234 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 9, 



three or four colonies of wild bees close to each other in the 

 woods, the chances are that only one nest is full of honey, and 

 the others almost storeless. Now is it in the nature of bees 

 for stronger colonies thus — unmolested by man — to deliberate- 

 ly rob out weaker ones? How often it happens that in one 

 yard there may be found one or two colonies which have se- 

 cured an enormous surplus, while the majority of the others 

 have produced very little. This is explained on the ground of 

 superior working-qualities of the former, and queens are con- 

 sequently bred from them. May it not often be that they are 

 not superior field-workers, but superior robbers, accumulating 

 an immense surplus at the expense of their neighbors? Of 

 course, this is not always the explanation, but may not such 

 great difference in amount of stores accumulated be sometimes, 

 and more often than we imagii:e, accounted for thus? 



What are " robber-traps," of which I recently saw men- 

 tion ? How are they constructed ? Afeica. 



Answer. — I don't believe bees are much more likely to 

 rob from each other in the same apiary than when scattered a 

 good many rods apart. I don't believe there's any quiet rob- 

 bing going on among my bees — that is, a strong colony taking 

 away honey from a weaker, with a good queen. When a case 

 of robbing occurs, and is allowed its own course, the rule is 

 that the robbed colony gives up the ghost. And if you'll par- 

 don me for saying so, I don't believe that sort of robbing that 

 leaves the robbed colony still in existence is a common thing 

 in Africa. 



I don't know what robber-traps are referred to, but it may 

 be some kind of cone escape that allows entrance but not exit. 



Paper Separators — Shallow Extractiiig-Frauics- 

 Doiiblc Hives, Etc. 



1. What do you think of the brown building-paper for sep- 

 arators ? 



2. What do you think of shallow frames for extracting? 

 Are they better than the Langstroth ? 



3. What do you think of Editor E. R. Root's plan of put- 

 ting two 8-frame hives on top of each other for comb honey ? 

 I think it all right for extracted honey, but not for comb. 



4. What do you think of the wood-base foundation for 

 brood-frames ? 



5. Why is it that some foundation when melted over in the 

 solar wax-extractor, turns a dark color? I had some last 

 summer which did that very thing. F. C. C. 



Answers. — 1. Bees would be likely to tear it, but if prop- 

 erly prepared by means of varnish or something of the kind it 

 may make good separators. I think it has been so used, but 

 I cannot now say by whom. 



2. Taken all in all, I suppose they are better. The Da- 

 dant's prefer them after long years of' trial. 



3. I don't know whether any one has tried it thoroughly 

 enough to speak with authority on the matter. But I hardly 

 see why bees might not store honey in sections over 16 frames 

 in two stories about as well as they would over the same num- 

 ber of frames in one story. 



4. Very few have reported as to this, and I've had no ex- 

 perience. 



5. I don't know. I don't see how the color should change 

 unless it should be burnt, or there was dirt in the extractor. 



lJ§ing Empty Brood-Combs — A Swarm's Actions. 



My bees I think are doing better this spring on the sum- 

 mer stands packed with leaves ; those in the cellar the entran- 

 ces are getting daubed. 



I have some empty brood-combs left from queenless colo- 

 nies — some left by doubling up in the fall. How can I best 

 use them to advantage to hive new swarms on — either to give 

 a full set of combs or to divide them two or more to each 

 swarm and the rest of the frames to be filled out with founda- 

 tion, full sheets or stories ? When a swarm issues, transfer all 

 supers and sections to the new hive on the old stand using the 

 8-frame dovetail hive. Our season here in Vermont is short for 

 light honey. All is dark honey after raspberry and basswood 

 bloom. Bees work very little on white clover when the others 

 are in bloom. Basswood was a failure here last year, but we 

 detected no honey-dew as the year before. 



I do not think that noise has any effect on bees, in the 

 cellar, if they are so placed that they do not come in contact 

 with any pillar or partition. I have kept them under a room 

 used, and part unused, and could see no difference. 



I would like to mention the actions of a swarm that I did 



not quite understand. I used Alley's queen and drone trap at 

 the time it issued — leaving the queen in the trap. It alighted 

 some 20 rods distant, up 20 feet on a large limb. This swarm 

 did not return to the parent hive after a week's bleechiug, of 

 sunshine and rain, and remained on the limb though they were 

 one-half diminished during this time. To remove them finally 

 they were burnt down with a torch on the end of a pole. 

 Were they lost, or were they afraid to return? F. S. C. 



Answer. — It doesn't make a great deal of difference how 

 you u^o ttie combs. You cau fill the hives with them as far as 

 tbey go, or you can put two or more iu each hive and then fill 

 out with frames filled with foundation. But if you mix the 

 two in the same hive, let the combs be all at one side and then 

 fill out with foundation. If you alternate them the bees some- 

 times prolong the cells of the old combs and make the new 

 cells on the foundation very shallow. 



In rare cases a swarm will hang in the way yours did until 

 they all disappear, and I don't know any reason for it unless 

 it be stupidity or pure cussedness. 



Bees Are Animals — Taxing Tlicm. 



1. In all dictionaries bees are classed as insects. In what 

 way can they be called animals, as they are called iu all law 

 decisions ? 



2. Also tell in what States bees are taxable property, and 

 explain in what way they can be classed as taxable property. 



S. T. 



Answers — 1. As a bee could not be admitted into the veg- 

 etable or mineral kingdom there's nothing left for it but to get 

 into the animal kingdom. Anything that has animal life is in- 

 cluded in the animal kingdom. An animal is thus defined in 

 the dictionary: "A sentient living organism broadly dis- 

 tinguished from a plant by incapacity to convert inorganic 

 matter; a sentient living being." That deflnition very plainly 

 includes the bee, so a bee is an animal, and is so called in law. 



2. Each State has its own laws, and I don't know what 

 States tax bees. In the State in which I live, Illinois, bees are 

 taxed, and very properly. If a man's property should be 

 wholly or solely in bees, he would probably want the State 

 government to protect him in his rights, and if he has the ben- 

 efit of that protection he surely ought to be willing to support 

 it by means of paying taxes. 



To Prevent Increase and Get Spring and 

 Flow. 



Fail 



Please advise me regarding the working of the following 

 plan, as I cannot find a way to prevent swarming that is of 

 use to me : 



The flow of white honey here is from scarlet, white, and 

 Alsike clover, and bush honey-suckle, and closes about July 

 10. There is nothing for the bees from that time for about 

 six weeks. During that vacancy I use the Boardman feeder 

 (which has given me a great deal of comfort.) I fill the brood- 

 nest with sugar syrup and get the buckwheat and golden-rod 

 honey in the supers, that is, trade sugar for honey. I would 

 do it in the spring, but our first honey is better, but where it 

 comes from I am not able to find out. 



As I have fully stated the case, I will now state the ques- 

 tion : To prevent increase and work the bees for spring and 

 fall flow, how will it do to hive the swarm in S-frame super of 

 shallow frames with one-cell starters, place on the same a 

 queen-excluding honey-board, run the bees from the old hive 

 into the swarm for 10 or 12 days, then after the white honey 

 unite with the old colony for the fall flow ? J. C. S. 



Willow Grove, Del. 



Answer. — That's a little after the plan of John F. Gates 

 — a plan that he has successfully followed for some time. I 

 don't know any reason why it may not do as well with you. I 

 suppose your idea is to leave iu the old hive only as many bees 

 as will take care of the brood, then the swarm being in limited 

 quarters will be obliged to put in its time on the sections. 



The Alsilte Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages, 

 with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and 

 telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand 

 to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- 

 nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- 

 tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, 

 are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200- 

 for TO cents. 



