March 30, 1905. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



247 



Is an absorbent on top of the hive necessary for safe 

 wintering ? Yes, especially outdoors. 



Does not the lack of a fall honey-flow account for the 

 loss of bees in winter ? Yes, even if the bees are fed for 

 winter stores. 



Which is the better for marketing dark extracted honey 

 — barrels or cans ? Barrels for manufacturers, and cans for 

 retailing to families. 



Should Wisconsin establish an Apiarian Experiment 

 Station ? Yes. 



As to putting bees out of the cellar at night or in the day- 

 time, IS voted for the day and 4 for the night. 



As to using full sheets of foundation in the sections, 

 some suggested that it caused a midrib in the honey, and 

 interfered with its sale. Some thought that the foundation 

 sometimes used was too thick, and that the very thinnest 

 should be put in sections. 



Can foul brood be carried by queens in the mails 7 Yes, 

 and no. Not by the queen, but by the honey in the cage. 

 It was advised to throw away the cage in which the queen 

 arrived, transferring her into a new cage in which to intro- 

 duce her. 



Would you recommend feeding artificial pollen in the 

 spring ? Yes, if there was no natural pollen when needed. 



What is the condition of foul brood throughout the 

 State of Wisconsin ? Pres. France reported that there was 

 still some in perhaps 4 or S counties. If its importation 

 from other States could be prohibited it would very soon be 

 all wiped out. A vote of thanks was tendered Pres. France 

 for his good work as State Inspector of Apiaries. 



How do you free melted honey from air-bubbles 7 Let 

 it stand a while after bottling. 



What is the best kind of soil in which to build a bee- 

 cellar 7 It depends upon the location. A cellar in sandy 

 soil will winter bees best. 



The convention adjourned to meet in 1906 at the call of 

 the Executive Committee. 



BccKeepers 



J 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Bees Gathering- Honey— Destroyer for Black Ants 



I enclose a picture of my apiary and home, taken by 

 myself. It is not a very good one, as I am not experienced 

 in the work. 



and around the bee-hives 7 I saw it in this paper last 

 spring, but lost it, and have forgotten what it was. 



Merced Co., Calif., Feb. 7. Mrs. M. Watson. 



I think perhaps this is the item you refer to on page 

 99, 1904 : 



" Mr. H. Potter, in the British Bee Journal, gives his 

 method of getting rid of ants : 



" I mixed some bee-candy with arsenic, and put it under 

 the hive, placing a piece of perforated zinc over the candy, 

 and a small box over all, to make sure that the bees could 

 not get at it The effect was surprising I On the first day 

 the candy was black with ants ; the second day only 2 or 3 

 to be seen ; third day ants all gone. I have had no more 

 trouble with them this season. Ants eat their dead, and 

 therefore a wholesale poisoning had been set up by them 

 devouring their dead comrades." 



The perforated zinc mentioned must have had smaller 

 perforations than the ordinary perforated zinc. Small 

 enough not to allow the bees to pass through, while the 

 ants could. 



Thank you for the beautiful picture. I hope it may be 

 printed in the Journal so the other sisters may enjoy it. 



Feeding— Bees Loaflngr— Starters— Color of 

 Drones — Comb Honey Manag-ement, Etc. 



1. Is there a limit to the number of questions one person 

 may ask in a year 7 I hope not, for there are so many 

 things I want to know, and the American Bee Journal is so 

 full of good things. 



2. It is fine, warm weather now after a very bad winter 

 on other creatures — though perhaps not so hard on bees. 

 Upon lifting the hives to-day I find one very light. The 

 bees are flying a little, and there are many dead bees in 

 front of each hive. I have put a super filled with unfinished 

 sections upon the light hive. Is that a wise course 7 



3. Could bees be fed sugar syrup safely on warm, bright 

 days from now on 7 



4. What do little crumbs of wax, light and dark in color, 

 signify at this time of year at the entrance and on the 

 alighting-board 7 



5. One of the greattroubles I have with the bees is their 

 loafing. They hang out in great clusters. If heat causes 

 it I should think they could find nothing hotter than 

 the bunches in which they arrange themselves. "ABC" 

 says, " Never allow the bees to hang out," but I have been 

 unable to prevent it. Giving more air and more super- 

 room doesn't seem to be sufiScient. What can you suggest 

 as cause and cure 7 



6. Do you consider it wise to put starters in the sections 

 on all four sides, or only top and bottom, and why 7 



7. Does any one know with certainty the relative yield 

 of comb and extracted honey under y«i^ the same conditions7 



8. I notice in the summer a change in the color of 



APIARY OF MRS. M. WATSON, OP MERCBD CO., CALIF. 



The weather here is beautiful now. The almond trees 

 are in bloom, and the fruit-trees soon will be. Bees are 

 gathering some honey, and we hope to have a good season. 



Can you give me, through the American Bee Journal, 

 the remedy for destroying those little black ants that are in 



drones. Last season they were yellow and glossy early, 

 but by August they were much darker, and some seemed 

 nearly all black. What does that indicate 7 



9. What are bees doing when they stand for a long 

 while with wings moving rapidly and abdomen erect, about 



