i8y7. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



87 



extra thin would hardly do at all for bottom starters. If made 

 deeper thau a half inch it would fall over badly, and if less 

 than half an Inch the bees would likely gnaw down a good 

 deal of it. Of late there has been some talis about foundation 

 with cells J'4 or % lech deep, and If that ever comes on the 

 market I think I should be willing to pay a high price for it 

 to use as bottom starters. 



2. I think you could, but I'm not very familiar with the 

 matter. If you change from 2 Inches to 1% you will very 

 likely want to change to Ij'i, audit maybe well for you to 

 think whether you don't want to change to 1% In the first 

 place. 



3. There is more uniformity with sections tilled or nearly 

 filled with foundation than where only small starters are used, 

 and there is more uniformity with separators than without. 

 But you will see that I'm dodging your question, and I hardly 

 know how to answer it by saying yes or no. For I don't know 

 for certain just what you may mean by " nearly all uniform." 

 Very likely I'll come nearer making the right Impression by 

 saying they are not nearly all uniform. For altho the great 

 mass of my sections this year kept somewhere near 15 ounces 

 each, some of them were as much as two ounces less and 

 others as much more, making a total variation of a quarter of 

 a pound. But there's no certainty that next year will give 

 the same average weight. If honey comes in with a rush the 

 sections will be heavier than with a light flow. Sections may 

 be more plumply filled out early than late in the season, and 

 Dice wersd. There may also be a difference in colonies under 

 precisely the same circumstances, but I'm not sure of this. 



4. Yes, I believe I would. Sections used with separators 

 don't look so plump and well filled out, but for shipping 

 they are almost a necessity, and even for the home market it 

 is much easier to handle sections that are separatored without 

 danger of damaging them. 



I thank you for the kind words in your accompanying 

 letter, which I assure you are thoroughly appreciated. 



Questions on Wiring Frames. 



1. How many of our bee-lights have seen, or personally 

 know of, perpendicular wiring giving perfect satisfaction ? 



2. What objections are sometimes brought against It, If 

 any ? 



3. How many wires are used "? 



■i. Is the kerf practical with perpendicular wiring ? 



5. How many prefer horizontal wiring? 



6. Is the kerf practical with that ? E. P. 



Answers. — 1. Many frames have been filled with combs 

 built on perpendicular wiring that have given good satisfaction. 



2. If the bottom or top bar should be light, they will be 

 bent or curved toward each other by means of stretching the 

 wires tight. 



3. That depends upon the length of the frame. Enough 

 so the wires shall be about 2J^ inches apart, but the exact 

 distance is not Important. 



4. With perpendicular wiring yon cannot use a saw-kerf 

 in the top-bar In which to insert the foundation. 



5. At one time, most of the wiring was perpendicular, 

 but perhaps one way is used as much as the other at the 

 present time. 



6. The saw-kerf in the top-bar works nicely with horizon- 

 tal wiring. 



^ 



Number of Frames in the Brood-Cliambcr. 



Does It make any particular difiference as to the number 

 of brood-frames In a hive ? 1 have some box-hives, but there 

 are only nine frames in them ? I have noticed that most hives 

 have either eight or ten frames. 



I am much pleased with the American Bee Journal. 



C. H. P., Nebraska. 



Answer. — Very decidedly It makes a difference how many 

 frames are in the brood-chamber. Many a wordy war has 

 been waged as to what number is best, but perhaps no one 

 would advise less than 5 Langstroth frames, nor more than 

 16. The great majority say 8 or 10, and very often to hear 

 the discussions one would think that no other number could 

 be used. Just why so few take the middle ground and adopt 

 y frames is perhaps not easy to say. If half the number 

 should say 8 was better than 10, and the other half should 

 say that 10 was better than 8, it would seem the most reason- 

 able thing in the world to conclude that U was about right. 

 However, conditions and locations have something to do with 

 it. As a rule, a larger number of frames are allowed for ex- 



tracted honey than for comb. Altho the large amount of dis- 

 cussion as to size of hives has left the matter still unsettled, 

 the probability Is that It has made the general feeling a little 

 more favorable toward the larger hives than It was. 



It Isn't entirely clear just what you mean by saying you 

 have " box-hives" with frames In them. As generally used, 

 the term "box-hives" means hives without movable frames In 

 them. It Is true that most movable-frame hives are boxes, 

 however, and used in that way you might speak of box-hives 

 with frames to distinguish them from frame hives with bodies 



of straw. 



^ I ^1 



Im|>orllng Italian Queens. 



I would like to Import a queen or two from Italy next 

 season. Can you give me the names of two or three extensive 

 bee-keepers In northern Italy? 



Can you sell me one or two good queens after they lead 

 out a swarm next summer — queens two or three years old, and 

 daughters of Imported mothers? What would be the price? 



Indiana. 



Answer. — After spending considerable time in searching 

 I have failed to find a single advertisement of a queen-breeder 

 in Italy. I have no queens to sell, nor at present have I any 

 known to be daughters of imported mothers. 



Paeking and Siiipping Bees. 



Please give full directions as to packing and when to ship 

 bees. M. O., Kansas. 



Answer. — The manner of packing depends somewhat 

 upon the kind of hive, and to some extent on the season of the 

 year. They can be shipt any time In the year when bees are 

 flying. If the weather is comparatively cool, as In spring and 

 fall, they do not need so much ventilation as through the 

 warm months There Is little danger, however, of giving too 

 much ventilation at any time. Just how the ventilation can 

 best be given depends upon the hive, but with almost any hive 

 you can have the entire top covered with wire-cloth, and that 

 makes the colony safe against smothering. If the weather is 

 hot, the bees need a supply of water on their journey, which 

 may be given by means of a sponge or a roll of rags saturated 

 with water and placed on top of the frames. 



If the hive contains loose-hanging frames, these must in 

 some way be made fast. This may be done by driving nails 

 through the ends of the top-bars down Into the end of the 

 hive, but the nails should not be driven in their entire depth, 

 leaving the heads projecting so they can be drawn with a 

 claw-hammer. 



When placed on the cars, let the frames run parallel with 

 the track ; on a wagon they should run crosswise. 



moving Bees by Wagon and Railroad. 



I want to ship my bees about the last of April or first of 

 May about 120 miles by freight. They have to be hauled 10 

 miles on a wagon to reach the loading statlou, and stay 24 

 hours in the car In transit. How much ventilation should 

 they have at that time of the year, as it is quite cool yet and 

 colonies not very populous yet here In Minnesota. They are 

 In 8-frame Adam Grimm Langstroth hives, with a one-Inch 

 honey-board on top, and ^4-inch bee-space between the brood- 

 frames and honey-board. Would It do to cover 4 or 5 one- 

 inch holes in the honey-board, also a one-inch hole at the rear 

 end of the hive close to the bottom, with wire-cloth, and have 

 the entrance shut up tight with a board ? or would it be better 

 to remove the honey-board and cover the hive with a piece of 

 wire-cloth as big as the hive, with no ventilation at the bot- 

 tom ? M. R., Minnesota. 



Answer. — Either plan you mention will probably be all 

 right, the one giving the larger ventilation being preferable. 

 I have often hauled them a distance of five miles with only a 

 large entrance for ventilatiou. But I think It is the Dadants 

 that say it is better to have the entrance closed and have 

 abundant ventilation elsewhere, for the bees being used to find 

 their way out at the entrance will all crowd there and may be 

 killed. You will do well to have a sponge, or a rag rolled up 

 and filled with water somewhere in the hive — on the top-bars, 

 If there is room — and when you change from the wagon to the 

 cars you can pour soSie fresh water on it, if dry. 



la^ See " Bee-Keeper's GuiJe" offer on page 45. 



