1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



CONDDCTED BY 



OR. C. O. MILLER, MARENGO, ILL. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.l 



Wliat Probably Caused the Queen's Deatli i- 

 Winter Stores — Packing Bees. 



1. Sometime ago I united two weak colonies, the one hav- 

 ing a tested Italian queen, the other a hybrid. By way of cau- 

 tion, I caged the tested queen on a comb for a day or so, hav- 

 ing killed the hybrid. I released the queen about dark, giving 

 the bees a good smoking, and thought all would be well ; but 

 on examination about a week later, no queen was present. I 

 am quite sure of this, for I made two thorough examinations. 

 Meanwhile, they were fed about 10 pounds of syrup from a 

 Miller feeder. What was the probable cause of the queen be- 

 ing killed ? 



2. Why must stores, either fed or gathered, be sealed for 

 winter ? 



3. My single-wall hives are arranged in a row in a shed 

 facing the south, open two or three feet from the ground in 

 nice weather, but closed during cold, stormy weather. I have 

 packed several inches at the back, also between the hives with 

 straw and chaff. Each hive has a T super filled with a sack 

 containing chaff, closely packed. In lieu of a Hill device, the 

 burlap covers are placed over the T tins instead of directly on 

 the brood-frames. Is this the coirect way, or should the bur- 

 laps be under the tin ? Should the packing in the supers be 

 scant enough to allow of an air space under the cover ? My 

 covers fit rather closely over the packing, but are provided 

 with about an inch hole at each end for ventilation. I see 

 bran mentioned for packing over the brood-chamber. What is 

 your opinion of its merits, compared with wheat straw or 

 chaff? H. M. S. 



Vine, 0., Dec. 7. 



Answers. — 1. Now look here. How do you know that 

 queen was killed? You say you made two thorough examina- 

 tions. That won't pass as conclusive testimony in this court. 

 You were not convinced yourself by the first examination or 

 else you would't have made the second. And if you missed 

 finding her on the first examination, how can you be sure the 

 second was any better. Sometimes a queen has kept out of my 

 sight for more than two examinations, and I'm no "slouch," 

 either, at finding a queen. Wait till next spring before you 

 feel sure about it. 



Now if you're ready to admit that you don't know whether 

 that queen's dead or alive, I'll admit that the chances are that 

 you're not far out of the way in supposing her to be dead. As 

 to the reason, it's reason enough that she was in a hive with a 

 number of strange bees, in which there's always some chance of 

 trouble, and in this case the chances went against her. Per- 

 haps next time you try the same thing, all will be lovely. 



If I understand the case rightly, you killed the one queen 

 and caged the other at the time of uniting. Then a day or so 

 later you released the caged queen. I don't know just what 

 occurred, but I'll give a guess at what might have been. When 

 the bees were united, some of the hybrid queen's subjects went 

 nosing around and found a strange queen in a cage. An un- 

 friendly feeling made them hang around the cage, and the 

 loyal bees not being able to get to her paid not much attention 

 to her. If they discussed the matter at all, they may have 

 said that a queen that would fool away her time in a cage like 

 that wasn't exactly what she ought to be. So when the cage 

 was opened, the disaffected bees had their own way and dis- 

 patched her royal highness. If you had killed the hybrid 

 queen a day or a week beforehand, and then united without 

 caging, your chances might have been better, for the strange 

 bees would by that time have discovered their queenlessness 

 and been ready to tolerate anything in the shape of a queen. 



2. If there were no other reason. I should prefer to have 

 sealed stores for winter, because their being sealed is some- 

 thing of a guarantee that they are ripe enough to be proper 

 stores. I admit that there may be such a thing as sealed hon- 

 ey, that isn't as ripe as the majority of unsealed honey, 



and that there may be unsealed honey very thick and ripe, but 

 as a rule sealed honey will be the better of the two. 



But suppose we have two lots of honey exactly alike in 

 every respect, only one is sealed and the other unsealed — I'd 

 rather have the sealed. The vapor in the hive arising from 

 the bees settles on the unsealed honey, thinning it so that by 

 spring it will run out of the cells. The sealing keeps It closed 

 against the entrance of the vapor, and It will remain thick 

 until the bees uncap It. 



3. I think you're all right with the burlap over theT tins, 

 for if the burlap were next the frames there might be no 

 chance for a passage over the frames. I suppose you saw 

 that the burlap was close down upon the frames everywhere 

 except where the T tins were. I don't believe an air space 

 under the cover is of any special use. I don't know about 

 bran, but I think I'd as soon risk chaff. Planer shavings, 

 however, seem to be growing in favor. One good point about 

 them is that they don't suit mice as well as either of the 

 others. 



Sweet and Alsike Clover Seed. 



1. Where can I obtain sweet and Alsike clover seed for 

 the least money near to me ? What should it cost per bushel ? 

 Anyone having the above seed for sale, I would be glad to re- 

 ceive prices from. J. N. S. 



Cuba Landing, Tenn. 



Answer. — I know nothing about the matter only from the 

 advertisements. Watch for them toward spring. I think it 

 is usually about $6 a bushel.— [Those who have for sale the 

 seed mentioned, should advertise it with prices in the adver- 

 tising columns of this paper. — Editors.1 



Housing Bees -Balling of the (tti^en. 



1. Would it be best to house bees in this warm, damp cli- 

 mate, or put under a good shed out-doors? All buildings get 

 very damp inside, unless they have fire in them. The temper- 

 ature seldom gets down to zero. 



2. What Is meant by "balling a queen ?" H. B. B. 

 Riverside, Wash. 



Answers. — 1. I'm inclined to think the best thing is to 

 have them out-doors, perhaps properly packed in such a shed 

 as you speak of. But I'd try to find out just what has been 

 the practice of others, and their respective success. 



2. The first time you have a queen that you want to de- 

 stroy, throw her among a lot of bees that have a good queen, 

 and you'll find out what " balling a queen " means. First one 

 bee will grab hold of the strange queen, then another, and an- 

 other until there's no room for any more to get hold of her, 

 and then other bees will take hold of the bees that are holding 

 on to the queen, and this will be continued until they make a 

 ball the size of a hickory nut or a walnut. The balling bees will 

 make a sort of hissing sound, and as a rule will hold on to the 

 queen until she is dead. This will take several hours. 



Sometimes bees will ball their own queen and kill her, 

 either because there's something wrong with her or because 

 she has been handled and has thus acquired a strauge scent. 

 When bees ball their own queen, however, I think they do not 

 generally mean any evil to her, but ball her for the sake of 

 protecting her. Often when I've opened a hive and found 

 them balling their queen, I've closed the hive at once and left 

 them, and the next day I'd find the queen all right. 



A Ne-w Binder for holding a year's numbers of the 

 American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every 

 subscriber who sends us 15 cents in addition to paying for his 

 or her subscription for 1896. It is called "The Wood 

 Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple 

 arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. 

 Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee 

 Journal as fast as they are received. Why not begin with 

 Jan. 1 to save them ? They are Invaluable for reference, and 

 at the low price of the Binder you can afford to get it yearly. 



If your subscription is already paid for 1896, send 15 

 cents for the Binder. If any one desires two of the Binders — 

 one for 1895 and one for 1896— send 25 cents, and they will 

 be mailed to you. 



JI^.I am not sure but I should want a fire in a bee-cellar 

 for the sake of ventilation, even if not needed for heat. — Dr. 

 Miller. 



