428 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July 1 



comes the peculiar part. On one frame there were 

 two sealed (iiieen-cells: on an .ther frame two seal- 

 ed ciueeu-cells, an-l one cell on each of three other 

 frames, which made seven sealed queen-cells just 

 two weeks after hiving the swarm. 



There was not an egg nor a larva in the hive ex- 

 cept these seven queen-cells. If the queen went 

 into the hive with the swarm and laid these eggs, 

 wh.v should sue not lay more than .seven? and why 

 should she lay them on five different frames? 

 What became of her? 



I hived the swarm on the 18th, and on the 20th I 

 worlced in my aol ry two ir three hours. During 

 that time I had frames of brood and eggs, examin- 

 ing them all the time. The (lueens that hatched 

 from these cells were Italians. Does not that prove 

 that bees will steal eggs? 



Mt. Pleasant, Ala. .Joseph S. Scott. 



An Apiary of Badly Confused Bees; What Caused 

 Such a Wholesale Loss ? 



We took over an ajiiary the loth of March which 

 was in poor condition, yet good enough so that we 

 thought that about 80 of lOfi colonies would come 

 through. We left them in the hands of the previous 

 owner to care for them for two months. He was 

 etiualiziug the colonies at the time of the purchase, 

 and had equalized about sixty. We had liim stop 

 this, as none of them were strong enough to stand 

 any loss. lie neglected to see to them further, how- 

 ever, which fact we discovered in spite of his asser- 

 tions to the contrary in about a month and a half. 

 We then took charge, finding about fiO colonies, 

 some in fair condition, with a queen and two or 

 three frames of bees. They kept getting weaker in 

 spite of a banner spring. The more we did for them 

 the worse they got: but it was little we could do. 

 The numbers were less each week. We looked un- 

 til May 1. Only 25 colonies were to be found. Now 

 there are but 10. and we do not expect to find them 

 next time, although they have five and six frames 

 of brood. 



The bees were moved from a poor location near a 

 stream about the first of March, and placed on a 

 hillside. They were placed very near together— a 

 foot or so. We understand this to be a poor plan, 

 yet I have seen in Glbaning.s photos of yards ,so 

 laid out. which the owner. 1 believe, claimed to 

 have had good success with, for I concluded that 

 the total destruction of an apiary would not result 

 from such a plan. 



We found the bees badly confused. Four or five 

 queens were found In one hive with a dozen bees or 

 so. Queens were runnlnir around on the ground 

 with eight or ten bees after each. Illves which had, 

 at our previous visit, some bees and brood and 

 queens, were found deserted, with brood chilled. 

 In short, the entire apiary seemed crazy. It was 

 not always the small colonies that were found miss- 

 ing by any means. Now we know something about 

 spring dwindling— what it looks like. I mean. We 

 have had bees abscond after shipment, and because 

 of too large entrances when the swarm was small. 

 We have seen some results of l)ad or too old queens: 

 but we do not know what to think about a whole 

 apiary of 1(X) colonies being completely demoralized. 



I might add that we saved some of the queens and 

 put them in other apiaries, where they did very 

 well. 



We do not mind the loss of the bees: but we should 

 like to get some clue as to wh.at was the cause if we 

 could. I presume we ought to know, but we don't. 



Our own bees (we have some nine outyards) are 

 doing better than in any year we ever have had, so 

 we are pretty sure it could not be the weather. 



Lander, Wyoming, May 23. H. P. Dyar. 



[From your general description It Is a little diffi- 

 cult to decide the exact cause of your trouble. 

 There are some symptoms that would indicate bee- 

 paralysis: and there are others that Indicate ICuro- 

 pean foul brood. The fact that you speak of chilled 

 brood or dead brood, and the further fact that the 

 whole apiary seems to be running down, rather 

 j)OInt to a brood dlsea.se of the Kuropean type. In 

 the process of equalizing, such disease will be, of 

 course, greatly aggravated, as the Infection would 

 spread from hive to hive. 



Generally It Is a mistake to put hives close to- 

 gether: but this could not account for the general 

 and wholesale depletion of the whole apiary. It 

 might result in some colonies being overstrong, 

 others very weak, and the less of some queens. 



You say that four or five queens were found In 

 one hive with a dozen bees or so. 'I'his is a very 

 peculiar (not to say unusual) combination. 



We might suggest fuithcr that the bees had been 

 working upon trees that h.ul been sprayed with 

 poisonous mixtures: but aft jr the spraying season 

 was over the survivors oughi to recover speedily, 

 l)roviding the (lueens had not been destroyed. 



Taking it all in all. we confess we are unable to 

 give a satisfactory answer: and if any of our sub- 

 scribers, located in the vicinity or elsewhere, can 

 throw any light on this we should be pleased to 

 have them do so.— Kd.] 



Excluders with the Bee-spaces Running Crosswise 

 of the Frames. 



In regard to the honey-boards. I think the Iled- 

 " break-joint " idea would be right for wood wire 

 excluders slatted lengthwise (or wood-zinc exclud- 

 ers either), if all bee-keetJers spaced their frdnfHiilike. 

 But they don't. .Some — probably most -jam the 

 first Hoffman frame right up against the wall of the 

 hive. Othens, using more care and sense, leave a 

 full bee-space there. Then there are others — myself 

 among them — who prefer a spacing of not less than 

 IH in. from center to center. In actual practice I 

 have a variety of spacings on account of having a 

 miscellaneous outfit of hives and frames, and an in- 

 clination to project and experiment. 1 am decided- 

 ly of the opinion that, In the above styles of honey- 

 boards, openings inistead of slats should be next the 

 outside rim. 



1 am well satisfied, however, that any style of ex- 

 cluder is better with the openings crosswise than 

 with them lengthwise. The easiest way for the bees 

 to get up through excluders is for them to walk up 

 the side of a frame and through a convenient open- 

 ing in the excluder. When the openings run cross 

 wise they are sure to be convenient, no matter what 

 the spacing of the frames may be. Consider the 

 matter— think of the difference to the bee. In one 

 case It steps from a frame on to the edge of an open- 

 ing in the excluder, which is easy. In the other 

 case it has to < rawl along the under side of the ex- 

 cluder and perform a g.vmnastic stunt of worming 

 itself through the opening, which is very difficult. 

 Is it any wonder in the latter case that the board 

 should be a " honey-excluder" ? 



Probably the easiest excluder for the bees to pass 

 through Is the unbound zinc with perforations 

 crosswise, .set down on the frames. I prefer a bound 

 excluder, however, because I can see that It's there 

 without opening the hive, and can give the bees an 

 opening direct from the outside if I wish. 



Ft. McKa . ett, Texas. F. L. Wignall. 



An Empty Super Below the Brood-nest to Pre- 

 vent Swarming. 



The di.scussion on the subject of deep bottom- 

 boards only puts me to doubting again on a difficul- 

 ty I thoughi I had solved. In the Oklihoma Farm 

 Journal of July 15, 1908, Mr. Wright, of our experi- 

 ment station, recommended, a^a means of prevent- 

 ing swarming, placing an empty super below the 

 brood-nest. It struck me that this was about the 

 simiilest and easiest way 1 had heard of: so. in 

 writing to him later I asked him If there wouli be 

 dancer of the bees building comb in this .space 

 His reply is as follows: 



"As to the emi)ty super below the brood-nest I 

 must say that there is but little danger of comb be- 

 ing built in it if the bees have super room above I 

 liave had them working In two supers above the 

 brood-nest, but not a comb built in the empty .super 

 below. W. R. Wkh.ht." 



This seems to me to be in direct cTnllict with Dr. 

 Miller. How.'ver, your statemei't, thai ' this ques- 

 tion must be largely one of locality." may explain 

 matters. If so. then 1 might still tr.\ the easy plan. 

 What do you think of It? 



Nashville, Okla. G K. Le.mon. 



[We do not vuiderstand that this is In direct con- 

 flict with Dr. Miller. In any e\ ent we ask Dr. .Mil- 

 ler, In a Straw, to explain.— lOn. I 



