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rHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



WITE 



REPLIES by Praminent Apiarists. 



Building Brace-Combs. 



Query, No. 105.— Suppose a strip fi-inch 

 thick and the widiri of Ihe top-bar be put across 

 the frame. leavlnK a suitable space between the 

 stilp and the top bar: would the bees satisfy their 

 propensitT to build brace-coiubs by putiing It in 

 such space, and build none between the lop of the 

 frame vnd the bottom ot the one above it? ll they 

 would, then why not use such an arrangement 

 insttad of a slatnoney-board ? Whattblcknesaof 

 strip and width of space Is best?— Maine. 



I think it would answer the pur- 

 pose, but not so well as if there was a 

 break-joint arrangement.— Dr. C. C. 

 Miller. 



I am sure I do not know. I see no 

 reason why they might not, yet they 

 will propolize where tbe frames 

 touch. From two years' experience, 

 I am satisfied that I must have double 

 bee-space between the brood -chamber 

 and sections, and some between the 

 brood-chamber and second-story for 

 extracting. 1 also want nothing but 

 reversible frames. — Peof. A. J.Cook. 



No practical bee-men use a slat 

 honey-board now ; tliey all use a cloth, 

 and only leave enough space between 

 tiers to allow a bee to pass between 

 the comb.— Dadant & Son. 



I doubt the utility of such a device. 

 If "Maine" thinks it would be use- 

 ful, he can easily settle the matter by 

 experimenting on a few hives, using 

 different thicknesses of strips and 

 width of spaces until the right dimen- 

 sions are secured. — G. M. Doo- 



LITTLE. 



Tlie only way to ascertain is to 

 make a test. I apprehend, however, 

 that no satisfactory test could be 

 made, as no 2 colonies would work 

 alike. My experience is tliat braces 

 are only put where needed to strength- 

 en and support the combs ; and I 

 think the strip mentioned above 

 would have no effect whatever.— J. 

 E. I'oND, Jr. 



I have had the same thought, and 

 it is no doubt correct that such an 

 ' arrangement would tend to keep the 

 brace-combs away from tlie upper re- 

 ceptacles or cover. It would serve 

 much the same piiipose that the slat 

 honey-board would, if each slat came 

 directly over the top-bars of the brood- 

 frames ; but you would in either case 

 be annoyed with many times more 

 brace-combs than with the honey- 

 board as it is— with its slats exactly 

 breaking joints with the brood-frames 

 below.— James IIeddon. 



Just as you state it, I am unable to 

 see any advantage to be gained by 

 such an arrangement. To make the 

 two top-bars of tlie same width will 

 cover the usual openings between the 

 frames. If the top bars of the frames 

 are made not less than \% inches 

 wide, so as to fill the whole space be- 

 tween the frames, and are slitted in 

 the centre the full length of the in- 

 side of the frame, so as to bring the 

 opening right over the centre of the 



comb-bar, which is just bee-space be- 

 low the top-bar, you will get all the 

 advantages that the recess honey- 

 board can give. I have a few frames 

 in use made as I have described them, 

 and I will give them a fair trial. I 

 make the broad top-bars 5-16 of an 

 inch thick, and i% inches wide. The 

 comb-bar is the same as to thickness, 

 but is only % of an inch wide. The 

 opening in the centre of the top-bar 

 is >4-inch. I regard >4inch sufficient 

 bee-space for any and all purposes, — 

 G. W. Demaree. 



Killing off Drones. 



Query No. 106.— What could ray drones 

 have done that the bees are killlnK them all off? 

 What is the cause and what will be the result ? I 

 have III coumies that wintered well in the cellar 

 without the loss of a colony, and which are now 

 atroDK in bees and brood, and are working well on 

 white clover. They have cast only two swarms. 

 They are niaking a business of killlnii drones, as 

 much so as If it were in September. The weather 

 is very bad for them, as it is cold with terrible 

 rams and winds, and variations of 30 degrees in 

 the temperature.— E. J. C. 



The question answers itself. The 

 very fact that " the weather is bad 

 for them," is reason sufficient for 

 them to kill otf the drones. The time 

 of itself makes no difference to bees, 

 but the weather affects them greatly. 

 I have had a general slaughter of 

 drones right in the midst of the white 

 clover harvest, owing to 3 or 4 days of 

 cold, rainy weather.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



I think that your bees are passing 

 througli a short honey-dearth, added 

 to the fact that they have already in- 

 creased, they are contemplating no 

 further use for the drones. Unless 

 you are extensively engaged in queen- 

 rearing, I think the "result" will be 

 favorable.— Jajies IIeddon. 



The very bad weather is the prob- 

 able explanation.— VV. Z. Hutchin- 

 son. 



The bees are killing off their drones 

 because of the cold weattier and rains 

 which you mention. It is quite evi- 

 dent that tlieir reason for doing this 

 is " short crop."— Dadant & Son. 



Your drones are not" sinners above 

 other " drones, in tliat, that they are 

 being killed off. You give tlie true 

 cause of their persecution in your 

 concluding remarks. Continued bad 

 weather discourages the bees, and 

 makes increase out of the question 

 with them, and they proceed to drive 

 out the drones as useless consumers. 

 Nevertheless, nature will not make 

 the mistake of destroying the whole 

 of them. The season has been an un- 

 favorable one here, and hardly a day 

 has passed that the diones were not 

 persecuted, and yet I still have drones. 

 The season has been so bad that even 

 nuclei with virgin queens were cross 

 with their drones.— G. W. Demaree. 



The failure of flowers, or nectar 

 secretion and unfavorable weather 

 often cause colonies to kill their 

 drones as early as May and June, as 

 well as later on. At such limes, if 

 drones are just hatching, they are 

 dragged out at once. — Dr. G. L. 

 Tinker. 



The last half of the question an- 

 swers the first part. Cold and wet 



gives no honey-flow, which caused the 

 bees to destroy drones. The phrase, 

 " working well on white clover," does 

 not correspond well with "only two 

 swarms that are killing drones " and 

 " cold with terrible rains and winds." 



— G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Although appearing to work busily, 

 they are probably not storing suffi- 

 ciently to afford the presence of these 

 "gentlemen of leisure." — Dr. C. C. 

 Miller. 



A "Singing" &aeen. 



. Query, No. 107.— What is the cause of 

 my Italian queen sinRtng like a layinK hen ? She 

 slHKs while movtnK among tbe beesaswell aswhen 

 still, and CO loudly that she can be heard 5 feet 

 away with the hive closed. The day before 1 heard 

 this strange noise, I had cut out all of the queen- 

 cells, and after doing so. 1 thought tnat 1 had 

 overdone It, as I could not find the queen— having 

 gone through the hive twice, the second time with 

 help to look for her. The ne-xt day 1 resumed my 

 search for her, but before doing so, I stopped to 

 look alter a lioly- Lund queen that I had introduced 

 Into an adjoining hive, when 1 heard a nolst* as if 

 a bee was in distress in my supposed queenless 

 cloiiy. Upon opening the hive to see the cause 

 and lotik for my lost queen, I very s<pon found her 

 passing among the bees and singing as happily as 

 a lark. It was not a piping noise, but a regular 

 singing like a laying hen. There was not a queen- 

 cell in the hive at this time, 1 am sure.- W. U. R, 



Queens often make this singing 

 noise, called " piping," when alarmed. 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. 



I have never heard of such a case. — 

 Dr. C. C. Miller. 



I could not tell, never having seen 

 or heard of such a case. I have heard 

 caged queens make a noise similar to 

 the one described, but what made 

 this queen " sing " in the hive, I can- 

 not tell.— James IIeddon. 



"Piping" queens are not so very 

 rare, that they attiact more than pass- 

 ing attention of the experienced api- 

 arist. I opened a nucleus hive the 

 otlier day to see if the young queen's 

 progeny had begun to hatch, and the 

 queen was " piping" loud and clear. 

 She does not "sing, "in my estima- 

 tion. In my experience such queens 

 are hard to "introduce" on account 

 of liability of being " balled " by the 

 bees. This piping trait in individual 

 queens indicates a cross, impatient 

 disposition.— G. W. Demaree. 



I suppose that queens, like people, 

 may sing or whistle when they are 

 hai>py. This one was overjoyed at 

 the disappearance of her rivals.— Dr. 

 G. L. Tinker. 



I give it up. as I have never heard 

 or seen anything of the kind. — G. M. 

 Doolittle. 



The IlllnoiK State Fair will be held in 

 Chicaffo during the week commoncins: Mon- 

 da.v, Sept. 14, 1885 and promises many 

 attractions. 



Tile St. Louis Fair opens Monday, Oct. 

 r,, and continues for si.\ days. The premium 

 list contains ^4 departments, and S":!,000 is 

 ottered in premiums, A rate of one faro for 

 the round trip lias been made by all rail- 

 roads running within 500 miles ot St. Louis. 

 SlliO are oft'ercd as premiums in the Apia- 

 rian Department. Any of our subscribers 

 desiring a copy of the premium list will re- 

 ceive one frce.by addressing Festus J. Wado, 

 Sec., 718 Chestnut St., St. Louis. Mo. 



