708 



I'RE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



REPLIES by Prominent Apiarists. 



Basswood Bloom. 



Query, No, ISS.— If after basswood had 

 bloomed so profusely and failed entirely in honey 

 secretion, from hot. dry weather, is it a common 

 occurrence for It to bloom as heavy and yield 

 honey the next year V This is important to many. 

 — Molesworth. Ont. 



The crop of on3 year proves nothing 

 for the next season. The same may 

 be said of the bloom.— Dadant & 

 Son. 



It seldom blooms heavily two years 

 in succession, but the flow of honey 

 is influenced by atmospheric condi- 

 tions rather than by the amount of 

 honey furnished the preceding year. 

 — W. Z. Hutchinson. 



From close observation I have 

 found that when honey-bearing trees 

 have failed to yield honey the year 

 before, from any cause, they usually 

 make up for the lost time.— G. W. 

 Demaree. 



If, as is likely the case, a failure to 

 mature seed occurred as well, I should 

 guess that the chances were improved 

 for next year.— C. C. Miller. 



Tlie failure to secrete honey would 

 make no difference regarding the 

 bloom the next year, for the embryo 

 blossoms are found for the next year 

 before the present season's blossoms 

 opened. A full bloom of basswood 

 comes only everv other year in this 

 locality.— G. M. Doolittle. 



The fact that it bloomed so full 

 this year makes it less likely to do so 

 next, i'et with a favorable season 

 we may hope for a good supply of 

 bloom.— A. J. Cook. 



Basswood with us rarely fails in a 

 sufficient bloom, but in some seasons 

 it seems to yield more honey than in 

 others. When white clover is yielding, 

 the bees do not swarm upon the 

 linden as in seasons like the past 

 when the clover failed. —G.L. Tinker. 



From the fact that I had an im- 

 mense basswood yield for Ave years 

 in succession, and a very light flow 

 regularly for three years, I am not of 

 the opinion that the blooming and 

 secreting of one season naturally 

 effects that of another. Not here, 

 at least.— James Ueddon. 



Comb and Extracted Honey. 



Qnery, Jio. 1S3.— How much should comb 

 honey sell for. to make its production of equal 

 value to the production of t-xtrjicted honey at H 

 cents per pound ? supposing the apiurist to do 

 " bis part," and the only surplus to be white 

 cloyer or linden honey, cash beinis p;iid for the 

 honey on board the car9.-Su6 JuiiCf, Wis. 



Comb honey should sell for 12 cents 

 per pound.-G. M. Doolittle. 



I should say certainly for 1-5 or 16 

 cents per pound. — A. J. Cook. 



I suppose it will vary with individ- 

 uals — at a rough guess I should say 

 perhaps 1(3 cents.- C. C. Miller. 



It will depend much upon locality. 

 In my locality I would say 15 cents 

 for comb hoiiey is no better than 8 

 cents for extracted, sold in bulk. — G. 

 W. Demaree. 



Comb honey should sell for about 

 twice as much as extracted honey. — 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. 



We had rather produce extracted 

 honey at 8 cents per pound than comb 

 honey at 20 cents, all other things 

 being equal. We would say this most 

 especially in poor honey seasons. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



My experience is, that comb honey 

 should bring about one-fourth more 

 than extracted.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



If your system of working for 

 comb honey is no better than the 

 average, 1 would say 16 cents. If it 

 is up to the best known methods I 

 should put it at 12 cents per pound. — 

 James Heddon. 



Amount of Wax in Comb. 



Query, No. 154.— How many square feet of 

 worker-comb will it require to make one pound of 

 wax, the comb being taken from the brood-cham- 

 ber ?-B. 



Tliat depends upon several things, 

 but usually it takes about .5 square 

 feet.— G. M. Doolittle. 



Probably 6 square feet, or perhaps a 

 little more.— Dadant & Son. 



It depends upon the age of the 

 comb. Old comb does not furnish so 

 much wax as new. Ordinarily about 

 5 square feet of comb will furnish a 

 pound of wax.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



There is more difference in the 

 thickness of natural comb, as found 

 in the brood-nest, than one would 

 naturally expect to see, and for this 

 reason only an approximation can be 

 made. Five square feet ought to make 

 a pound of clean wax. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



Brood-combs, according to age, 

 vary greatly in the amount of wax 

 that can be extracted. It takes from 

 5 to 8 pounds of old, black brood- 

 comb to make a pound of wax, 

 while new comb will make about 75 

 per cent.— G. L. Tinker. 



Much depends upon the age of the 

 comb. If it is not old, but nearly 

 new, I should say about 4 square feet. 

 I think that the combs built by Ital- 

 ian bees would yield more wax per 

 square foot than that built by German 

 bees.— James Heddon. ♦ 



Two ftueens in One Hive. 



Query, No. 15I».— Is it of common occurrence 

 that two queens winter In the same hive ?— W. 



No.— C. C. Miller. 



No, though they sometimes do.— G. 



M. DOOI ITTLE. 



No. — James Heddon. 

 It is a very rmcommon occurrence. 

 —A. J. Cook. 



No.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



No, but it sometimes happens. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



I have never known an instance. 

 It is presumed of course that the 

 querist has reference to the queens 

 being accessible to each other. By 

 the use of division-boards a number 

 of queens may be wintered in the 

 same hive.— G. L. Tinker. 



No. It is quite common for two 

 queens to work in the same hive for a 

 time, but I have never known of their 

 being so wintered.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



No ; it is a very rare occurrence if 

 it really ever occurred. Of course 

 you mean to ask if it is common for a 

 colony of bees to protect two queens 

 during the winter months. I never 

 knew such a case in all my experi- 

 ence. They very often refuse to 

 protect the mother of tlie colony, if 

 they become discouraged by bad 

 weather in the spring. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



Hives for Extracting Purposes. 



Query, N*. 156.— Is a one-story hive as Kood 

 for extractiuK purposes as a two-story hive, pro- 

 vided it i» long enough to give suCBcient room ?— 

 Kent Co.. Mich. 



No.— G. L. Tinker. 



Yes ; only it is not as convenient to 

 manipulate. The largest yield of 

 extracted honey I ever obtained was 

 from a one-story hive.— G. M. Doo- 

 little. 



No.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



I think not. I have tried both, and 

 I am sure that the " tiering-up " plan 

 gives the best results. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



No ! It places the honey too far 

 from the brood, and spreads the 

 colony too much. We prefer a 1^- 

 story hive with additional % stories 

 whenever needed.— Dadant & SoK- 



Much will depend upon the locality. 

 With me the two-story hive is prefer- 

 able, and the labor of manipulation is 

 much less with it also. — J.E.Pond,Jr. 



I have twice given this query care- 

 ful and comprehensive trial ; tirst 

 with ,32 colonies, and second with 50 

 colonies in one-story hives. The 

 result is, that I much prefer the 

 tiering-up system, and I wish to have 

 but 8 Langstroth combs in each tier. 

 —James Heddon. 



I have not been able to see any 

 difference, though I have used them 

 side by side for yeai's. Others thint 

 that they do better by using two- 

 story hives. I much prefer the latter, 

 as ihey are so much more easily 

 managed. — A. J. Cook. 



t^~ All who intend to be systematic in 

 their work in the apiary, should get a copy of 

 the Apiary Register and commence to use it. 

 The prices are as follows : 



For 50 colonies {1*20 pages) $1 GO- 



" 100 colonies (-20 pages) 125- 



" 200 colonies (420 pages) 1 50 



The larger ones can be used for a few col- 

 onies, give room for an increase of numbers, 

 and still keep the record all together in one 

 book, and are therefore the most desirable. 



