42 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



January, 1919 



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QUESTION. — 

 Every morn- 

 ing on get- 

 ting up and 

 examining one of 

 my hives, I find a 

 few dead brood at 

 the entrance. The 

 brood is white and 

 very rarely cut in 

 pieces. There are 



no symptoms of European or American foul brood, 

 and no cases in the vicinity. You might say that 

 it is chilled or starved brood; but this has occurred 

 in the hot summer, and the colony has always had 

 sufficient stores. Neither is it drone brood. This 

 is the only colony affected. L. Longtin. 



New Orleans, La. 



Answer. — The brood has evidently been 

 overheated. Sometimes in a hot climate, if 

 the sun shines directly on the side of a hive, 

 the brood next that side will be killed and 

 drawn out at the entrance. In a large api- 

 ary there may not be found more than one 

 or two in that condition, all depending on 

 the exposure to the sun, amount of ventila- 

 tion, and size of colony. 



Question.^ — ^In books and in Gleanings various 

 instructions are given about making increase from 

 strong colonies. Now, can you tell us beginners 

 what constitutes a strong, a medium, and a weak 

 colony, in terms of comb-surface area and the 

 density of the bees covering it. 



Santpoort, Holland. W. B. Wallace. 



Answer. — When speaking of colonies of 

 bees the terms "strong,^' "medium," and 

 "weak" are used very loosely. Much de- 

 pends upon the size of the hive one is using, 

 and upon the time of the season. Since 

 you speak of making increase you are doubt- 

 less thinking of warm weather, when the 

 same number of bees would be scattered 

 over a much larger space than they would 

 occupy on a cold day in the fall. In fact, 

 a colony that on a warm day would appear 

 to fill a hive completely, might during cold 

 weather cover no more than five or six 

 frames. During the summer when the hive 

 cover is first lifted, and before the bees 

 have had time to rearrange themselves after 

 their disturbance, if it is found that the 

 bees cover all of the frames clear to the 

 outside, it would be pretty safe to consider 

 them a strong colony even before removing 

 any frames from the hive. On removing 

 them, however, one would find the bees 

 covering practically all of the combs pres- 

 ent in an ordinary ten-frame standard hive. 

 If, on this first glance, it is found that 

 the bees cover no more than seven or eight 

 frames, we would call that colony medium; 

 if less than this, weak. As previously stat- 

 ed, it is very difficult to give definite figures 

 for a question of this sort, some beekeepers 

 having colonies much larger than those we 

 have indicated. 



Questions. — Might I request your indulgence to 

 answer me a few questions concerning the article, 

 "Swarm Control," which appeared in June number 

 of Gleanings? (1) After removinjj original colony 

 from the top of the hive at the end of eight days, 

 will it require any further precautions for swarm- 

 ing other than breaking down cells when the same 



GLEANED by ASKING 



1 



Zona Fowls 



^^^^^^^^ 



are found? (2) 

 Tliis colony pro- 

 duces the crop ; will 

 as large a crop be 

 produced per colo- 

 ny as if the plan 

 had not been fol- 

 lowed? (3) May 

 tliis plan be follow- 

 ed more than once 

 in the same season 

 with the same colonies for rapid increase? (I realize 

 that if so, there would naturally be a great diminu- 

 tion of the crop.) (4) If your plan is strictly fol- 

 lowed, as set out in this article, will the swarming 

 impulse be always satisfied and swarming be com- 

 pletely eliminated? (5) If the plan be practiced 

 with a given number of colonies, can the number 

 be doxibled and a normal crop expected the same 

 season ? S. .J. Manchester. 



Toronto, Can. 



Answers. — (1) Since only capped cells 

 were removed at the first manipulation, one 

 should expect to find more queen-cells in the 

 top story at the end of eight days. All of 

 these may be removed but one. In the lower 

 hive it is very rare that further cells will 

 be found. (If cells are found in the lower 

 hive, it is usually on account of a failing 

 queeii or because young bees were left be- 

 low at the time the brood was raised. For 

 best results only field bees should be left 

 below.) (2) Larger, for no time has been 

 lost by loafing, that generally accompanies 

 swarming. Also, the colony is larger than 

 would be the case, had they swarmed nat- 

 urally. (3) It should be noted that this 

 plan as described is employed only after 

 queen-cells have been started and usually 

 not until after they are capped; therefore, 

 since the colony seldom starts other cells, 

 after these manipulations, there would be 

 small chance of repeating the operation 

 •with the same colony. It is possible, how- 

 ever, that one might vary the method by ap- 

 plying before queen-cells are started and 

 thus make repeated increase, tho we be- 

 lieve there are much better ways of making 

 rapid increase. The main idea of this plan 

 has been to prevent or keep down natural 

 increase, not to make more. (4) No, there 

 will be a few rare exceptions. (5) We be- 

 lieve any colony will produce more honey, 

 if kept contented and no increase made; 

 still we know of no plan that will result in 

 as large a crop, and at the same time allow 

 increase if desired. 



Question. — In Gleanings, page 682, a beekeeper 

 of 50 years' experience claims the bees carry out 

 honey in the spring to make room for new honey. 

 Miss Fowls says they do not. What, then, I ask, 

 are the little white grains, that so closely resemble 

 granulated sugar, that they do carry out in the 

 spring? If the frames are examined at this time, 

 some will be found quite dry, but containing many 

 of these little grains. Is not this granulated honey ? 



Cincinnati, O. J. B. Roebling. 



Answer. — At any time of the year, re- 

 gardless of the moon, when bees are work- 

 ing on a coarse-grained candy or granulated 

 honey, more or less of it falls to the hive 

 floor; and whenever the weather is warm 

 enough these particles are hauled out of 



