1920 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAE 



97 



useless, but we have fed hundreds of pounds 

 and never saw them throw it away. 



3. It is better to feed before fruit bloom 

 or after. 



4. Dysentery comes only from too long con- 

 finement, often with too watery food, some- 

 times because the honey contains many pollen 

 grains. So we see it only at their tirst spring 

 flights. As to a remedy, that is still an in- 

 terrogation point. 



4. There will be no trouble in introducing 

 the queen if you place her with some of her 

 own bees in a division. 



6. That is a very fair flow, if you did not 

 get any swarms. If you got both swarms and 

 this flow, you had a very good season. 



Bees Dying in Cold Weather 



I have noticed for about a week quite a 

 number of dead bees just outside of the en- 

 trance to one of my hives. Sometimes a good 

 handful, and quite a few scattered out on the 

 snow. The bees seem to come out when it is 

 too cold to expect them to be out. The other 

 hives do not show any bees out. 



1. What would you think would make them 

 do that? 



2. Could they be lacking food? They had 

 plenty when they went into winter quarters. 



3. If it could be this, would you advise 

 feeding tbem at this time, and how? 



4. Would it be advisable to take off the win- 

 ter packing and examine them now? I3unng 

 what time of the day would it be best to do 

 this? ILLINOIS. 



Answers. — 1. Sometimes a very strong colo- 

 ny will try to throw out its -dead bees when 

 the weather is hardly warm enough and some 

 of the bees die on the snow. This may be the 

 case. Again some bees may be suffering 

 from full bowels, from too long confinement, 

 and die on the snow. They would have to die 

 anyhow, if they could not fly. If the dead 

 bees appear to have been carried out It is 

 rather a favorable sign. If there are signs 

 of discharges of a darkish color about the 

 entrance, it is an unfavorable sign. 



2. No, it is not likely that they are lacking 

 food. Starving bees stay in the cluster and 

 die there. 



3. It would not be advisable to try to feed 

 them in winter. 



4. Do not disturb them in the least till some 

 warm day when you know they are able to fly. 

 Then examine them. If they need food, give 

 them a flat cake of candy, such as is recom- 

 mended by all bee books. Put it right over the 

 cluster and close over with some warm ma- 

 terial. 



Increase — Rearing Queens — Queen 

 Introduction 



1. I have four swarms of bees and I want to 

 increase them to eight or ten. How can I do 

 this and also expect a crop of honey? 



2. I thought I would set an empty story on 

 top of the swarms and as soon as they work 

 in this story I will move the lower story 

 away. If this is right, how far should I 

 move the lower story away? 



3. If I remove a queen from a swarm in 

 order to get cells which I want to put in with 

 the new swarm, where can I keep the queen 

 during the time they are making queen cells?_ 



4. How should I introduce the queen again 

 after I have enough cells made? 



5. I averaged about 64 pounds of honey per 

 colony. Is that a good flow? 



MISSOURI. 



Answers. — 1. I know of no way that will in- 

 sure a doubling of the number of colonies and 

 a crop of honey, unless the season Is very 

 good. If I could tell in a few lines how to 

 do this, there would be no need of books on 

 beekeeping. You should read some work on 

 this subject. 



2. The upper story should have brood in it 

 before you move either away. Else the story 

 without brood would dwindle away unless it be 

 given a queen. 



3. Make a division with that queen and do 

 not think of giving her back to the colony 

 which is rearing queen cells. Remember that 

 you should leave plenty of young bees In the 

 colony that is rearing queen cells. 



Increase — Carbon Bisulphide 



1. I have eight hives of bees. I would like 

 to increase to double that amount in the spring 

 by dividing or manipulating them some way 

 to make increase and have them raise their 

 own queen. I have Hollman frames of full 

 sheets of foundation to put them on. I'lease 

 tell me how to make the increase, and to get 

 the foundation drawn out, and to get the best 

 honey crop. 



3. Will honey or comus which have been 

 treated with carbon bisulphide affect the bees, 

 or any person who eats it? How much bisul- 

 phide do you use for five hive bodies full of 

 honey ? 1 ENNS YLVANI A. 



Answers. — 1. A little before swarming time 

 take half of the brood combs, with all the 

 bees on them, from a colony, and put them in 

 a new hive, being sure to leave the queen m 

 the old hive, and larvse less than three days 

 old in the new hive. Fill the empty spaces on 

 the side with franit^ of foundation. Then put 

 this new hive in the place of another colony, 

 placing the latter on a new stand. This will 

 give you one division from two hives. You 

 may divide half of your olonies in this way, 

 and divide them again a few weeks later, when 

 the young queens are laying. It is still better 

 to rear queens beforehand by dividing only 

 one colony at first to rear queen cells. But to 

 answer your whole question fully would re- 

 quire a whole book. Better buy one of the 

 text book, and if there are any points in them 

 that you wish explained, this is the place for it. 

 2. Carbon bi-sulphide is extremely volatile 

 and will evaporate readily. It is theretore 

 harmless to the bees or the honey. The quan- 

 tity recommended by Dr. Paddock in his 

 Bulletin of "Beemoth" is a little over 2 ounces 

 for 10 cubic feet of space, or seven hives. We 

 use about a tablespoonful on a cloth for each 

 hive. Remember that it is inflammable, ex- 

 plosive, and easily evaporated. It is very 

 heavy, and should be put at the top and the 

 hive hermetically closed, promptly. 



A Beginner 



1. How do you keep bees from gluing the 

 brood frames to the hives and to each other? 



2. My bees all died, and I would like to get 

 a start by catching passing swarms. There is 

 a big Cottonwood tree close to where I work 

 and the bees from everywhere come there to 

 gather the pollen from the buds In the early 

 spring. If I should fasten a hive filled with 

 combs in the brood frames while the bees were 

 around in the spring would they notice it and 

 when they swarm would they be apt to come 

 to this tree and take up their abode in this 

 hive? Nearest stands are about a quarter of 

 a mile away. 



3. As drones are always raised in drone 

 combs, bow can the queen tell whether she will 

 lay a drone egg or a worker egg in these cells? 



4. How are hives opened without jarring the 

 bees, as they always glue the top down, and it 

 takes prying to get it loose? ILLINOIS. 



Answers. — 1. If the frames are made prop- 

 erly, they will be glued only at the shoulder 

 hanging on to the rabbet of the hive at both 

 ends. To loosen them, use what is called a 

 "hive tool." A common wood chisel will do. 

 We used nothing else for years. If your 

 irames are of the Hoffman make they will be 

 glued to one another along the upper third of 

 the ends. That makes them a little more 

 difficult to loosen. We prefer the free hang- 

 ing frames, though the others are perhaps bet- 

 ter for beginners. 



2. You may be able to catch swarms by. 

 placing a hive in some open place, as high as 

 convenient. But it is not necessary to have 



it out early, as the bees who hunt for pollen 

 in early spring are not looking for a home. 

 The scouts that hunt for a home usually do 

 so about the time the swarm issues. 



3. How docs the queen know whether she 

 is laying a drone or a worker egg? That is 

 a puzzle to any one of us. But that she does 

 lay drone eggs in drone cells and worker eggs 

 in worker cells, as a rule, does not admit of 

 a doubt. 



4. If you use a honey-board over your 

 brood chamber, it will always jar it to pry the 

 board loose. We use either an oil cloth or 

 a painted cloth over the frames, and it can 

 be pulled off without jar. We remove it when 

 we put on the sections. 



Texas Honey Producers Increase 

 Capital Stock 



We have just received notice that 

 the capital stock of the Texas Honey 

 Producers' Association has been in- 

 creased from $15,000 to $50,000. This 

 was necessitated by the enormous 

 volume of business done, which re- 

 quires keeping in stock at all times a 

 large line of bee supplies and honey. 



This association has done wonders 

 for the Texas beekeepers since its 

 organization. The whole of their 1919 

 honey crop is already sold, and at 

 .good prices, and the manager has 

 had to turn down orders. All of this 

 honey was sold in the State of Texas 

 under the "Lone Star" brand. 



Under its efficient manager, Mr. 

 LeStourgeon, such success and 

 growth should continue. Undoubt- 

 edly, every Texas beekeeper should 

 take advantage of this opportunity 

 of becoming a member of this live 

 association. Its offices are at San 

 Antonio. 



Washington Conventions 



Two beekeepers' meetings were 

 held in the State of Washington dur- 

 ing the month of January. The State 

 convention held at Seattle January 

 22-24 was well attended and the ses- 

 sions were full of interest from start 

 to finish. The assembly room in the 

 Chamber oi Commerce was well 

 filled and sometimes crowded. A 

 number of beekeepers from British 

 Columbia were present. H. N. Paul 

 was elected President, J. O. Wallace 

 Vice President and George W. B. 

 Saxton Secretary-Treasurer. 



On January 26-27 the Inland Empire 

 Association met at Spokane. Bee- 

 keepers from Eastern Washingfton 

 and Idaho were present, with a num- 

 ber who had attended the meeting at 

 Seattle. George W. York was elected 

 President, Dr. C. E. Sheldon Vice 

 President, and Mrs. J. E. Thompson 

 Secretary. 



There is a greatly increased inter- 

 est in beekeeping in the State of 

 Washington and the two organiza- 

 tions propose to keep things moving 

 in the future. F. C. P. 



Co-operation in the Air 



Beekeeping is conducted on a much 

 larger scale in the west than in the 

 east, and the question of co-operative 

 marketing is a live subject at nearly 

 every western convention. 



