AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



171 



question how to prevent increase isn't a 

 difiBcult one — it's the question how best 

 to prevent swarming that beats us all. 

 You can unite in the fall, although it 

 may be better to do so in the spring. 

 Save your best queen, if there's a differ- 

 ence, in uniting two colonies. 



You can take the old-fashioned way 

 of persistently returning all swarms that 

 issue. A good way, too, especially with 

 all after-swarms. For when the second 

 swarm issues with a young queen, one 

 or more other young queens are allowed 

 to issue from their cells, and when you 

 return the swarm there will be one or 

 more deaths, and they can't keep that 

 up so very long. Simply put back the 

 swarm every time it issues. 



You can break up any colony you 

 please now. Distribute its frames, bees 

 and all, to other colonies. The old bees, 

 of course, will go back to the old place, 

 but if their hive is taken away they will 

 unite with some of the nearest colonies. 



Removing Honey from Cross Bees. 



I have 11 colonies of hybrid bees, and 

 they are very cross. I would like to 

 know how to get the sections away from 

 the bees without the bees tearing some 

 of the caps off the honey. Is the Porter 

 bee-escape used for that purpose ? If 

 so, how many would I need, and how 

 would I use them ? Some of my hives 

 have as high as 100 pounds of surplus 

 already. I think we have a good bee- 

 country here. The bees do their work 

 along the north fork of the Canadian 

 river. Success to the Bee Jouknal. 



Choctaw City, Okla. T. W. P. 



Answer. — I think the Porter escape 

 would solve the problem for you. I be- 

 lieve printed instructions for use are 

 sent with the escape. With only 11 

 colonies you will get along very well 

 with a single escape. Of course, you 

 can make faster work with more. The 

 kind of bees you have makes a good 

 deal of difference. The more black 

 blood, the more inclined to tear holes in 

 the cappings when disturbed, while Ital- 

 ians are not likely to do anything of the 

 kind. 



Hoffman Frames-Sections— Swarming 



1. What size are the Hoffman frames? 



2. Can one or two pound sections be 

 used on the Thompson Golden hive ? 



3. Do bees alway swarm before a 

 young queen Is hatched out? 



4. I have a dozen Golden patent hives 



and one dozen boxes. I had 11 colonies 

 last spring and now I have 24. I lost 5 

 swarms that went to the woods. Would 

 you advise another hive, different and 

 better ? or can I use all the late im- 

 provements on the hive I now have ? 

 D. S. M. 

 Lewiston, W. Va., July 24. 



Answers.— 1. lT%x93>^, outside meas- 

 ure. 



2. I don't know what the Thompson 

 Golden hive is, but I hardly think there 

 is any hive in use in this country that 

 will not admit the use of 1 and 2 pound 

 sections. All that is necessary is to 

 have a chance to place them on top. 



3. Yes and no. At regular swarming- 

 time, when a prime swarm issues with 

 the old queen, such a swarm generally 

 issues about the time the first queen- 

 cell is sealed, so always before she is 

 hatched out. But sometimes the old 

 queen is superseded at other than 

 swarming-time, or some accident causes 

 the loss of the old queen, and at such 

 times the bees do not swarm before the 

 queen emerges. 



4. I'm not competent to answer that 

 question, for I don't know what the 

 Golden hive is. You'll find it a good 

 deal of trouble to change and have two 

 kinds of hives, still there may be enough 

 difference to make it worth while. Can't 

 you make it convenient to see at some 

 neighboring bee-keeper's one of the pop- 

 ular modern hives such as the Dovetail, 

 then you can judge something about the 

 difference. Or, you might get one of 

 the hives yourself, and judge from that. 



''Foul JBroo<1 ; Its Natural History 

 and Rational Treatment," is the title of an 

 interesting booklet by Dr. Wm. R. Howard, 

 of Texas. It also contains a review of the 

 work of others on the same subject. It is 

 being sold at the office of the Bee Jour- 

 nal. Price, postpaid, 25 cents; or clubbed 

 with the Bee Journal for one year — both 

 together for $1.1.5. 



Profitable Uee-Keeping:, by Mrs. 

 Atchley, will continue for some time in her 

 department of the Bee Journal, at least 

 each alternate week. Until further notice 

 we can furnish the back numbers from May 

 1st, beginning with her " Lessons," to new 

 subscribers who pay $1.00 for a year's sub- 

 scription to the Bee Journal — that is, we 

 can <^ommence their year with the number 

 having the first lesson, if they so desire. 



