AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



427 



to shake off the bees from the frames of 

 both colonies in front of the hive, and 

 unite in this way, or is there a better 

 way ? Had I better smoke them ? Is 

 there any danger to the queen in adding 

 so many strangers ? If this manage- 

 ment would do, I should have the laying 

 of each queen two seasons, and should 

 have the old, infirm queen to be super- 

 seded ; and then I don't need to be in a 

 fever of excitement during swarming- 

 time. S. H. 



Prosser, Nebr. 



Answer, — Yes, you can extract "good, 

 clean honey " from the frames late in 

 the fall, providing the honey has been 

 gathered from good sources. A good 

 many years ago I had the editor of our 

 local paper come to see me extract 

 honey. I was somewhat chagrined when 

 I put the combs in the extractor and 

 turned and turned, to find no honey 

 coming out of the combs. The honey 

 was white clover, very thick, it was late 

 in the season, cold, and the honey utter- 

 ly refused to leave the comb. So you 

 may have to put your combs in a warm 

 room for 24 hours. 



No, I wouldn't put away the sticky 

 combs in the way you propose. I would 

 first have the bees clean them off. You 

 can put a hive full of combs under or 

 over a colony. Or, you may perhaps do 

 better to have them cleaned up a few 

 rods away from the bees. 



If you set out a single frame where 

 the bees can get at it, they'll clean it 

 very clean, but they may tear the comb 

 pretty badly. Set out a hive full, leav- 

 ing only an entrance for two bees at a 

 time, and they'll clean it up without in- 

 juring the combs. 



If you have a big lot of them to clean 

 up at one time, take B. Taylor's plan. 

 Scatter the combs so that the bees will 

 have free access from all sides, and then 

 they'll not need to gather by the hundred 

 on a little spot and tear the comb. It 

 will work perhaps as well to have the 

 combs in hives, each hive uncovered. 



I have never had much experience in 

 your proposed plan of uniting, but it is 

 well spoken of. If you feel uncertain 

 about the queen, put her into cage 

 stopped with "Good" candy, and let 

 the bees eat her out. Yes, smoke them. 



Try uniting some of them this way : 

 After destroying the queen of one colo- 

 ny, set the other colony over it, leaving 

 an entrance to each hive, but allowing 

 no direct passage from one to another 

 except a place large enough for two or 

 hree bees to pass. In a day or two 



enlarge this passage, and in two or three 

 days more allow free communication. 

 Then at any time you like you can 

 take away half the combs. 



Keeping Syrup from Granulating. 



In what way can I make granulated 

 sugar into syrup for bee feed to keep it 

 from granulating in the comb ? 



Ousted, Mich. L. E. E. 



Answer. — There seems to be some un- 

 certainty about the matter. Some have 

 no trouble under any circumstances, 

 while others have the syrup granulate 

 in the combs badly even when using 

 acid. There may be something in the 

 sugar, and I think there's a good deal in 

 the way it's fed. I have always used au 

 even teaspoonful of tartaric acid to 20 

 pounds of sugar, stirring it in just after 

 taking the syrup off the stove, the acid 

 being previously dissolved in a little 

 water. This year I am using no acid, 

 but feeding without boiling, using a pint 

 of water to a pound of sugar. I don't 

 think it will granulate. See the article 

 on "Feeding Simplified," in this num- 

 ber of the Bee Journal. 



Increasing the Size of Bees. 



1. What does Mr. Faylor refer to on 

 page 369, 6th ? 



2. Can't some one tell us how to in- 

 crease the size of the honey-bees ? 



Englewood, 111. J. E. A. 



Answers. — 1. Mr. Faylor refers to 

 the large bees reared by Dr. J. P. Mur- 

 dock, of Florida. They are of such size 

 that comb built by them is considerably 

 larger than common. I have seen some 

 that were about half way between ordi- 

 nary drone and worker, and other of the 

 worker-cells were about as large as or- 

 dinary drone-cells. Drone-comb was of 

 course larger. 



2. Dr. Murdock is probably the best 

 man. He says he turned his direction 

 particularly to the drones, and I think 

 fed them in the larval state. The easi- 

 est way to increase the size of your bees 

 would be to get some of his stock. 



"Foul Brood; 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, 35 cents; or clubbed 

 with the bEB Journal for one year— both 

 together for $1.15. 



