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i'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



REPLIES by Prominent Apiarists. 



Moving an Apiary. 



Query, No. 1'70.— What is the best and safest 

 method 01 moving an apiary about Mi yards, the 

 colonies buying been for years, summer and win- 

 ter, on the same stands, in chaff hives ?— Titus- 

 vllle. Pa. 



I would refer the querist to page 

 105, of the Bee Journal for 18S4.— 

 Jajvies Heddon. 



Move the bees after they have 

 ceased flyiiiE; this fall, and do it care- 

 fully.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



I should move them as soon as 

 winter set in in earnest, aud at the 

 lirst flight in the spring they will 

 mark their new location so no loss 

 will occur.— G. M. Doolittle. 



I have had no direct experience in 

 this, but I think I should try moving 

 them quietly after they have settled 

 down for winter ; then put boards in 

 front of the entrances, and change 

 everything as much as possible in the 

 appearance of the old location.— C. C. 

 Miller. 



Move them in the spring after there 

 is no longer any danger of " spring 

 dwindling;"' or, if wintered in-doors, 

 move them when taking them out of 

 winter quarters. Shade the entrances 

 with boards, so they will notice that 

 the location is not the same.— 

 Dadant & Son. 



If moved at night-fall, the hives 

 turned facing in an opposite direction, 

 and a board placed slanting against 

 each hive over the entrance, they can 

 often be moved at once with no 

 trouble. In some cases the bees will 

 go back, but these can be caught in a 

 box and again at night-fall returned 

 to the hive, when usually they will 

 remain. — A. J. Cook. 



I think that there wonld be a loss 

 of bees by any plan except by moving 

 them a few feet every day that they 

 can fly. If to be moved at once where 

 wanted, the least loss and the best 

 plan would be to wait until towards 

 spring, and tlien mo^e them on the 

 first day tliey can have a flight after a 

 conttnementof several weeks.- (r. L. 

 Tinker. 



The fact that the bees have been 

 on ttie same stands for a longer or 

 shorter period makes no difference in 

 the proposition. I would say that the 

 safest plan would be to move them 

 all about 3 miles from the present 

 location ; leave tliem till young bees 

 are flying freely in the spring, and 

 then replace them where you desire 

 to have them remain permanently.— 

 J. E. Pond, .Jr. 



I have moved my apiary of nearly 

 100 colonies 3 times in the past 4 

 years, and every time without loss. 



Move them in the early spring, and 

 all in one day. Close up the hives in 

 the morning, and carry them to their 

 new location, and keep the hives all 

 closed till late in the evening. In the 

 meantime clear up the old yard aud 

 change its general appearance all you 

 can. Lean up in front of the hives 

 some boards, or pile some brush in 

 front of them. Now the first warm 

 day the bees fly freely, will be the 

 trying time. If they "return to the 

 old yard in great numbers, keep a lot 

 of "smothered fires going till the 

 trouble is over. You may have to 

 look after them for 2 or 3 days.— G. 

 W. Demaree. 



Albinos and Italians- 



Qaery, No. ITl.— In the answers to Query. 

 No. lolt, the prevailing opinion seems to be that 

 both dark Italians and hybrids excel light Italians 

 as honey-gatherers. How do the Albinos com- 

 pare with light Italians as honey-gatherers? Are 

 they as gentle and prolific ?— Lewis. 



I have had no experience with the 

 Albinos, but I believe that they are 

 no better than the light Italians.— G. 

 M. Doolittle. 



I tried the Albinos only one year. 

 They were very handsome and very 

 gentle, but were not up to the stan- 

 dard for business. I thought that 

 with the yellow Italians they had the 

 beauty and amiability at the expense 

 of business. Possibly I judged too 

 hastily.— A. J. Cook. 



Albinos are pure, light-colored 

 Italians, and nothing more nor less. 

 The term " Albino " is a misnomer as 

 applied to tlie bees so-called, and can 

 only be accepted as an approximation. 

 I have found that light-colored bees 

 work .iust as well as any others. I 

 have also found poor workers of all 

 shades of color, and poor hybrids in 

 many instances. The yellow strains 

 are ordinarily more gentle than the 

 darker, and therefore, as a rule, more 

 to be preferred.— J. E. Pond, Jk. 



If you will rear Italian queens ex- 

 tensively, and advertise them for 

 sale, you will find out what the pre- 

 vailing opinion is on this subject. 

 About one purchaser in ten will take 

 your dark Italians off your hands, 

 and the hybrids— you will find them 

 like tlie old preacher's " coon skin," 

 you "cannot sell, give away or lose 

 them." I have tried the Albinos, and 

 they are as good as the best Italians. 

 They are simply a strain of the Italian 

 race.— G. W. Demaree., 



I can speak only for the Syrio- 

 Albinos. The queens of this strain, 

 as a rule, are more prolific than the 

 Italians ; they also average a little 

 larger in size, some of the best meas- 

 uring a full inch in length when 

 laying- The workers are very gentle 

 —some of the best marked white bees 

 being remarkably so. Smoke is un- 

 necessary in liandling them. As 

 honey-gatherers they are fully equal 

 to the best strains of the Italians.— G. 



L. TiNICER. 



Candy for Bees in "Winter. 



Query, No 1T3.— Can bees be wintered suc- 

 cessfully on candy composed of basswood honey 

 and granulated sugar, and made to the required 

 thicliQess ? 1 have a couple of choice Italian 

 colonies which I desire to feed.— J. G., Wisconsin. 



We would prefer syrup instead of 

 candy.— Dad.\nt & Son. 



I think without doubt they could, 

 though I have never tried it. — A. J. 

 Cook. 



A trial will tell you. I should use 

 powdered sugar instead of granu- 

 lated, as much of the granulated is 

 often wasted by falling to the bottom 

 of the hive.— G. M. Doolittle. 



I have never wintered bees on 

 candy, but others have done so suc- 

 cessfully. If colonies need feeding 

 vow. that is what I would advise. — 

 \V. Z. Hutchinson. 



Yes, in my locality ; but they must 

 be looked after in the early spring, as 

 colonies fed on candy are likely to 

 "swarm out" if the candy becomes 

 dry and bard.— G. W. Demaree. 



I have experimented but little in 

 this direction. I think that they 

 could, but I should much prefer clear 

 sugar syrup, fed into the combs in 

 proper season. — James Heddon. 



Yes ; that is to say, no one can 

 assert positively as yet, that any given 

 colony will winter safely, but so far 

 as the mere matter of food is con- 

 cerned, this inquired about is as safe 

 as any other.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



In feeding back a 1^ of extracted 

 honey, three years ago, to get partly 

 filled sections completed, I found sub- 

 sequently that all the honey in the 

 sections " and brood-combs had be- 

 come candied solid, and as hard as 

 the " Good candy " can be made. As 

 the bees wintered well on the candied 

 coiubs, I think they would winter 

 equally well on the candy, if they can 

 have space enough to cluster. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



Local Convention Directory. 



Time and place of Meetino- 



12.— Cortland Union, at Cortland. N. Y. 



W. H. Beach, Sec, Cortland, N- T. 



I9,_N. w. Ills. & S. W. Wis., at Freeport, Ills. 

 Jonathan Stewart, Sec. Kock City, Ills. 



19-21.— Maine. atSkowhegan, Me. 



Wm. Hoyt, Sec, lllpley. Me. 



20, 21.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis. Ind. 

 F. I.. Dougherty, Sec. Indianapolis. Ind. 



21.— Champlain Valley, at Middlebury. Vt. 



U. H. Holmes. Sec. Shoreham. Vt. 



27.— Des Moines County, at Burlington. Iowa. 

 Jno. Nau. Sec. Middletown, Iowa. 



|y In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.— ED. 



188H, 

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