294 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May 7, 



what's cheapest isn't always best. Supposing the cost figures 

 out exactly the same, and you have the honey on hand, I'll 

 give some reasons why I'd prefer the honey. I have souie- 

 thing of an idea that while sugar may be just as good for 

 fuel, it may not be quite so good as honey to rear strong young 

 bees. The honey is ou hand, all ready to use, unless it be 

 adding some water, and using the honey avoids the trouble of 

 making the exchange. If you use the honey, no prying 

 neighbor will say you fed sugar to make honey, and there's 

 more danger of harm from that kind of thing in spring than 

 in fall. Using the honey is just so much help to the honey 

 market. Now, what do you say ? 



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Sections ^villi Comb Built by Foul-Broody Col- 

 onies. 



Is there any danger in using sections that have been built 

 full of combs by foul-broody colonies ? Would there beany 

 danger of starting foul brood ? They would be fine "baits," 

 as they are white, and no honey in them. Subscriber. 



Answer. — Very certainly. Don't think for a minute of 

 using them. Melt up the wax and burn up the wood. If any 

 honey is left by the melting, you can eat It yourself, but be 

 very sure no bees can get hold of it. It's hard to be too care- 

 ful about the dread disease. 



Bee-Diarrlica Prevention. 



I am looking for an article on bee-diarrhea or bee-paraly- 

 sis. I have lost 40 colonies with it, mostly. Is there any- 

 thing that can be done after it commences in a colony ? 



Tuttle's, N. Y. A. P. 



Answer. — By this titiie, without doubt, a perfect cure has 

 been accomplished, for no better cure exists than a good 

 flight. Indeed, it is somewhat doubtful whether there is 

 any other cure, although some think that heating up the cel- 

 lar in which bees are kept goes a long way toward a cure. At 

 any rate, cases have been reported in which a temperature of 

 60° to SO- maintained for a short time seemed to leave the 

 bees in much better condition. In general, attention must be 

 given to prevention of diarrhea rather than to cure. This 

 must be done in fall, by seeing that they have proper stores in 

 good season, and by taking all care as to ventilation and pro- 

 tection. 



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Tran§fcrring — Findings Black Queens, Etc. 



1. I have four colonies of bees, two in dovetailed hives 

 and two in odd-sized movable-frame hives. I desire to get the 

 latter two into standard hives. I consulted " A B C of Bee- 

 Culture," and about four weeks ago I put a new hive with 

 frames filled with foundation on top of one of these old hives. 

 The book says that after the queen has begun to lay in the 

 new hive, the old hive can be removed, and the bees will be 

 in the new hive. My bees have filled the new combs nearly 

 full of honey, and left no room for the queen to lay in the new 

 hive. Now, if I put on a super, will the bees carry the honey 

 into the sections, and make room for the queen to lay, or what 

 would you advise ? 



2. The past week has been cold, windy weather, and I 

 notice one of my hives has a large number of dead bees ou the 

 ground around it. Does this denote anything serious? 



3. My bees are common black ones. I would like to get 

 Italians, but I am afraid if I should get new queens I would 

 not be able to find the old queens to remove them. I have 

 looked over my bees several times, and have never seen a queen 

 but once. Can you give any good rules for finding a queen ? 



4. After receiving a queen by mail, how long can she be 

 kept before introducing ? C. E. D. 



California. 



Answers. — 1. Yes, you can put on a super and the bees 

 will empty out cells for the queen, but you should uncap the 

 cells in the central part where the queen is likely to lay. You 

 can slice off the cappings with a knife, or scratch over the 



cappings with a three-tined fork having its tines wired to- 

 gether so they will measure about % of an inch across, or per- 

 haps you will like still better a wire hair brush to pound over 

 the cappings. 



2. Very likely it's all right. 



3. There are no sure rules for finding a queen. It's some- 

 what a matter of patience and practice. And yet attention to 

 some things will help very much. Go at it as quietly as pos- 

 sible, using very little smoke, as smoke and rough handling 

 will alarm the bees and set them to running, and then you 

 might as well give up the job till another time. 



If you anticipate trouble in finding a queen, try this plan : 

 Have an empty hive at your side. Lift out the first frame 

 nearest you, and after looking somewhat carefully for the 

 queen, put it in the empty hive on the side next to you, but at 

 a distance of an inch or so from the side of the hive. After 

 looking over the next frame, put it close up to the one you 

 took out first. Put the third one an inf h distant from the 

 second, and the fourth one close up to the third. Put the 

 fifth one an inch from the fourth, and the sixth close to the 

 fifth. Then put the seventh about an inch from the side of 

 the hive in the same hive where it was, and the eighth close 

 up to it. Then the ninth an inch or so distant, and the tenth 

 close to the ninth. Now you have the combs in pairs, three 

 pairs in the empty hive, and two pairs in their own hive. The 

 tendency of the queen is to get in out of sight, and so where 

 she happens to be she will get in the middle between the two 

 combs that form the pair. Commence then in the extra hive, 

 lifting out the comb next to the one that is farthest from you. 

 As you lift it out, glance over the surface of its mate to see 

 whether the queen is there, then examine the one in your 

 hand, place it beyond its mate, and after examining the mate 

 put it farthest from you, but close up to its mate. In this 

 way go over all the pairs. Take a look at the bees clinging to 

 the sides of the hive. If by that time you don't find her, bet- 

 ter give it up till half an hour later, or still better until next 

 day. For some reason it does not seem to be of much use to 

 keep on looking if you don't find the queen after looking over 

 two or three times, but by waiting an hour or so you may find 

 her first thing. 



Here's another way : Shake the bees off two or three 

 frames and put them in an empty hive. Put a queen-exclud- 

 ing honey-board over this hive, and over this another hive, 

 making all close between the two hives. Now take the combs 

 one after another and shake or brush off all the bees into this 

 upper hive, keeping a watch for the queen. The bees will 

 run down through the excluder — if they don't go down to suit 

 you, use a little smoke to hurry them — and the queen not be- 

 ing able to get through the excluder, will be seen. 



4. They have been kept three weeks or more, I think, but 

 they must be supplied with food and water. 



ITsins Combs of Candied Honey. 



I have about 40 brood-combs, and the honey in them is 

 candied solid. Are they of any use to bees in the shape they 

 are ? What would you do with such combs ? C. C. C. 



Answer. — Of course the combs can be melted up and the 

 honey then used for feeding the bees, but I think I'd rather 

 save the combs whole. If you give them to the bees they will 

 clean out t^ie candied honey, but it will be a waste. You may, 

 however, save it in this way: Seta hive filled with candied 

 combs on the stand where a colony now is, and on top of the 

 hive containing the colony. Close the entrance at the bottom 

 of the lower hive, and the bees in emptying the cells will let 

 the candied honey fall to the bottom, then you can collect it 

 and melt it to feed. They may carry out some of the grains 

 of honey, but nothing like as much as they would if the en- 

 trance was opeu at the bottom. Of course the entrance must 



