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I'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



REPLIES by Prominent Apiarists. 



Lengthening the Swarming Impulse. 



4iuery, No. 1'73.— I notice that many have 

 been advertising, and still advertise queens 

 reared, through the whole season, under the 

 swarming impulse. How is it possible to obtain 

 this swarming impulse at will during the whole 

 period of the queen-rearing business ?— P. V. 



I do not think it can be done as 

 easily as the advertising can.— James 

 Heddon. 



It cannot be done very practically, 

 but queens reared in full colonies are 

 equally good at all times. — Dadant 

 & Son. 



It would be difficult, but possibly 

 by abundant feeding and by crowding 

 the bees, it might be accomplished. 

 1 doubt if it is much practiced.— A . 

 J. Cook. 



The queen-rearing season might be 

 considered as beginning and ending 

 with the swarming season. A colony 

 may be urged into the swarming im- 

 pulse earlier or later than usual, by 

 stimulative feeding and giving brood 

 from other colonies. — C. C. ISIiller. 



Colonies are built up early by giving 

 brood and bees from others, so as to 

 get them to swarm in advance. Late 

 in the season the swarm is hived on 

 frames of brood, which, with feeding, 

 keeps the swarming fever up. Again, 

 when a surplus of queens is given in 

 the summer, they can be kept in 

 small nuclei until they are wanted 

 later.— G. M. Doolittle. 



It is not possible at all. I was of 

 the impression that it was generally 

 known that such advertisements were 

 not intended to be taken literally. 

 When a man advertises to do an 

 absurd or improbable thing, the safe 

 way is to pass him by. The swarm- 

 ing impulse can be lengthened out 

 almost indefinitely by artiHcial means. 

 But this process is " artificial." It is 

 clap-trap to call it "swarming im- 

 pulse." Better queens can be reared 

 by artificial means than are produced 

 in the natural way, because by arti- 

 ficial means intenseness can be added 

 to natural desire, and the bees can be 

 controlled as to the age of the larva) 

 they are to nurse into queens.— G. W. 

 Demaree. 



It does not take long to start the 

 swarming impulse when there is 

 little nectar in tlie flowers, by stimu- 

 lative feeding. Whether the impulse 

 excited leads to the building of queen- 

 cells or not, it is certain that with 

 strong colonies in proper season, as 

 valuable queens can be reared under 

 the impulse of stimulative feeding as 

 under the impulse of incoming nectar. 



— G. L. TiNKBK. 



This " swarming impulse " is one of 

 the tricks of the trade, and is made 

 use of by some for the purpose of 

 increasing trade. In very warm 



climates queens may be reared during 

 nearly the whole year, but the 

 " swarming impulse " cannot be con- 

 trolled even in such climates, much 

 less in those where winters more or 

 less severe always follow in regular 

 rotation.— J. E. Pond, Jk. 



Hive-Entrances in Winter. 



Query, Xo. 174.— Supposing Langstroth hives 

 to be properly packed for wintering out-of-doors 

 in latitude north of the 45th parallel north lati- 

 tude, how should the entrances be managed, as to 

 space, in mild and in the coldest weather?— M. D. 

 Wisconsin. 



I would leave them the same in the 

 winter that they are in the summer. — 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. 



I leave my hive- entrances open the 

 full length, and leave a board in 

 front of the hive to keep snow and 

 wind out.— G. M. Doolittle. 



I would say, leave the entrances 

 entirely open to prevent dampness 

 from condensing on the inner walls. — 

 G. W. Dejiakee. 



I should pick up the entrances 

 (takingthe hives with them) and place 

 them in a cellar ; but if I had to leave 

 them out, I should contract them to 

 about one inch in length, and leave 

 them thus all winter and spring. If 

 you are afraid that dead bees will fill 

 such entrances, I think that a good 

 cellar and good food will prevent their 

 dying. — .Iasies Heddon. 



That would depend upon whether 

 there was upward ventilation or not. 

 With top ventilation the entrances 

 should be very small — %x3 inches. 

 With lower ventilation only, the en- 

 trances should be large— ?8x8 inches— 

 and protected from cTriviug winds. I 

 would not contract the size of the 

 entrances until breeding began in the 

 spring.— G. L. Tinker. 



My experience leads me to give 

 large entrances, both in mild and in 

 the coldest weather. I winter my 

 bees in Langstroth hives on the sum- 

 mer stands altogether, and I give the 

 full width of the entrances. I have 

 lost but 2 full colonies in many years, 

 and both of those starved last spring, 

 at a time when I was confined to my 

 room with sickness. — J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Changing the Location of an Apiary. 



Query. No. 175.— My bee-yard at present has 

 a gentle Incline to the south, and is in the [lorth 

 part of an apple orchard, well protected from 

 winds, but I think it is getting somewhat too 

 shady. Next spring I contemplate moving my bees 

 just over the ridge, having a similar descent to the 

 north, and containing three-fourths of an acre, 

 with no shade except three or four small pear 

 trees, but protected by a dense belt of evergreens 

 l.5toli0 feet high on the north and east, with a 

 good wind-break on the west. Both yards are 

 equally convenient to the house, and the soil is 

 dry. Would the move be wise, or otherwise ?— Nor- 

 wich, Ont. 



If the apple trees were properly 

 trimmed I should prefer to let the 

 bees remain on the south side of the 

 ridge.— G. L. Tinker. 



I think that I should leave them 

 where they are, and thin out the 

 shade.— C. C. Miller. 



Wise.— VV. Z. Hutchinson. 



If the shade is from apple trees only, 

 we would leave them where they are. 

 We do not like placing hives facing 

 against the slope, which would be the 

 case on the opposite hill.— Dadant & 

 Son. 



I would move them if I liked the 

 new location best. See my answer to 

 Query, No. 170.— G. W. Demaree. 



I should prune the appfe trees 

 thoroughly so as to let the sunshine 

 through them, thus benefiting both 

 the bees and the fruit. Ground de- 

 cending to the north is not a good 

 location for an apiary.— G. M. Dog- 

 little. 



I do not think that there would be 

 any advantages gained by moving, 

 that would overbalance the trouble 

 caused by so doing. It is easy to 

 prune the fruit-trees, and they will 

 probably need such pruning. Shade 

 from well-kept fruit-trees is an ad- 

 vantage, as a rule. — J. E. Pond, Jr. 



I should rather have the southern 

 slope on one account, if I wintered 

 my bees outdoors; but I think I 

 should move them, and winter them 

 in a good cellar. — James Heddon. 



If the present place is so shaded as 

 to be damp and dark, the change 

 would be wise. A shade-board is 

 much to be preferred to any other 

 shade, so the absence of shade need 

 be no objection to the new ground. — 

 A. J. Cook. 



OUR CLUBBING LIST for 1886. 



We supply the Aiuertcaii Bee Journal 



for 188C, ami any of the followiusf publica- 

 tions, at the prices quoted in the last column 

 of figures. The first column gives the regu- 

 lar price of both. All postage prepaid. 



Price of both. Olub 

 The American Bee Journal 1 GO , . 



and Gleanings in Bee-Culture 2 00.. 1 75 



Bec-Keepers'Magazine 2 00.. 1 75 



Bee-Keepers' Guide 150.. 140 



The Apiculturist 2 00.. 175 



Canadian Bee Journal 2 00.. 1 75 



Te.\a8 Bee Journal 2 00.. 1 75 



The 7 above-named papers 6 50.. 5 50 



and City and Country 2 00.. 1.50 



New Yorli Independent 4 00.. :J 30 



American Agriculturist 2 50.. 2 25 



American Poultry Journal ...2 25.. 175 



and Cook's Manual 2 25. . 2 00 



Bees and Honey (Newman). ..2 00.. 1 75 

 Binder for Am. Bee Journal. 1 75.. 1 60 

 Apiary Register— 100 colonies 2 25.. 2 00 

 Dzierzon'B Bee-Book (cloth).. .3 00.. 2 00 

 Dzierzon's Bee-Book (paper). .2 50. . 2 00 

 Quinby's New Bee-Keeping ..2 50.. 2 25 

 Langstroth's Standard Work .3 00.. 2 75 

 Root's ABC of Bee-Culture. .2 25. . 2 10 



Alley's Queen-Reai'ing 2 50.. 2 25 



Farmer's Account Book 4 00.. 3 00 



Guide and Hand-Book 150.. 130 



Tlie Time for Reading has now come. 

 The long winter evenings can be utilized by 

 reading up bee-literature. We have all the 

 newest bee-books and can fill all orders on 

 the day they are received. 



