1920 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



279 



dreds can be examined in every direction full 

 of dead bees and granulated Iioney. Our white 

 t.lover harvest was very light in honey produc- 

 tion, yet the wild flowers, berries anil^ fruit 

 bloom seemed to i)roduce well for the bees, and 

 thtre was abundance of buckwheat as well. 



Strong colonies and weak, packed and un- 

 packd hives, hives long in stores and hives short 

 in stores alike died, and the same story is read 

 every time I open a new box. Granulated 

 honey. What is our trouble ? How can we 

 avoid it next year. PENNSYLVANIA. 



Answer.— This is additional evidence that the 

 standard Langstroth hive is too shallow, since 

 deep hives have not perished. Buckwheat 

 honey is condemned in many places, because 

 of its giving the bees diarrhta in long con- 

 tinements. But this is one of the few instances 

 where it was reported to granulate enough to 

 do damage. We have never had any losses 

 here in the West from granulated honey, the 

 bees apparently managing to consume it without 

 trouble. 



Under the circumstances, I would recommend 

 that the buckwheat honey be eliminated from the 

 brood-chamber by extracting it and giving bet- 

 ter honey or sugar syrup in its place. 



Color of Honey 



Will you kindly tell me the color and qual- 

 ity of the honey produced by the Russian olive? 

 W. VIRGINIA. 



Answer. — The Russian olive (Eleagnns hor- 

 tcnsis) is a comparatively new thing in this 

 country. Although the bees work freely upon 

 it, we know nothing of the color of its honey, 

 or its quality. Can anyone tell us? 



Moths 



What is the best way to treat combs for 

 moths? I see in your magazine C. C. Miller 

 treats with carbon disulphide. I think we 

 could put one box on top of another and 

 have it airtight. Would this carbon disulphide 

 on top of the brood not hurt the brood ? I 

 see another by E. L. Mall, Michigan, that way 

 to treat would cost some. I want the cheap- 

 est way. Let me know and oblige. 



I lost some bees this winter. 1 think I kept 

 them too warm. I want to use the broodnest 

 again, for they are in good shape, and I 

 thought I would try it, if it don't hurt. 



S. DAKOTA. 



Answer. — Either of the methods you men- 

 tion is good to destroy moths. We would 

 give the preference to that of Mr. ii'angburn, 

 on page 90 of the March number. But Dr. 

 Miller :^uccteds well. As to the disulphide 

 hurting the brood, all that needs to be done is 

 to air the combs a little while before using 

 them in a hive. It will have no bad effect upon 

 the brood. Of course you should not use it 

 "on top of the brood nest," when the bees are 

 in it. It would kill both bees and brood. 



Combs of hives in which bees have died will 

 be all right to use in the summer, if they have 

 no foulbrood in them. 



Wild Bees 



1. Is a colony of wild bees in the roof of 

 a building worth saving? 



2. Can it be hived without building a scaf- 

 fold and tearing off the weatherboards, as the 

 entrance is high up under the eaves? If so, 

 what is the best way to do it? 



NEW JERSEY. 



Answers. — 1. A colony of bees in the roof 

 of a building may be as valuable as any other, 

 when once brought down into a hive. There 

 is no such thing as a colony of wild bees, since 

 all bees are wild if allowed to swarm and get 

 away- 



2. As to the hiving of them without building 

 a scatfold, we cannot tell. Perhaps one could 

 get at them with less trouble or expense from 

 the inside of the building, even if a little 

 plaster had to be torn off. If they are likely 

 to be among the rafters, it will be necessary 

 to tear the wall on the inside. They may be 

 easily taken out, hived and carried out of the 



house at night after they have gone in and 

 (|uieted down. 



li" you are not accustomed to handling bees, 

 bitter gel an expert, with a bee smoker, to 

 help you out. There is no need of getting 

 stung, and the colony will be worth the ex- 

 pense, after they are hived. 



Straight Combs — Deep Frames 



1. An uld betman said you can put sheets of 

 ijuiUiing paper between the fratnet in a hive 

 and the bees will build straight comb. Can 

 that be done, and what is the result? 



2. Is a 16-inch brood-chamber too deep? X 

 have a home-made hive 22x13x10 in. deep; it 

 seems large to me. 



3. Will bees work just as well with the 

 frames crosswise of the entrance as to have 

 them lengthwise of the hive, with .-ee en- 

 trances at the end? IOWA. 



Answers. — 1. If you were to put a swarm in 

 a hive with sheets of building jiaper between 

 all the frames, the bees might build combs in 

 each of those frames, but the likelihood is that 

 they would swarm out of that hive and hunt 

 for a more convenient home. But some 

 combs might be secured by that method. But 

 it is much better to use guides of comb foun- 

 dation, or, still better, to use full sheets. It 

 will pay. 



2. A 16-inch brood-chamber would be too 

 deep for convenient lifting out of the frames, 

 when you wanted* to inspect the colony. Bet- 

 ter make it 13 deep and 16 long. But this is 

 an odd size, and you will find it more profit- 

 able to use some standard size of frame. 



3. Yes, the bees will work just as well with 

 the frames crosswise, although beekeepers pre- 

 fer, as a rule, to have them lengthwise. 



Moving Cells; How and When 



1. Which is the best way to rear young 

 cjueens in upi)er stories with a special opening 

 at the back? Supposing that I would have 25 

 or 30 cells nearly ready to hatch, how could I 

 dispose of those cells by putting one in each 

 upper story; should there be some brood put 

 up in these upper stories, or if there is some 

 already should jt be removed completely? 



2. Another thing I want to know, should it 

 be done during a honey flow? QUEBEC. 



Answers. — 1. There must be a queen ex- 

 cluder between the stories and it is better that 

 there should be brood in the super where the 

 young queen is to hatch. Brood ready to hatch 

 is best. The old queen must be below^ 



2. All manipulations succeed best during a 

 honey flow. If there is a scarcity, we can 

 easily understand the bees do not care to rear 

 a young queen, especially if the old one is still 

 prolific. 



Bees Die in Cellar — Prices of Honey 



1. Last fall I lut my bees in my neighbor's 

 cellar. I guess it must be too damp in there 

 for them; anyway, one swarm is dead and an 

 another is nearly so. The tops of the frames 

 are all covered with brown spots and also the 

 combs have these spots on them, and it has a 

 bad smell, too. Do you think that this is dys- 

 entery? 



2. Do you think that I could use these 

 combs again in the broodnest or for extracting? 

 The combs are mouldy on the bottom and 

 have some dead bees in the cells. 



3. Do you think that we will always get a 

 fair price for our honey? Do you think that 

 there will always be a good demand for it? 



MICHIGAN. 



Answtrs. — 1. Very likely that cellar is too 

 damp. Perhaps it did not have enough ven- 

 tilation. In such a cellar, it is advisable to 

 place the hives on a shelf, as high up as possi- 

 ble. In any cellar, the hives that are nearest 

 the floor fare the worst. We ascribe it to 

 greater moisture there. Those brown spots are 

 undoubtedly the discharges of the bees. Prob- 

 ably your honey was not of very good quality. 



2. Yes, those combs can be used again. 

 Place them in the center of a strong colony. 

 one at a time, during the summer, and you 



will see how (juickly the bees will cleanse them. 

 3. We will certainly not always obtain 30 

 to (iO cents per pound for honey, any more 

 than the farmer will get 15 to 23 cents for 

 hogs. But if the beekeepers organize, as many 

 other industries do, there is no reason why 

 we should not secure a fair price for our 

 honey. In a country that consumes 80 pounds 

 of sugar per head, it ought not to be difficult 

 to sell from one to four pounds of honey per 

 head. This would mean a great deal more 

 honey consinned than we have ever pro- 

 duced. We will create the demand, if we try. 



Georgia Beginner 



Georgia is my home State, and I am very 

 much interested in the beekeeping industry. 1 

 have begun to do a lot of correspondence with 

 the beekeepers to try and persuade them to 

 organize a State Association. Suggestions from 

 you will be greatly appreciated. 



Answer. — The time is evidently ripe for a 

 Georgia Association, for Mr. J. J. Wilder sent 

 a call for a meeting, and the Georgia State 

 Beekeepers' Association organized, at Way- 

 cross, July 3. An account of the meeting ap- 

 pears this month in our colutnns. Georgia is 

 a good State for bees and there is no reason 

 why a State association would not succeed 

 there. 



Selling Honey 



I have had some trouble in selling my honey, 

 as there are other beekeepers who are better 

 known and have a better trade than I have. 

 Would it be advisable to advertise in the local 

 weekly pajjer regularly or have a good-sized 

 advertisement, changed in every issue, or 

 would it be likely that the competitors would 

 try and run in opposition to me? What is the 

 best method to follow? WISCONSIN. 



Answer. — ''Advertise judiciously." That was 

 the motto of a large advertising agency, and it 

 is very good. You may spend a large amount 

 of money in advertising and get no returns, it 

 you -don't do it "judiciously." 



A very good way to advertise is to put a 

 sign at your door, if you are along a traveled 

 road. "Pure Honey for Sale," in large letters, 

 will help dispose of a great quantity of honey, 

 especially if you are along an automobile road 

 A "local" in your weekly paper 'will do when 

 you have the honey ready for the customer. 

 Dr. Bonney is one of the best advertisers we 

 know of, and every beekeeper who reads the 

 bee papers has heard of ''Bonney Honey." A 

 display in the window of your grocer will prove 

 very helpful. But when you sell honey, be 

 sure and put it up in clean, attractive sha[)e, 

 so that your customers will come again. 



Honey Board for Wintering — Dem- 



aree Plan 



1. I yesterday finished going through my 

 colonies for the first time, and I found the Ut- 

 ter in the chaff- trays unusually moist, when 

 often formerly it was so dry that it could be 

 put away with the trays for use next time. I 

 prepared my colonies as follows: (.1) Upon the 

 frames, directly, an improved Hill device, con- 

 sisting of a piece of wire netting about 12x12, 

 secured to two sticks along ends and two sticks 

 equi-distant between; the four sticks cross- 

 wise as to frames, (a) On this a piece of car- 

 pet ;;(b) thereon chaff-tray (c) upon the latter 

 the cover board as belonging to the colony. 

 Among my colonics there are 30 with one win- 

 ter case for each, and a» with them there was 

 not place inside enough to hold the cover of 

 the hive— especially as to the so protected 

 hives — it seemed well to me to put those cover- 

 boards also inside, and then on that the covtr 

 of the winter case. But in every case the 

 cover boards were inside. Where I have not 

 winter cases, I have double-walled hives. This 

 has been an unusually severe winter. What 1 

 would like to ask about is, what you would 

 think, in such a case as I have described above, 

 of leaving the cover boards out of the hives or 

 winter cases as well? Last fall I was afraid 

 that without the cover boards it might not be 

 warm enough inside of hives; now I question 



