296 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



room in seven Langstrotli frames 

 for storing hone}', and still plenty 

 of room left for all the brood 

 needed to keep the colony up in 

 point of numbers. 



Bees afflicted with the "tremb- 

 ling" disease, shake their entire 

 bodies. They seem to act as 

 though they would go into the air 

 without the aid of their wings, un- 

 less they held on something by 

 their feet and with all their might. 

 The disease is a mystery, and no 

 -one has discovered its true cause.] 



after the first swarm issued. The 

 best plan would be to destroy all 

 the cells and let the swarm, queen 

 and all, return to the hive again. 

 Other cells might be built and the 

 bees swarm again in four or five 

 days, and they may not swarm at 

 all. Should they do so, the cells 

 should be destroyed again and, in 

 all probability, the bees would not 

 attempt to swarm the third time 

 unless the queen was quite old. 



The above plan is very good for 

 a small apiary, but considerable 

 work and trouble where several 

 hundred colonies are kept.] 



QUEENLESS COLONIES. 



Is a colony of bees queenless that has no 

 tbrood or eggs on the first of October ? The 

 reason I muuUI like to know if tliey are queen- 

 less, is tliat 1 may not have to look ior the 

 .queen in a colony that I have to introduce a 

 • queen in. If vou cannot answer this liy letter, 

 Will you let us know iu the Apiculturist. 

 Simon V. Veeder. 

 [Most healthy colonies will have 

 'brood in all stages on the first day 

 .and generally as late as the tenth 

 day of October. If a colony has no 

 brood Oct. 1, it should be examined 

 to see whether it is queenless or 

 not ; there is no other way to know 

 .certain about it. Uon't introduce 

 a queen until you are sure the col- 

 ony has none.] 



STRENGTHENING COLONIES. 



Voluntown, Conn. 

 Mr. Alley: 

 Bees have done well here for to wet a 

 -season. 



The API speaks of making strong colonies 

 before the clover season. Could it be done 

 by returning an issuing swarm to the parent 

 ,hive minus the queen which your trap would 

 secure ? Would they rear another queen and 

 issue again? Should like to know how it 

 ■would work. Yours respectfully, 



F. S. BiTGOOD. 



[The colonies can be kept strong 

 'by returning the swarms. The 

 'bees would be likely to swarm out 

 again in eight days unless all the 

 queen-cells are destroyed ; yet, if 

 no queen is given them, they would 

 not swarm, in case all the cells are 

 destroyed, until about twelve days 



PACKING BEES FOR WINTER. 



La Belle, Mo. 



Mr. Alley : 

 Tlie queen I received from you was a fine- 

 looking one, but I lost her in introducing (in- 

 experienced;. I will try it ag;iin in the spring 

 when 1 can tend to it more closely. I would 

 like to liave you give your opinion on packmg 

 bees fir winter. How would it do to pack 

 them til is way ? 



Put about'a two-inch thickness of papier 

 around the brood-nest except on the front 

 side and put a tliin cliaff cushion on top to 

 absorb the dampness should tiiere any ac- 

 cumulate, and spread paper over tlie cushion 

 one-half inch or so in tliickness. You know 

 paper is about the best non-conductor of lieat 

 and cold. Please answer and oblige. 



F. E. Bagby. 



[We see no objection to packing 

 a colony of bees as proposed above ; 

 nevertheless we refer Mr. Bagby 

 to the essays on "Wintering Bees " 

 found in the October, 1886, issue of 

 the Api.] 



FOREIGN NOTES. 

 Brother Jonathan. 



It would seem from the jottings 

 of " Amateur Expert " culled from 

 the American Aptculturist, that 

 there is as much diversity of opin- 

 ion among our American cousins 

 as among ourselves regarding the 

 royal road to success in bee-culture, 

 and I do not think any of them 

 can give us much start in the race 

 for honey ; indeed, were we to ex- 

 change places, i. e., take our bees to 



