250 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 16, 1903. 



in a frame hive. They seem to be all right to-day. I thought I would 

 feed them for awhile and let them go. The fruit is just beginning to 

 ibloom here, and so I thought I would try that one to see how it 

 worked, and it worlsed lilce a charm. I have 7 others to transfer. 



1. Do you think it advisable to transfer the balance of them at 

 present (March 22), or wait until April? 



2. Do you think the bees will starve after they begin to bring in 

 pollen * 



3. Do you think it is a good idea to fill a sun wax-extractor full, 

 or just put in a little comb at a time? It is 12 inches high, glass top, 

 you know. Tennessee. 



Answers. — 1. Now is a good time to transfer, while fruit is in 

 bloom ; but it may be still better to transfer each colony 21 days after 

 it swarms. 



2. Generally not, but sometimes there comes a dearth, when they 

 must be fed or starve. 



3. If there are no combs that have been bred in, you can fill up, 

 but if you put anything over an old comb the cocoons will hold the 

 ■wax like little cups. 



< ■ » 



Bees Standing on Heads— Frames Bee-Glued. 



1. What is the matter with my bees? They seem to stand on their 

 heads, and roar around the entrance. 



2. What shall I do when frames are glued together? My frames 

 are Hoffman frames, and are glued tight to the excluder, so that it 

 breaks and tears up the frames to get them loose. Texas. 



Answers. — 1. They are probably ventilating, making their wings 

 ■move lively, so as to change the air in the hive. 



2. Pry up the excluder carefully, starting it at different places, 

 and then scrape off the burr-combs. Then don't let them go so long 

 without cleaning again. You see it takes time to get in such bad con- 

 dition, and likely you have not cleaned them off for several years. 



No Italian Blood In Ttietti. 



Is there any Italian in 

 New Jersey. 



I enclose six honey-bees, the kind I keep, 

 them ; If not, what are they ' 



Answer. — The bees received are of the kind called smashed bees. 

 Before they were smashed I think they were black bees, with no Ital- 

 ian blood in them. It would he easier to tell if they had been sent in 

 :a tin or wooden box, or in a block with a hole bored in it. 



Shipping Nuclei— Bees Building Comb. 



1. I have a customer who wants a queen and nucleus. How shall I 

 send them? Are there cages for that purpose? 



3. What is most profitable, full sheets of foundation or starters? 

 ■Some say the bees produce so much wax when they are building comb, 

 even if we furnish them old couib or foundation. How is this? 



Idaho. 



Answers. — 1. The usual way is to make a cheap affair in the form 

 of a hive large enough to take three or four frames, well provided with 

 wire-cloth, the frames when received to be put in full-sized hives. 1 

 do not keep anything for the purpose. 



3. For most persons I believe full sheets are best. I always use 



them. Some wax may be secreted when not needed, but not a great 

 deal. If the demand had nothing to do with the supply, we ought to 

 find scales of wax to the amount of several ounces under a swarm 

 hived on full combs, whereas you will find little difference in the 

 amount of these scales whether full combs or empty frames are used. 

 3. You will find Miller queen-cages on the price-lists of supply 

 dealers, but these are not the improved Miller cages described on page 

 2-16 of " Forty Years Among the Bees." I consider the improved de- 

 cidedly better ; but others may not think so. 



Keeping Down Increase— Rearing Queens. 



1. I have 5 colonies of bees, and do not wish to increase. What 

 would be the effect if I should leave on the entrance-guard all the sea- 

 son? Would the bees kill the queen after repeated efforts to 

 swarm ? 



2. How long would it be safe to keep the young queen confined * 



3. Would she be apt to lead off a swarm when she took her fiight 

 to meet the drone* 



4. Would the plan prevent the bees from absconding! 

 b. Can I rear a good queen in a small nucleus by giving plenty of 

 bees and cells that are started in a strong colony, say cells 13 days old? 



Wisconsin. 

 Answers. — 1. Yes, they'd kill her. 



2. Till you hear no more piping. 



3. No more than in usual cases. 



4. Yes, if you have only one colony; but with numbers there will 

 be doubling up, going into wrong hives, and other troubles. I tried 

 the plan thoroughly and it's bad. 



5. Yes. 



Queen-Cells In February- Poul aud Chilled Brood 

 —Unfinished Sections. 



1. February 24 I opened a hive in which I thought the bees were 

 starving, and upon examination I found it had 3 capped queen-cells. 

 This colony had a queen in the fall. What is the cause Of these 

 queen-cells appearing at this time? 



2. What is the cause of bees crawling in the cells of the brood- 

 frames and dying * They seem to be all right in every other way. 



3. Would it be safe to let them keep these combs, or give them 

 clean ones? 



4. Last year I was bothered with black spiders and moth. Do 

 they come back every year? What is the best way to get rid of them * 



5. How can a person tell the difference between foul brood and 

 chilled brood? I can find nothing regarding chilled brood in the text- 

 books. 



6. I have some unfinished comb in sections that are partly filled. 

 Would it be safe to let the bees finish these? Illinois. 



Answers. — 1. Some accident might have happened to the queen 

 after you saw her in the fall, or the queen may be played out. 



2. Likely they were caught by the cold away from the cluster. 



3. The bees will clean them. 



4. Yes, you will find them faithful in their visits. Try to have no 

 lurking places for the spiders, and have your colonies so strong that 

 the bees will clear out the moths. Italians are much better than 

 blacks to keep out moths. 



5. Chilled brood doesn't string out like foul brood. 



6. The honey will not be so good in them. 



A Few Cheap Smokers ! 



We find we have on hand a few slightly dam- 

 ag-ed Clark and Biag-ham Bee-Smokers, which 

 pot a little damp and soiled at the time of the 

 5re in the buildiag where we were about 2 years 

 ago. They are all almost as good as new. 



We have some of the Clark Cold Blast, which 

 when new sell now at 5? cents each; some of the 

 Large Bingham- new at 65 cents each; and 

 some of the Little Wonder Bingham — new at 

 50 cents. But to close out those we have left 

 that are slightly damaged, we will fill orders as 

 long as they last at these prices: 



Clark at 25 cents each; Little Wonder Bing- 

 ham at 30 cents each; and Large Bingham at 

 40 cents each. 



We do not mail any of these slightly damaged 

 Smokers, but will put them in with other goods 

 when ordered, or sell them here at our office 

 when called for— at the above prices. 



GEORGE W. YORK & CO., 



1*4 & 146 E. Erie Street. 



CHICAGO, ILL. 



55 Best Queen o!Sixtu-tive 55 



IVIR. AlLE 



Bellb Plaine, Mi> 



1 have a queen receiv ed from you in 1<110. Her 

 bees are tbe best hodey-^athei ers of an apiary 

 of 65 colonies in which are queens from different 

 breeders— natural queens, as Dr. Gallup cjlls 

 them. The Adel queen is the best of ihe lot. 

 C. J. Oldenbkkg. 

 P rice List now ready. H. ALLEY. 



16A4t Wenham, Mass. 



I FROM MANY FIELDS | 



Wintered Well. 



Out of 159 colonies of bees put into the 

 cellar last fall I have found 4 dead. The 

 others seem to be in fine condition. I have 12 

 colonies packed outside which have not tieeu 

 inspected. 11. W. Cornelison. 



Washburn Co., Wis., March 21. 



Bee-Keeping in Florida. 



Bees in this locality are usually kept in a 

 very primitive way. March 20 I visited an 

 apiary of 30 colonies, located in a persimmon 

 grove, on fine Bermuda sod, and surrounded 

 with a picket fence. But the hives — not 

 worthy of the name — hollow logs with a board 

 on top. I told the owner that if I were the 

 bees I would not work in such things. The 

 bees were very diminutive blacks. 



I went with a party, in a sail-boat, who 

 went there to purchase honey. The apiarist 

 had no comb honey, but thick strained honey 

 which he sold for 75 cents per gallon, or 20 

 cents per quart. He took no bee-paper, but 

 had often thought of getting patent hives. 

 A species of wild sage was blooming very 



Rumely Engines 



both as to traction and ijeneratinp and supplyinij pow 

 typical of all that is best for thresheniien. They are rear 

 geared , pears are of steel, cross heads and slides are protected 

 from dust, they are free from all trappy devices. Single or 

 double cylinders, burn wood or coal, or direct fluefor burn- 

 ing straw. Fit companions in the threshing field for the fa- 

 mous New Rumely Separators. Free catalogue de- 

 scribes all. -Write ft.r it. 



^ M. RUMELY CO.. La Porto, Indiana. 



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Bee .lournal -when writinfi: 



DAIRYMEN ARE DELIGHTED 



■■ow be. 



lUrgeprotito. Emay work. We furnish capital. Send 

 ' 10 centA for full line of samples and partlcutars. 



_ DRAPER PUBLISHING CO.. Chlca^, Ills, 



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