January, 1914. 



American Hee Jonrnal 



our province should be destroyed. The 

 case of Belgium is worthy of considera- 

 tion, for so faJ as I have seen, it is the 

 only country that is able to report 

 the perfect elimination of the disease 

 within its bounds, and this desirable 



end was attained by fire. 



A problem consists in trying to do a 

 thing in an "undoable" way. The 

 great merit of the Belgian plan lies in 

 this, it worked. 



Victoria, B. C. 



at sides and ends, with 4 or 5 inches on top 

 ought to work well. 



Send Questions either to the office of the American Bee Journal or direct to 



Dr. C. C. Miller. Marengo. 111. 



He does not answer bee-keepine Questions by mail. 



Cement Supers — Cotton as a Honey Plant 



L Do you think it would be all ri^'lit to 

 make supers out of cement ? Would it 

 agree with the bees ? I can make them much 

 cheaper with lumber. If any of the sub- 

 scribers of the American Bee Journal have 

 cement hives in any way. I would be pleased 

 to hear (through thecolumsof the Journal) 

 what their success has been. 



2. They are raising a large amount of cot- 

 ton near Phoenix. Do any of the readers 

 know if cotton here in Arizona yields much 

 honey ? Arizona. 



Answers.— I. My guess would be that 

 cement supers would be quite objectionable 

 on account of their weight. It is also pos- 

 sible that with us degrees in the shade they 

 might be too hot. 



2 Cotton is a good honey plant in the 

 southern States, and likely also with you. 

 Yet sometimes it happens that a plant yields 

 honey in one section and not in another. 



If any readers can give more definite an- 

 swers to either of these questions they can 

 have the floor. 



Old Combs in Decoy Hives 



In the decoy hives will strips of founda- 

 tion in the frames do as well as frames of 

 comb? 



Will the bees take to the foundation as 

 readily? Rhode Island. 



Answer.— No; old combs are away ahead 

 of foundation; indeed. I suspect an entirely 

 empty hive is nearly as good as foundation. 



Combined Section and Extracting Super 



I would like to be able to make one super 

 do for producing comband extracted honey. 

 That is to say if I wanted extracted to put 

 in shallow frames, or if comb to put sec- 

 tions in the same box. Kindly tell me in the 

 American Bee Journal the best arranj^ement 

 you would suggest as to size and make of 

 frames and sections other than the hanging 

 section frame). My hives are 8-frame Lang- 

 stroth. Scotland. 



Answer. — I don't know from experience, 

 but here is something that might answer: 

 Take one of the section supers in more or 

 less common use which have frames with 

 close-litting end-bars and no top-bars. Then 

 for extracting combs you could make the 

 same kind of frames, only with top-bars to 

 them. 



Ventilation In Wlnler- 



-Paintlng Alighting-Boards 

 Shade 



1. I have my bees in large boxes, with chaff 

 on top. all sides, and ends and front. About 

 3% inchesabove the entrance I have no chaff 

 packing. How large a space should I leave 

 for ventilation ? 1 have the ^-inch side of 

 bottom up. 



2. The alighting-board on the front is 

 painted two coats, and I notice when the 

 bees leave it and come out on the bottom of 

 the box theyhaveahardtimetoclimbup. as 

 the paint is so smooth when cold. I wonder 

 if they have this same trouble in summer; if 



so, had it better not be painted ? 



3. Do hives need any shade where full- 

 sized bodies for supers are used ? 



4. In hot weather how would it do to have 

 the hives on the noith side of a building 

 facing north ? This is the only location I 

 have. Iowa. 



Answers.— I. Likely there will be none 

 too much ventilation for a strong colony, 

 with the entrance open the whole width, for 

 with only -h inch under bottom-bars, the 

 chance for ventilation is not the best. But 

 why in the world do you have the shallow 

 space in winter ?. 



2. It is not likely to make trouble in hot 

 weather; but it is easy to rub the smooth 

 surface with coarse sandpaper. You could 

 also give a light coat of paint, and sand it 

 lightly while the paint is still wet. 



1. The shade is better, if only for the com 

 fort of the beekeeper. 



4. rhey will do very well there. 



Hives and Covers— Marketing Honey 



1. For a beginner which would you recom- 

 mend, the 8-frame Jumbo brood-chamber or 

 the lo-frame Langstroth ? 



2. What do you think of using, a lo-frame 

 gable-hive cover or n-frame hives ? I find 

 the rain beats in at the edges of the 8-frame 

 covers, so I thought the extra width of the 

 lo-frame cover wo jld prevent this. I don't 

 think much of the ordinary gable covers, as 

 they leak too much. 



3. What kind of a cover do you use ? 



4. Would you advise deep or shallow 

 covers ? 



5. Which would you recommend, the 8 or 

 10 frame, full or shallow super for the pro- 

 duction of extracted honey ? 



6. I know of no up-to-date beekeepers in 

 this county, so all the honey produced here 

 is sold for only 8 or lo cents per pound, and 

 put up "just any old way" with crushed 

 bees and pollen in it. so when nice honey is 

 offered for sale here it must be sold at less 

 than half what it is worth. Would you ad- 

 vise shipping it to larger markets ? 



7. How would you winter bees out-of- 

 doors ? Missouri. 



Answers.— I. The lo-frame Langstroth. 



2. I don't know, but I am afraid it would 

 not be the most satisfactory. 



3. A flat cover with a dead air-space cov- 

 ered with zinc or tin. The upper and the 

 lower parts are each of Ja-inch stuff, with 

 the grain running in opposite directions, 

 separated by strips or cleats >s thick, 



4. Fur my own use I prefer the flat cover (I 

 have no trouble with rain beating in . al- 

 though some good beekeepers prefer deep 

 covers. 



5. Ten-frame hives, or larger, for brood- 

 chamber, and I think I should prefer shal- 

 low extracting combs. 



6. Take the plan that will bring you the 

 most, but unless your home market is over- 

 stocked, you may find it best to persist in 

 furnishing for it the best quality of honey, 

 and educating your customers up to it. 



7. In your locality 2 or 3 inches protection 



Transferring from Old Boxes 



A rancher captured nine swarms of bees 

 at different times that had settled near his 

 house. He boxed them into aiiple boxes 

 nailed the lids solid, after putting in a few 

 frames and cutting a small opening in front. 

 He scattered them about the ranch, putting 

 the boxes in bare ground, and never tried 

 to look at them. Some of them have been 

 boxed up for over two years. 



The boxes became loose, the bottoms 

 were completely rotted off. and cracks 

 opened up everywhere, and the rain came 

 in through the cracks on top. I bought all of 

 them, and had much trouble in moving 

 them, as the boxes were so rotten that nails 

 would not hold. I had to tie bottom-boards 

 on and cover them up with sacks. The boxes 

 are very heavy; there must be much honey 

 in them; the bees are black. 



If you will answer the following you will 

 greatly oblige one of your subscribers and a 

 beginner: 



1. Are the bees liable to be healthy ? 



2. When will be the best time to transfer 

 them into proper hives ? 



3. Must the hives have frames in them 

 'with full sheets of foundation before I put 

 the bees in. or should the hives be empty, 

 and put in the frames after the bees are in ? 



4. Must I put the honey into the hives with 

 them, ^l^h/ /unc ^ 



5. If I put the honey into a regular feeding 

 receptacle, will they put the honey into 

 new sheets of foundation ? 



6. How many frames should I put in each 

 lo-frame hive ? California. 



Answers.— I. They are Iikelv to be iust as 

 healthy in those old rickety boxes as in the 

 best hives. Of course, if foul brood is in 

 the neighborhood they are likely to have it. 



2. During fruit bloom is a good time, al- 

 though in late years it is generally preferred 

 to wait until 20 days after swarming. 



3. If bees are transferred in fruit-bloom, 

 the straight combs of brood are generally 

 fastened in frames with strings or other- 

 wise, and then frames filled with foundation 

 are put in to till up the hive, at the same 

 time or before the bees are put in. If the 

 transfer is made 21 days after swarming, 

 then the hive will be entirely filled with 

 frames of foundation before the bees are 

 put in. 



4. If you choose, you can fasten combs of 

 honey in frames the same as brood, although 

 it is not so satisfactory. 



5. Yes. 



6. The whole ten. 



Translerring— Clipping Queens' Wings 



1. I have a colony of bees in a cracker box 

 without frames in it. and they have it nearly 

 filled with combs. I would like to transfer 

 them to a new modern lo-frame hive next 

 spring. Would the following plan be all 

 right: Put full sheets of brood foundation 

 in the 10 frames, set box of bees on top. 

 close ail openings above, and make them 

 work through the new hive below. Would 

 they move down of their own accord, or will 

 I have to drive them down ? 



2. Please explain the meaning of the word 

 nucleus. 



3. What is the advantage of clipping the 

 queens' wings ? 



4. Could you start a colony with one pound 

 of bees and a queen ? 



5. Does a queen-bee sting? 



(). What is the average life of a queen, 

 drone, and worker bee? 



New Subscriber. 



Answers.— I. They will work down of 

 their own accord, but not " while you wait" 

 unless you wait until the old hive is pretty 

 well filled with honey. It will help matters 

 if. at the time you operate, you will cut 

 away both box and combs up to where the 

 brood is. 



2. A nucleus is a baby colony. Just when 

 a nucleus becomes large enough to be called 

 a colony it is not easy to say; perhaps I 

 might say it should be called a colony when 



