OCTOBER 15, 1914 



793 



Dr. C. C. Miller 



ITEAY STMAW^ 



Mareni 



In the long run I don't believe it 

 pays to cage a second virgin in a nncleus 

 awaiting the laying and removal of the first. 

 A dozen or so that I have tried this year 

 were as long abont laying after being out 

 of the cage as others were from time of 

 birth. But it's a convenience sometimes 

 when you have a virgin that you have no 

 immediate use for. [We do not practice the 

 caging of a virgin m a nucleus except when 

 we have more queens than nuclei; but it is 

 convenient sometimes, as you say, and very 

 often it saves valuable time. — Ed.] 



You ASK, Mr. Editor, p. 619, whether I 

 replace all queens when two years old. No. 

 Also, whether I replace my failing queens 

 with young and vigorous ones. Sure. More 

 than that, I like to replace a queen that 

 doesn't come up to the mark, whether she is 

 failing or not, young or old. But a good 

 queen is not by any means always a failing 

 queen when two years old, and as a rule will 

 be superseded in good time without my 

 meddling. Others say their queens do poorer 

 work after they have passed their first year; 

 and if I had such queens I would replace 

 them. 



"NTov^ and again some one advances the 

 idea that where locations within a few miles 

 differ in honey-flow, the mere dividing into 

 two or more apiaries will increase the total 

 income. Fallacy ! If bees in my home yard 

 average 100 pounds per colony in even 

 years, and nothing in odd years, and if 5 

 miles away the yield is 100 pounds per 

 colony in odd years, and nothing in even 

 3^ears, and if I have 10 colonies in each 

 place, I'll get 1000 pounds each year, or 

 2000 pounds in two years. If I keep the 

 whole 20 at home I'U get nothing one year 

 and 2000 the next. So it's 2000 each two 

 years, whichever way you do. The only 

 advantage in dividing is the more regular 

 income, which is hardly enough for the 

 extra bother. 



You ask, Mr. Editor, p. 749, " What ele- 

 ment is there in honey that the bees need 

 that is not found in good pollen and sugar 

 syrup ? " Tote fair, please. Pollen was 

 not in the game. You say, " When natural 

 pollen comes in the spring the bees will 

 probably get all the elements they need." 

 Like enough, for they'll get nectar th'^n. 

 Still, I'll answer your question by referring 

 to the A B C and X Y Z. There I find this : 

 Honey contains small percentages of a 

 number of substances which greatly help in 

 detecting adulteration by their absence, 

 which is equivalent to saying that a number 



of substances are found in honey that are 

 absent in sugar byrup. Just what those 

 substances are I do not find recorded in the 

 same authority, as it might well be, although 

 I find on tlie same page that honey contain.s 

 phosphates. These different substances I 

 believe bees need. They are not found in 

 sugar syrup, and I don't believe they're 

 found in pollen. As you say, the subject is 

 important. I can hardly say that I know 

 honey is 5 cents a pound better than sugar ; 

 but my belief in its superiority is so great 

 that more than once I've fed small amounts 

 of section honey rather than to feed sugar 

 at 5 cents a pound. [But, supposing pollen 

 was not in the game, it is usually in the 

 hive. If the colony be fed good sugar syr- 

 up, and has plenty of pollen, does it not 

 liave practically all the necessary food ele- 

 ments? However, we are not saying you 

 are not right, and our columns are open 

 for a further discussion of the subject. See 

 Avliat R. r. Holtermann and Ila Mitehencr 

 say elsewhere. See editorial. — Ed.] 



A PERIODICAL warning should be sounded 

 against careless mailing of diseased brood. 

 Here's what happened : Aug. 24 our family 

 was absent from home from 7 A. m. till 3 p. 

 M. Arriving home I found in the mail-box 

 a brood-comb containing American foul 

 brood, which the rural carrier had deposited 

 there at 9 A. M. It was done up in paste- 

 board with one corner open, allowing free 

 entrance for the bees! No; no harm came 

 of it. The bees had never found it, as shown 

 by the honey daubed over letters and papers, 

 which they would have licked up if they 

 had found it in the open box. The secret 

 of escape was an exceptionally cool day, 

 with mercury never above 67 degrees. But 

 it was not the sender's fault that I didn't 

 have an experience I'm not hankering for. 

 But I'm not the one to send samples to, any 

 way. Dr. E. F. Phillips, Agricultural Dept., 

 Washington, D. C, is the man for such 

 fragrant morsels. [Some two or three years 

 ago we used to be annoyed not a little by 

 packages of foul brood being sent to us in 

 broken and leaking condition. Fortunately, 

 in every case they were delivered inside of 

 our offices, where they were promptly taken 

 care of; but no packages have been received 

 here during the last year or so, because they 

 have all been sent to Washington. But even 

 when sent to Uncle Sam they ought to be 

 properly packed. Nothing less than a .stout 

 wooden box should be used, and in addition 

 llie piece of cotnb should be wrapped in 

 paraffine or oiled paper.- — Ed.] 



