Nov. 12, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



729 



NO DANGEK YET FROJI THAT NEW SWKKT. 



Saccharine was a reality, but it has not done all that 

 was anticipated for it a few years ag'o. So about this won- 

 derful South American plant, perchance. It's sweet can 

 hardly be a sugar (providing the tales told of it are any- 

 thing more than j-arns), and a sweet chemical not a sugar 

 at all would rather be a competitor of saccharine. Of course, 

 it ntiglit prove much cheaper, better flavored, and less open 

 to medical suspicion than saccharine. Hardly affect honey 

 much unless it is very delicious, indeed. Page 627. 



MAX JENNEY WAS ALL RIGHT. 



A railroad man that is not trying to be a Trappist monk 

 in the matter of spoken words, deserves the celebration you 

 give him. Honors to Max Jenney ! Even possible that if 

 the train had come to a sudden and unexpected stop he 

 would have told you why it was, if he could. Page 628. 



•!■«£ "national" in CALIFORNIA'S ASSOCIATION. 



The Californians got out nicely when blamed for the 

 " National " in the title of a local honey organization — in- 

 vitation to all similar organizations to couple on and made 

 it national. Page 630. 



THE REAL FUN IN LIFE. 



Big contract Prof. Cook blithely essays when he says, 

 " We have to convert the whole country." He also gets in 

 much of true philosophy, true Christianity, and true how to 

 be happy in this life when he says, "The real fun in life is 

 getting under a big load and raising it — under a great prob- 

 lem and then make it move." Page 630. 



MORAL PRINCIPLES THAT ENDURE. 



Noble sentence of Mr. Abbott's, anent increased profits, 

 decreased efforts — and renunciation of personal conscience. 



"There are high moral principles that lived before 

 thdse things were, and they will live after these things are 

 gone." 



Honey is indeed one of the last things to be forced up 

 artificially — or near enough that, that many sensible bee- 

 folks feel shaky. Still, I think we should preserve the old 

 maxim. Do not evil that good may come. When all things 

 have their sales combinations, and all go up, up. up, re- 

 sponsively and endlessly, some now and some next oppor- 

 tunity, it can only result in a general crash of some sort. 

 Earth, and not moon, is where we belong. The further we 

 get from terra-firma the more we put ourselves in the power 

 of even a gentle financial gale. Make way for the univer- 

 sal — power of some sort — that adjusts relatively all prices, 

 and says first of every product. What ought this to be sold 

 for? Bureau at Washington, I think — with power to en- 

 force. Page 630. 





Dr. Miller's Answers 





Send Questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal, 

 or to Dr. C C. Miller, Marengo, 111. 



Swarttilng-Rearing Queens for Italianizing— Smoking 

 Bees. 



1. Would it be a good plan to place a colony that had just sent 

 out a prime swarm in the place ot one that was about ready to swarm, 

 it I wish to keep down increase? 



2. Would trapping off the drones make any considerable differ- 

 ence with the amount of surplus honey? 



3. Should I attempt to rear Italian queens to change my stock at 

 home, or buy enough ! Can it be done with only one g ueen as a start < 



4. What effect would a great deal of smoke have upon bees that 

 are very cross? 



5. Would smoke enough make them docile? New Yohk. 



Answers. —1. No; it will increase the swarming. When you put 

 a colony that has just swarmed in place of another about to swarm, 

 you will have a swarm just as soon as the first virgin is ready for 

 swarming, and the colony that you moved will probably be ready fur 

 swarming two or three weeks later. 



■i. The drones, no doubt, eat a considerable amount, and trapping 

 them would make just so much more surplus. Vou would still be out 

 as much surplus as the amount ot honey necessary to rear the drone- 

 brood; so it would be better to allow little or no drone-comb in the 

 hive, and then you wouldn't need to kill off the drones. 



3. Please make up your mind at the start that you can't change to 



Italians and keep nothing else if other bees are all around you, even 

 if they're two miles away. Ves, with one queen as a start you can 

 manage very well, getting a new queen each year, If necessary. 



4. I have seen them driven entirely out of the hive by too much 

 smoke. 



5. No, it may make them give up for the time, but their disposi- 

 tions would remain the same. Some report that with certain kinds of 

 bees heavy smoking only makes them worse. 



Producing; Section Honey Over Deep Frames. 



You say in your book that comb honey can be produced over 

 Langstroth frames as successfully as over shallower frames. I have 

 only Dadant-Blatt brood-frames in my hives, and these frames are still 

 deeper than the Langstroth. I would like to produce over these 

 frames section honey as well. Is that possible J There Is room in my 

 hives for 13 brood-frames, but in reality only are used, with 4 dum- 

 mies (3 on each side). Germany. 



Answer. — I'm not sure. I do not now recall the exact depth of 

 the Dadant-Blatt frame, but I think you could produce section-honey 

 over them with fairly good success. But you can not successfully use 

 a super the full size of your hive unless the hive be tilled with frames, 

 for the bees will not do good work In sections at the sides over the 

 dummies. Your supers must be only large enough to cover the It 

 frames. If, however, you want to have the super the full size of the 

 hive, you might try having the four dummies between the frames In- 

 stead of at the sides, putting a dummy between the 2d and 3d frames, 

 another between the 4th and 5th, then between 6th and Tth, and be- 

 tween the 8th and ilth. You will Bnd that a dummy between the 

 frames will make less trouble than you might Imagine. It is barely 

 possible that conditions in Germany may make a difference, but I 

 hardly think so. 



.*-.-#. 



Questions o n Bee-M anagement. 



I am quite an enthusiast on the subject ot bees, and am trying to 

 learn all the different branches by detail. I carefully read all the text- 

 books — some things I don't understand, and if Dr. Miller will get his 

 " One Year Among the Bees " before him while I ask a few questions, 

 he will better comprehend my wants. Now, Doctor, turn to page 75, 

 line 3T (last line) — 



1. In working this change do I understand that there is a queen 

 below and a honey-board between, or what keeps the queens apart? 



2. Page 7H, line 36. Do you mean the parent or the young 

 swarm? 



3. Page 7T, line 21. What is meant by incipient queen-cells in 

 this case? 



4. Page 79, line 1. What is meant by a swarming colony in this 

 instance. 



5. Page 79, lines 17-18. Is there anything between the nuclei and 

 colony below to prevent killing each other? 



6. Page SI, line 2. Why did you give young brood if the queen 

 was there? 



7. Page 81, line 18. Placed frames, bees and all in a hive— what 

 is to prevent killing in this case? 



8. Page 81, line 24. What is meant by spreading the brood of 

 these young colonies? What do you mean by saying also, on lines 25 

 and 26, they can be made to rear brood faster than if lejl to themsehiei f 



9. Give the appearance of brood up to the time it becomes too old 

 for queen-rearing. 



10. Page 83, line 12. What paraphernalia for filling combs? 



11. Page 86, line 3. When you unite two or more weak colonies 

 in the fall, do they fight and kill each other, and what do you do with 

 the queens? 



12. In breaking up nuclei, generally in the fall, what is done with 

 the queens? 



13. Is it best to kill the escort bees In introducing queens, or will 

 they interfere with the success in anyway i 



14. Don't some colonies leave old queen-cells that have been once 

 used, on their combs, or should all trace of them be removed after 

 using them — by the bees? 



15. What is meant by a single bee running around on the entrance- 

 board, shaking itself, aod cutting upas if for amusement of other bees; 



16. Describe how a Porter bee-escape should be made— dimensions 

 ot material, etc., as mine, made the only way I could think of, failed. 



17. It is frequently that when a colony swarms it is placed near 

 the parent hive, and in six or eight days the latter is removed to a new 

 stand and the young swarm occupies the old stand. Why not move 

 the old colony away as soon as hived '. Why wait six or eight days? 



IS. I have a colony In good condition every way, with an Italian 

 queen, lately Introduced, in which I see the bees are dragging out 

 voung brood, mostly drone-brood, I think, but some worker-brood. 

 They have been fed, and have plenty of honey. 



19. I am anxious to rear all the queens I can from 5 colonies I 

 have Italianized with queens; these 5 colonies will be 100 yards at 

 right angles from the main apiary, with some large trees and dwelling- 

 house between them, with the natural fiight of the apiary drones due 

 east, and the 5 hives of Italian bees facing south. Will these 5 colo- 

 nies of Italians furnish drones pure to niale with the young queens? 

 and will the young queens be pure-blood if they mate with the drones 

 ot these Italian colonies? 



20. In having two or more after-swarms in one hive, does either 

 swarm ever come out with its (iueen and desert the others, or would 

 they all go if any went? 



21. I read of bee-men who speak of adding or changing supers on 

 hives with bees and all. What prevents fighting? 



Now, Doctor, this may seem quite a long list ot questions to be 



