Jan 3, 1907 



American Hee Journal 



hives, took the truant's place and en- 

 joyed a meal of " worms." 



These " little birds ' moved about so 

 rapidly in their feasting on larvaj that 

 I had a job to snap them in a position 

 that just suited my " artistic " notions ; 

 in fact, I did tot get them just as I 

 wanted, after all. Anyway, it may 

 be seen that the black bird is just 

 picking a dainty tid-bit from oft' a 

 Hoffman frame, and the larger chicken 

 is about to strike out for a big fat 

 larva on the top of one of said frames. 

 Just before Black Bird No. 2 was 

 skidooed by a bee, she flew up on the 

 hive, and I was about to capture her 

 " camerically " when she " lit out." 



So much for these chickens. Does 

 not the hive look wormy ? It's a prize 

 picture. But don't say anything about 



it: 

 Ants— Do Chickens Eat Thbm ? 



In my observations of the diet of 

 chickens among the bee-hives, I noticed 

 that ants and their larv;t- were not on 

 the former's bill of fare. I read some- 

 where that chickens were fond of ant- 

 larvae. Not so, my chickens. I suppose 

 they were not the right kind of ants. I 

 refer to the little black ant that is too 

 often such an annoyance in the pantry 



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and about the hives. I have seen a 

 hen with her little chicks thoroughly 

 enjoy a feast of those ants that come 

 out full-winged just after the tirst 

 rainy day of the season. These are a 

 sort of wood-ant, I believe, and are not 

 " poluted " with the nasty taste and 

 odor of the " house "-ant. 



Moths vs. L.\ngstroth Hives. 



Referring again to the moth infested 

 hive, I want to record this fact, that of 

 all hives I ever had anything to do 

 with in a period extending over some 

 40 years, I never had a hive fall so 

 easily a prey to the moths as the 8- 

 frame Langstroth. Why is this? I 

 dont know unless it is because the 

 hive is too small, and for this location 

 does not contain sufficient storage- 

 room for food-supplies for the bees to 

 subsist on. Then the division-board 

 or follower is a bad thing, as behind it 

 it can harbor the moth, and from there 

 inroads are made upon the vitality of 

 the colony. I think the time will come 

 when the division-board feature of the 

 hive will be abandoned. Then we 

 shall have a different style frame, too 

 This is not intended as heretical; it's 

 progress, I hope. 



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Send QueetiODd either to the oUice of the American Bee Journal, or to 

 Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111, 

 ' Dr. Miller does not answer Questions by mail. 



Wlrins or Splinting Foundation 



Which is better to fasten brood-foundation, 

 wire or splints? Wisconsin. 



Answer.— Just so (ar as the mere matter of 

 fastening is concerned, the wire is better. 

 Splints do not directly hold the foundation 

 in the frame, although they stiffen it so there 

 is little danger of its falling out. But splints 

 have the great advantage that you can have 

 the foundation built down to the bottom-bar 

 with no danger of sagging or buckling — a 

 dillicult thing to accomplish with wiring. 



Extreme Sensitiveness to Bee-Stings 



A year ago last summer, whenever my wife 

 went out to help with the bees, she would 

 have an attack of sneezing and coughing; 

 her eyes would run water, and she would 

 breathe with difficulty. It acted a good deal 

 like a severe case of hay-fever or asthma. 



Last summer she came out one day to help 

 me move a hive, when a bee stung heron the 

 arm, through jacket and shirtwaist, so it was 

 not a very severe sting. I told her to go to 

 the house at once and put some turpentine on 

 the spot stung. I came right along in, not a 

 minute later, and found her nearly speech- 

 less, lips aad tongue swollen, a fever all over 

 as if she were burning up, and broken out in 

 large water-blisters all over her body. She 

 was nearly dying in a few minutes. After a 

 while she became easier, but was sick abed 

 the rest of the day, and was not well again 



for a couple of days after. So she did not 

 dare to go out any more last season. 



Now, is there any preventive, remedy, or 

 cure? Do you think it will ever occur again? 

 Will it be advisable for her to try it any more, 

 that is, to go out into the bee-yard? 



Wisconsin. 



Answer. — This is one of those very few 

 eases of extreme sensitiveness styled "idio- 

 syncrasies." It is quite possible that the re- 

 sults of the next sting would not be so 

 severe; but the likelihood is that they would 

 still be somewhat serious. Quite likely per- 

 severance would in time secure to a great exj 

 tent immunity ; but whether it be worth while 

 to pay the price for that immunity is a ques- 

 tion. On general principles, the right thing 

 for a person so peculiarly constituted is to 

 keep away from the bees entirely ; and only 

 in case it should be of the highest importance 

 to be able to assist at bee-work should an ex- 

 ception be made. 



This, however, is only personal opinion ; 

 and in case any one can help out, such help 

 will be gratefully received. 



Staple-Spacing Frames 



I am using hives which contain 10 Hoffman 

 frames and a division-board, or, in other 

 words, my hives are H',' inches wide. Each 

 frame takes up IJ, inches, so there is I'H-inch 

 space for the division-board. Now, I do not 

 like the Hoffman frame so well as I thought 

 I would, and am going to change to staple- 

 spacing— one staple on each side of top-bar 



at opposite corners. I am going to do away 

 with the division-board, and I was wondering 

 if it would do any harm to drive the staples 

 in a little further than usual, and make room 

 for one or more frames where the division- 

 board is. Would this narrow spacing — about 

 I4 inch on the whole hive— make any differ- 

 ence? What would you do to make that 13f 

 inches big enough for a frame? or would you 

 put one in at all? Ontario. 



Answer. — I hardly believe you will find 

 any bad effect from squeezing together the 

 frames so little. But I advise you to try it on 

 a rather small scale for a year or two at first. 

 There is considerable danger that you will 

 count it too troublesome to get out the first 

 frame if your frames are automatically 

 spaced, and no more play than you propose. 

 Even if you could do it well enough at first, 

 propolis will accumulate, and you may find 

 your frames wedged in so tightly as to make 

 it a matter of too much difficulty to get out 

 the first frame. It would take a good deal to 

 get me to give up the convenience of haying 

 a dummy in each hive; for I take it for 

 granted that you mean a dummy when you 

 speak of a division-board. It they are really 

 division-boards, that is, tight-fitting, then I'd 

 cut them down to dummies, having a space of 

 '., inch or so at each end and underneath. 



Feeding Bees in the Spring 



1. As I fear that my bees will be a little 

 light of stores in spring, would you advise 

 feeding maple water reduced about half, so as 

 to make it thicker? or do you think it would 

 injure the bees? 



2. As my bees will probably be light in 

 spring, would you advise feeding in a whole- 

 sale way, or feed only a little at a time? 



3. How soon would you advise feeding in, 

 spring? Do you think it is too soon to feed 

 when the first pollen comes in? 



Missouri. 



Answers.— 1. Better not give such feed 

 till bees are flying nearly every day. 



2. About as well go it wholesale ; bees feel 

 encouraged to have a good lot of stores in 

 sight. About the best way is to give them 

 early in fall enough to last till the Bowers 

 will keep them busy the next year. 



3. Feed in spring just as soon as you think 

 there is any danger of starving. If they have 

 enough to last through till Bowers they'll not 

 need feeding in most places. The places they 

 will need it, even when there are stores in the 

 hive, are those places where there is fine 

 weather for them to fly every day, yet no 

 flowers for them to work on. If such condi- 

 tions last long enough, the queen will cease 

 laying, and so you should feed every day, or 

 every alternate day, to keep her laying. 



Old Hives With Moth-Cocoons on 

 Frames 



I have bought a lot of old bee-hives that 

 have been empty for 3 or 4 years. There are 

 lots of moth-cocoons on the frames. Will 

 these hives be suitable to put bees into the 

 coming season, if thoroughly cleaned? 



Vermont. 



Answer.— Yes, they will be all right so 

 tar as any danger from moths is concerned, 

 for there is no life in the cocoons; although 

 the frames may be somewhat gnawed by the 

 larva' of the moths. 



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