702 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. i 



therefore no way of disposing of the honey profita- 

 bly, we should think that it would be cheaper lor 

 you to sell tlie honey and to substitute stores of su- 

 gar syrup. There is nothing better than good sugar 

 syrup for winter, and it is best to feed the best 

 granulated sugar mixed with about one-third its 

 volume of water, warmed enough so that it will 

 dissolve readily, but not boiled. 



It would not be too late to put in the combs of 

 honey the latter part of October provided the bees 

 have enough to live on until that time. We have 

 found that late feeding gives very good results if the 

 syrup is warmed so that the bees take it readily. — 

 Ed.] 



How to Pack Bees in a Car for Moving a Long 

 Distance. 



I have to move (i09 colonies of bees by rail, and by 

 the route we take they will be in the cars three 

 days. We will screen the top, and have an empty 

 super on for the bees to cluster in. The brood-nest 

 is AiU of honey, 40 or 50 lbs. Shall we leave the bot- 

 toms on and screen them, or just screen the en- 

 trance? Tell us all about shipping bees by the car- 

 load, watering them, loading them in the car, and 

 how you brace them to keep them from moving 

 about. You will know what information we want. 

 The bees are all in Root dovetailed hives complete. 



Maxwell, Texas, Oct. 3. M. E. VanEvery. 



[We would advise putting on screens only at the 

 top. An entrance screen may or may not be neces- 

 sary. We advise a screen, both top at bottom, when 

 the weather is hot and the bees are put in a close 

 box car. If some of your colonies are very strong it 

 may be advisable to use a screen at the top and bot- 

 tom; but an empty super with top screen only, we 

 think, would be amply sufficient for this time of 

 the year at least. 



Where so many colonies are shipped it is very 

 necessary that a man go along with the bees. He 

 should be provided with a watering-pot and several 

 square cans of water. If the bees cluster closely on 

 the wire cloth they should be sprinkled. This will 

 drive them off, so that the bees from below can get 

 air. 



The hives should be piled one above the other, 

 but in such a way that there will be at least a space 

 of five or six inches between each tier of hives. 

 More space would be better. If possible the aisle- 

 ways between the rows should be so disposed that a 

 man can get to any one of the individual hives. If 

 you can not provide more than about a space of 

 four or five inches between the tiers of hives we 

 would advise taking along a spraying-pump having 

 a small hose attached, so that a stream of water 

 can be directed between the tiers. There is no need 

 of using water unless the bees cluster closely on the 

 wire cloth. 



The hives should be securely braced in the rows, 

 and each row should be secured to the other rows 

 by means of cross-ties. 



It is very important that the hives be so placed 

 that the frames, if not wired, will be parallel with 

 the rails. A hive can stand a bumping shake end- 

 wise better than it can sidewise. If the combs are 

 securely wired and the frames self-spacing, it won't 

 matter very inuch how the combs stand with refer- 

 ence to the rails. — Ed.] 



Pointers on Public Demonstrations. 



As I am now making my wire cage for my apiary 

 demonstration at the fair to be given in Winamac. 

 I find it necessary to ask a few questions. 



1. The colony of bees will be located in the middle 

 of the street, on a platform, for four days. 8hall I 

 leave the top of the cage open except when I am 

 making the demonstration, or would you leave it 

 open at any time? 



2. Would you use an extra-strong colony, or just 

 an ordinary one? 



3. How many bees in a pound? 



4. How many bees in an ordinary colony of Ital- 

 ians? 



Winamac, Ind., Sept. 16. M. E. Bond. 



[1. The top of the cage should be closed when 

 making demonstrations before the public; but in 

 bee-yard work the top may ordinarily be left open. 



2. A medium-sized colony is better than an extra- 

 strong one, for the reason that it is easier to find 

 the queen. We usually use nothing larger than a 

 three-frame nucleus. 



3. The number varies according to circumstances. 

 If the bees have little or no honey in their sacs 



there will be a little over 5000 to the pound. When 

 they are loaded with honey there will be only about 

 4000. 



4. A good deal will depend upon what is meant by 

 "an ordinary colony of bees." In some localities, 

 especially where extracted honey is the object, and 

 hives are tiered up, there might be 10 lbs. of bees or 

 between 40,000 or 50.000. In other localities, where 

 comb honey is the object, and only a single comb- 

 honey super or a single-story hive, we should not 

 expect more than four or five pounds of bees, or 

 anywhere from 15,000 to 25,000.— Ed. J 



Taking Colonies Out of the Cellar in Hives from 

 which the Bottom-boards are Removed. 



My cellar is in sand, and at all times Is absolutely 

 dry. My hive-entrances are from % to % in., and 

 the full width of the hive. I have no trouble in 

 keeping the temperature above 42" in winter and 

 under or at 50*^ in the spring. I believe that my 

 bees would be all right in ray cellar, without bot- 

 tom-boards; but can you tell me about putting 

 them out in late sjiring? Would not the bees be 

 very apt to make trouble? It seems to me that 

 bees, if kept late in the cellar, would move out all 

 over the hive before one could put the hives on 

 bottom-boards outside. 



Manawa, Wis. E. E. Colien. 



[Since your conditions seem to be ideal we pre- 

 sume that your colonies would be quiet with the 

 bottom-boards left on. At any rate, you could put 

 them in that way, and then if you have to provide 

 more air, take them off. later in the cellar. It is a 

 good plan to remove colonies from the cellar when 

 the temperature is such that they will not fly to 

 any great extent. A cool day is all right, toward 

 evening; or if you could take them out by night, all 

 the better. If the bottom-boards were off, and if 

 the bees did give you trouble, you could set each 

 hive on the bottom-board in the cellarSbefore you 

 carry it out. In fact, that is the usual.way. — Ed.] 



Should Colonies that have been Moved have a 



Cleansing Flight before being Placed in the 



Cellar ? 



I am just building a bee-cellar, 10 x 24, and should 

 like to ask you if it would be advisable to move 100 

 colonies about VA miles and put them directly into 

 the cellar, or should they have a flight? The mov- 

 ing causes the bees to gorge themselves with hon- 



Circleville, Kan., Sept. 29. C. S. Bordner. 



[We do not believe it would be necessary for you 

 to give your bees a flight after you move them, be- 

 fore placing them in the cellar. A number of in- 

 stances have been reported of apiaries moved a 

 considerable distance, and placed directly in the 

 cellar with no bad results. 



So far as the bees gorging themselves with honey 

 is concerned, we think that the ordinary moving, 

 as when they are taken up from the summer stands 

 and carried to the cellar, usually, when the hives 

 are bumped around considerably, causes the bees 

 to fill up, probably, as much as yours would in be- 

 ing moved 1% miles, and so it would seem to us 

 that you could neglect this feature. — Ed.] 



Wintering Extra Queens. 



I have a young queen I should like to keep over 

 until spring. How can I do it? 



Canton, O., Oct. 4. F. K. Robinson. 



[It is a rather difficult matter to winter over an 

 extra queen unless you form a nucleus to keep her 

 in. Even then it requires rather close watching to 

 winter the nucleus safely. In a good cellar you 

 would not have much difficulty. Ordinarily the 

 best plan would be to destroy some old queen in the 

 apiary — one which would not amount to much the 

 next season, and put the extia queen in her place. 

 —Ed.] 



Interchanging a Laying Worker Colony with a 

 Normal Colony to Get a Queen Introduced. 



I had a queenless colony with fertile workers, and 

 I gave the bees a frame of young brood and eggs, 

 but they refused to start cells. I gave them anoth- 

 er frame of young brood and changed places with a 

 strong (lueenrlght colony, and cells were started at 

 once. I suppose the bees from the queen right col- 

 ony started them, not being satisfied with fertile 

 workers. 



Dunkirk, O. S. Longabaugh. 



