32 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Jan. 11, 19C6 



through above into the hive. There will be no trouble as 

 to bees getting in, for the bees of the colony will fully guard 

 any such opening against the entrance of any intruders. 

 Neither will a small opening of that kind be any hindrance 

 to the working of the colony if they are worked for ex- 

 tracted honey ; but at least a little harm will result if they 

 are worked for comb honey, for on cool nights the building 

 of comb will be hindered by the entrance of cold air, and 

 you will find the progress of the work retarded a little at 

 that point. You can close up the entrance by laying a little 

 strip of wood there. Better still, nail the strip on the super. 

 Now it is possible that the case is not correctly under- 

 stood, and if so don't fail to give further particulars, and it 

 will be a pleasure to try again. 



Several Eggs in a Cell— Clipping Queens— Painting 

 Hives— Moving Bees— Foul Brood Questions 



1. What makes a queen lay as many as 6 eggs in a cell 

 and yet plenty of empty ones in the brood-nest ? 



2. Is cottonseed meal a good food for bees ? 



3. Does it injure a queen to have a wing pulled off ? 



4. Can I paint my hives after I have put bees into them? 



5. Is it safe to move bees with the hive-entrance closed 

 and a brood-chamber on top with empty extracting-combs ? 

 Would they get air enough ? 



6. Should a queen lay during winter, keeping a little 

 brood on hand all the time ? 



7. Is it a good idea to give a queen from a foul-broody 

 colony to healthy bees ? 



8. Is it a good idea to give foul-broody bees to a clean 

 and healthy queen ? 



9. What would be the result if foul-broody bees and 

 queen were to enter a hive that was not strong with bees ? 



10. Would they kill the queen of the weak colony, or 

 would they kill the intruder, or both queens? 



Garrett, Tex. Mrs. Carrie Branch. 



1. When more than one egg are found in a cell, laying 

 workers are to be suspected. In rare cases, however, a good 

 queen has been found laying two or more eggs in a cell 

 while plenty of empty cells were present ; just why, no one 

 seems to know. But she generally gives up that sort of 

 foolishness after a time. 



2. It will probably answer in place of pollen at a time 

 when bees can fly freely but can find no pollen. Indeed, 

 at such a time any kind of meal that cattle will eat seems to 

 answer. 



3. It would hurt you to have one of your finger-nails 

 pulled off, but it wouldn't hurt to have it cut off. About 

 the same with a queen's wing. Thousands of queens have 

 their wings cut off. and are just as good as ever for laying ; 

 only they can not fly with a swarm. 



4. Yes. 



5. That depends. With a very strong colony on a hot 

 day, the colony might be ruined if confined long enough. In 

 cold weather they would stand a long confinement without 

 harm. 



6. In the North a queen stops laying in the fall, some- 

 times even in September, and does not begin again before 

 the next February or March if outdoors, and likely not till 

 April if kept in cellar. In the South the idle time is shorter. 



7. It is generally claimed that the queen does not carry 

 the disease. 



8. No. 



9. They would in all probability carry the disease with 

 them, whether they entered a weak or a strong colony. 



10. The intruding queen would likely be killed : possi- 

 bly both. ' ' * 



A Queen-Bee Free as a Premium.— W'c arc now book- 

 ins orders for Untested Italian Queens to be delivered in 

 May or June. This is the premium offer: To a subscriber 

 whose own subscription to the American lice Journal is 

 paid at least to the end of 1906. we will mail an Untested 

 Italian Queen for sending us one new subscription with 

 $1.00 for the Bee Journal a year. Or, we will renew your 

 subscription to the American Bee Journal for a year. "and 

 -end a fine Untested Italian Queen— both for $1.50. Now 



b 1 time to get new subscribers. If you wish extra 



61 tty Bee Journal for use as samples, let us know 

 you want and we will mail them to you. Address 

 all orders t.i the office of the American Bee Journal. 



=\ 



IViv. pasty's 

 Afterthoughts 



j 



See Langstroth Book Offer on another page of this 

 copy of the American Ike Journal. 



The " Old Reliable " as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

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



Getting Partly-Filled Sections Cleaned. 



The woes of Miss Wilson and Dr. Miller trying to make 

 bees clean up honey, interest me. Their bees seem to be 

 very like my own bees in that contrariness. Here's a scheme 

 that succeeds with me : Break the cappings, if there are 

 any, and pile the sections on the alighting-board shortly 

 before sundown. They'll take in part during the night; 

 and next morning when bees from other hives begin to pes- 

 ter them, they'll first stand them off and then proceed to 

 take in the rest of the honey. Lean up a wide board to keep 

 off a chance shower — and to give some air of private prop- 

 erty to the pile. Scheme only to be used by skillful opera- 

 tors on colonies well able to defend themselves. Page 810. 



Barb Wire for Apiary Fence. 



Glad to get so soon an experience of 5 years with hives 

 next barb-wire fence for stock to graze the front. Verdict 

 of T. P. Robinson favorable on the whole. Not a remedy 

 for certain big weeds. Not very satisfactory if the amount 

 of grass in the pasture is superabundant. Covers displaced 

 sometimes. I should say put on some short lengths of extra 

 wire adjacent the hives, and set the hives closer up. Page 

 812. 



Bees Produce "Tons" of Happiness. 



There, now ! That would have let me out nicely — that 

 astonishing yield on page 812. A crop of 29 tons ; and often 

 carried (doubtless) in a mere fraction of a single railroad 

 car. Happiness. The Professor. He didn't get it all. Wade 

 right in, gentlemen, and harvest a ton per hive for yourself. 



Suggestions for National Elections. 



Our Editor certainly gets in one heavy blow in the elec- 

 tion controversy. Can't vote against a Secretary without 

 shoving impoliteness right in his face. How would these 

 additions do ? The Secretary shall designate some conven- 

 ient and suitable person to receive and count the vote and 

 destroy the ballots — except when he has refused to accept a 

 reelection. Consecutive third terms shall not be allowed 

 for any office. The latter would simply be taking a hint 

 from the unwritten constitution of our Nation. If adopted, 

 all questionable and aberrant devices to secure rotation 

 might be dropped. Page 822. 



Question-Box at Conventions. 



As to what part of the convention time the question-box 

 should take, of 28 experts 4 dodge the question. Those who 

 name one-half (with those who apparently agree thereto) 

 are 9 out of 24. Those who nameless than one-half are 5. 

 Those who favor more than one-half are 10 out of 24. Page 

 822. 



Quality of Sweet Clover Honey. 



As to the quality of sweet clover honey the consensus 

 at the Chicago-Northwestern seemed to be, A very excel- 

 lent honey, but — . Had the goat been there he probably 

 would have done so. Page 825. 



Mr Clarke's Apiary— Ripening Comb Honey. 



That picture of the Clarkes and their apiary, with which 

 No. 49 opens, moves me once more (for the thousandth time) 

 to wonder and thankfulness that we can have for our regu- 

 lar journalistic diet such beautiful photographic reproduc- 

 tions. Could almost shut my eyes and disbelieve the whole 

 thing even now. Not only nice picture, but nice apiary. 

 Mr. Clarke evidently believes in large entrances. Wonder 

 why his hives have such big, projecting tops. I'll guess at 

 random that these tops enclose some kind of packing in 

 winter — and in summer are made to serve in lieu of shade- 

 boards. If these bees never sting kindergarten children, 

 when they come trotting in to see things, then what's the 

 use of Caucasians? The other picture seems to show that 

 at racking up sections to ripen them off Mr. Clarke leads 

 the whole host. That's the way to do it. None of your 



