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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. 3, 1903. 



ing of individual bees be carried, we should be glad to 

 know ? Next time let him shift the queen into a larger cage 

 made of a bait-section of comb. Put half the bees inside 

 with the queen and leave half outside — to stool-pigeon for 

 more. Perhaps a piece of very young brood as big as the 

 end of one's thumb given to the outsiders would help on. A 

 little feed every evening, of course. 



CYPRIAN AND CARNIOI,AN BEES. 



So Frank Benton still mourns that the general verdict 

 was adverse to the Cyprians — and still sees gentleness in 

 them. Put it strong when he thinks a man whose crop is 

 20 tons might have had 30 tons with just tlie right kind of 

 Cyprian hybrids. 



Mr. Benton is good authority on Carniolans, and he 

 finds, it seems, that not occasional colonies, but all colonies, 

 in their native home, have some yellow-banded individuals 

 mixed in with them. Page 662. 



BFKECT OF LOCATION ON TEMPER OF BEES. 



That the same bees should be cross or gentle according 

 to location is so queer that we are inclined to have a good 

 laugh at it and then dismiss the idea. '• Location," run 

 into the pictures. There seems, however, to be valid evi- 

 dence of just that state of things. Granting the truth of it, 

 there must be a reason — and digging after such hid- 

 den reasons is one of the proper and profitable things for 

 us to do. Sometimes, I reckon, the reason is just one word 

 — skunks. Peace at night in one locality and midnight 

 worries in the other. I think some nectars are faintly 

 poisonous — not enough to do serious harm, but enough to 

 make the bees feel viciously on nettles. Change the loca- 

 tion and you change, in part at least, the source of supply. 

 When one locality is well shaded and one of unmitigated 

 heat — partly melting things down occasionally — a founda- 

 tion for a difference in temper can come in there. And it's 

 a well-known general principle that the bees are less in- 

 clined to attack when they see human beings every day 

 moving about near by. Lonely out-yards ought to be some 

 crosser than the home yard. Are there other reasons ? 



Mrs. Higgins, on page 676, says it depends largely upon 

 who handles them. Yes, that's so. Changed location may 

 get them handled in an idiotic and provocative way in 

 which bees never ought to be handled. Page 662. 



c 



Dr. Miller's Answers 



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

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



Feeding Light Colonies Now for Winter. 



should set 38 as the limit, and would much rather have a 

 greater weight, yet if a colony in the cellar had that weight 

 I think I'd let it take its chances rather than to trouble it 

 before the first of April. 



2. Don't try setting them out to give syrup after any 

 sort of fashion. Syrup belongs to flying weather, and if 

 you have no sealed combs now, feed candy after the instruc- 

 tions given in your bee-book. It might pay to buy section- 

 honey to feed rather than to give syrup now. 





The bees are lighter in stores this season than they have 

 ever been before. If I had known they were as light as 

 they are I would have fed them early in the fall. They 

 have always weighed from 60 to 80 pounds, but this season 

 they weigh only from 38 to 54 pounds. 



1. Will a colony in an 8-frame hive weighing from 38 to 

 40 pounds have stores enough to last until April 1, winter- 

 ing in the cellar ? 



2. Is there any way that I could feed them now so they 

 will have stores enough to last until April ? I have them 

 in the cellar now. I have about 8 colonies that are very 

 light. How would it do to set them out some good, warm 

 day for a flight, then fill some of the empty combs with 

 sugar syrup. Wisconsin. 



Answers. — 1. When you ask about a colony in an 8- 

 frame hive weighing 38 pounds, I suppose you mean the 

 hive with bottom-board and cover. Wintered in the cellar 

 under favorable conditions, you hardly need to worry much 

 about its pulling through till April 1. At a rough guess, I 

 should say that about 8 colonies out of 10 would make it. 

 Two colonies may each weigh the same, and yet there may 

 be several pounds difi'erence in the amount of honey they 

 have; one may have older and heavier combs than the 

 other, and it may have a larger store of pollen. Two colo- 

 nies under the same conditions, apparently just alike, and 

 having the same amount of stores, may consume unequal 

 quantities — I don't know why — possibly because one is of a 

 more quiet disposition, and so consumes less. Although I 



Preventing Honey from Candying. 



What do dealers in honeyputiuit to prevent it from 

 candying ? There is honey on the market here, put up in 

 Chicago, that never candies, and they warrant its purity. I 

 put mine up in pint cans, and after it candies many do not 

 like to buy it. I believe tartaric acid will prevent it. How 

 much dare I put in it without impairing the taste ? 



Iowa. 



Answer. — I somewhat doubt whether any honest dealer 

 puts anything into honey to keep it from candying. I am 

 afraid enough of any acid to prevent granulation would be 

 an injury to the honey. Can you not educate your custom- 

 ers to reliquefy their candied honey ? 



Drone-Excluding Zinc— Crosses of Bees— Prolific Bees. 



1. Is there any drone-excluding zinc that will not ex- 

 clude the queen ? If so, what is its cost ? 



2. Is a cross between Carniolans and Italians as good, 

 or better than either crossed with the blacks ? 



3. Which is the most prolific bee 7 Virginia. 



Answers. — 1. Yes; or at least there was ; the perfora- 

 tions barring the drones, but passing the queens. 



2. Yes, probably. 



3. The queen. Amongst queens the Carniolans are 

 noted for prolificness. 



Directions for Arranging a House-Apiary. 



Is there any book published that gives definite direc- 

 tions for the inside arrangements of a house-apiary. If 

 there is none, perhaps some contributors would favor us 

 with the same in the Bee Journal. Washington. 



Answer. — Perhaps Root's " A B C of Bee-Culture " has 

 as much as you will find in any book. I suppose the chief 

 thing as to inside arrangement is to have places for the 

 lower tier of hives (the hives being the same as those used 

 on the summer stands), shelves to support those above the 

 lower tier, and passageways from each hive to the outer air 

 so arranged that no bee can get out into the inside only 

 when a hive is opened. I yield the floor to any one who 

 will tell the best way to do this. 



Hive for Comb Honey- Wintering Bees-Shade, Etc. 



1. You have invited your readers to ask questions, and 

 as I am a tender foot in the bee-business I accept your invi- 

 tation, as I am anxious to get started right. I started one 

 year ago last spring with one colony, and I now have 8. I 

 am using the alternating hive, which is a 2 story hive con- 

 taining 8 Hofi'man frames, 16'2 by 5|2 to each story. Now, 

 I want to know if this is a good hive for one who works for 

 comb honey. 



2. I could not get my bees to work in the super, and 

 there was an abundance of alfalfa, buckwheat and other 

 plants to work on. What was the trouble ? Are my hives 

 too large ? 



3. Would it do to use a queen-excluder between the two 

 stories of the hive ? or would it be detrimental to the work- 

 ers ? 



4. Where is the best place to winter bees in this locality, 

 on the summer stands or in the cellar 7 



5. Should the hives be set in the shade during the hot 

 weather ? 



6. How much honey should a good, strong colony have 

 to winter well ? 



7. What is the advantage of a two-story hive over a 

 one-story ? 



8. What hive do you think is the best where one wants 

 the honey in supers or comb honey ? 



