September, 1916. 



315 



American Bgc JonrnaTj 



-^.»^^# >"l 



western States which is given in the 

 eastern States. 



A motion by Mr. France was made 

 and carried to continue the present 

 organization to be known as the Miss- 

 issippi Valley Beekeepers' Association, 

 and meet again next year some time 

 during the first week in August. 



The committee named to make ar- 

 rangements for the next meeting was 

 Mr. N. E. France, Prof. Jager, Mr. Kil- 

 dow, and Mr. Hamlin B. Miller. 



J. W. StINE, Sec. 



An Announcement — It has been the 

 dream of beekeepers for many years 

 to have honey so widely and thoroughly 

 advertised that it would become an 

 article of common everyday household 

 use. This dream is now crystallizing 

 into substantial form. The United 

 Honey Producers are arranging to have 

 the food value of honey and domestic 

 use taught in the schools of the United 

 ■ States. Obviously there is no quicker 

 way to popularize it than to educate 

 our future housekeepers to use it in 

 the best manner. 



The school officials have been asked 

 if they would assist in this, and in 

 almost every instance they have agreed 

 to do so, if suitable bulletins are sup- 

 plied to the schools by the beekeepers. 

 The United Honey Producers are ar- 

 ranging to do this, and will print them 

 in quantities to supply all the schools. 

 This is a great opportunity, and as 

 the editor of the Western Honeybee 

 declares, "A grand idea, and no one 

 interested in the production of honey 

 can afford not to endorse it." 



We will take it for granted that you 

 do endorse it, but we want you to say 

 so. Write to your vice-president or 

 to the secretary and tell them so. It is 

 planned to have one or more beekeep- 

 ers in each county, and more when 

 possible, to represent the United Honey 

 Producers, and be ready when called 

 on to give simple demonstrations be- 

 fore the pupils, to supplement the in- 

 struction and for other necessary work 

 in connection with the United Honey 

 Producers. 



This is a matter of general impor- 

 tance as well as personal advantage to 

 the county members, as it will bring 

 liberal compensation to them in the 

 way of prestige as representatives of 

 the National organization. For the 

 present these positions will be filled by 

 volunteers, later they will be elective 

 or be appointive. 



The United Honey Producers will 

 specialize on this policy, and concen- 

 trate its efforts in pushing it to a suc- 

 cessful culmination. When its present 

 plans are successfully realized, then it 

 will take up some other things that are 

 needed and carry them out. The disci- 

 pline and organization that this cam- 

 paign will bring will make possible 

 other things. 



Detailed information can be obtained 

 by writing to your vice-president or to 

 the secretary. Geo. W. Williams, Sec. 



printed hereon. From the register of 

 elij^ibles resulting from this examina- 

 tion certification will be made to fill 

 two vacancies in this position in the 

 Bureau of Entomology, Department of 

 Agriculture, for duty in the field, at 

 salaries ranging from $1400 to $lt)00 a 

 year, and vacancies as they may occur 

 in positions requiring similar qualifica- 

 tions, unless it is found to be in the 

 interest of the service to fill a vacancy 

 by reinstatement, transfer, or promo- 

 tion. 



The services of an apicultural assis- 

 tant are desired in connection with ex- 

 tension work about to be undertaken in 

 the South. 



Competitors will be examine 1 in the 



Apicultural Assistant (Male) $1400- 

 $1600 The United States Civil Ser- 

 vice Commission announces an open 

 competitiveexamination for apicultural 

 assistant, for men only, on Sept. 20, 

 1916, at the places mentioned in the list 



following subjects, which will have the 

 relative weights indicated : 



Subjects Points 



1. Practical questions 40 



2. Thesis (to be delivered to the exam- 



iner on the day of the examination) 20 



3. Education and experience 40 



At least two years' experience with 

 apiaries of at least 100 colonies, or two 

 years' experience in apiary inspection 

 service, or two years' experience teach- 

 ing bee-culture in a college, is a prere- 

 quisite for consideration for this posi- 

 tion. For particulars, blanks and 

 nearest place of examination. Address, 

 U. S. Civil Service Commission, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. 



Dr. Miller's ^ Answirs* 



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-keepine questions by mail. 



Different Kinds of Italians 



In looking over the Bee Journal I find 

 mentioned bright Italian bees, three-banded 

 goldens and leather colored ones. Is there 

 any difference in them ii Indiana. 



Answer— You have probably not often 

 read of three-banded eoldens. Goldens are 

 generally supposed to have five bands. Per- 

 haps leather-colored have the general pref- 

 erence. " Bright" may apply to bees lighter- 

 colored than the leather-colored, although 

 " bright " is often applied in a general way. 



Cleaning Old Combs— Drone-Brood— Feeding 



1 We bought a pound of bees and a young 

 queen along in May. We put them in a hive 

 of old comDs in which bees had dwindled 

 away during winter. There is some brood 

 in the old combs that seems to be dead and 

 dried up. and bees don't seem to work on it. 

 Do you think it would be all right to uncap 

 it and see if bees will work on it that way ? 

 What do you think we should do with this 

 hive ? They have some brood, but very lit- 

 tle. We have tried feeding them from the 

 top with entrance feeders, but they do not 

 take it up very last; it takes them about a 

 week to :use a quart We also gave them 

 four or five frames of sealed brood, which 

 came out all right. ,, .u • 



2 In our brood-frames we have cells that 

 project H to M inch beyond other cells: they 

 look like worker cells: otherwise what are 

 they?; , , u . 1 



3 What is a good plan to make bees take 

 sugar syrup ? Pennsylvania. 



Answers.— I. It seems a little difficult to 

 understand how there should be sealed 

 brood in a hive in which a colony died in 

 winter, when generally there is no brood 

 present. However, the bees should be ex- 

 pected to clean it out, but not so very much 

 ahead of their needing it; that is, a weak 

 colony need not be expected to clean out 

 combs a considerable distance from their 

 brood-nest. But it will be a help to them 

 tor you to uncap the dead sealed brood, and 

 even to dig it partly out. Yet generally bee- 

 work is cheaper than man-work. 



When you gave four or five frames of 

 sealed brood to a pound of bees, it is quite 

 possible that there were not bees enough to 

 cover the brood properly, and that much of 

 it perished, for fouror five frameswell filled 

 with sealed brood should make a pretty col- 

 ony of itself. There is probably nothing 

 you should do more to help along, for when 



honey is yielding as it was at the time your 

 letter was written, feeding is not at all 

 needed, and will hardly do any good. 



2, The cells that have their cappings pro- 

 jecting contain drone-brood, and if there is 

 much of such work it shows the work of a 

 defective queen. 



3. It is no trick at all to get bees to take 

 syrup when weather is not too cold for them 

 to get at It, and they need it. But when they 

 are getting honey from the flowers they care 

 little for syrup made with sugar, and feed- 

 ing at such a time is needless When feed- 

 ingat a time when bees are getting nothing 

 from the fields, it is important to have the 

 feed so near the brood-nest that the bees 

 will not be chilled in getting to it. The 

 warmer the weather the farther they can go 

 for it. 



Lingstroth Hive— Increase^Not Working in 

 Super 



1. Is the hive patented which is made with 

 a porch or portico in the front, grooved 

 where supers and top fit on and having 

 bonded ends ? Would it be lawful for us to 

 make some, for our own use, over the same 

 pattern, with some changes ? Could we sell 

 a few of them? 



2. We have 12 colonies and wish to increase 

 from these. As yet we have had no swarms 

 to issue What is the best way to make 

 them swarm without using extra queens or 

 cells? ,, , ... . 



3. How can you tell that a swarm will issue 

 soon, without examining the hive ? 



4. What would you consider an average 

 swarm from an 8 frame hive ? 



5. What is a good way to get the bees to go 

 to work in the super? We are running for 

 comb honey, and have not been able so far 

 to get them to work in the sections. 



6. Is the enclosed queen, which I killed 

 while trying to transfer her colony, a full- 

 blood Italian or only a hybrid? How can 

 you tell ? Oklahoma. 



Answers.— I. The hive was covered by the 

 Langstroth patent, which expired years 

 ago, so you are at liberty to make, use, and 

 sell all you like. But you will do well to 

 leave off the portico, which is discarded 

 nowadays because it makes a fine refuge 

 for spiders. 



2 It may tend to hasten swarming if you 

 strengthen the colony by giving brood or 

 bees, or both, from other colonies. Also to 

 keep their room limited and to keep their 

 entrance rather small. But you can take 



