264 



August, 1914. 



American Hee Journal 



which the bees had entered and begun 

 work. It would hardly appear that the 

 forces were so scattered as to become 

 discouraged when they would begin 

 work in a fifth super, empty, and o« to/i. 

 Mr. Greiner says "they must be crowd- 

 ed onto the foundation." That is just 

 what seems to have been the case. 



Moreover, the crops of honey we get 

 hardly warrant the belief that our bees 

 are too much scattered and discour- 

 aged. One can but wonder what those 

 bees would do if the only room they 

 had was two supers, when they are 

 crowded to overflowing in five or more 

 supers ! 



pictured and recommended in one of 

 the Government bulletins, and for the 

 man with a small number of hives to 

 treat is just the thing, as there is no 

 danger of damaging nice new bee- 

 hives with too much fire. 



Conducted by Wesley Foster, Boulder. Colo. 



Making Increase 



The making of increase by the Alex- 

 ander plan did not work quite so well 

 this year as in 1913. There is a ques- 

 tion whether early in the season is the 

 best time to make increase. It is all 

 right if the colonies can all be brought 

 up to honey gathering strength in time 

 for the main flow. But this cannot be 

 foretold definitely. Increase can be 

 made in August after it is seen that the 

 flow is good, and such increase in 

 most cases will be ready for good win- 

 tering, and if not in the best condition 

 it can be prepared for good wintering 

 by giving brood and honey. 



In August I take out combs of ma- 

 ture and hatchingbees from those colo- 

 nies that can well spare them, putting 

 them into my new hives for increase. I 

 plug the entrances with grass for sev- 

 eral days. The grass generally wilts 

 and lets the bees out in that time any- 

 way. Then the bees, or most of them, 

 stay in the new location. If the flow 

 late in the season is good, three frames 

 with a queen-cell or virgin queen will 

 make a colony to winter, but if by 

 Sept. 15 they are not strong enough I 

 take out more brood and hatching 

 bees and strengthen them further from 

 populous colonies. In this way I give 

 some of my strong colonies room for 

 the queen to do more laying. 



Honey Crop Conditions 



The sweet clover along the lower 

 Platte valley was mostly killed by the 

 high water, so that prospects are not 

 very favorable there. The first crop 

 of alfalfa was cut early, an I unless the 

 second crop does something there will 

 not be much of a crop gathered in 

 that part of the State. The lull be- 

 tween first and second crops of alfalfa 

 has been longer than usual in Boulder 

 county, and some of our bee-men are 

 rather discouraged. The crop here 

 will not likely be as large per colony 

 as last year, but there are more bees to 

 gather it. The quality is very fine, 

 however, thanks to the hot weather we 

 have had, which ripens the honey so 

 well. 



* ■ » 



Disinfecting Hives and Supers 



Mr. John T. Greene says, on page 237 

 of the July American Bre Journal, that 

 disinfecting with the blue flame blow 

 torch is primitive, slow, and not so 

 good as his method. Perhaps it is 



primitive and slow, but the work done 

 by the blue flame torch cannot be im- 

 proved upon if in the hands of a good 

 workman. The blue flame torch will 

 reach the cracks and corners better 

 than the method described by Mr. 

 Greene, and I have used Mr. Greene's 

 method on hundreds of hives. 

 The torch method of disinfection is 



Odor of American Foulbrood 



Mr. E. G. Carr says that he has not 

 found a case of American foulbrood in 

 New Jersey,the odor of which could be 

 detected a few feet from the hive. The 

 case is very different in Colorado. The 

 odor of American foulbrood is notice- 

 able 10 to 20 feet from badly diseased 

 hives on hot summer days. Many cases 

 have been detected before ever touch- 

 ing a hive or cover. 



The odor is hard to describe, and the 

 word of people unfamiliar with the dis- 

 eaae is likely to describe it closer than 

 the description of the beeman. A good 

 rich case of American foulbrood in 

 Colorado smells very much "dead" 

 and " decaying " according to several 

 people I have asked. It has of course 

 a distinctive odor different from a de- 

 caying mass of dead bees. 



Apiary of J. E. Miller, of Caldwell. Idaiio. Note the cement cover on the fourth liive in 

 front row. " It never blows oiT." 



Bee-Keeping 



In Dixie^ 



Conducted by J. J Wilder. Cordele. Ga. 



Roaclies and Motlis 



Mr. Wii.nFR: — There are a lot of 

 roaches in my bee-hives, and they eat 

 considerable honey. Also, I am trou- 

 bled with the moth. How can I rid my 

 bees of these pests? I would like to 

 get Italian bees. What is your advice 

 in this matter ? It has not rained here 

 in four months, and I have had to feed 

 all the time to keep my bees from 

 dwindling. Could I sow buckwheat or 



something else for them during such a 

 honey famine ? A. S. Inclin. 



Cottage Hill, Fla. 



Roaches are a great nuisance some- 

 times about an apiary here in the 

 South. They get in the honey house 

 and do nearly as much harm as mice 

 in destroying things, besides falling 

 into honey. Vou can't keep them out, 

 for they squeeze in and cut their way 

 through almost any place. They do 



I 



