NOVEMBER 15, 1911 



909 



Heads of Graimi froim Differeiutt Fields 



THE BACKLOT BUZZER 



That blamed bee in there had better look out. 

 got caught on a fly-wheel once myself. 



Clipped Queens Superseded. 



About four weeks ago I bought three golden 

 queens. These I introduced without trouble to three 

 queenless hives of bees, and had no trouble until 

 about two weeks afterward, when I clipped all three 

 queens. Being a novice in beekeeping I clipped 

 both wings on each side, instead of only those on one 

 side. After about one week I found one of the 

 colonies queenless, and three or four days later an- 

 other of those queens had disappeared. Two days 

 ago the last one was found to be missing; and as 

 every precaution has been used in opening the hives, 

 I cannot but think that the bees have rejected these 

 queens, due to my having clipped them wi'ongly, and 

 killed them. I do not know whether the above is a 

 common experience, but shall take precaution an- 

 other time to clip on only one side. The proof that 

 all the queens are missing is that queen-cells have 

 been started in every hive. 



I notice in a late number of Gleanings, in an 

 article by Mr. A. C. Miller, that "Old Man Philetus" 

 has all his combs filled with worker brood except 

 the lower part of one comb in each hive, which is 

 tilled with drone brood. Are we to understand from 

 this that it is desirable to place a strip of drone 

 foundation in every hive in order to raise a small 

 percentage of drones in this way? 



Sacaton, Ariz., Oct. 24. Herbert Marten. 



[No doubt the queens were superseded because 

 they appeared mutilated to the bees. In clipping, the 



queens are sometimes injured slightly so that they 

 are superseded; but it is a little singular that all 

 three of your queens should have been rejected, even 

 though you did clip the wings on both sides. 



The greatest diiificulty is to prevent too much 

 drone comb, and ordinarily it is not necessary to 

 insert any drone foundation. Bees manage to build 

 enough drone-cells to answer all requirements. In 

 case of a queen-rearing yard it sometimes is best to 

 provide drone foundation for a colony selected to 

 rear drones ; but in ordinary honey production such 

 would not be necessarj . — Ed.] 



A Beginner's Questions. 



1. How deep a space between brood-frames and 

 hive-floors can I leave and avoid danger of the bees 

 building comb below the frames? 



2. Where two brood-chambers are used, how 

 much space can I leave between the two sets of 

 frames and have no comb built between ? 



3. Where dummies are used in place of frames, 

 how much space is it safe to leave between dummies 

 so no comb will be built? 



4. In using the shaken-swarm method as explain- 

 ed in the late ABC and X Y Z, if I shouldn't want 

 any increase how soon would it be safe to unite the 

 shaken swarm with the old colony and yet keep them 

 from swarming? 



Coffeyville, Kans. 

 [Dr. Miller replies:] 



1. You may feel quite safe with % inch. In general 

 you might be safe with an inch, although there is a 

 difference in seasons and perhaps in bees, so that 

 sometimes an inch would be too much. 



2. It is a little doubtful if you can settle upon 

 any given space between two stories for which the 

 bees will have such respect that they will never try 

 to bridge the space with either comb or glue. Per- 

 haps the nearest to it is about Vi inch. In a space 

 less than this, glue is likely to be put ; in a greater 

 space, comb. 



3. That depends somewhat on circumstances. If 

 you put two dummies in the center of a brood-cham- 

 ber, with a strong colony in best condition during 

 a heavy harvest, the bees might sometimes build in 

 a space of half an inch, pretty surely in a % space, 

 and not at all in % . If the dummies were at the 

 side of the brood-nest, you might find % safe. If 

 the colony be queenless, you are not likely to find 

 comb built between two dummies outside the brood- 

 nest, no matter how wide the space. 



4. Probably about ten days. Of course all queen- 

 cells would be destroyed. 



A Rain-barrel Cistern for the Beeyard. 



One who does not work among the bees, at a yard 

 in an out-of-lheway place can hardly realize how 

 gratefully many beekeepers whose yards are not most 

 conveniently located receive a suggestion or plan, 

 either to lighten labor or bring comfort to the oper- 

 ator who is compelled to do his hardest and most 

 messy work under trying circumstances, as, for in- 

 stance, right in the iiottest time of the day. Just 

 think of the item of water — not for the bees, as the 

 yard should be located so as to provide for that, but 

 plain pure drinking-water, to be had at the right 

 time when one is fairly famishing for a drink. I 

 have somewhat of an inventive turn of mind, and 

 have thought out a number of schemes for the com- 

 fort of both operator and bees. The one that brings 

 me more pleasure and comfort than all the others 

 is my water-barrel. The idea may benefit some one 

 else, so I will share the plan. 



