Aug. 17, 1905 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



587 



hive is to remain on the stand, these 2 top- 

 spacers could be removed before closing the 

 hive, merely being used for a moment to see 

 that the frames have been accurately spaced. 

 If the hive is to be carried a few feet to 

 another stand, the spacers could be left in 

 until the hive is settled. The tin strip would 

 simply be bent down, for the spaces between 

 the frames and the intervening parts be at 

 right angles so as to be flat and rest on the 

 frame top-bars. 



Of course, for out-apiaries and removals to 

 the cellar, etc., different and more permanent 

 fixtures would be necessary. What I am try- 

 ing to get is a frame with all bars of identical 

 width and no projections, automatically 

 spaced, and with practically no propolis at- 

 tachments. I am using closed-end frames, 

 but I long for a hive where I can take out any 

 particular frame withoat touching any other 

 frame or springs, or other piece of hive furni- 

 ture. Can my plan secure this? Indiana. 



Answers. — 1. I don't know that there 

 would be any objection except the extra 

 trouble and the difficulty of having all the 

 parts accurately fitted together. But I don't 

 think there would be any advantage in it. It 

 is barely possible that you may be thinl<ing 

 that if all parts of the frame were halved 

 there would be no need of any kind of sup- 

 port to keep foundation from sagging, but 

 unless you use foundation expensively heavy 

 there will certainly be need of splints or wires. 



'2. Yes, such sections have been used to a 

 considerable extent in England. One objec- 

 tion is that the finished section does not pre- 

 sent so good an appearance, the foundation 

 showing through the upper surface of the 

 top-bar, and also through the side-bars. 



3. Merely for convenience in putting in the 

 splints. If the splints filled the whole space 

 from top-bar to bottom-bar, it would take a 

 good deal more time to put them in. And it 

 would make no better work. 



4. No, I have no recollection of ever dis- 

 carding a splint because it was not straight. 

 Neither do I remember seeing a splint that 

 was warped or twisted, either before or after 

 being boiled in wax. I think that a splint no 

 thicker than 1-16, even if warped or twisted, 

 would be straightened out when pressed in 

 the foundation. 



0. Spacing, such as you mention at the top, 

 has been in use, and bottom-spacing has also 

 been used, but such spacing has not found 

 very general acceptance. Without actually 

 trying it, I should not expect your bottom- 

 spacing with nails to work very easily. You 

 would have to lift the frames at least an 

 eighth of an inch, and that would take away 

 all the slide at the top, and then it would be 

 some trouble to settle them at the right place 

 at the bottom. What is wanted often, is to 

 have one frame, or all the frames in the hive, 

 to slide as far as wanted with one shove. On 

 the other hand, I am pretty sure that your 

 spacing would not have to be changed in the 

 least to move hives in or out of the cellar, or 

 to haul to an out-apiary. 



But remember that I don't know anything 

 about the whole affair any more than you do, 

 and the trial of one hive wculd settle the 

 question for you more than a year's guessing 

 on my pan. You see I'm not as good a 

 guesser as I mrght be, for I guessed you 

 would try to coax along a (|ueenless colony 

 in the spring rather than to reduce the num- 

 ber of hives with bees in by uniting, and you 

 went and did just the thing I guessed you 

 wouldn't do. Nevertheless, I'm going to ven. 

 ture another guess. Y'ou siy, " I long for a 

 hive where I can take out any particular 

 frame without touching any other frame, or 

 springs, or other piece of hive furniture." 

 Y'ou can easily have a hive that will allow 

 that so long as no combs are built in the 

 frames, but I venture the guess that when 

 you get combs built in the frame, they'll never 

 be so true and straight that you can take 

 hold of any one of them and lift it straight 

 up without interfering with one of its next 

 neighbors. When you do I'm ready to apolo- 

 gize for my skeptical guess. 



r Peedlns Pollen-tiatherlnz Bees— 

 produ cing Be eswax 



I. Do bees need to be fed if they are gather- 

 ing pollen every day, and nearly all day some 



days, although they have not the least sign 

 of honey in the hives? 



2. Will bees make nothing but wax it the 

 combs are taken out every day during a 

 honey-flow? I am so informed by a bee- 

 keeper. If he is right, what becomes of the 

 nectar which they are bound to gather? He 

 says they convert that into wax also. I am 

 much interested in this matter, for wax 

 should be our main object here in Cuba, as 

 our honey market is ruined. Cuba. 



Answers.— 1. When bees are carrying in 

 pollen they are generally, if not always, carry- 

 ing in at least a little honey. They would 

 hardly live without gathering any. If none 

 can be seen in the hives, it is because they use 

 it up for their daily needs, and although they 

 may get along in that hand-to-mouth manner, 

 it would be better to feed so that at least a 

 small amount of stores should be in sight in 

 the hives. 



2. You will hardly make a brilliant success 

 of wax-production by taking out the combs 

 daily; that is, if you should take out all 

 combs. There must be plenty of comb left at 

 least for brood-rearing. Success in producing 

 wax has been reported by taking out the 

 combs every tew days and feeding back the 

 honey. Bees will construct comb only so 

 fast as they have something to put in it, and 

 your informant is not so far out of the way 

 when he says that wax will be made of the 

 nectar they gather if they have no comb in 

 which to store it. 



ural harvests, but queen-breeders generally 

 find it uphill business to get on when the 

 flowers are not in good working order. 



2. If there is an inevitable diminishing of 

 natural pasturage, it must certainly have its 

 effect upon the industry. But you will par- 

 don ine it I say that I am very skeptical about 

 any such diminishing. There may be locali- 

 ties where only a fifth as many colonies can 

 be supported as 20 years ago, but take the 

 country at large, and I believe there's as much 

 nectar secreted as there was 20 years ago. 



ttueenless Colony — Swarming— Uni- 

 ting a Swarm witli a Colony 



ttueen-Rearing-Is Natural Bee-Pas- 

 turage Diministilng ? 



1. Can queen-rearing be made a prufltable 

 pursuit in a locality where the honey-yield is 

 not sutlicient to warrant one to run an apiary 

 for surplus honey? 



2. Is the inevitable diminishing of natural 

 pasturage for bees, which is gradually taking 

 place, calculated to affect seriously the indus- 

 try in this country? I am told that localities 

 which 20 years ago would abundantly support 

 100 colonies, will nvm barely support 20. 



Georgia. 



Answers. — 1. I have some doubt about it. 

 To be sure, feeding can take the place of nat- 



1. I have one colony of bees which I think 

 has lost its queen, but I am not sure of it. I 

 looked all through the hive and could not flnd 

 her. The bees worked hard after I first hived 



I them, but are not working so well now. Do 

 you suppose the queen is dead? 



2. W ill these bees construct queen-cells and 

 rear another queen? 



3. A colony cast a swarm 3 or 4 weeks ago 

 and it has not swarmed since. What do you 

 suppost is the trouble? 



4. Would it he all right to put a new swarm 

 in with a weak colony and thus make a strong 

 one out of it ; Iowa. 



Answers.— 1. I'm afraid they have no 

 queen. 



2. Yes, if you give them a frame of eggs and 

 young brood they will be pretty sure to rear a 

 young queen. But it will expedite matters 

 very much if you give them a frame from a 

 colony that has swarmed, said frame having 

 on it a sealed queen-cell. It will be likely, 

 too, to be a better queen. 



3. You probably have an idea that every 

 colony that swarms should send out one or 

 more afterswarms. That is by no means 

 always the case Many a colony is satisfied 

 to send out a prime swarm without thinking 

 of swarming again. And most bee-keepers 

 would be thankful it there was no such thing 

 as an afterswarm. 



4. Yes; but in thus uniting, the 2 queens 

 should be both laying queens, or both virgin 

 queens. If one has a laying queen and the 

 other a virgin, they are likely to fight. 



/T 



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mv. pasty's afteitl?oiu3l?ts 



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The 



' Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses, 

 By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. 



"T" 



SECTION WITH TOP AND BOTTOM STARTERS. 



On page 456, that picture of a section with 

 the top pieces of foundation in it is very 

 admirable in its distinctness. We can see that 

 the two pieces of foundation areof two differ- 

 ent kinds, one with side walls much better 

 developed than the other. The picture is 

 praiseworthy from two different directions — a 

 beautiful example of distinctness as a picture, 

 for one thing, also a most excellent way to 

 show the uninitiated just how the thing is 

 done. 



AMOUNT OF COMB SURFACE TO BE SEALED 

 BEFOKE EXTRACTING. 



As to what proportion ot comb surface 

 should be sealed before extracting, 6 of the 

 29 experts do not give direct answers. I am 

 delighted to see that a majority ot those who 

 do (13 out ot 2;i) say it should be all sealed, 

 or nearly all— and Doolittle puts in the 

 " tiger" by saying to let it ripen two weeks 

 afler it is all sealeil. Good ! It practice now 

 could only be as i:<cellent as precept ! As to 

 the minority, six name J., to only two for -'s, 

 one 'v ^od one ' One-third used to be the 

 leading precepL, mid now it only gets one 

 vote. Page 45ri. 



BALDRIDGE FOIL BROOD TREATMENT. 



The Baldridge plan of treating foul brood 

 by depleting the "Id colony to nothing, and 

 building up in u place a new and healthy 



colony looks very well on paper. All it lacks 

 is use sufficiently long and broad to show that 

 it actually works according to program 

 always. It it does fail you have increased not 

 exactly the number ot your diseased colonies, 

 but the number of your diseased combs. The 

 general success ot this attractive method is 

 greatly to be hoped for. Page 469. 



now HEES MEASURE ANGLES. 



Never thought ot it before till Mr. Doolittle 

 told me! Each bee carries antenn;v bevel- 

 squares to measure distances and verify an- 

 gles. Now, maybe that is the way they get 

 their angles and diameters so nearly uniform. 

 While making the first raise of the outer wall 

 ot a cell, they can gently keep touching the 

 inner wall which is already up a bit. But 

 those who have observatory hives and sharp 

 eyesight must verify it that they actually do 

 that — lest we be like that great professor 

 (reputed the greatest in America), who gave 

 it out that bees stood in their cells and built 

 them up around them I Page 471. 



WOULD >'." E THE EMPTY HONEY-BARRELS. 



Our edito]' read a good paper to the Minne- 

 sota folks aliout keeping the grocers supplied 

 but 1 must get one arrow into it. Destroy- 

 ing a tight Niirrel to get the honey out of it is 

 one of the br.rbarisms ot tne past which it is a 

 reproach to our inventive good sense to have 

 continued uiinute longer. No patriotic per- 



