the drones as they hatch out from 

 the upper story ? 



2. Should there be an entrance or hole in 

 the upper story for them to go out ? 



3. I believe this is called the Demaree 

 plan, is it not ? 



4. Do you consider this plan a good one 

 when only extracted honey is wanted and no 

 increase in number of swarms ? 



Subscriber. 



Answers.— I. In the course of time the 

 drones will die. and their dead bodies will 

 be found on the excluder. The workers will 

 tear the bodies in two. but will not be able 

 to pull the hard thoraxes through the ex- 

 cluder, where they will accumulate. Not a 

 nice thing, and yet it doesn't seem to do a 

 great deal of harm. 



2. Yes. and if you do not care to preserve 

 the drones it would not be a bad plan to 

 keep the hole generally plugged shut, open- 

 ing it once in every few days in the middle 



