February, 1914. 



American Hee Journal 



for the additional strii) is for llial purpose, 

 You could, therefore, dispense with the rear 

 board. We use both cloth and straw mat. 

 In addition, as our cover telescopes, we like 

 plenty of room all around and over the su- 

 per, and we make it a trifle narrower than 

 the hive body, so as to have room all around. 

 We use only 10 frames in the super, with a 

 space of i6 inches inside, or one inch and 

 six-tenths for each comb. This gives us 

 heavier extracting combs than usual. We 

 sometimes use only Q. when they are already 

 built and very thick. The telescope cover, 

 which may seem super uous to many per- 

 sons, is very convenient to prevent robbing 

 around the upper joints. 



We are not urging the use of our hive. We 

 are content to use it ourselves, but realize 

 that most apiarists prefer something 

 cheaper.— Editor. 



Stingless Bees 



Is it true, as the newspapers report, that 

 stingless bees have been produced i 



California. 



ANSWER.-There are stingless bees in 

 South Amei ica, as has been long known, but 

 they are not of value commercially. What 

 you have reference to. however, is likely the 

 report that has been going the rounds of the 

 papers, more or less exaggerated, that a bee- 

 keeper in England has produced bees that 

 do not sting, although having stings. From 

 what is said about them in the bee journals 

 there, the likelihood is that they are no 

 gentler than bees have been found at many 

 times in different places. 



Reinforced Foundation 



Please'state in the .■\merican Bee Journal 

 the advantage in using the reinforced comb 

 foundation. Some claim it takes less than 

 other comb foundation, being thick on top 

 and thin on bottom. If there is any comb 

 foundation that is better please let me 

 know, and if it is a fake tnen also give us 

 the facts. California. 



Answeb.— I did not know that it had ever 

 been claimed that less foundation was 

 needed if reinforced. Likely what you mean 

 is that a less weight of wax might be used 

 in tilling a hive with foundation. I do not 

 see why that may not be true. Foundation 



for brood-combs must be of a certain weight 

 to prevent sagging. But the sagging is chieHy 

 at the top. Now. if we use lighter founda 

 tion and reinforce the top part, there is a 

 saving of wax. It is claimed also that bees 

 begin work more promptly on the wax that is 

 painted on. 1 have never used it enough to 

 speak with great authority, but I do not be- 

 lieve there is any fake about it, and I do not 

 remember having seen a report from any 

 one who condemns it after having tried it. 



Shallow or Full Depth Frames ? — Extractors 



1 What si^e of extracting frames are bet 

 ter, the shallow fraines or the full depth ? 



2. What size extractor is better, with q^8 

 comb baskets or ii^a ? Ohio, 



Answers.— I. The shallow frames are the 

 better, probably in every respect except 

 that they cannot be used interchangeably 

 with brood-combs. 



2 Get o^a. unless you have frames deeper 

 than the Langstroth. 



Beginner's Questions 



1. Every year some of my honey is devoured 

 by moths. Is it the race of bees which 

 causes it? What would you advise ? 



2. I have a strong colony of bees in a com- 

 mon box-hive, the entrance is small, and I 

 do not secure much honey. Would you ad- 

 vise me to transfer them into modern quar- 

 ters? What time would you advise, early 

 in spring or at the height of clover bloom ? 



3. I have three old colonies of bees, would 

 you advise me to requeen in spring ? 



4. Part of the combs in the frames in these 

 hives are not straightso I can lift them out. 

 would you advise me to take them out and 

 use full sheets of foundation ? 



5. I run for comb honey and use separators 

 inmysupers. what kind of starters would 

 you advise me to use. one at the bottom and 

 top of the section ? Illinois. 



Answers.— I. I suppose you mean the lar- 

 vae of the bee-moth, or wax-worms, as they 

 are generally called, eat the combs. This 

 they may do, no matter what kind of bees 

 you have, provided colonies are weak, but 

 the trouble will not be nearly so bad if you 

 have Italians. Indeed, with strong colonies 

 of Italians you will probably have no trou- 

 ble at all. So long as the trouble continues, 

 you would do well to fumigate your comb 

 honey. If you use sulphur you will do well 

 to fumigate twice; the first time very soon 



after taking the honey from the bees, and 

 the second time two or three weeks later, 

 to kill the worms that were in the eggs at 

 first fumigation. If you use carbon disulfide 

 no second fumigation will be needed, as that 

 kills eggs as well as larva;. 



2. Wait until the colony swarms; hive the 

 swarm in an up-to-date hive, set it in place 

 of the old hive, and put the old hive close 

 beside it. A week later move the old hive 

 to the oppositeside of the swarm, and two 

 weeks later still (or three weeks after 

 swarming break up the old hive and add its 

 bees to the swarm. 



3 That depends. It the colonies are of 

 good stock, let them alone. If they are of 

 poor stock, requeen after honey is yielding, 

 or perhaps full better about the close of 

 harvest. 



4. Yes. 



5. Yes; a f 8 starter at bottom, and a top 

 starter that will come within Va of an inch of 

 the bottom one when both are fastened in. 



T Supers 



I read in " A B C of Bee Culture " that you 

 use theT supers. I have a few regular su- 

 pers on hand, but figuring how much furni- 

 ture it takes, and the trouble to keep them 

 clean. I thought perhaps this was your rea- 

 son for using the super you do. 



West Virginia. 



Answer.— My reason for using the T super 

 is that I think I can produce section honey 

 of fine quality with less labor and expense 

 than with any other kind I have tried, and I 

 have tried many kinds. I think very few 

 who have used the T super probably have 

 given it up. Some who have condemned it 

 have never used it properly. I know of no 

 super that allows the same number of sec- 

 tions in more compact form. When 4 su- 

 pers are on a hive— in a good season it is a 

 common thing to have 4 to 6 supers on a hive 

 —the distance from the top of the lower sec- 

 tion to the bottom of the upper section is 

 not more than q!s inches. It does not seem 

 possible to invent any super that will allow 

 the sections to be in less space, for no room 

 is taken up with bars under or over the sec- 

 tions. In most other supers there is a bot- 

 tom-bar under the sections, and in some a 

 top-bar as well. In the latter case, even if 

 top and bottom bars be only !■♦ inch thick, 

 the distance between upper and lower sec- 

 tions, instead of being <)'A. will be ii inches. 

 But a bottom-bar ^i-inch thick is likely to 

 sag, and even 'i inch may sag through warp- 

 ing. The T-super has the advantage that the 

 T-tins are entirely rigid, with no sagging 

 whatever. I might go on and tell how easy 

 it is to fill the super with sections, and how 

 easy to clean the sections. .\11 these things, 

 when pioperly done, set the T-super at the 

 head, in my judgment, as the best super for 

 producing comb honey. Along with this is 

 the fact that it costs less. 



No. 2.— Mr. .Jones' Virginia apiary of pure Italians. See " Reports and Experiences' 



Department. 



Bigger Crop for Dr. Miller With 10-Frame Hives 



1. How much more honey would you have 

 gotten this past season if you had used lo- 

 frame hives ? 



2. Don t you think the lo-frame hives are a 

 better all-around size than the 3-frame ? 



Illinois. 



Answers — i. I don't know. Possibly more; 

 possibly less. 



2. There are many factors to be considered 

 in the case. An 8-frame hive is lighte r to 

 handle, and so are the supers used with it. 

 Sometimes a lo-frame hive is too small, and 

 if two stories are used it is too large, being 

 practically a 2oframe hive. A i6-frame hive 

 would be better; that is, two stories of 8 

 frames each. It is a common thing for colo- 

 nies in 8-frame hives to run short of stores 



