March, 1916. 



American l^ee Journal 



The Missouri Apicultural Society. — - 



The Missouri meeting was held during 

 Farmers' Week at Columbia, Jan. 4 and 

 5. Two large rooms in the Horticul- 

 tural Building were allotted to the so- 

 ciety. One of these was used as an 

 assembly room, with display of litera- 

 ture and honey. The other contained 

 models of hives and supers, all occupy- 

 ing one long table. On another table 

 were the implements of the craft. 



This being the first meeting since the 

 granting of the charter, a constitution 

 and by-laws were adopted. Treasurer 

 J. F. Diemer, of Liberty, unable to be 

 present, sent a short, spicy paper on 

 "How I Began." E. B. Gladish, of 

 Higginsville, also unable to appear, 

 sent his brother, Mr. Charles Gladish. 

 Mr. Gladish's subject, "What Hive 

 Shall I Use ?" led to a discussion which 

 brought out the fact that beemen gen- 

 erally are discarding the 8 frame for 

 the 10-frame hive with the Hoffman- 

 Langstroth frame. 



The society is most fortunate in 

 coming at once into close relations 

 with the Department of Horticulture 

 of the State University. Dr. Leonard 

 Haseman, associate professor of ento- 

 mology, aided by an admirable work- 

 ing model of a bee, delivered a plain 

 and very interesting lecture on "The 

 Anatomy of the Bee." It was the kind 

 of lecture that would entertain and in- 

 struct a gathering of farmers or of 

 scientists — just the thing for a rural 

 school. 



But all the time there was a stream of 

 visitors who demanded to be " shown." 



On the last day the program was en- 

 tirely abandoned and Mr. Tyler, Prof. 

 Haseman and Mr. Darby had their 

 hands full, as they took class after 

 class — a few individuals in each group, 

 past the tables, explaining the nature 

 and purpose of the hive, how and why 

 it is constructed, answering questions 

 on the manipulation and care of bees, 

 elucidating the uses of the extractor 

 and of the different implements to be 

 seen on the tables, and doing a general 

 promotion work. Young men were 

 there who wished to make their farm 

 incomes greater. Students from the 

 university were there, attracted by what 

 they had learned in their courses in 

 entomology; women and girls were 

 there who liked honey and were willing 

 to help produce it. Some teachers and 

 county superintendents were there, who 

 manifested a ready sympathy in the 

 thought that boys and girls might take 

 blue ribbons at school fairs for honey 

 just as well as for corn, poultry or pud- 

 dings. The society gained a new out- 

 look upon its opportunities, and the 

 prospect is highly encouraging. 



Officers were elected as follows : 

 President, E. E.Tyler. Columbia; Vice- 

 president, Emil F. Nebel, High Hill ; 

 Secretary, Austin D.Wolfe, Parkville ; 

 Treasurer, J. F. Diemei, Liberty. 



The society plans to enlist the co- 

 operation of the extension department 

 and the home economics department 

 of the university, and to inaugurate a 

 campaign to popularize the production, 

 consumption and sale of honey on the 

 farms of Missouri. A. D. Wolfe, Sec. 



Dr.Miluer*s ^ Answers^ 



Send Questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal or direct to 



Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, II',. 



He does not answer bee-keeping questions by mail. 



One Clipped, All Clipped— Uniting, Superseding 



1. I have read that where any queens in 

 an apiarj are clipped all should be. The 

 writer added. " I( you don't know why, try it 

 and you will learn why." I would like to 

 learn without trying. Can you tell why ? 



2. When colonies are weak in the spring, 

 all having queens, would it work well to 

 keep them separate, getting the increase of 

 all the queens until just before the honey 

 Row. then uniting to make strong colonies 

 for the honey flow. 



i. How do you determine when a queen is 

 unprofitable and should be superseded ? 



Indiana. 



Answers.— I. I think if any are clipped all 

 should be. just because there's as much rea- 

 son for clipping all as one. But I don't know 

 any reason why it would not work all right 

 to have only part clipped. At any rate I'd 

 rather have three-fourths clipped than none. 



2. Yes. 



3. Settle it by the work of the colony. If 

 the colony stores less than the average, the 

 queen is a good candidate for supersedure. 

 If it stores away beyond the average, the 

 queen should be allowed to live as long as 

 possible. 



Honey Drink for Babies 



Articles in the past in our bee journals say 

 that sugar as a winter store leaves the bees 

 in a dull, weak condition in spring, while 

 good clover or basswood honey brings forth 



in spring bees full of life and activity. We 

 have had several articles in the past two 

 years on good honey as winter stores. If 

 this is the case it would be well for all doc- 

 tois to be encouraged to use honey as a 

 baby drink, for if it acts on bees why not on 

 the babies? New 'VoRK. 



Answer.— There might be some question 

 as to the advisability of givinga daily allow- 

 ance of sugar to a baby, but I think there 

 can be no question as to the superiority of 

 honey over sugar for that purpose. To be 

 assimilated as food, the cane sugar must be 

 inverted, and it is just possible, at least at 

 times, that the inverting might put upon the 

 tender baby organs too much of a burden, a 

 burden that would be spared in the case of 

 honey, whose sugar is already inverted. 

 Then there are elements, iron. etc.. con- 

 tained in honey that are not found in sugar 

 at all. Although in minute quantity, they 

 are important, and whatever may be best in 

 the case of the baby, there can be no doubt 

 that children in general, and indeed grown- 

 ups, would be better off. in some cases very 

 ereatly better off. if honey could replace at 

 least a part of the more than 8o pounds of 

 sugar now consumed as the average for 

 every man. woman, and child in the United 

 States. It is doubtful if the average physi- 

 cian is as well informed as he should be on 

 this subject. 



Using Comb Honey Supers for Extracting 



How can I use the supers that honey has 

 been taken out of by the bees ? I want to 

 work for extracted honey this summer. 



Chicago. 



Answer.— I should guess from your ques- 

 tion that you have been producing section 

 honey and want to change to extracted. You 

 cannot well use the sections and their con- 

 tainers for extracting, but will have to use 

 frames the same as in the brood-chamber or 

 shallower. If I haven't guessed right, please 

 ask again. 



Traps— Why Not Used? 



1. Does the Alley queen and drone trap 

 catch the queen every time when she tries 

 to get away with the swarm, and are the 

 bees more irritated than when left to pro- 

 ceed naturally to the limb of a tree? 



2. How do the bees act when a trap is 

 used ? Do they fly around and come back 

 when the queen is not with them and clus- 

 ter on the trap? What is the length and 

 height of an Alley trap for a lo-frame hive ? 



3. What is the reason that beekeepers do 

 not use them more, and there is nothing in 

 the bee journals and papers about them ? 



Illinois. 



Answers.— I. The trap retains the queen 

 and the drones, but you will probably not 

 notice that they are irritated by it. 



2. The swarm will issue just the same as 

 if there were no trap, and the bees may set. 

 tie in a cluster just the same as if the queen 

 were with them. As soon, however, as they 

 discover the absence of the queen the bees 

 will return to the hive. Often they will dis- 

 cover the absence of the queen while on the 

 wing within a very few minutes of issuing, 

 and sometimes not until they have remained 

 hanging in a cluster several minutes. The 

 trap may be of any size, only so it allows no 

 bees to emerge except through the trap. 



3. A chief reason why traps are not more 

 used is because beekeepers so generally 

 have their queens clipped and need no 

 traps. Then, too, neither traps nor clipping 

 will entirely prevent swarming, at least sat- 

 isfactorily. If a trap be kept on. the bees 

 will keep swarming and returning until a 

 virgin is reared, and if the trap prevents the 

 virgin from flying you will have a drone 

 layer on your hands. 



Cutting Out Cells When Piping Is Heard— Will 

 It Prevent Suvarming ? 



When, in the evening, we hear queens 

 piping, and next morning c;r;-i' queen-cell is 

 cut out will said colony swarm? My con- 

 tention is they will not. At our State bee- 

 keepers' meeting there were some who ar- 

 gued they would. Wisconsin. 



Answer.— When piping is heard in the 

 evening, and cells are killed next morning 

 without missing any. I have never heard of a 

 case where swarming occurred. I think the 

 plan may be relied on as well as almost any 

 plan with such uncertain things as bees. 

 But it is a plan I would hardly advise you to 

 use. since you can get the bees themselves 

 to kill the cells, and they are not in danger 

 of missing cells. When the prime swarm is 

 hived, set it on the old stand with the old 

 hive close beside it. A week later move the 

 old hive lo feet or more away to a new 

 stand, and all the field bees from the old 

 hive when they return from foraging will 

 join the swarm. That will so discourage 

 the old colony that it will destroy all cells 

 as soon as the first virgin emerges. 



Italian Bees — Bottom-Board 



1. Can you give a full description of the 

 Italian bee ? 



2. I have a bottom-board that is reversible 

 H inch on one side and ."& inch on the other. 

 Can you tell me when to use each side ? 



