186 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 



J. M. H., Ohio. — Paraffine can not be mix- 

 ed with beeswax in any proportion to make a 

 foundation that will answer in the hive. No- 

 thing but pure beeswax can be used in the 

 hive. Even a slight mixture of paraffine will 

 cause combs to melt down. 



J. N. P., Colo. — Notching a rabbet at inter- 

 vals to regulate spacing the frames is a very 

 old idea. It has been used by a good many 

 different ones; but all, so far as I know, with 

 but one exception, have discarded it. You 

 can best see the objection by fitting up a sam- 

 ple hive and trying it. 



F. J. C, Ida. — Several years ago we sold 

 what we called our metal-corner frames. They 

 had knife-edge bearings, and carried out just 

 the idea that you show. We finally abandon- 

 ed them entirely for the wood projection, as 

 the metal edge was liable to get bent, cut the 

 fingers, and, worse, allow the frames to slip 

 around too easily. 



J. H.J., Pa. — You can use perforated zinc 

 between the upper and lower stories of a col- 

 ony for extracted ; but if I were doing it I 

 would not use it. There is a certain advan- 

 tage in letting a queen have the range of both 

 stories, particularly in the matter of keeping 

 down swarming. If I used perforated zinc at 

 all I would put it on top of the second story; 

 then add a third one for extracting purposes 

 only. 



A. F. P., Ohio. — You would be pleased 

 with the late edition of our A B C of Bee Cul- 

 ture. The present one contains over 400 pages, 

 and three times as many illustrations as 

 the old book. In answer to your question as 

 to what I understand by brood-chamber, I 

 would state that, technically, it means that 

 part of the hive in which only brood is reared. 

 When we speak of supers we mean that por- 

 tion of the hive above the brood-chamber, and 

 which is used for the storage of comb or ex- 

 tracted honey. The glossary of our A B C of 

 Bee Culture will give you very full informa- 

 tion on all of these different apicultural terms. 



F. M. C, Cal. — In regard to a special 

 breeding-queen, I think I know what you 

 want, but fear we may not be able to select 

 such a queen for you until along in the mid- 

 dle of the summer, and then select her from a 

 number of others of the very best queens. 

 This might make her worth something like 

 §25. I hardly think any queen is worth that 

 much money. My advice would be to buy 

 four or five good breeders, paying for them 

 anywhere from $5 to §10. Breed from all the 

 queens, and you will thereby get a composite 

 stock that will be better than if you breed 

 from one queen only. Of course, these §10 

 queens should come from different breeders. 

 This will avoid in-and-in breeding. 



J. A. B., IV. Va. — As to soaking honey- 

 combs in carbolic-acid solution to kill foul- 



brood germs, I do not know that any one has 

 ever proposed the plan. But I feel certain it 

 would be very risky to rely on this disinfect- 

 ant. I do not believe that carbolic-acid solu- 

 tion in the proportion of one to five hundred, 

 as recommended by Cheshire, is of any use at 

 all. In the scientific tests we made a few 

 years ago, we placed living germs in such so- 

 lutions. They were then put in pure-culture 

 tubes. After a day or so new growth develop- 

 ed, showing that they had not been killed. I 

 would as soon think that a good soaking in 

 soap and clean water would kill foul brood as 

 soaking in the carbolic-acid solution. If your 

 experiment proved to be successful, it was the 

 process of cleansing and not any supposed dis- 

 infecting properties of the acid. 



G. W. C, JV. Y. — You do not specify just 

 how near the highway the proposed location 

 of the apiary is. Ordinarily speaking, I would 

 not have them nearer than fifty yards; but if 

 you do, a high board fence between the bees 

 and the road would enable you to keep them 

 within ten feet. The fence ought to be about 

 eight feet high. This would compel the bees 

 to fly high enough to avoid passersby. I 

 would also get rid of all black and hybrid 

 stock, and keep only gentle Italians. I would 

 also make it a point to see that there is no 

 robbing allowed. Honey should be taken off, 

 or the most of it, before the robbing season 

 commences. Referring again to the matter 

 of a high board fence, I meant to state that it 

 will be worth all it costs as a protection dur- 

 ing spring and winter — especially so if the 

 fence should happen to face the prevailing 

 winds. 



TV. P. A., N. D. — I can not say why honey 

 candies earlier some years than others. In a 

 general way, cold weather is liable to cause liq- 

 uid honey to granulate. Some seasons one 

 kind of honey will granulate earlier than usu- 

 al. This may be caused by the fact that the 

 honey is not as thoroughly ripened by the 

 bees. Generally speaking, good thick ex- 

 tracted honey, brought to a temperature of 

 180, and then sealed while hot, will remain liq- 

 uid for a considerable length of time, pro- 

 vided, however, that it is kept stored in a 

 room near living temperature. We have had 

 samples keep for us this way in bottles three 

 or four years. While some honey might keep 

 liquid this way, others would candy perhaps 

 in six months. The honey that I refer to was 

 a fine quality of extracted clover. 



Some prefer section-holders and some T su- 

 pers. We prefer section-holders ourselves. 

 The section-holder bottoms we now make are 

 a little heavier, and we do not think they will 

 sag so as to make any trouble. 



Regarding Hoffman frames, I will say that 

 there are localities in which propolis renders 

 them a little objectionable, and yours ma)' be 

 one of them. We therefore recommend, instead, 

 our staple-spaced thick-top frames, for partic- 

 ulars of which see catalog we are sending you. 

 These frames have given satisfaction wherever 

 they have been used, and in your locality they 

 would be more easily handled than the Hoff- 

 man. 



