1920 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



387 



tcr inch square is sufficient), a piece across 

 the frame at each end; and it is well to use 

 them to start on. I do not allow any two 

 containers to touch each other, nor the wall. 

 The combs thus entilated and isolated from 

 each other give the moths no chance to gen- 

 erate heat to start on. 



Of course, the combs could be spaced with- 

 out the empty frames, but it would be difficult 

 to handle the container without the combs 

 sliding together. So, to make sure, I keep a 

 supply of empty frames. 



A few times 1 have left some supers full of 

 combs, thinking 1 would fix them, and then 

 negltctcd to do it. I invariably lost the 

 combs. 



I want to emphasize the necessity of thor- 

 oughly isolating the combs and containers. 

 ^ IOWA. 



Answer. — The above method worked well -or 

 us when combs were kept in a repository 

 where the temperature did not get high 

 enough for the moths to keep warm without 

 the generation of heat produced by their con- 

 gregating together. — Editor. 



Excluders 



I have several stands of bees, running for 

 extracted honey, using an S-frame hive with 

 an excluder and a full depth of body, with full 

 sheets of foundation for a super. 



The bees do not seem to work through the 

 excluder at all, as not any of the foundation 

 above is drawn out. Have had three swarms 

 come off in the last few days and can not un- 

 derstand why they do not work in the su- 

 pers. 



My bees are Italians and the hive bodies 

 seem to be full of honey and brood, and yet 

 the bees will not go above to work. 



ILLINOIS. 



Answer. — This shows that the excluder acts 

 according to its name, not only on the queen 

 and drones, but to a certain extent on the 

 workers. 



Try putting the super and e.xcluder below 

 the brood-chamber for 3 or 4 days. I believe 

 the bees will start to work in those supers at 

 once. Change them back to the top as soon 

 as you find them at work in them. 



Double- walled Hives, Swarms, Etc. 



\ 1. Does a double-walled hive need shade? 



2. How can you build up a nucleus (.two- 

 frame) to cover 10 frames, at least, at the 

 beginning of winter, when wintered outside in 

 a double-walled hive? 



3. Does a colony hang out before swarming? 



4. When you see a colony hanging out pre- 

 paring to swarm, can anything be done to 

 prevent it? 



5. I am rather small to hive a swarm by 

 lifting the old hive off its place (12 years). Is 

 there any other w-y to do it? 



6. Is there any way to tell if a colony has 

 swarmed? 



7.1s there any use in my rearing drones to 

 mate my queens when there are 150 hives 

 about a mile and a quarter away that have 

 some drones? OREGON. 



Answers. — 1. A double-walled hive needs 

 less shade than a single-wall, especially if it 

 has also a double top, or a roof. The sun does 

 not reach the interior so readily. 



2. To build up a nucleus, if the season is 

 not sufficient to enable them to fill up the hive, 

 you can build them up by supplying them 

 with full sheets of foundation from time to 

 time, a comb of brood and honey from some 

 strong colony, giving the colony thus deprived 

 of a comb a sheet of foundation in a frame, to 

 replace it. 



3. Bees do not always hang out before 

 swarming, neither do they always swarm when 

 they hang out. 



4. You can prevent a colony from swarming 

 by dividing it, or by giving it room, ventila- 

 tion, or by moving it from the stand and plac- 

 ing in its location a division or some nucleus 

 which you want to strengthen. These meth- 

 ods do not always succeed, but if you follow 

 them you will have but few swarms. 



5. No need of moving a hive at all to gather 

 a swarm. Cut the limb on which it hangs and 



carry it to the empty hive and shake the bees 

 on a sheet or cloth near the entrance. Or, if 

 the limb cannot be cut off, take an empty 

 comb and place it near the swarm. In 9 cases 

 out of 10 they will at once cover it, and you 

 can then put them where you please. 



6. If a colony has swarmed less than an 

 hour previous, you will usually find young 

 bees, that cannot yet fly, in the grass in front 

 of it. If you get there too late for that, you 

 will ascertain whether they swarmed by open- 

 ing the hive. If you find few bees only, some 

 queen cells and no queen, it will be a sure 

 sign. If the hive swarmed several days pre- 

 vious, they will probably have a young queen 

 not yet fertile and no eggj or young larvx in 

 the cells, but only sealed brood. 



7. No need of youi rearing drones if there 

 are even only 50 colonies rearing drones 

 within a mile. The prooability is that your 

 btes will rear enough drones anyway, even if 

 you make no attempt at helping them to do it. 



Bees in House 



About two weeks ago a swarm of my bees 

 went into a knot hole in the weatherboards of 

 my house and are in the partition. I would 

 tike to get them out as soon as possible with- 

 uuf killing them, and get them into a hive. The 

 knot hole is only two feet away from the door 

 and five feet from the ground. Could I smoke 

 them out by drilling a hole below and put an 

 empty hive near the knot hole, or do you 

 know of any other way? NEW JERSEY. 



Answer. — The very best way is to smoke the 

 bees enough to frighten them, and take off 

 enough of the weatherboarding to uncover the 

 combs. By boring a hole below the place 

 where the swarm has its combs, you might 

 drive them out, but if they have room either 

 above them or in another partition, you may 

 not succeed in getting them all. You need 

 especially to get the queen. By removing the 

 weatherboards you get the combs, brood, honey 

 and all. You might try to smoke them out 

 first. But if they are, as we surmise, in the 

 upper part of the space, the proper place for 

 them to come out would probably be at the up- 

 per end of the space between the studding. 



By the use of a good nail puller, you could 

 get that weatherboarding off without damag- 

 ing it to any extent. 



Moving to Argentine 



Can bees be transported successfully from 

 here to Argentine, and how should they be 

 packed? I am going there and would like 

 to take (i nuclei or colonies. CALIFORNIA 



Answer. — Bees can undoubtedly be trans- 

 ported successfully to Argentine. But had you 

 not better first enquire whether they have bees 

 there which you could buy cheaper than you 

 can transport them? 



Wait till fall, which is their spring season. 

 Select some good average colonies, with old 

 combs and a medium amount of honey. Too 

 much honey would make the combs liable to 

 breakage. Put a screen both in the bottom- 

 board and the cover, using a wire cloth about 

 6 inches in diameter, well protected by cleats. 

 Mark the hives "Handle with care, this side 

 up; keep out of the sun." Have them travel 

 with you, as much as possible. If they are 

 not rearing orood they need no water. When 

 Mr. Harbison brought his bees from New 

 York to California he gave them no water, and 

 succeeded well. They need to be kept cool, 

 right side up, and with as little disturbance 

 as possible. 



Cork Vs. Leaves for Packing 



In your January, 1919 number appears a ta- 

 ble of insulation values as may be applied to 

 beehives. Strange to say, granulated cork 

 does not appear to have been a factor in the 

 experiment which resulted in the table of val- 



ues. Could you ascertain just where it would 

 appear in tlie scale? I am making a couple of 

 Jumbo hives to be packed 2 inches around 

 and below with granulated cork. If, however, 

 forest leaves are nearly as good as the cork I 

 would, on account of the price, use them in- 

 stead. Cork is ISc per pound. ONTARIO. 



Answer. — I would be inclined to favor gran- 

 ulated cork, when compared to forest leaves. 

 However, the table to which you refer gives 

 the following insulating values: 



Dead air space .*. 18 



Corrugated cardboard 33 



Planer shavings 345^ 



Mineral wool Zby^ 



Forest leaves 41 



Since forest leaves arc shotvn as ahead of 

 either planer shavings or ni-ner.il wool, 1 am 

 tempted to consider them rquxl to granulated 

 cork. In the absence of a positive test, and 

 when we consider their low cost, I would take 

 them in preference to anything else. Anyone 

 who has seen how long it takes for the ground 

 to freeze under a thick coat of dry forest 

 leaves will have faith in them as a non-conduc* 

 tor. 



Requeening 



When requeening is necessary before July 1, 

 why cannot a quten-cell be allowed to mature, 

 destroying the old queen just before the young 

 queen emerges? 



Or take the frame with the queen-cell and 

 place in an empty hive, and after this queen 

 is mated destroy the old queen and add all 

 brood and bees to the young queen? 



NEW YORK. 



Answer. — Either way is good.. But you 

 must be sure that the cells are protected so 

 that the old queen cannot destroy them. No 

 matter I ow you rear a young queen, it is al- 

 ways better to have her ready before killing 

 the old one. Be sure and have your young 

 queens reared with plenty of warmth and 

 plenty of food. That is the only way to get 

 healthy, active queens. 



Death From Bee Sting 



On June 28, about 3:30 p. m.. Hazel V. 

 Kephart, 10 years old,, was stung on the toe 

 while playing on the lawn with other children, 

 and in 30 minutes was dead. She became un- 

 conscious in 10 minutes after being stung. A 

 doctor was with her in about 6 minutes after 

 being called, but no known method could re- 

 vive her. 



Have beemen any record of a parallel case? 

 WASHINGTON. 



Answer. — No, we have never read of any- 

 thing so prompt and so dreadful. The child 

 must have been of a very peculiarly nervous 

 disposition. 



Wintering — Shaking 



1. I keep my bees in a cellar with cement 

 floor, and the cel(-r seems to be quite dry; 

 still a little moisture collects in them by 

 spring. Would it be advisable to place some 

 absorbing material on top of the frames, or 

 what would you suggest? 



2. I shook one of my swarms last spring, and 

 as a result got four supers of section honey, 

 while the outer swarms produced only one or 

 two. Shaking ihem makes them a little cross, 

 though. Wouldn't it be just as easy and less 

 annoying to both the bees and operator, to 

 drum the bees into an empty hive placed above 

 the swarm? I should think this should work 

 just as well as the "shook method," and would 

 not thic method be all right in treating for 

 foulbrood? 



3. Are not bees always a good deal more 

 cross in the fall than at any other time? Mine 

 always are, although I watch for roboing. 



4. This year the honey flow lasted about two 

 months. Is not such a season best for the 

 production of comb honey? ^^ 



.'). Is it all right to winter "shook swarms 

 and hives very strong in bees in one hive-body, 

 or would you advise two? I keep my bees in a 

 cellar. SOUTH DAKOTA. 



Answers. — 1. Perhaps your cellar does not 

 have enough ventilation. Yet it lequires very 

 little to winter bees safely, in a dry cellar. 

 Perhaps the temperature is a little too low. 

 Some very good beekeepers say that if the 



