MARCH 15, 1915 



Association, or not worthy to receive at 

 least some recognition? I believe tliatr 

 Texas, at least, has quite a few members in 

 the National, and I also feel that we have 

 some beekeepers clown here who are well 

 enough posted on apicultural matters to 

 deserve at least a place on the program of 



the association. 



* « « 



WKT KXTRACTIXG-COMDS AND BEE-MOTH. 



There seems to be quite a difference in 

 locality if we compare the doings of our 

 bee-moths liere in the South with the inci- 

 dent quoted by Dr. Miller on page 51, Jan. 

 !.'>. from the British Bee Journal. My 

 experience in beekeeping here in Texas has 

 given me much information on the bee-moth 

 problem. 1 have learned that moths not 

 (tnly play havoc with di'j* combs as soon as 

 tliese are left without proper protection, 

 but with wonderful rapidity they destroy 

 wet combs that have been extracted only a 

 few days before. Yes, they even go so far 

 here as to pay no attention to the quantity 

 of honey there may be on the combs or in 

 them. Whole stacks of supers of comb 

 honey will be ruined in a veiy short time if 

 left unprotected at any time during spring, 

 summer, and fall. 



1 have had some sad experiences. Our 

 assistants were unable to extract promptly 

 a large amount of honey brought into the 

 honey-house. The first sign of these bee- 

 motli depredations is the amount of leaking 

 honey on the floor; and in one instance in 

 whicli other imjiortant duties delayed the 

 extracting work for more than a week, the 

 lioney-house floor was covered almost en- 

 tirely with half an inch of such honey. 

 Over four gallons of it was scraped up 

 from the floor and set aside for feeding- 

 purposes. During the extracting of these 

 infested stacks of honey we found scores 

 of combs, the entire lot of which were near- 

 ly all filled solid with honey, and well 

 capped over, riddled to such an extent that 

 the remaining mass of honey, what little 

 wax was left, and the webs and moth-larva?, 

 fell out of the frames when they were han- 

 dled. From the damage done in instances 

 of this kind I can hardly believe that the 

 bee-moths would ignore wet extracted combs 

 just because they were wet, although they 

 may liave a preference for dry comljs. My 

 explanation for the case cited by W. Herod 

 in the British Bee Journal would be that 

 the dry combs were infested with some 

 bee-moth eggs or young larvre, perhaps, left 

 undisturbed when stacked up with tlie wet 

 combs. These then developed to maturity 

 and found sutTicient sustenance upon these 

 dr^- combs without having to go to the wet 



combs in the adjoining supers. I venture 

 the assertion that depredations upon the 

 adjoining wet combs would have been made 

 if a large number of larva? had needed more 

 food for their complete development. [See 

 what J. E. Crane says in his department. — 



Ed.] 



* « • 



PREPARING FOR SWARM PREVENTION. 



Already we ai'e fixing up our colonies 

 with the view of cutting down swarming as 

 much as possible. Since our colonies are in 

 excellent condition, strong in bees, the hives 

 full of stores, and as the weather has been 

 quite favorable, the colonies have been rear- 

 ing brood to quite an extent. If such favor- 

 able conditions continue, the hives will soon 

 be very populous. It would be sinful to try 

 to keep them crowded down in a ten-frame 

 hive as used to be the fashion. And, by the 

 way, our two shallow-story brood-chambers 

 have a comb surface equal to twelve Lang- 

 stroth frames. But even this is not enough 

 in the spring, so we are busy at this time 

 to provide every colony, that is not already 

 so equipped, with a super partly filled with 

 combs of honey, some empty combs, and 

 some frames filled with full sheets of foun- 

 dation. That will give additional room in 

 which to store any of the scattering honey 

 that the bees begin to store, early in the 

 year, above the daily needs, besides afford- 

 ing a storage place for any honey that is 

 moved from out the brood-chamber proper 

 in making room for the queen to lay the 

 increasing number of eggs, A little later 

 the queen will find additional laying room 

 in the added super. The bees are also given 

 an opportunity for new comb-building in 

 the frames with foundation. 



The result will be that the colony will 

 remain contented longer on account of the 

 ample room furnished in the manner de- 

 scribed, there will be stronger colonies from 

 the fact of the increased breeding room, and 

 there will be less desire to swarm, due to the 

 fact that there is not the crowded condition 

 that colonies are subjected to under the old 

 method of management. A little later, if 

 it becomes necessary at all, we sometimes 

 intei-change the two shallow stories of the 

 sectional brood-chamber proper, placing the 

 lower one on top of the second shallow story, 

 replacing the super back on top, and swarm- 

 ing is delayed for several weeks longer, and 

 usually prevented altogether by the time our 

 early honey-flow begins. When these have 

 begun there is no more swarming. But, 

 after all, the secret is to begin to prevent 

 swarming before the desire to swarm has 

 ever awakened in the colonies. Remember 

 that. 



