198 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



March 26, 



tried to start you in the right direction, and now wait for you 

 to develop the thoughts, if it seems wise in the eyes of this 

 Association to do so. R. C. Aikin. 



(Continued next Week.l 





CONDUCTED BY 



DR. C. C. Ain^LER, ALAJiENGO, ILL. 



LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct,] 



Wlien and How to Transfer. 



I have a colony in a box-hive ; they did not swarm last 

 year, and I am going to put them into a Langstroth hive this 

 spring. When and how would it be advisable to drive them 

 into the new hive ? C. H. L. 



Answer. — During fruit-bloom is the favorite time. Many 

 prefer to let them swarm first. Full instructions for trans- 

 ferring are given in back numbers, and in all the bee-books. 



Sowiiiff Sweet Clover Seed on Sod. 



I have a waste place of about three acres, partly over- 

 grown with blackberry bushes, etc. It was never cleared of 

 stones or stumps, or plowed. Do you think sweet clover would 

 grow on such a place, if sown on the sod '? I intend to sow 

 some this spring ? E. T. 



Chain Dam, Pa. 



Answer. — I once sowed a number of acres with sweet 

 clover on sod. Not one seed in a thousand grew. But I think 

 you would get a catch if you would sow very early (in the fall 

 might have been better) then have a lot of stock run over the 

 ground so as to tramp the seed into the ground thoroughly. 



Conih-Space — Frame Sizes and measurements- 

 Spring Dwindling: — Enamel Cloth Covers. 



1. Is this the correct way to find the comb space in a 

 hive — find the number of square inches (inside measure) in a 

 frame, multiply by two, and by the number of frames in the 

 hive ■? 



2. Can you tell me the sizes of the frames, and the 

 number in each hive, of the following kinds of hives : Dadant, 

 Quinby, Gallup, and Heddon ? 



3. When a frame measurement is given, how is it ob- 

 tained ? Is it outside measurement, disregarding the projec- 

 tions of the top-bar? 



4. My bees are troubled very nyich with spring dwindling, 

 and I would like some advice on the subject. The hives are 

 situated in a warm place under a hill, and the least sunshine 

 calls the bees out to their death by cold winds, etc. I do not 

 care for very early breeding in the spring, because of the 

 many sharp freezes after warm weather sets in, so I think it 

 might be a good plan to shade the entrances with the summer 

 shade-boards, removing them during really warm days. The 

 only objection I can think of, is that shading the entrances 

 shades the hives, and hinders early brood-rearing ; but, as I 

 have said, I would not care for that. What do you think ? 



5. Do you use enameled cloth to cover brood-frames, or 

 simply the cover ? I find the bees try to weld the cover, 

 frames and hive together, and I have used heavy oilcloth 

 raised a bee-space by sticks to prevent the welding process. I 

 would like to discard that arrangement if you think the bee- 

 space is of no special value to the bees, and simply use a sheet 

 of enameled cloth. 



6. Is there any special form you would like questions to 

 be in, such as writing on one side only, numbering, etc.? Don't 

 think by this that I am going to flood you "off the fence" 

 with questions. Bee-Fevek Patient. 



Answers. — 1. Of course, that gives the actual amount of 

 comb-surface in the hive, providing the frames are completely 



filled, but it is not customary to multiply by 2. So, if the in- 

 side measure of a frame is 8x10, the comb-surface in that 

 comb would be called SO inches. 



2. Quinby, ISj-^xlli^: Gallup, llJixllJi; Heddon, 

 18 1/16x5 ?s- I think the Dadant is the same as the Quinby, 

 only a inch deeper. 



3. Yes. 



4. It may be well to try shading the entrances as you sug- 

 gest, or at least part of them. If you shade part it will give 

 you a chance to compare results. 



5. I used enamel cloth for many years, but use none with 

 the flat cover. To be sure, the bees glue together the hive and 

 cover, and I prefer to have them do so. If they didn't, the 

 first strong wind would blow off the cover. I suspect from 

 what you say that the bees build comb between the top-bars 

 and the cover. Perhaps you have too much space. One-fourth 

 inch is all that should be between top-bar and cover. I never 

 used anything under the oilcloth, but put it directly on the 

 frames. The bees always took care to make passages over the 

 top-bars by crowding in bee-glue. 



6. It helps to have questions numbered, and although I 

 can make out to answer questions in any shape almost, still it 

 is a pleasure to have plain and distinct writing. So far as I 

 am concerned, I don't care how many sides of the paper you 

 write on, but printers are better-natured if you use only one 

 side. 



m I m 



Time to Make Honcy-Yineg^ar. 



How long a time does honey and water ferment before it 

 becomes vinegar ? C. W. L. 



Answer. — E. France says he takes two years to make 

 vinegar. T. F. Bingham says a year or less. If you make it 

 strong with honey it will take longer to make than if it is 

 weak. 



Variation of Bee-Cellar Temperature. 



1. Will the temperature of a cellar be any higher with 

 100 or more colonies than with only five or less in it ? 



2. If so, how much will it vary '' 



3. Will the temperature be more even with 100 than with 

 five or so ? Nebraska. 



An.swers. — 1. Yes, the heat from the bees themselves 

 makes a difference. The smaller the cellar, and the more 

 crowded the bees, the more difference will be shown. 



2. I don't know, and it would be very hard to get an en- 

 tirely reliable answer. If you had two celiars exactly alike in 

 every particular so you could compare, then you could find out 

 something about it. With only one cellar I don't know how 

 you could find out for certain. The variation would probably 

 not be at all constant. Under some circumstances the varia- 

 tion might be more than twice as much as under others. 



3. Probably you wouldn't notice much difference as to 

 evenness, although the larger number ought to keep the tem- 

 perature a little more even. 



How and When to Transfer. 



How do you transfer bees? I have 6 colonies in old Lang- 

 stroth hives, and have 10 new alternating hives which are 

 smaller, being IS 11/16x5 11/16, 2-story brood-chamber. 

 The question with me is, how and when to transfer these 6 

 colonies from Langstroth hives to these alternating hives, to 

 get the best results in increase and honey (in your judgment). 

 Of course there are many things that might make vastly dif- 

 ferent results, but of these unforseen things I must take my 

 chances, as I did at the front in 1861 to 1864-. 



C. E. M. 



Answer. — To transfer from a larger to a small frame 

 ought not to be a very difficult matter. Upon a table place 

 some newspapers spread out, and on this place one of the 

 frames of comb to be cut out, having previously placed under 

 the frame some pieces of common wrapping-twine. Cut all 

 around the comb with a sharp, thin case-knife heated from 

 time to time. Now lift off the frame, leaving the comb on the 

 table. Place the new frame over the comb, and with the 

 knife mark around the inside of the frame on the comb. Take 

 the frame off and cut the comb so as to fit in the frame, being 

 sure to have it rather a snug fit. Now crowd the new frame 

 down over the comb. If the strings were placed right in the 

 first place, you will have six or eight of them at intervals, so 

 that all you have to do now is to tie the two ends of each 



