1917 



AMERICAN BEK JOURNAL 



27 



the crop was large they recommended 

 as high a price as last year, not without 

 some misgivings. But the greater de- 

 mand for honey, owing to better adver- 

 tising and the higher prices of sweets 

 in general, helped the sales and the 

 crop is almost entirely gone, with a 

 brisk demand in prospect for 1917. 



Very interesting addresses were given 

 by the president, Mr. Krouse, and 

 Messrs. Armstrong, Webster. Chrysler, 

 Sladen, Bisbee, Duff, Evans, Deadman, 

 Bainard and others. On the evening 

 of the second day, a banquet attended 

 by nearly lOO.was followed with an illus- 

 trated address by Wm. Couse, on the 

 past presidents of the association. Mr. 

 Couse outdid himself, by the lively in- 

 terest he created, with anecdotes and 

 interesting information concerning 

 leading men of the past. 



It would take more space than we 

 can give to mention all the interesting 

 points brought out during the three 

 days of the convention. We will men- 

 tion but a few. 



Mr. Webster spoke of the Alexander 

 idea of keeping nine or 10 queens lay- 

 ing, at one time, in one hive. He had 

 tried this to his heart's content and 

 considered it difficult to keep even two 

 queens in one hive, separated by a 

 queen excluder, during the honey crop. 

 The old plan of nature of a single 

 queen in each hive is still the rule, in 

 spite of theories. 



Mr. Bisbee indicated a method for 



finding a queen readily. The hive is 

 raised from its bottom-board and 

 placed over a cloth which has been 

 painted with carbolic acid a day or 

 two previously. A queen-excluder and 

 a hive full of combs are placed over the 

 colony. The bees and the queen ascend 

 in the endeavor to escape the odor of 

 the carbolic fumes and the queen is 

 retained by the queen-excluder upon 

 which she is found invariably in a very 

 short time. 



The purchase of pound packages of 

 bees in early spring was discussed in a 

 lively manner, especially after the arri- 

 val of Mr. Achord, of Alabama, who 

 has had great experience in the ship- 

 ping of bees. A criticism was made by 

 several purchasers of the shortage of 

 food given them by shippers, for long 

 distance shipment. It appears that 

 most of the losses in transit may be 

 ascribed to this shortage. The recom- 

 mendation was made to hive these bees 

 on drawn combs and to avoid shaking 

 them out in front of the hive, as in that 

 case some of the bees get lost. 



The association has a very active 

 secretary, an excellent president and 

 enthusiastic membership. Success is 

 certain. 



The meeting was held in the hall of 

 the Hotel Carls-Rite. This was very 

 satisfactory; the weather was stormy 

 and the hotel accommodations were of 

 the best and quite reasonable. We will 

 long remember the comfort and pleas- 

 ure of this meeting. 



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-keeoine Questions by mail. 



Fermented Honey 



1. From two supers from one hive and one 

 super from another hive I found here and 

 tliere cells with the capping bulged up like 

 a water blister, and when uncapped the 

 contents were frothy. What was the prob- 

 able taa^:? Not all frames nor all supers 

 were affected. 



2. As this is certainly fermentation, will 

 such combs be fit for use next season ? 



It has been suggested to me that the trou- 

 ble is due to honeydew. but I have not had 

 any experience along that line. 



New Jersey. 



Answers.— I. That beats me. The only 

 thing I can think of is some peculiarity of 

 the honey— or honeydew— that favored fer- 

 mentation; but why should it be only in 

 scattered cells? You will have to look 

 elsewhere for an answer. 



2. The combs will be all right to use again, 

 provided they be cleaned up by the bees 

 this fall, as they should be in any case. 



Transferring — When ? — Feeding 



1. In the Guernsey method of transferring 

 is it necessary when the new frame hive is 

 set on the old box-hive that the bottom of 

 the frame hive be closed except where it fits 

 over the box hive, the latter being smaller 

 than the box-hive ? 



2. When is the best time to do transferring 

 in this section, southeastern Alabama ? 



3. Is it necessary to feed bees when you 

 leave the comb-honey supers on for winter, 

 the colony only being of moderate strength ? 



Alabama. 

 Answers.- I. I have not now in mind full 

 particulars of the Guernsey method, and 

 you do not say where it is to be found, sol 



can answer only in general terms. It used 

 to be considered quite important to have 

 everything bee-tight, above and below, but 

 now it is not so considered. Indeed, in Eng- 

 land, where more transferring is done than 

 here, it is quite the thing now to have it 

 open between the lower and upper hive, so 

 that the bees are in plain sight as they pass 

 up into the new hive. 



2, In fruit-bloom it is the time generally 

 chosen, as at that time the combs are not 

 heavy with honey, and bees are also in good 

 condition to build comb and make the 

 proper repairs. 



3. Generally it will not be necessary; yet 

 if there is not enough honey at the disposal 

 of the bees, feeding is imperative. 



How to Keep Down Swarming 



I have II colonies of bees and wish your 

 advice as to how to run them for honey and 

 increase. Our honey flow does not com- 

 mence here until about July lo; no flowers 

 except some from fruit trees. Can I begin 

 about May lo and feed ? Would the colonies 

 swarm before July 10. or could I divide the 

 colonies and make three colonies of each 

 one? In either case how much should I 

 feed ? Bees do not swarm here until during 

 the honey flow, and swarming cuts short the 

 honey crop. 



This year I had one colony swarm about 

 May 15. What caused them to swarm so 

 early ? They made about 150 pounds of 

 honey. 



Perhaps you could suggest some better 

 plan. Our honey comes from sweet clover, 

 and if I can overcome the swarming prob- 

 lem my bees can easily store 150 pounds of 



honey each season This year only three 

 colonies swarmed. Why was this? I he old 

 and new swarms averaged over rv* pounds 

 each, but other years they have not done so 

 well as they swarmed during the honey flo*f. 



Wyominc. 



Answer —You say if you can overcome 

 the swarming problem you can get 150 

 pounds per colony, I have been trying lor 

 50 years to find out how to overcome that 

 problem, and many others have been work- 

 ing at it. and it's still a problem. However. 

 I have done somethini; toward it. and if you 

 will study my book. " Fifty Years Among the 

 Bees." I think you will find more on the sub- 

 iect than can be found elsewhere. 



You ask why only three of your colonies 

 swarmed this year. I don't know. If I had 

 full particulars, maybe I could answer, and 

 maybe I couldn't. Neither can I say why 

 one colony this year swarmed as early as 

 May 15. although very likely one reason was 

 that it was extra strong. 



Whether your schemeof feedingwill work 

 depends. If there is absolutely nothing yield 

 ing from May 10 to July 10, then feeding will 

 do great good, and you will feed steadily 

 just enough so that there shall never be 

 much honey ahead in the brood-chamber, 

 perhaps not more than five pounds. If. 

 however, there is enough honey coming in 

 so that the queen never stops laying up to 

 the time of the harvest, then your feeding 

 will do harm rather than good. 



The Hive to Use for Outdoor 



Which of the three different hives do you 

 prefer for outdoor wintering ; No. i. outside 

 measurements, scant 14 inches wide. 21/^ 

 inches long, and 12 deep. (Juinby pattern 

 hive, brood-frame 11 inches deep under top- 

 bar. No. 2. 20 inches long, scant i3!< wide, 

 <)ii inches deep, outside measurements. No. 

 3, 20K inches long. g!4 deep, and 16 inches 

 wide, outside measurements. Nos. 2 and 3 

 use Lanestroth frames. My father has been 

 in the bee business for over s^> years, and 

 has always used Quinby hiveswith a dummy 

 on each side, and has run for comb honey 

 He has always wintered in a bee-cellar un- 

 der the house. We have 100 colonies at this 

 time, and I am thinking of starting an out- 

 yard next year. 1 want to make the hive 

 most satisfactory for wintering outdoors 

 with good outside cases. New York. 



Answer I should expect a little better 



wintering in the first hive mentioned, with 

 its deeper frame and more nearly spherical 

 shape. 



Kind of Bees — Swarms — Requeening — Transferring 



1. I am sending a sample of bees I have in 

 myapiary. Kindly tell me what kind they 



2. What causes bees to start to work at 

 the bottom of a super instead of at the top. 



3. When my bees swarmed out this year 

 the swarms were small. What was the 

 reason ? 



4. What causes a swarm of bees to go away 

 without alighting? 



5. In introducing a queen to a colony what 

 causes the bees to kill her and rear one of 

 their own ? 



6. I have a swarm of bees in a box-hive 

 whicii I would like to put in a movable- 

 frame hive. Could I take the bottom board 

 off of the box-hive and put it on top of a new 

 hive with full sheets of foundation just like 

 a super ? Will the bees be likely to go down 

 and work in the new hive and stay there 

 when they get their old hive full ? 



7. What causes a colony 10 get queenless ? 



8. I didn't get all my requeening done this 

 fall. If 1 put in new queens in May will that 

 prevent them from swarming? 



Q. I was feeding a colony about four 

 pounds of honey this fall for about lourdays. 

 Will they start brood-rearing? 



Minnesota. 



Answers.— I. I have some doubt whether 

 the man is yet born who can take three or 

 four dried-up dead bees and tell what kind 

 they are. Certainly I can't. Alive, they 

 might or might not be told; death makes 

 the case harder still. The specimens sent 



