488 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 31, 1902. 



Questions and Answers. | 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. O. O. AtlLLER. Afareng-o, 112. 



[The Qaestlons may be mailed to the Bee Jouriaal oflBce, or to Dr. Miler 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail. — Editor.1 



Cross Colony of Bees. 



I have a colony of bees that are so cross that I cannot 

 handle them. They seem to be very lawless in other re- 

 spects, such as building comb on top of the frames, and 

 will not go up into the super. What is the best way to fix 

 them ? Illinois. 



Answer. — Change the queen. One would think that 

 would only make the bees good-natured after all the bees of 

 the old queen had died off, but I have found that when the 

 queen of a very cross colony was replaced, there seemed to 

 be a change in the temper of the colony in a very few days. 



Saving Virgin Queens for Future Use. 



I am just a beginner in the bee-business and would like 

 to know how to save queens for the future, and keep them 

 alive and have them fertilized at the same time. I had two 

 nice queens from one I got last summer, but I could not 

 save them, so if there is any way I wish you would tell me. 



Michigan. 



Answer. — The only way to save virgin queens and have 

 them fertilized is to keep them in separate nuclei quite 

 small by having division-boards in a hive, and keeping two 

 or more nuclei in the same hive, so they can be mutualh' 

 ■helpful in keeping up the heat. I have had as many as sis 

 nuclei in a 10-frame hive. 



Why So Many Bachelor Bee-Keepers? 



I have been greatly interested in reading the " Ques- 

 tions and Answers " in the American Bee Journal, but there 

 is one question I would like to have answered, namely : 

 Why are there so many bachelor bee-keepers ? Iowa. 



Answer. — Are there any more among bee-keepers than 

 among other people ? Perhaps bee-keeping is such an in- 

 teresting pursuit that a young man is too much taken up 

 with it to give attention to the little matter of looking for a 

 wife, and then after he gets old enough to be on the list of 

 old bachelors the law does not allow him to be killed. After 

 all, I don't know that I'd want them killed off ; there are 

 some first-rate fellows among them. — [We thought it was 

 because they were so taken up with theirqueens 1 — Editor.] 



Did Well for a Backward Spring— Balling Queens. 



1. I have run across something in handling bees that 

 puzzles me. I set 5 colonies out in April, and they did splen- 

 didly, and by May IS were strong enough to make 3 more 

 new colonies, so I sent and got 2 golden and one red clover 

 queen. All proved to be fine queens. The bees of one of 

 the golden queens have stored about two 10 frame . shallow 

 extracting supers up to the present date. The red clover 

 queen's bees have stored one shallow .super full and one 

 comb-honey super one-half full. Now I would like to know 

 what you think about this for this backward spring? Is 

 that doing well, or just fair ? 



2. When I opened the hive of one of the golden queens 

 last week I found the bees balling her. I took her away 

 from them and caged her, and took 2 frames of brood and 

 bees from the hive and started a nucleus with her. Did I 

 do right or not ? 



I found one of the old colonies with the old queen doing 

 the S3 me, and when I smoked the ball they stung the queen 

 and she died. What made the bees ball the queen ? and why 

 did they sting the queen ? They had not started any queen- 

 cells when they balled her. Minnesota. 



Answers. — 1. For a backward spring that is doing re- 

 markably well. 



2. If I understand correctly, the queen had been in the 

 colony a good many days, in which case you went to un- 

 necessary trouble. When I have opened a hive I have in a 

 number of cases had the bees ball their own queen. In every 

 case I have closed up the hive as quickly and quietly as pos- 

 sible, and when I have opened it on a later day have found 

 the queen all right. When you opened the hive the bees 

 were alarmed and balled the queen to protect her ; at least 

 that is the way it seems. When you smoked the ball, the 

 probability is that you blew hot smoke upon them. Hot 

 smoke will make a ball of bees sting a queen, whereas if let 

 alone it is a very rare thing for a queen to be stung. Even 

 when the bees feel the most bitter against a queen they do 

 not sting her, but keep her in the ball till she dies of exhaus- 

 tion or starvation. 



Requeening. 



In clipping my queen's wings I lost one ; I have twice 

 given the colony a frame containing eggs, larvje and brood, 

 hoping that they would rear a queen, but they have not met 

 my wishes. The colony has been queenless a month. Can I 

 requeen that colony ? and, if that can be done, how shall I 

 proceed to accomplish it ? Idaho. 



Answer. — Perhaps the best thing is to break up the 

 colony, dividing the brood and bees among weaker colonies. 

 If, however, you are anxious to continue the existence of 

 that particular colony, give it some brood and bees from 

 other colonies and then give it a caged queen. 



Moving Bees on a Wagon. 



I have 40 colonies of bees that I must move this fall a 

 distance of 20 miles. Please advise me how to prepare them 

 for the journey, over an ordinary wagon-road, about what 

 time to start, and how I should fix the wagon on which I 

 move them. Iowa. 



Answer. — Better wait till the weather is pretty cold, 

 but the weather should not be freezing very hard lest the 

 combs become brittle and break. Close the hives bee-tight, 

 but provide for plenty of ventilation. If your bottom- 

 boards give an entrance two inches deep, all the ventilation 

 needed in cool weather is to have the entrance closed with 

 wire-cloth. If the entrance to your hive is verj' small, it is 

 better to have the top of each hive entirely covered with 

 wire cloth, a frame to fit the top of the hive being covered 

 with it. The easiest available thing for you, in the 

 absence of something speciall.v made for the purpose, is to 

 use a wagon with a common hay-rack. Put a foot or so of 

 straw or hay on the bottom of the rack to break the force of 

 the hard jolts. Possibly you can borrow a pair of heavy 

 springs that can be put under a hay-rack. 



Swarming Difficulties. 



I have some bees that have knocked all the theories that 

 I can find in two bee-books into a cocked hat, and I want to 

 know if you will put a little of your bee-philosophy on it 

 throught the columns of the American Bee Journal. 



Wednesday, July 2, a prime swarm issued from hive 

 No. 4, and settled where we had to let it go. Monday. July 

 7 (S days after) a second swarm issued but returned to the 

 hive ; 6:30 a.m. Tuesday it issued again, and again re- 

 turned ; 10:30 a.m. Tuesday it issued the third time and set- 

 tled. I got them well hived and contented all but a " hat full," 

 which I supposed would go back to the new hive on the old 

 stand. But they fooled me. Tuesday night there was a 

 hard wind and rain. Wednesday, more rain, and hat full 

 still in tree. Thursday, rain and bees still in tree. I con- 

 cluded to capture them (thinking they must have a queen 

 also), and put them in an observation hive. I fixed this 

 with an empty brood-comb into which I poured some honey- 

 syrup for bait. I shook apparently all the bees into a bag 

 and thence into the hive; but no queen. Some clustered 

 again and were shaken off a second time, and into the hive. 

 At this point I got tired and have left them alone to do as 

 they wish. 



The present state (12 m. Friday, July 11) is: Main 

 swarm — contented in hive ; in observation hive — handful 

 left and very restless ; no queen. In tree— (75 hours) — same 

 old hat full in same old place. 



Now vphat I want to know is : 



1. Why did this second swarm issue in five and six days 



