1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



combs. lOxK) inches, inside measure, to each of 

 the colonies run for extracted honey, for a 

 brood-nest, and over the queen -excluders I 

 placed 3 stories of Iti combs each, making 48 

 combs in all. These colonies seemed to do pret- 

 ty well for awhile; but on examination I found 

 three out of the four queens missing, although 

 there had been no swarming. 



Having taken the notion to run two families 

 side by side. I started about :.'0 nuclei at the 

 side of as many populous colonies; but instead 

 of using the perforated division boards I used 

 thin solid boards, having two rows of perforated 

 queen-excluding metal at the bottom, a strip of 

 the metal being tacked on each side of the wood 

 to keep the queens from " touching noses." The 

 queen-cells hatched all right enough; and as 

 the bees had their own entrance in a different 

 direction from that used by the bees of the 

 main hive. I expected to have the young queens 

 successfully fertilized: but before the time 

 came, when they might be expected to be lay- 

 ing, they mysteriously disappeared — killed, as I 

 supposed, by the bees of the main hive. 



My son and I decided, on finding our queens 

 all gone, that working bees on the twin-hive 

 principle would not pay us; so we separated 

 our colonies, and have not tried it since. 



From the experience I have had I would ad- 

 vise bee-keepers not to risk too much in work- 

 ing two queens in one hive. 



Lindsay, Ont., Nov. 27. S. Corneii.. 



[We are very glad to get this report just at 

 this time. It confirms the majority of reports 

 we had some time ago: and yet, if there are 

 conditions under which two queens can be 

 made to live in one hive, and give twice the 

 amount of brood and bees, we should like tO' 

 know what they are. Mr. Corneil's closing 

 caution is no doubt a wise one.] 



some reason not as much is made of them as 

 there should be. We desire to know not only- 

 more about how two (jueens may be kept in one 

 colony, but also when a plurality of queens may 

 be of .service. We are much obliged for the 

 facts you have given us. Whom shall we hear 

 from next on these points?] 



KEEPING TWO QUEENS IN A HIVE. 



SOMETIMES ADVISABLE AND SOMETIMES NOT. 



As yon invite contributions on the subject, 

 "Keeping two queens in one hive," found on 

 page 844. Nov. 15, 1 send you a few lines stating 

 a little of my experience, or the conclusions I 

 have come to. I think there is no bee-keeper 

 who has run 20 or more hives of bees a year or 

 two for extracted honey, with queen-excluding 

 honey-board, and fly-hole in top chamber, but 

 knows that two queens can be kept or reared in 

 one hive; and that, let it (the extra chatnber) 

 be at the back of a hive or the side or on top. 

 the principle is the same. I have kept bees for 

 over 20 years; but not until I made a specialty 

 (about eight years ago) of extracted honey did 

 1 find a young queen laying in the super, with 

 the old lady doing the same on the lower flat; 

 but as a producer of extracted honey I did not 

 see any use in having a laying queen upstairs: 

 so, if appearances were favorable, I started a 

 new colony with her, and a frame of the bees 

 and brood; if not. her head was pinched. !So I 

 agree witli Mr. (Jolden, that the knowledge of 

 being able to have two laying (|ueens in one col- 

 ony is old, and hundreds of bee-keepers must 

 have known it for years, and have made use of 

 the knowledge. When practical, it is a very 

 convenient way to supersede a ((ueen at times. 

 But I think the percentage of loss in queen-cells 

 and young queens is greater in this way than 

 by the nucleus plan. W. Hak.mei:. 



Manistee, Mich., Nov. 27. 



[Yes, we knew the id<'a of keeping two ((ueens 

 in a hive was old. and intimated as much on 

 page 843. Some old ideas are good, but for 



BEGINNER'S QUESTION-BOX. 



ANSWERS BY E. R. ROOT. 



L. A. IF., of 0., would like to know whether 

 the outdoor-packed colonies should have full- 

 width entrances. Ans. — Yes; and be sure they 

 are kept clear of any dead bees that may lodge. 



E. ir. P., of iVfn.s.v., has discovered that sev- 

 eral of his colonies are queenlcss, and would 

 like to know whether it would be advisable to 

 send oflf and get queens and introduce them. 

 ^7i.s. — At this time of year we believe we would 

 advise letting the bees alone until next spring. 

 When the bees begin to fly they ought to have 

 a queen introduced. 



J. M. C, of N. Y., writes that his bees in the 

 cellar are flying out of their hives, and dying 

 on the cellar bottom. ^?i.s.— Perhaps your 

 cellar is too warm. In this case give ventila- 

 tion but not light. We should not, however, 

 worry over them. They are generally old bees 

 that are too old or diseased to stay in the hive. 

 For the health of the occupants above the room, 

 as well as for the bees, we would keep the floor 

 swept up. Do not be alarined if you take out 

 half a peck of bees at a time in a cellar contain- 

 ing 2.5 or 30 colonies. 



M. A. C, of Penn., has a large family of 

 small children that play and romp on a floor 

 under which is a cellar containing some 3") or 

 40 colonies of bees. He would lil<e to know 

 whether the general noise and disturbance will 

 do any harm. Ans. — In scores of instances of 

 this kind we do not remember to have seen any 

 reports showing bad results following from such 

 disturbance above. We have wintered bees in 

 a cellar for three winters, under the living- 

 room: and while they were in the cellar we 

 have not discovered that romping or walking, 

 on the part of children or adults, did any harm. 



M. ./. R.. of Minn., writes that the snow has 

 piled up around the entrances of his hives, and 

 he inquires whether there is danger of the bees 

 sniotiiering by leaving them so. yl/is.— Ifthe 

 snow is light and not soggy, we would let it be. 

 A general thaw, followed by a freeze, may close 

 ui) some of the entrances, and it is possible that 

 it should be cleared away. Hut ordinarily, if 

 the colonies have absorbents such as big chaff 

 cushion'-; over the frames, we would let them 

 alone. They will gca enough air through the 

 cushion; so we think there will be no danger of 

 their smothering. 



L. M. D., of L(t.. says sugar is expensive, but 

 Ntnv Orleans molasses is ch(>ap. Would it be 

 safe to feed th(> latter? ^hn. — In your climate 

 we should not be afraid to risk it, as we assume 

 that the bees will hav(^ opportunity for occa- 

 sional flghts. The best sugar stores are not 

 necessary, except in the extreme North; and 

 even then the bees winter well on buckwheat 

 honey, cheap mola.sses, and other inferior 

 sweets. Hut here in the North, granulated- 

 sugar syrup, as it contains so large an amount 

 (if sweet fi)r th(^ money, is about as cheap as 

 any thing that can be given to the bees. 



F. ('. F., of iris., is rather hard up for money 

 this year, and can not afford winter cases or 



