January, 1915. 



American Hee Journal 



other colonies that have made no such 

 oreparations. provided they are strong: for 

 some colonies make no preparation for 

 swarming throughout the entire season. 



3 It is a common thing for bees to prowl 

 about and try all crevices of hives at any 

 time when flight has been stopped, and after 

 a rain and it is quite possible that your nar- 

 rowing the entrances may have prevented 

 a bad case of robbing. 



4 It is possible that there may be a strain 

 of bees naturally given to robbing; yet you 

 will find that all bees are inclined that way 

 when opportunity offers at a time when 

 nothing is to be had in the field. Please un- 

 derstand that bees have no morals and 

 when they can't get honey from the fields it 

 seems entirely honest to get it from some 

 other hive if they can. and you will prob- 

 ably find that the better they are at gather- 

 ing from the field the better they are at rob- 

 bing if they turn in that direction When 

 robbingoccurs.it is not generally because 

 the bees are such bad robbers, but because 

 the beekeeper has done some fool thing to 

 expose a weak colony and start robbing. 

 Keep colonies always strong and avoid the 

 start Bees that have once engaged in rob- 

 bing are the more inclined to begin another 

 time, but it is not true to say of them. Once 

 a robber always a robber." 



Fastening an Extractor 



Please tell how to fasten down the honey 

 ^vtrlrtor where a person extiacts honey by 

 hand ?t seems to me extractors ought to be 



to the floor. 



ANSWER -They a« made to fasten down 

 to the floor; at least some of them are. 

 There are two handles to the extractor one 

 at each side toward the top. A strong hook 

 is fastened into the floor at each side, with 

 iron rods extending from hook to hand e, 

 arranged with screws so that they can be 

 screwed UP tight, the same as a bucksaw. 

 Even with this, a jiggling motion will sonrie- 

 times start, increasing in violence until it 

 seems things would shake to pieces The 

 important thing is to have the extractor 

 fastened so solidly that there cannot be the 

 least chance for vibration to iegn,. Some 

 have a 2x4 or other timberacross one corner 

 of the room, resting on top of one edge of 

 the extractor. Less in the way. and perhaps 

 equallv satisfactory, is the plan of fasten- 

 ing the top of the extractor to the wall, f 

 the top does not stand so close to the wall 

 as to touch, nail a block or board upon the 

 wall to make it so. Then nail on other 

 blocks, one of them projecting down an 

 inch or so into the extractor, or else drive a 

 spike and bend itover. so that the extractor 

 shall be held solidly to the wall. 



lAs much as possible avoid putting combs 

 of very unequal weight in the baskets.- 

 C. P. D.l 



Feeding Syrup— Robbing, Etc. 



I 1 made some candy and put it in frames 

 and oUced them in the hives. A few days 

 fater foinid much of it scattered on he 

 bottom board. I must have overcooked the 

 candiO I then took out the frames and gave 

 them two to one syrup instead Now. can I 

 makea svruDout of that candy, either two 

 tTone fo winter feeding or halfand half for 

 stimulative feeding without injuring the 



''*!' Vow "" o""-' '^" ™*"^" 'here is honey- 

 ''V'-When I take a frame out of the hive the 

 bees start to hll themselves with honey. Do 

 thi? replace that honey in the cells vyhen 

 the hive is closed or do they retain it in 

 heirslomachs? A bee man here told me 

 that they digest it. but it is hard to believe. 



4 I found one colony with about 100 bees 

 and the queen. Two weeks before it was 

 quite strong, when I gave it one quart of two 

 to one syrup and one frame of candy. I 

 caged the queen, but she was so weak she 

 died in a few hours. .Some of the candy was 

 eaten, the syrup disappeared, and w^hat lit- 

 tle was left of it granulated on the bottom of 

 the Alexander feeder. There were more 

 yellow jackets in the hive than bees. Do 

 you think the yellow jackets overpowered 

 the bees? The bees were hybrids. 



5. Is buckeye honey bad for bees ? 



6. In making syrup two to one in boiling 

 water, after it is thoroughly mixed, is it 

 necessary to put it on the stove to let it 

 come to a boil? California. 



Answers.— I. If the candy has not been 

 scorched, it can be used the same as sugar 

 for any syrup. If it has been scorched.it 

 cannot be used for winter food, but may be 

 used at any time when bees have daily 

 flights. 



2. I don't believe I can tell you in words 

 how you can decide as to honey-dew. I 

 couldn't tell in words just how an orange 

 tastes. The dark color of honey-dew and 

 peculiar taste help to decide, but I can't 

 tell what that taste is. If you know the 

 bees are working on some tree where there 

 are no flowers, you may be suspicious. 



3. Both. That is, they return it to the 

 cells except what they need at the time for 

 their own use, which latter they would take 

 from the cells anyhow. 



4. I don t know Like enough the yellow 

 jackets merely came in at the last. 



5. I think I never heard it was. 



6. All that's needed is to dissolve the sugar, 

 even if in cold water. 



more cells for eggs, then give the additional 

 room by way of another story. 



2. No. no damage is likely to occur from 

 putting a second story below before it is 

 needed; for " indeed this second story is 

 often given long before it is needed.'' and 

 "putting an empty story below does not 

 cool off the bees like putting one above." 

 There is a possibility that as the day warms 

 up the bees will be a little slower about 

 starting out than where they are nearer the 

 entrance; but there is the advantage that 

 when a cold wind blows directly into the 

 entrance it will not have so much effect on 

 the bees farther from the entrance. 



Putting On a Second Hive Body in Spring 



1 In adding a second hive body in the 

 spring, when is the right time to give the 

 extra room for a fairly strong colony in a 

 normal season ? I didn't get a clear idea 

 about this from "Fifty Years.' Are you 

 governed by the quantity of brood and the 

 need for more cells for eggs or by conditions 

 of weather and bloom ? I imagine your cli- 

 mate is about like that around Chicago. 



2 Would there likely be danger from chill 

 if the new hive body, with several combs oi 

 honey, were put underneath the old one. say 

 at the first warm spell about April to. when 

 the hives are gone over to supply stores 



/here needed ? My hives are in pairs, well 



Large Hives 



1. I see in the American Bee Journal quite 

 a discussion on the subject of large hives. 

 My bees are in 8-frame hives! Do you think 

 they would do better in larger hives ? 



2. What size would you recommend as 

 better? 



3 Would changing them into lo-frame or 

 larger hives in the spring keep them from 

 swarming for that season ? 



4. Where could I get information concern- 

 ing the construction of larger hives than the 

 loframe? Kansas. 



Answers.— I. 1 don't know, but it is quite 

 possible that they would. 



2. If you are running for extracted honey, 

 certainly nothing less than 10 Langstroth 

 frames should be used, and some good bee- 

 keepers still prefer a larger hive, either by 

 having more frames or larger frames. Even 

 for section honey the general preference 

 seems to be for the lo-frame hive. To be 

 sure some get good results with 8-frame 

 hives, but it is a question if they might not 

 have as good or better results with larger 

 hives. Larger hives wouldtake less trouble 

 and they have the great advantage that there 

 is much less danger of starvation in winter 

 and spring. 



3. No; although there would be less ten- 

 dency to swarming. 



4. I don't know just where you would find 

 such information, but it is a very simple 

 matter. All you have to do is to add iH 

 inches to the width of hive body, cover, and 

 bottom-board, for each frame you add. Most 

 supply dealers will make you prices and 

 give information regarding 12-frame Lang- 

 stroth and other large hives. 



occurred to me that the colonies, shielded 

 in that way from the cold winds in April, 

 and having considerable dande ion, willow 

 and fruit bloom to work on early, might be 

 helped in their building up by having their 

 need of space anticipated somewhat. They 

 are lo-frame Danzenbaker hives. Illinois. 



Answers.— I. I am afraid you missed one 

 paragraph in the book mentioned. That 

 paragraph reads thus: 



" When a colony is beginning to be crowd- 

 ed and there are no colonies needing help, 

 and sometimes even when others do need 

 help, a second story is given. This second 

 story is given below. Putting an empty 

 story below does not cool off the bees like 

 putting one above. The bees move down 

 as fast as they need the room. Indeed, this 

 second story is often given long before it is 

 needed, and sometimes two empty stories 

 are given, for it is a nice thing to have the 

 combs in the care of the bees.." 



From this we deduce the answers: 



1. The right time to pive a second hive 

 body is "when a colony is beginning to be 

 crowded." No matter about the bloom, the 

 weather or the almanac. When all the 

 combs in that one story are occupied, then 

 it " is beginning to be crowded " and should 

 have more room It doesn't matter whether 

 the combs are filled with brood, honey, pol- 

 len, or what, when, as jajti, there 1.5 need tor 



Removal of Queen in Malting a Nucleus 



In " A B C of Bee Culture" W. W. Somer- 

 ford says, "in making a 'nucleus' to re- 

 move the Queen or cage her." Now. I want 

 to know where the queen is put after caging 

 her? Is the cage left in her own hive, sup- 

 plied with food and attendants, or is the 

 cage placed in another hive during the in- 

 terval until the bees start queen-cells on 

 the brood ? Colorado. 



Answer.— In the latest edition of the book 

 mentioned your question is answered by the 

 following paragraph: 



"In the first paragraph. Mr. Somerford 

 mentions removing or caging the queen. 

 We should, perhaps, explain that usually 

 any queen can be caged in her own hive for 

 weeks at a time, and her bees will take care 

 of her through the wire-cloth. If a queen is 

 removed entirely it is implied that she is to 

 be caged in another hive or introduced. 

 Some may. however, be put in a cage sup- 

 plied with queen-cage candy, and kept for 

 a week or ten days in a warm room. But 

 there would be danger of losing her, as she 

 might die, because, under artificial condi- 

 tions, she cannot get the "balanced ra- 

 tions ' that she needs to keep up her bodily 

 functions. " 



You see that no food is needed in the cage 



SO long as the queen is left with her own 



