Dec. 4, VJ02. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



779 



papered and sided, inside drop-siding and coat of plaster, 

 with X inch space. 



2. A few days ago I came across one dozen sections half 

 filled in July. I was going to put them in a super to give it 

 back to the bees. When I uncapped them with a table-fork, 

 I found in all of them largo spots where the fork went in 

 without any resistance (mushy), and when I turned a sec- 

 tion around, as much as a teaspoonful of honey fell out. I 

 put it in the garden and let the bees help themselves. Could 

 this be caused by wax-worms ? liut where did they come 

 from, as nothing in any shape has entered my yard for a 

 long number of years ? MiNNhSOT.v. 



Answeks. — 1. It is probably not necessary. 



2. An apiary without a wax-worm is about as hard to 

 find as a garden without a weed. Even if you have not 

 seen one for years, it is still possible that they are there, 

 only constantly kept down by the bees, and these sections, 

 in which eggs had been laid, when left unprotected by bees 

 were proper ground for the growth of the worms. If that 

 isn't the proper answer to the conundrum, I don't know 

 what it is. 



Bisulphide of Carbon for Piimlgating Honey. 



1. I read that honey is fumigated with bisulphide of car- 

 bon. How do you use it '.' 



2. Suppose I have 150 pounds of honey to fumigate, 

 where am I to put it ? 



3. How much will it take for that amount ? 



4. Am I to put it in a saucer and set fire to it, or not ? 



5. I do not know a thing about it. Is it a poison '.' 



6. Where can I buy it ? 



7. How long is it to be under fumigation ? 



8. If I fumigate it in the fall, where am I to put it ? It 

 does not freeze here all winter like it does in your State, so 

 the frost will not keep the worms out of honey. 



Orbgon. 

 Answers. — 1. It is used in any way that will allow the 

 fumes that evaporate from it to be confined long enough to 

 kill. 



2. Put it in a saucer over the pile of honey, having the 

 honey enclosed so the fumes will remain with it. 



3. Probably two tablespoonfuls will be enough. 



4. No, unless j'ou want the top of your head blown off. 

 Just pour it in a saucer and cover up as quickly as possible ; 

 it will evaporate fast enough without lighting. 



5. The danger is in its explosiveness, and the greatest 

 care must be taken to have no fire or light near it. 



6. Your druggist ought to be able to get it for you. 



7. Half a day would probably answer, and several days 

 would do no harm. 



8. After the honey is thoroughly fumigated, boxing and 

 pasting with 'paper, as you suggest, would be all right ; but 

 even if you do not have severe freezing I have some doubt 

 whether bee-moths lay eggs in winter where you live, and, 

 if not, the honey would be safe until they do lay again. 



Trouble in Introducing a Queen— Wintering. 



1. I received a premium queen in fine condition. After 

 getting home that evening I removed the queen in my 

 strongest colony, and in 48 hours after I placed the new one 

 in the hive, as per directions. In two days I examined them 

 to see if they had released her, but they had not ; they did 

 not seem to work on the candy. I looked again the ne.xt 

 day, and still she was not released. I then went through 

 the hive and cut out all queen-cells I could find, two in num- 

 ber. I then released her, and let her run down between the 

 brood-combs, where they instantly balled her. I gave them 

 a good smoking, but it did no good, so I took out one of the 

 frames, and found a large ball on the bottom of the hive. 

 Upon removing it I found the dead queen, and the bees very 

 vindictive. 



Can you tell me why they did not release her by eating 

 out the candy ? Did I introduce her too soon, i. e., by plac- 

 ing the cage over the brood-nest ? 



I introduced the queen I removed to a queenless colony, 

 and shut them up. So after they would not accept, and 

 killed the new queen, I placed the queenless colony over 

 them and they were all right. I want to say, while I was 

 tr5'ing to get them to accept the new queen, they were fear- 

 fully cross — stung everything that came near them. 



2. I have 9 colonies in two-story hives, and the upper 

 story is empty, or nearly so. Should I remove the upper 



story ? Will it be too cold for the bees, or should I remove 

 the upper story and place the cover right over the brood- 

 nest '! Will they need protection of any kind in this damp 

 climate ? It rains almost constantly from the first of 

 November to the first of March. Wasui.vcton. 



Answers. — 1. There is always some risk about intro- 

 ducing queens by any ordinary plans, and with any amount 

 of care a i|ueen may be killed. Yet care makes a difference. 

 The time when a <iucen is released, if the bees do not re- 

 lease her themselves, and the temper they are in, are mat- 

 ters of consequence. If the bees are very busy storing, the 

 chances arc favorable. If nothing is doing, and robbers 

 are trying to crowd into every crack, the bees are likely to 

 be on the offensive, ready to attack viciously any intruder, 

 worker or queen. At such times it is better to free the 

 queen in the evening, when there is no danger of annoy- 

 ance from robbers. 



But it is generally better to let the bees free the queen. 

 It is not easy to say just why your bees did not do so. If 

 the queen is too far from the cluster, the bees will not free 

 her so promptly. The best place is right in the brood-nest, 

 but a shipping-cage does not lend itself easily to this, as 

 does the Miller introducing-cage. It was not the best thing 

 to let the queen out of the cage when the bees were cross. 

 Partly opening the entrance to the cage, and putting it 

 nearer the brood-nest, even separating the frames so as to 

 put the cage between them, would have been a good thing. 



2. Better remove the upper story, or else put a burlap 

 cloth over the lower story before putting the upper story 

 over. 



<-• » • 



Fumigating with Bisulphide of Carbon. 



I had a pile of hives about 7 feet high, containing 

 frames. On the top of the frames I placed a cloth, about 

 half covering the frames, then saturated it with bisulphide 

 of carbon. In looking through a glass at the bottom I saw 

 a few bees and a couple of flies drop dead, so I supposed I 

 had given enough to kill the worms. But the next day I 

 found live worms scattered from top to bottom. So you see 

 it was not a success with me. The few bees that were killed, 

 and also the flies, got in while I was piling up the cases. 



Oregon. 



Answer. — You do not say whether you covered the top 

 of the pile, so that the fumes could not escape. If not, the 

 bees and flies which came closely in contact with the cloth 

 might be killed, while the worms farther away would be 

 little affected. In any case, a worm is protected greatly by 

 its web, making it harder to kill than a fly or bee left un- 

 protected. A stronger dose might have finished the worms. 



Oily Sugar for Feeding Bees. 



I have about 100 pounds of soft white sugar that I let 

 just a little oil slop on it. Could I use the sugar to feed my 

 bees next spring? One can hardly taste the oil in the 

 sugar. Pennsvlvani.\. 



Answer. — Unless the sugar is so strongly flavored with 

 oil that the bees refuse to take it, it will probably be all 



right. 



Honey as a HeaIth=Food is the name of a 16- 

 page leaflet (3 '2x6 inches) which is designed to help in- 

 crease the demand and sale of honey. The first part is 

 devoted to a consideration of " Honey as Food," written 

 by Dr. C. C. Miller. The last part contains "Honey-Cook- 

 ing Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be 

 widely circulated by every one who has honey for sale. It 

 is almost certain to make good customers for honey. We 

 know, for we arc using it ourselves. 



Prices, prepaid — Sample for 2 cts.; 10 for 10 cts.; 25 

 for20cts.; SO for 35 cts.; 100 for 60 cts.; 250 for S1.25 ; 500 

 for S2.25 ; 1000 for S4.00. If you wish your business card 

 printed at the bottom of the front page, add 25 cts. to your 

 order. 



Please send us Names of Bee-Keepers who do not now 



get the American Bee Journal, and we will send them sam- 

 ple copies. Then you can very likely afterward get them 

 subscriptions, for which work we offer valuable premiums 

 in nearly every number of this journal. You can aid much 

 by sending in the names and addresses when writing us on 

 other matters. 



