518 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Aug. 13, 



in some special direction, or on some special field, which the 

 other did not find. 



In the discussion of the question, " How much will a col- 

 ony average ?" the best yield reported was 200 pounds per 

 colony, in 1881. 



Mr. Miles Morton had had workers live eight months from 

 August. 



The colonies represented by the Association were 1,941 ; 

 the average loss in wintering, 12yi per cent. The bees were 

 generally reported in fair condition. 



A resolution of thanks was given to Mr. and Mrs. Morton 

 for the splendid way in which they had entertained the con- 

 vention, after which the meeting adjourned, subject to the 

 call of the Secretary. Harry L. Howe, Sec. 



^.^-^ . 



CONDUCTED BT 



DR, C O. JSULLER, MARENGO. ILI., 



LQuestions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! 



Getting Queens Fertilized. 



I have a colony of bees that is rearing queens now. They 

 commenced the queen-cells July 14. I would like to know 

 the best way to get them fertilized. W. S. G. 



Verona, Out., July 16. 



Answer. — Don't give yourself the least uneasiness about 

 your queens being fertilized. Unless there's something ex- 

 tremely unusual about your surroundings, you furnish the 

 queens and the bees will do the rest. For wherever there are 

 bees to rear queen-cells, there will be found drones to meet 

 the queens. But you may do something toward getting your 

 queens mated to drones of good blood by keeping down as 

 much as possible all drones except from one or more of your 

 best colonies, of course not having the queens and drones 

 reared in the same colony. Cut out drone-comb wherever you 

 don't want drones, and put patches of worker-comb in place 

 of the drone-comb. The plan of G. M. Doolittle is to leave a 

 small patch of drone-comb in each hive, not more than three 

 or four square inches, and that will satisfy the bees so they'll 

 not be building a few drone-cells in every available corner. 

 Having the drone-comb in one spot, you can always know just 

 where to look for it, and once in three weeks you can shave 

 off the heads of the drones in their cells. 



^ I m 



Stopping Bees from Robbing. 



What can I do when bees are robbing each other ? I 

 have tried Mr. Root's plan ; I have shut them up and put 

 them down cellar, but when they get out they go at it again. 



H. R. 



Answer. — Prevention is much easier than cure. Keep all 

 colonies so strong that robbers cannot easily get a start. One 

 venj important factor in the way of prevention of robbing is 

 to have a good laying queen in each colony. With such a 

 queen a very weak nucleus can defend itself, especially if you 

 do your part toward making defense easy. Don't have en- 

 trances too large for nuclei. If the nucleus occupies one-half 

 of the hive, don't have the entrance directly into the part oc- 

 cupied by the bees, but have the direct entrance to the bees 

 closed, a division-board toward the middle, and the entrance 

 into the empty part. A robber doesn't like the idea of trav- 



ersing that dark space, but wants to get directly in to the 

 honey. But when by any means robbing has actually begun, 

 then you must be prompt in action, if action is to be taken at 

 all. For in many cases it may be just as well if you never find 

 out any robbing is going on until all the honey is robbed out. 

 If robbers get at a weak, queenless nucleus, perhaps infested 

 with laying workers, there's hardly any better thing than just 

 to let them alone. Whatever you do, don't take away the hive 

 without leaving anything in its place. For in that case the 

 robbers will immediately pounce upon the nearest hive or 

 hives, and it will need a strong colony to stop them after they 

 have once got fairly started on a defenceless colony. So when 

 you take away a hive, if you think best to do so, put in its 

 place another hive of the same appearance. Put in it some 

 scraps of honey for the bees to work on, and as soon as they 

 finish what honey is present, they'll stop without making any 

 strong attempt on neighboring colonies. 



If robbing has commenced on a colony that is weak but 

 has a good queen, you may often stop it by making the matter 

 of entrance too difficult. Pile straw or hay all around the 

 hive loosely, making the straw come up to the top of the hive. 

 Now keep the straw thoroughly drenched with water. It will 

 be too much for the robbers, although the bees of the colony 

 will work their way through. If the colony is queenless, the 

 straw may help out, providing a queen is at the same time 

 given. Possibly the giving a frame of brood would help, if 

 no queen can be given. 



Wlio Can Help Him Out < 



A swarm of bees issued three weeks ago, or on the 4th of 

 July. This colony did very well in all ways, but the pupae, 

 when nearly fully formed, die in the cell. The appearance of 

 these is snow-white, with dark streaks where the eyes form, 

 and in from one to three days the pupa3 gradually dry up, 

 but do not change in color, and when about the size of a 

 common fly they are removed by the bees. There are no 

 sunken cells, no putrid odor, and no dark, stringy matter, 

 such as described by Root under "Foul Brood." About one- 

 half of the cells are entirely uncapped, and affected in this 

 way ; the balance seem all right, and the young bees are com- 

 ing all right. Please give the cause, or disease, and treat- 

 ment. P. H. S. 



Lanark, 111., July 28. 



Answer. — I'm sorry to say I can't give the least bit of 

 light. Who cau help us out? 



Comb Leveler — Bee Journal Index — Rietsclie 

 Foundation Press. 



1. Can you give us soijae idea as to what sort of a device, 

 tool or instrument, B. Taylor's "comb leveler" is? How is it 

 manipulated ? 



2. And would you mind suggesting to Editor York that 

 he give us an index every half year, instead of at the end of 

 every year ? Like many others, I bind my American Bee 

 Journal in half-yearly volumes, and having only one index to 

 the two volumes is very inconvenient. And while I am about 

 it I would take the. liberty of suggesting another change — next 

 year — in the size of the American Bee Journal. Formerly it 

 was too small ; its present shape is a very convenient one — as 

 a paper ; but it makes an awkward sized volume when bound. 

 I should like to see it uniform with Gleanings, and this I think 

 would be found to be the happy medium, and form a very 

 handy volume wheii bound. But by all means let every half- 

 yearly volume have its index. And if I may venture the re- 

 mark without giving our worthy editor offence, there's some 

 little room for improvement in the indexing. We frequently 

 want to refer to back numbers in a hurry, as I did the other 

 day. I was being troubled with moths in empty combs, and I 

 ktiew there was a brine remedy somewhere in the 1895 vol- 

 ume, but the index did not help me. After many hours' hunt, 

 I found it under Mr. Golden's name, and if I didn't bless the 

 man who compiled that index ! On page 147 (1895), fourth 

 paragraph from the bottom, is a good plan for uniting, but 

 being a portion of an article on different matters, it does not 



