554 



AMERICAN BEE JOUTuNAL. 



Aug. 28, 1902. 



; Questions and Answers. | 



1 r 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. O. O. MILLER, Majreiaeo, J2I, 



(The Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. MU'er 



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



Doctor to send answers bv mail. — Editor.] 



Gettiing Winter Stores— Denver Convention. 



1. I started a new colony in June by taking out 2 frames 

 of brood frotn an 8-frame hive. Now the old hive has the 

 2 outside frames full of honey, all capped over, and the 

 most of the brood-frames are '4 full of honey. I put on a 

 super of sections, and they are working' in them — have the 

 middle rows filled and capped. What I wish to know is, if I 

 take out 1 or 2 of the outside frames that are filled with 

 honey, and put in a frame with a full sheet of foundation, 

 can they draw it out and fill it before cold weather ? and 

 will it stop them from working in the supers ? The reason 

 I want to take it out is for feed in the new hive this winter. 

 I would put it in the new hive about the last of October or 

 first of November. This is mj' first season with bees. 



2. I expect to be in Denver the first week in September, 

 at our Letter Carriers' Convention. Could I attend one of 

 the bee-keepers' sessions, while there? Missouri. 



Answers. — 1. Whether the bees can fill up again de- 

 pends entirely upon the harvest. The chances, however, 

 are that storing will not yet stop with you. and in case the 

 vacancj- was not filled it would be an easy thing to return 

 the combs removed. As two of the eight combs have no 

 brood in them, and the remainder are only about one-fourth 

 filled with brood, there is some danger that the colony may 

 go into winter quarters weak in bees. Therefore when you 

 take away the frames of honey, put the frames of founda- 

 tion in the middle of the hive, so as to encourage the rearing 

 of brood. There is danger that in taking away outside 

 combs you may take away all the pollen in the hive. Tak- 

 ing away honey from the brood-nest will not stop storing in 

 the super if there is enough storing for both, but, of course, 

 what goes into the broodcharaber will be that much less in 

 the super. 



2. The sessions of the convention at Denver will be 

 open to the public. At the same time it will be to your ad- 

 vantage to become a member of the Association. 



Foul Brood. 



I have had bees for some time, but never had any expe- 

 rience with foul brood until last spring, when I first noticed 

 it in one colony, and they increased and threw out a swarm 

 and left a good colony in the old hive. The brood that died 

 was coflfee-colored, and now almost all the other colonies 

 have it. Will they breed and swarm with it ? I thought at 

 first it was chilled, as we have had so much bad weather. 

 What shall I do with it ? I do not want such a mess around. 

 We are in need of an inspector here. If there is a cure for it 

 besides fire, I would like to know it. Ohio. 



Answer. — The best thing you can do is to get Dr. How- 

 ard's pamphlet on foul-brood, and also read up the instruc- 

 tions given in your text-book, "i'ou are entirely right in 

 thinking a foul-brood inspector is needed. A good foul- 

 brood law should be enacted in every State, with proper 

 officers to carry it out. 



Troubles in Introducing Queens. 



her out, expecting her to be all right, but she was crippled 

 so she died before I could get her. Two queens were lost in 

 fertilization, and the bees set to biting wires, and I know 

 %vhat that means. I considered it too late for dividing and 

 cut out cells. The queen is lost. Now, is there any way to 

 bring bees to time? There are plenty of bees in said hives. 

 I am sure there is no queen as there are no eggs, nor laying 

 workers, as yet. 



2. Now suppose I buy queen-cells, placing them in hives, 

 would that way be all right ? I have tio cells myself, but 

 can get some. 



3. Is it safe to carry them 4 miles, as I have found out 

 it takes a very small jar to kill a queen in the cell. 



Illinois. 

 Answers. — 1. It is possible that the difference in the 

 season had something to do with the trouble. When honey 

 is coming in in a Hood, bees are much more tractable about 

 accepting a new queen than they are in time of dearth. 

 Perhaps j-ou might succeed better if jou did not have to 

 open the hive to liberate the queen. The opening the hive, 

 especially in the time of scarcity, when robbers are ready to 

 pounce in whenever a hive is opened, is likely to make the 

 bees hostile to the new queen. Opening the hive in the 

 evening, when robbers have stopped flying, is safer. It is 

 also safer to have the queen liberated without opening the 

 hive at all, letting the bees do the liberating by having 

 them eat through the candy of an introducing-cage You 

 might try Simmins' method of direct introducing : Let the 

 queen fast half an hour before introduction, and then smoke 

 the bees at the entrance, open the hive and smoke a little 

 on top and then let the queen run down between the top- 

 bars. 



2. Very likely the queen-cells would work all right, al- 

 though you are never entirely sure what whims a stubborn 

 colony may take. 



3. Pack the cells in cotton, put them in a breast-pocket 

 where there is no danger of their being chilled, and they 

 will carry all right if you do not do any high jumping. 



1. I have some trouble introducing queens, but I never 

 had so much before, with 3 colonies as follows : One swarm 

 1 month ago; I divided colonies and left one queen-cell ; it 

 did not hatch ; and then I took a laving queen, placed over 

 frames, as usual, and after being over frames 4 days I let 



Bisulpliide of Carbon for Fumigating. 



1. How much bisulphide of carbon will it take to treat 

 two or three thousand pounds of comb honey ? 



2. What is the cost of it ? And could you get it for me ? 



Wisconsin. 



Answers. — 1. I don't know as I can give a definite 

 answer. Something depends on the size of the quarters 

 that contain honey, and the closeness of the walls. In a 

 large room much more would be needed than in a small 

 space, and more will be needed if cracks allow the escape of 

 the vapor. If honey is closely confined in small space I 

 should say at a guess that a quart would be enough, perhaps 

 less. 



[2. We have investigated the matter and find that we 



can furnish bisulphide of carbon in pint (one-pound) cans, at 



40 cents a pint, by express, not prepaid : 2 pint cans, for 75 



cents. Address all orders to the office of the American Bee 



Journal. — Eihtor. | 



•*-•-*• 



A Queen Experience. 



Desiring to Italianize my bees, I purchased 3 select- 

 tested queens, and on receipt of them, June 26, removed the 

 old queens and introduced the Italians by placing the cages 

 over the frames of colonies 1 and 2, and started No. 3 by 

 giving 2 frames of brood from No. 1, and one frame of honey 

 from No. 2. No. 1 was a very strong colony of hybrids and 

 had almost filled an " Ideal " extracting super at the time. 

 July 4 I examined 3 colonies and found all three queens (how 

 easy to find them compared with black ones). Nos. 2 and 3 

 had eggs and larva;, but not No. 1 ; however, as the queen 

 was there, I thought it was all right. July 12 I found my 

 Italian queen missing in No. 1. and still no eggs and only a 

 few capped brood. I looked over the frames carefully and 

 found 2 small queen-cells, one opened naturally, and one 

 torn open at the side. I did not know what to do, when. 



