THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



I wish you to answer throuffh the Joun- 

 KAL if I liad not l)ettor i)iit my Italian col- 

 onies in hives with open bottoms; then in 

 early spring, set tliem on other hives lilled 

 with empty combs, and have them work 

 down through them. I use a double-liive, 

 similar to tiie Langstroth. Will that not be 

 the best and easiest way to have access to 

 early brood, for queen raising, and disturb 

 the arrangement of the colon v less, than 

 anv other way ? S. Emmons. 



r*ottawattamie, Kan. 



The way you speak of has been tried 

 often in our own apiar.y, but we do not re- 

 connncnd it as being a good plan in early 

 spring. Instead of that, we would keep the 

 hive as tight and close as possible, with 

 quilt, carpet, or mats on the top of the 

 frames. As fast as two frames are tolerably 

 well filled with brood, move them far 

 enough apart to admit of placing an empty 

 comb between the two, and repeat this in a 

 few days. If a colony has a prolific queen 

 and plenty of honey and bee bread, they 

 will increase very rapidly in brood, if man- 

 aged in this way. Later in the season a 

 comb full of unsealed brood may be taken 

 away every three days, and yet the colony 

 keep strong. 



After the weather is warm, if you do not 

 care to have swarms, you can put a hive 

 filled with comb under another hive to good 

 advantage. We have had both hives in this 

 way, filled with brood in July, and secured 

 large amounts of box honey from them. 



Mrs. E. S. TUPPER :— I read in the pro- 

 ceedings of the Annual meeting of the Bee- 

 Keepers' Society^ that you have said tliat 

 there is danger, in importing, of getting a 

 taint of black stock ; as they may have 

 mixed some of tlie Egyptian blood ; as I am 

 just now holding, in the bee world, that 

 there are no hybrid bees in Italy. I would 

 be glad to know whether you have ever 

 received tainted queens from Italy, and the 

 name and address of the bee-keeper who 

 sent them. Hoping to receive an answer 

 from you, I am respectfully, 



Ch. Dadant. 



We said no such thing as is reported of us 

 at the convention. During the remarks on 

 that point some one asked if the impurities 

 which Mr. King and others were complain- 

 ing about, might not be caused by a cross 

 with the Egyptian instead of the black bee. 

 We replied that it was not probable, as we 

 had never heard that Egyptian bees had 

 been at any time taken to Italy. Our re- 

 marks were all directed to the importance 

 of taking more pains with the stock we have 



ah'eady brought from Italy, and keeping it 

 pure, while it would be improveil by the in- 

 rtuence of climate and new pasturage — the 

 same as experience demonstrates, cattle,, 

 sheep and horses are improved. 



Which is the best and cheapest mode of 

 transportation, express, freight, or mail ? 

 Some bees have been received here by mail, 

 all right. I suppose that is the cheapest 

 way— cheaper to feed them than to have the 

 whole hive sent by express. Is this idea 

 correct ? Is it fully settled that the Italians 

 are the best bees on all accounts ? 



Colorado. N. A. B. 



We are sure you are mistaken about 

 "colonies of bees being sent by mail." It 

 cannot be done. Queens with a few bees 

 accompanying them are often sent by mail 

 safely, and it is perhaps as good a way as 

 any to send them, if it can be made lawful 

 to send them. At present the rules of the 

 Post-office department forbid it. We have 

 sent bees to Colorado safely, both by freight 

 and express. If only one hive is sent at a 

 time it would go better by express. If a 

 number are sent together we would quite as 

 soon risk them by freight. 



It is fully settled by the vote of a large 

 majority of those who have tried both varie- 

 ties, that the Italians are best on all ac- 

 counts. 



As nearly as I can come at it, there are 

 somewliere in the neighborhood of 80.000 

 stands in N. C. This is probably below the 

 mark. But the losses of the two years past 

 have been very considerable. Enough to 

 reduce the round average by several thou- 

 sands. 



New Garden, N. C, A. E. Kitchex. 



We had no idea that so many bees were to 

 be found in North Carolina. When improved 

 modes of keeping bees are introduced there, 

 with all the advantages they possess of soil 

 and climate, we have little doubt that as 

 large results as are reported from California 

 will be obtained. 



I send you a conundrum — one I cannot 

 guess, if ■ as you teach there is but one 

 queen in a hive, and that every swarm that 

 comes olf has a queen. I had last May (the 

 2.5th) a nice swarm from one of my hives ; 

 saved it all right : two hours after, another 

 swarm nearly as large came from the same 

 liive ! No mistake about it ! I hived them 

 both myself. How do you explain it ? 



Southern Illinois. C. G. 



It is not hard to explain. Your hive had, 

 in some way, lost its old queen ; she may 

 have died, but from the fact of there being 

 so many bees in the hives we judge that she 

 came out with a swarm when you did not 

 see her, was lost in some way, and the bees 

 went back. They waited until the young 

 queens in the hive were perfected and then 

 swarmed. A young queen leading each 

 swarm. 



