442 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAl- 



July 10, 1902. 



its being supersedure, for I doubt there ever being a case of 

 intentional supersedure without the rearing- of drones. It 

 looks more like swarming-out. Sometimes bees swarm out 

 ■with plenty of honej' in the hive, and with plenty of brood, 

 as in a case of spring dwindling, and I've never seen any 

 satisfactory explanation for it except the possible one that 

 there is not a sufficient force of bees to care properly for the 

 brood. Sometimes bees swarm out because they run short 

 of stores. In either case, with a clipped queen, the bees 

 would be likely to return to the hive, and the queen might 

 be lost. If conditions are the same with you as here, it 

 would be nothing strange for bees to swarm out because 

 short of stores. 



You are entirely right in thinking there was no neces- 

 sity for putting on supers this year for a long time after 

 the first white clover bloom. I saw the first clover bloom 

 this year Hay 20. and there seems no likelihood that there 

 will be anj' need to put on supers until more than a year 

 after that date. The rule, however, to put on supers at first 

 sight of clover bloom is a good one. If there is no nectar 

 in the clover, of course it doesn't count. Neither is it neces- 

 sary to put on supers so soon if the brood-chamber is en- 

 tirely destitute of stores, for the bees will first see that the 

 brood-chamber is filled before storing in supers. 



.'Folding Sections-Winter Pacliing in Alabama. 



1. What do you make or fold your sections with ? 



2. Do you think you would use any packing on or 

 around bees in this latitude? or just see that they had 

 plenty of stores and the upper story off? The thermometer 

 only once in five or ten years goes below zero, and then not 

 over 1 to 5 degrees. Ai..\bama. 



Answers.— 1. I have been using the Hubbard section- 

 press for a number of years. 



2. I don't think I would use any packing for winter in 

 Alabama, but before being too positive about it I should 

 want to inquire of you and others in your locality as to your 

 previous experience. If you have had success without pack- 

 ing, then packing would be hardly worth the while. And 

 yet, if you have not had entire success without packing, 

 that by no means proves that the lack of packing is to blame 

 for your want of success. In that case, I should want to try 

 packing on a small scale, and see whether the packed colo- 

 nies did any better than others. 



Bees Not Storing Much Honey. 



I have 12 colonies of bees, and they have not stored any 

 honey in the sections this season so far (June 25.) Half are 

 pure Italians, and the other half are mixed Italians. I have 

 the 10- frame hive. I have a little brown bee and the mixed 

 Italian, and only two colonies that have stored any honey 

 in the sections. Last season did not seem very good for 

 bees, and also this season. It is hard to understand why 

 they don't do better. I am located near some good farms 

 within less than 300 or 400 yards from my place. I have 

 made 10 hives of 10-frame style. I am expecting next sea- 

 son to do better. If I do not, I will have to move to some 

 other locality. 



If you can give me any information that will help me 

 about the queen-bees, I will appreciate it very much. It may 

 be the bees, the reason that I do not get much honey. 



Geokgia. 



Answer. — It is hard for any one to make a guess as to 

 why your bees store so little. It is possible that the bees 

 are not at all to blame, the trouble being that there is not 

 sufficient nectar for them to gather. It is also possible that 

 the bees are to blame, and that if you had a different strain 

 you might have more honey. This is perhaps to what you 

 refer when you ask for information about queens. All that 

 is necessary is to get a queen of so.iie reputable queen- 

 breeder, such as advertise in this journal, or get one of the 



queens offered as premiums, and then see whether the new 

 stock does any better than the old. But do not depend upon 

 the first trial with a queen obtained through the mails. A 

 queen of the very best kind may be so injured in the mails 

 that she will not do as good work as inferior stock, while if 

 young queens be reared from her they may show the very 

 best results If you mean something else by " help about 

 queen-bees." please be a little less general and it will be a 

 pleasure to answer your questions. 



Inducing Bees to Build Comb. 



I want to know what will induce bees to build comb. 

 With us it is hard to get any comb built after July 10. 

 Could I induce bees to build comb in brood-frames where 

 foundation starters are used, say 3 or 4 inches wide ? Would 

 feeding do it ? We have very little trouble in wintering 

 bees, if we can get the frames full of comb. 



Virginia. 



Answer. — Bees will build comb only when they need 

 more. Yes. feeding will make them build comb, if you feed 

 more than they have empty cells for. The reason they do 

 not build comb after the 10th of July, is probably because 

 after that time they do not gather enough to need any more 

 room to deposit what they gather. 



Colony Refusing to Accept a Queen. 



I have a colony that refuses to accept a queen, though I 

 have tried twice, and lost the queen in each case. What 

 would you do with the colony ? Shall I distribute it around 

 among the other colonies, or unite it with a weaker one that 

 has a queen ? If the latter, how shall I do it ? 



Il,I,INOIS. 



Answer. — Either plan will be good. If you have sev- 

 eral weak colonies, divide it among them ; if only one, 

 unite with that one. First give to the weak colony a single 

 frame of brood and bees from the queenless colony ; next 

 day give two more frames, and the following day the re- 

 mainder. 



Inducing Early Swarming. 



1. What will induce early swarming ? 



2. How soon will bees swarm after being hatched ? 



Iow.\. 



Answers. — 1. Do everything j'ou can to favor building 

 up the colony early ; keep it as warm as possible ; give 

 frames of brood from other colonies ; keep off surplus ar- 

 rangements so it will be crowded for room ; and, if there is 

 still vacant room in the hive, either feed to fill empty cells, 

 or give dummies in place of empty combs. 



2. Perhaps the same day they are hatched if a swarm 

 happens to be issuing at -that time. When a swarm issues, 

 bees of all ages go with the swarm, and bees of all ages 

 remain with the old colony. 



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