582 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 16, 



CONDUCTED BY 

 OH. O. O. afiXtEH, M-ASENGO, ILL. 



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



Colony (tuccnless — "Hfever too Old to Learn." 



lu looking thruogh a colony yesterday that did not appear 

 to be doing well, I found they had no queen. Where and how 

 shall I proceed? I took three full frames of comb from 

 another colony with some brood, but not much, and gave to 

 them to build them up. I gave them as many bees on those 

 combs as there was of themselves. I rather think that I am 

 almost too old a man to commence with bees, being beyond 

 72 years. But there is nothing like trying. Michigan. 



AN.SWEB. — I regret to say that by some means your letter 

 was mislaid and not promptly answered. Fortunately the de- 

 lay makes no difference, for you had already done the wise 

 thing iu giving brood to the queenless bees. As that was early 

 in August, and as in all probability there were eggs and 

 young larvK among the brood given, the bees would at once 

 start queen-cells, and in three weeks or so a young queen 

 would be laying. Of course, you would have gained time if 

 you could have given them a laying queen, or even a sealed 

 queen-cell, but probably you had neither of these. I don't be- 

 lieve a man with half a gross of years behind him is any too 

 old to enjoy the fascinating pursuit of bee-keeping, and I wish 

 you many years of enjoyment in the learning. 



A Colony with " Biickclbriil." 



I do not see much written in the Bee Journal by the 

 Canadians, so I guess we must all be good bee-keepers ! But 

 I must own up that I am stuck at present, and almost at the 

 swearing point, for I have just been looking at my bees, and 

 cannot tell what is the matter with two colonies. I will try 

 and explain as well as I can. 



I have been three years at bee-keeping, have eleven colo- 

 nies; I started with three. I have poor luck, you will see, 

 but I like working with them, and am going to keep at it until 

 I do worse than I have. I read the Bee Journal over every 

 time. I think the writers do not hold together enough — it 

 almost makes a fellow discouraged, as it would make a fellow 

 keep changing all the time. Now, to my question : 



I think it is a first swarm. At first it seemed to be work- 

 ing splendidly ; I was just thinking I would get a lot from it. 

 When I hived it I gave it two full combs, three full sheets, 

 and the rest about two iuches. I thought it was about time 

 to put on a top story, when, behold, I lookt at it and it lookt 

 like a warty toad. It was all over patches like a lot of warts, 

 and they seem to be all drones. I dug for the house, got my 

 knife, and cut them all off ; I gave them two more full combs, 

 and to-day I have lookt at it again, and they are doing the 

 same caper. I guess it is busted for this summer, but I want lo 

 be ready for It next summer. 



I went over all the rest — eleven colonies — and I found 

 another doing the same thing. The first one had a queen-cell 

 when I cut them out. I was sorry I cut it out. Did I do wrong 

 by so doing ? Ontario. 



Answer. — 1. You have given us a very graphic description 

 of the presence in the hive of something for which we have 

 no single word in English, but what the Germans call hurket- 

 bnil. It Is drone-brood in worker-cells, which, when sealed 

 over, the cells being more or less Irregularly tilled, have a very 

 warty appearance, altho perhaps you are the first one who has 

 thus described It. A case of that kind is " busted for the 

 summer," sure enough, and " busted " for all time if left to 

 itself. For either laying workers are present or a drone-lay- 

 ing queen. Nothing but drone-brood being present, there Is 

 no possibility of their rearing a queen, and your cutting out 

 queen-cells did neither harm nor good, for nothing but drone- 

 brood could be In such a coll. It is very hard to get such a 

 colony to accept a laying queen, but If you give them a virgin 

 queen Just out of the cell she may be kindly received. Gen- 



erally, however, the very best thing to do with a colony that 

 has laying workers or a laying queen is to break it up and dis- 

 tribute the contents of the hive among other colonies. For by 

 the time you find "buckelbrut" in a hive, the workers present 

 are old and not very numerous, and it will be easier to make 

 a new colony from the start than to build It up into a good 

 one. You may make some use of the colony by gradually 

 adding it to a weak colony with a good laying queen. 



^ I ■ 



Saving a Late Swarm — Best Feeder and Clover. 



1. What would be the best thing to do with a swarm of 

 Italian bees that I had issue to-day (Aug. 80) ? It is a small 

 swarm, with a fine Italian queen, and I am anxious to save 

 them. I thought of taking one frame of honey, brood, etc., 

 from each of eight other colonies, and give to them, and re- 

 place the frames of comb, brood, etc,, that I take from each 

 of the other hives, with frames with full sheets of founda- 

 tion ; but I am afraid if I do this that I will get my bees 

 to robbing. 



2. What do you consider as being the best feeder? 



3. Which of the clovers do you consider the best for bees? 

 When would be the best time to sow it in this latitude ? 



Mississippi. 



Answers. — 1. Probably the very best thing would have 

 been to put them right back where they came from, but as 

 you are probably anxious to save the queen, you ought to be 

 able to proceed on the line you have indicated without start- 

 ing robbing. If you operate just about the time bees stop 

 flying in the evening you may feel quite secure, and if you 

 cannot finish the job in one evening you can take several. Or 

 you may proceed on another line. Instead of drawing on 

 eight different colonies, take all the combs from one of your 

 strongest colonies to give to the swarm, replacing the combs 

 with foundation, then feed. 



2. If it is pardonable to speak of one of my own inven- 

 tions, I have never seen anything I like quite so well as the 

 Miller feeder. 



3. That's a matter that varies so according to location 

 that I would rather have the opinion of an experienced resi- 

 dent of Mississippi. In Illinois I should say white clover was 

 the most valuable of all the clovers. Possibly in your State 

 sweet clover might be worth more for honey. It can be sown 

 either spring or fall. 



Keeping Empty Combs, and Combs Filled with 

 Pollen. 



1. I have five colonies run to extracting. They have 

 filled their supers, and 1 have extracted them and put them 

 back. The harvest is past. How long must I leave the 

 frames with the bees to keep the moth away ? and what would 

 you do with them in winter ? The bees are wintered in the 

 cellar ; the brood-frames are packt with brood, and not 10 

 pounds of honey in the brood-chamber. I want to feed sugar 

 syrup for winter. How soon could I take the supers away, 

 and where would you put them ? Would it do to put them 

 upstairs ? I have never seen bees breeding as much at this 

 time of the year. There is very little honeycoming in. There 

 is no buckwheat near me, so not much prospect for a fall flow. 



2. Will combs filled with pollen keep all right through 

 the winter, away from the bees ? Would the bees use It in 

 early spring? New York. 



Answers. — 1. The longer frames are left with the bees 

 the safer the combs are, so long as warm weather lasts, but 

 there is not likely to be any trouble If they are taken away 

 when it begins to get cool, say toward the last of September. 

 To make more sure, you might hang them pretty well apart. 

 They may be kept upstairs, or in any dry place through the 

 winter, better where they will freeze, for hard freezing will 

 kill any young wax-worms that may be present. About as 

 good a place as any Is to keep them right out-doors, making 

 sure that mice cannot get at them. Make sure that no honey 

 is left in them. To this end it may bo well to take them from 

 the bees earlier than you otherwise would do, even taking 

 them off as soon as this reaches you, and setting them out 

 where the bees can got at them. If left on the hives the bees 

 will not empty them entirely of honey, sometimes, whereas 

 they will bo promptly cleaned out If placed where they are 

 public plunder. If the least honey Is left in the combs, it will 

 granulate, and that will have a bad effect on the honey stored 

 in them next year. 



2. If not kept in a damp, moldy place, the pollen will be 

 all right for the bees tj use next spring. 



