BEE CiFlTURE 



Publlfhed by The A. I. Root Oompanr, Medina, Ohio 



B. R. ROOT, Editor A. L. BOTDEN, ADVKRTisiNa Mob, 



H. H. R00T,A88T. Ed. J. T. CALVERT, BusiNXSS Mob. 



A. I. ROOT, Editor of Hoxx Drpabtmbnt 



Vol. XXXVI. 



APRIL 1, 1908. 



No. 7 



E. D. ToM'NSEND finds that greatly con- 

 tracted entrances at first spring flight hinder 

 bees drifting and massing at a few colonies, 

 p. 346. Same here. 



To LENGTHEN the blooming period of any 

 honey-plant, get plants from further north 

 or south. For example, get lindens from 

 the north for earlier bloom, and from the 

 south for later bloom. — Deutsche Bzcht., 32. 



"Bottom-bars with only J-inch space be- 

 tween them would retard communication be- 

 tween stories very much," p. 343. And yet 

 with such spaces my queens seem to pass 

 readily up and down when keeping brood in 

 two stories. 



The advantage of wide bottom- bars is 

 asked for, page 346. They are a distinct aid 

 in keeping bees from building combs between 

 two stories. But there has always been some 

 question in my mind whether this advantage 

 were not of]f3et by disadvantages. Most as- 

 suredly I would not have them if I wanted 

 to look up between bottom-bars. 



"Queens never react either peacefully or 

 hostilely toward strangers or toward bees be- 

 longing to the hive, page 232. I am sure 

 there are exceptions to this rule. I once saw 

 a queen grasp a worker, and almost immedi- 

 ately it was a dead worker. Others have re- 

 ported that one difficulty in introducing 

 queens was because of their hostile attitude 

 toward the workers. 



I don't know how bees know so much, 

 but I think it is the general understanding 

 that they are far-sighted enough to be more 

 lavish in starting brood in the spring with a 

 big lot of honey in sight than with only 

 enough to run from day to day. So give me 

 a hive heavy with honey in the fall so not the 



slightest thought need be given as to feeding 

 again before the next harvest. ^s^„-.- -^ 



A $6.00 BREEDING-QUEEN was bought by 

 A from B, and died several months after 

 safe arrival, and introduction. A wants B to 

 replace; B refuses, but is willing as a com- 

 promise to send another good queen. A 

 seems to think B ought to do better, p. 339. 

 I suspect a whole lot of queen-breeders will 

 throw up their hands in amazement at that 

 sort of ruling. I'd like to know why B is 

 held responsible to do any thing in the case, 

 and how old that queen must be before his 

 responsibility ends. 



James C. White is wisely advised, p. 369, 

 to tier up to prevent swarming. Let me add 

 an item: Shove the second story either back 

 or forward so as to make a f-inch crack for 

 ventilation. Do this with each added story. 

 This will double the security against swarm- 

 ing. [You are probably right, that this ex- 

 tra ventilation will aid materially in the 

 prevention of swarming. But is not so 

 much ventilation an indirect loss in that it 

 requires a large portion of fielders to stay at 

 home to keep up the necessary body heat — 

 that is, comb-building temperature? Under- 

 stand, we do not claim that you are wrong 

 on this point; but, to use a familiar phrase 

 of yours, "I don't know." Who does? — Ed] 



G. M. Doolittle, p. 341, will not admit 

 that a difference in comb-building 'makes a 

 difference in the number of bees going to the 

 field. Possibly he is right, but there is a fine 

 chance for argument on the other side. Un- 

 der average conditions a bee will not go 

 afield under sixteen days; but when there 

 are no older bees for the work, a bee five 

 days old will become a fielder. Now take 

 two strong colonies alike in all respects ex- 

 cept that one of them has all its surplus 

 combs to build, and the other none. Don't 

 you believe that the exigencies of the case, 

 seeing that a bee can go afield when not half 

 of sixteen days old, will send more bees 

 afield from the one colony than the other? 



John Hendricks quotes from a religious 

 work: "The propagation of their species, by 

 butterfly, bee, and moth, without the custom- 



