102 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 18, 



be given abundant roona for the display of her powers by ex- 

 changing combs between the stronger and weaker colonies. 



This line of thought would seem to fix our choice of hives 

 on the eight-frame Langstroth, but it has points which fail to 

 give satisfaction when it is proposed to put contraction in 

 force, about June 10. Still this contraction, which, in prac- 

 tice, is largely confined to swarms, can be accomplisht with 

 this hive by removing three of "the frames and filling the 

 vacant space with dummies. This accomplishes the desired 

 contraction, but it also contracts the upper surface of the 

 brood-nest. This is not desirable, since, for the best work in 

 the sections, it is necessary that the heat and the aroma of 

 the brood-nest should ascend freely to all parts of the section- 

 case. 



At this point I am sometimes moved to pray those who 

 are so sure they can breed the swarming instinct out of the 

 bees, to breed out also the disposition to build combs perpen- 

 dicularly, and bring them to build their combs horizontally. 

 With this accomplisht we would have the perfection hive in- 

 deed — simply frames piled horizontally on the top of one 

 another with the ability to make its capacity suit the colony 

 or the apiarist by simply removing or adding frames without 

 In any way affecting the desirable qualities of the hive. If 

 this should fail, will some one give us a hive composed of sec- 

 tions about three inches in depth which may readily be placed 

 one above another without bee-spaces between them and yet 

 without crushing bees. I want them so they could be easily 

 f urnisht with foundation for the combs, but I would not care 

 to have the combs movable. In the absence of this, we have 

 as the nearest approach to it the Heddon hive with sections 

 approaching six inches In depth. The sections have bee- 

 spaces, but the spaces are not undesirable when the sections 

 are of that depth. As each section of this hive has the 

 capacity of five Langstroth frames, it answers excellently for 

 the purposes of contraction, but for most colonies previous to 

 the period of contraction, one section is too small, and two 

 are too large to satisfy me fully. I am sometimes inclined to 

 think that if a portion of the sections were of the depth of 

 about three inches they could be combined with the others in 

 a more satisfactory way. 



Without entering into further details I have sufficiently 

 Indicated the characteristics which I think the hive to be 

 adopted should possess, so let it suffice to say that either of 

 the hives indicated will answer equally well, with any other, 

 all the other legitimate ends of the apiarist. 



E. L. Taylor. 



Mr. Hutchinson — Complete combs could be used horizon- 

 tally for making a brood-nest. Brood can be reared and 

 honey stored in a comb placed in a horizontal position. I ouce 

 laid a comb of honey over a colony destitute of stores. It was 

 overlookt for some time, and when I finally found it it was a 

 comb of brood. 



Mr. Doane— I have used the wide, deep top-bars. They 

 help to prevent brace and burr combs, but not to any great 

 extent. They help mostly by preserving the proper bee- 

 spaces. With the old style of top-bars, they sagged, and then 

 the bees had to make ladders in order to get into the supers. 

 If the spaces are right no ladders are needed. 



Mr. Fordyce — I have used the Hoffman frames, and I 

 don't like them. They are stuck together too solid with propo- 

 lis. A hatchet Is needed to get them apart when once they 

 are well stuck together. 



Mr. Bingham — Any practical bee-keeper ought to know 

 that of all the traps made to catch beeglue, the Hoffman 

 frame beats them all. With black bees, there was not so 

 much need for closed-end frames, but the Italians are so given 

 to crowding in all of the honey possible near the brood-nest, 

 that much of it is crowded in behind the end-bars. When I 

 bought Italian queens, and paid S^l" apiece for them, I was 

 not long in learning that something must be done if I didn't 

 want several pounds of honey in each hive tucked away be- 

 hind the end-bars instead of in the sections. For this reason 

 I made closed-end frames. 



(Concluded next weeli.) 



A NC'w Binder for holding a year's numbers of the 

 American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every 

 subscriber who sends us 20 cents. It is called "The Wood 

 Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple 

 arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. 

 Every reader should got it, and preserve the copies of the Bee 

 Journal as fast as thoy are received. They are invaluable for 

 reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to 

 get It yearly. 



OONDUCTED BY 

 DJt. C. O. SIXLLER, MAJtENGO, ILL, 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.] 



Material for Cu§liion§ and <tuii(8. 



I have several barrels of cork-dust which I am going to 

 use in cushions and double-walled hives. What would you 

 prefer for making cushions and quilts — duck, burlap, or some- 

 thing else, not considering expense ? Considering expense, 

 what would you use ? W. 



Answer. — Not considering expense, I should hesitate be- 

 tween duck, burlap and heavy sheeting or cotton cloth. Duck 

 would last longer than sheeting, but being stiffer it would not 

 fit down so nicely over frames. Having regard to expense, I 

 would take burlap or sheeting, whichever cost the less, and 

 that would generally be burlap. 



Bee§ Eaten Into by Mice. 



I send you by this mail a few dead bees. You will notice 

 there is a small bole on their backs, between their wings. 

 Three of my colonies are dying very fast. One of them has 

 lost nearly a quart of bees since putting them into the cellar. 

 What is the matter with them ? A. C. M., Canada. 



Answer — Yes, each bee has a hole scoopt out of its back 

 big enough to bury its head in. I've had thousands affected 

 the same way, and so have many others, but some may not 

 have been so observant as you in noticing it. Probably you 

 will find some, however, that are whole. Select a few of these 

 from near the entrance of the hive, and put half of them in 

 one saucer and half in another, setting the saucers somewhere 

 near the hives. Put a tumbler over the bees in one saucer 

 and leave the others uncovered. In perhaps 24 hours you will 

 find the exposed bees with a hole In the back of each, while 

 those that are covered will be found unchanged. The tumbler 

 prevented the mice from getting at the one lot, and they made 

 a neat job scooping out the backs of the other lot. 



The bees first die, then the mice eat into them. The cause 

 of death may be because the air in the cellar Is foul and needs 

 ventilation, or possibly the hives are closed up too tight. Pos- 

 sibly also the colonies may be very strong with a large number 

 of old bees, and these may be dying off from old age. In that 

 case there would naturally be a good many dead bees. 



Moving^ Bees a Mile or Lie8§. 



What is the best method of moving bees from the stands 

 which they occupied last summer and this winter, to another 

 place one mile or one-half mile away ? My difficulty results 

 in the loss of bees that return to the old place. 



Colorado. 



Answer. — You may find that your difficulty will cease if 

 the bees are taken at the right time. There are expedients 

 that may be used with more or less success when one is obliged 

 to move bees a short distance in the working season, but they 

 are not needed at a time when bees have not been in the habit 

 of flying. The common belief is that it is not safe to move 

 bees less than perhaps two miles for fear the workers may re- 

 turn to the old stand on their first flight to the fields. The 

 common belief Is correct, and it Isn't a very hard thing to Im- 

 agine a case in which it would not bo a safe thing to move a 

 colony six miles or even more. Suppose a region where there 

 is a grove of linden trees, the only pasturage at the time of 

 their blooming within reach, and these trees are three or four 

 miles away. At a time when the bees are busily working on 

 these trees, suppose the bees are moved, (and it doesn't matter 

 if this be at dead of night) to a point three miles beyond the 

 grove, that Is six or seven miles from their old home. A work- 

 er, starting out from its new home, strikes upon the same old 

 place to which It has been accustomed In the grove, and loads 



