AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



299 



gentle as flies, I sent for seven golden Ital- 

 ian queens last August, and introduced six 

 of them successfully, as they had yellow 

 bees flying before cold weather set in. It 

 was so late befoi'e I noticed that the seventh 

 one was queenless, that I got a cheap mis- 

 mated Italian queen for it, and intend to 

 get six more golden Italian queens as early 

 in the spring as it will be safe to get them. 

 Then I hope all my bees will be yellow next 

 summer. 



But, do you think they will be gentle 

 enough, to leave the bee-yard where it is? 

 It is in a nice sheltered place on the south- 

 east side of a clump of evergreens. The 12 

 hives are in pairs, and each pair has a 

 frame-work of boards around them except 

 in front, with hay packed between the 

 boards and the hives. They are also cov- 

 ered, with hay and boards, so they are all 

 quite dry and snug. I dislike disturbing 

 them in cold weather, but I am afraid if I 

 leave them until spring, and then move 

 them beyond the evergreens, a hundred 

 feet from their present location, a good 

 many bees will get lost. But of course, I 

 would rather lose a good many than have 

 them molest any one, as they did last sum- 

 mer. How would it do to take advantage 

 of a mild day and carry the hives into the 

 cellar, then put them out on the new stands 

 next spring? J. B. 



Bristol, Ills. 



Answer. — With gentle bees there ought 

 to be no trouble at a distance of 50 feet. 

 But if you want to move them, the plan 

 you propose will work all right. Take 

 them into the cellar on the evening of the 

 day they have a flight. But if they're win- 

 tering in good condition where they are, I 

 believe I would let them alone till spring. 

 Then move them late enough in the day so 

 they will not fly. Take away all the 

 stands and make the old place look as 

 strange as possible. Put a board up before 

 each hive, so that the bees will bump 

 against it when they fly out, and that may 

 make them mark the place of their new 

 home. 



Dividing Colonies for Increase. 



After reading ''Bees and Honey, " also 

 "ABC of Bee-Culture, " in regard to di- 

 viding bees for increase, I must say that it 

 don't suit me, for there is too much work 

 about it. Why couldn't I take a frame of 

 brood with the queen and put in an upper 

 story with a queen-excluding honey-board 

 between, and on the 10th or 12th day set 

 the old hive on the new stand, and by doing 

 that way I would not have any colony 

 queenless ? What I want to know is, if I 

 can get a good crop of honey if I divided 

 that way in the spring. 



I know it will work to a charm for I tried 

 it last season after the white clover honey- 

 flow was over, without asking the consent 

 of Bro. Root, for he says a novice had bet- 

 ter not try any experiments. A. E. B. 



Hammond, Wis. 



Answer. — I hardly suppose Bro. Root 

 means to say you shall never try any ex- 



periments, for he's about the last man in 

 the world that would consent not to make 

 any. But I suspect that you will find out 

 it is not best to experiment on too large a 

 scale till you know your ground pretty 

 well. I suppose you're a good bit like my- 

 self: when you think you've got a good 

 idea, you want to try it on your whole 

 apiary. But it's pretty safe to go by the 

 books as a rule, and let your new plans be 

 the exception— at least till after you've 

 proved them. 



You say of your plan, '•! know it will 

 work to a charm, for I tried it last season." 

 Yes, but are you sure it will work just the 

 same way next time ? I suppose the bees 

 started queen-cells in the lower story as 

 soon as you put the queen above, and then 

 in 10 or 12 days a young queen was ready to 

 hatch out. They've done that thing for 

 me all right, and then the very next one 

 wouldn't rear a queen at all. But I think 

 they might be more likely to do it near 

 swarming time. 



But I wouldn't do it in the spring. I think 

 you'll gain it to wait till about swarming 

 time. For if you divide too early you'll 

 weaken both parts so much that you'll not 

 get so much honey. I think there may be 

 something in the plan, at any rate it's 

 worth trying, but I wouldn't try it on too 

 large a scale, and I wouldn't divide much 

 before the time of natural swarms. 



Be sure and tell us how you come out. 



"Driving" Bees in Transferring. 



I am wintering my bees this winter in a 

 long box covered with glass, which I cover 

 with straw according to the severity of the 

 winter. I have given them two or three 

 good flights so far this winter, and they 

 seem to be doing well. I have some bees in 

 box-hives which I wish to transfer into 

 Langstroth hives as I have adopted that 

 hive. In transferring, had'nt I better kill 

 the old queens and give the transferred colo- 

 nies select Italian queens, and leave the 

 box-hives queenless for 21 days, with drone- 

 traps on them? And in the last drive from 

 the box, give them these select queens again, 

 and put in their places queen-cells which I 

 will rear and keep the drone-cells cut out of 

 all the movable-frame hives ? T. H. 



Uoncaster, Ont. 



Answer. — If I understand you, your plan 

 is driving rather than transferring. I don't 

 altogether like the plan. As you are evi- 

 dently planning for more than one drive, 

 why not leave the old queen with the first 

 drive, and then you are sure of a strong 

 colony with her, leaving the drive on the 

 old stand, and setting the queenless box- 

 hive on a new stand ? A day or so later 

 the bees in the box-hive will very readily 

 accept your new queen, and then you will 

 be able to drive that in its turn. If you 

 read up well in the text-books you may 

 change your whole plan. 



Unless you are two miles or more from 

 other bees, it may not make much differ- 

 ence about keeping down drones in your 

 own hives. 



