Sept. 28 1905 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



679 



-V (£otttributeb ^- 

 Special Ctrttcles 



=\ 



- Work in the Apiary for October 



BY C. r. DADANT 



THE honey crop is now entirely over, and all supers on the 

 hives should be removed. Those combs that have been 

 run through the extractor and returned to the hivos for 

 cleaning and repair would best be taken off before the end of 

 the month. Cool mornings, when the bees have oon^^regated 

 in the brood-chamber, arc best for this end. In warm days 

 we would find those supers full of bees, and there would be 

 <|Uite a task to remove them. But it is better to delay the 

 removal until late in the month, as we avoid the possible 

 development of moth-eggs among the combs that are deprived 

 of bees during the remaining warm days of fall. 



The weak colonies must be again examined. If they have 

 been helped during September with combs of brood and honey, 

 ihey will be found quite populous. But such colonies as have 

 not succeeded in getting a .sufficient surplus, or those that are 

 queenless or too weak in bees to go well through the winter, 

 should be united either with stronger colonies, or added to 

 one another. 



It is sometimes possible to make one good colony out of 

 two or three poor ones; one of them furnishing combs of 

 honey, another bees, another a good queen. But there is 

 always more or less danger of their fighting when united, un- 

 less it is done late, and the bees smoked very thoroughly be- 

 fore putting them together. We have often united colonies 

 l)y bringing them slowly together, moving each hive a few 

 inches every day, so they may not lose their bearings, and 

 then uniting them some very cool morning by transferring 

 the combs loaded with bees from one hive to the other. It is 

 well to remove all combs but two or three, previous to this 

 uniting, so that the bees may all be gathered in a bunch, and 

 those combs may be removed in one handful and inserted in 

 the other hive. 



We always aim to remove from their hives those colonies 

 that are queenless in preference to those that have a tiueen. 

 A few puffs of smoke, and perhaps a little spraying with 

 sweet-scented water, will help them to agree, if we are care- 

 ful not to overdo this. Drone-laying workers, if there are 

 any, are usually killed by the bees of the colony that has a 

 queen. 



At this time also we remove all dry combs from the body 

 of the hives, and examine each colony to make sure of its win- 

 ter stores. Feeding may be done to supply those that are 

 short, but the very best way of supplying winter stores is by 

 securing heavy combs from fat colonies that have something 

 to spare, and inserting them in hives that are likely to be 

 short. Care must be taken to place those combs where they 

 will be easily accessible for the cluster. A comb heavy with 

 honey, which is placed behind two or three dry comljs and 

 away from the cluster, will be rather a detriment than a h(?lp, 

 as outside bees may find it and discover that it is notdefended. 

 As a rule, however, it is not advisable to feed and try to win- 

 ter a colony that is not strong enough to defend its door. 



The entrance is, of course, reduced to suit the needs of 

 thecolOLy. Some apiarists seem to consider this a needless 

 precaution, because in a state of nature the bees have the 

 same entrance to their "gum "in hot weather as in cold 

 weather. But the bee-business is a business of details — we 

 can expect more from our bees under domestication than in 

 the natural state, simply because we aid them in small things, 

 and if we did not do more for them than Nature does, uuiny 

 colonies would be allowed to starve that would give us good 

 results the following year. Nature provides for all beings in 

 a general way, but she gives us foresight that we may provide 

 that in which she is lacking. 



Sometimes, though rarely, hives are found which an' so 

 thoroughly filled with honey in the brood-chamber that there 

 is no room for the queen to lay or for the bees to cluster. 

 These hives will gain by the removal of some of their heaviest 

 combs, and the replacing of them by combs that are filled uuly 

 down to about a half to one-third of their depth with honey, 

 these combs to be inserted in the middle of the cluster. 



Although the bees must have honey in easy reach, a colony 

 will not winter well on combs that are entirely filled. A col- 



ony in an ideal position has about half of each comb dry (the 

 lower half), and the bees occupy this part. When you open a 

 hive in the latter part of October, and the bees come to the 

 entrance at once, but do not show at the tops of the combs, 

 you may be sure that they are in good shape for winter. Yet 

 there are populous colonies that cover every comb from top 

 to bottom, and have a plentiful supply of honey. Those are 

 in exceptional circumstanct^s. Hut a colony that does not 

 occupy at least five spaces between combs may usually be con- 

 sidered as in danger of suffering if the winter is severe. Such 

 colonies, if it is necessary to risk them, would better he win- 

 tered in the cellar. Nothing is done, however, towards win- 

 ter-packing or cellar-wintering before November, in this lati- 

 tude. Hancock Co , III. 





Giant Bees of 



India— Stingless Bees- 

 Moth 



-Wax- 



BY DK. E. F. PHILLIPS, 



Acting in c/iar(je of Apiculturi\ Washington^ D. C. 



I HAVE read with interest the article by Prof. A. J. Cook, 

 on page 631, on " Importation of Bees by Our Govern- 

 ment." I quite agree with Prof. Cook in most that he 

 says, but thtre are one or two things that I would like to 

 correct. 



In the first place, the scientific name of the giant bee of 

 India is 3/egapis dorsata, and not Macroapis. The two words 

 mean the same thing, but it is necessary to use the correct 

 one. Since there is now considerable interest in this genus of 

 bees, due to the fact that the Bureau of Entomology is trying 

 to import them, I thought that you would be glad to have 

 your attention called to this error. 



In the fourth paragraph of the same article the generic 

 name of our common bee is given as Aphis. This should, of 

 course, be Apis, and it is evi<lent]y but a misprint. Some of 

 your readers might wonder how a cross between stingless bees 

 and plant-lice would help them. 



Stinoless Bees of Sodth America. 



I may also be pardoned if I say that the Department of 

 Agriculture is not expecting to try to import the stingless 

 bees of South America. In a very delightful talk which I had 

 with Prof. Cook, I told him that there was a movement on 

 foot on the part of some private individuals to get these bees, 

 and evidently I did not make myself clear. I would be glad 

 to see these bees tried in this country, for we can not try too 

 many things for the good of apiculture, but I think I am safe 

 in saying that the Department of Agriculture will not be the 

 one to do this. 



• The Department Apiary, concerning which Prof. Cook 

 writes so kindly, is always open for inspection, and it will be 

 a pleasure for any of the force to show any of the readers of 

 the American Bee .lournal what we have here. 



The Lesseb Wax Moth. 



It has come to my notice that the lesser wax-moth — 

 Achroia grisella — has been found in this country, and I am 

 anxious to learn how widely it is distributed. I will appre- 

 ciate it very much if any of the readers of the American Bee 

 Journal who have any specimens of this moth in their apiaries 

 will notify me of that fact, and send samples of either larva- 

 or adults. I will be glad to send on re(iuest a return frank to 

 any person wishing to mail any specimens to me, which will 

 make it unnecessary to pay postage. In order that this moth 

 may be distinguished from the common wax-moth — Galleria 

 meUonella — 1 will give a brief description : 



The adult moths are little more than half the size of the 

 common moth, and with wings spread measure about % inch. 

 The fore wings are considerably darker than the hind, and a 

 very characteristic feature is the swiftness of movement of 

 the insects. The tunnels are similar to those of the common 

 moth, but smaller in diameter, and the cocoon, at the end in 

 which the pupa is found, is considerably smaller. Wherever 

 found in America they are due to importations, since this is a 

 European species. 



Bee-keepers net-d not fe;n tliis moth any more than the 

 larger one, for it is well known that there is one sure preven- 

 tive for moths, and the rul of every bee-keeper, whether 

 troubled bv moths or not. should be, "Keep all colonies 

 strong." This will of course not keep the moths away from 

 stored combs. 



There is an excellent illu^t! if ion of both bee-moths in the 

 " A li C of Bee Culture," page c4, but the name is misspelled 

 In the text. Washington, D. C. 



