APRIL 1, 1916 



Form for Putting Starters in Sections 



Some one else may have a form for put- 

 ting in starters like the one I use, but I 

 have never seen any mention of it. I have 

 a rack as shown in the illustration, which 

 holds four sections at a time, and which has 

 spacing-blocks which center the foundation 

 at exactly the right place. 



Ba 



\\, thumb screw 



""SECflONl 



'8L0CM 



IN 5 IDE OF 

 S£CnON 



The thumbscrew at each end of the rack 

 holds the four sections tightly together so 

 that they may be slung up or down on the 

 hinges, and then when the melted wax is 

 applied to one side of the foundation four 

 sections may be swung around so that the 

 wax may be applied to the other side if de- 

 sired. 



Cabot, Pa. Wm. F. Ebert. 



How Much Sugar Does It Take to Make a 

 Pound of Bees? 



Can you tell me about how many pounds 

 of sugar it takes to make a pound of bees? 



Isn 't there a better way to hold Benton 

 cages together in mailing queens than tying 

 with twine? Wouldn't a paper tape such as 

 you use to fasten the metal-spacer boxes 

 together hold them? 



Mayhew, Miss. D. D. Stover. 



[We have no accurate data. The nearest 

 we have is the work done by Mr. W. A. 

 Selser. He made the statement based on 

 some experiments he made, that it took 

 about $2.00 worth of sugar to make a colony 

 of bees. By colony he probably meant it 

 would have four or five frames of brood, and 

 possibly three pounds of bees. This $2.00 

 worth of sugar was based on the valuation 

 of sugar before the war came, or about $5.65. 

 The brood would be equal, probably, to two 

 pounds of bees more if it were all allowed to 

 hatch out, and this would make five pounds 

 of bees for $2.00 worth of sugar. 



We do not know of any better way to hold 

 mailing-cages together than by the use of 

 strong string. If you nail little wooden 

 cleats along the end they are liable to split, 

 and one of the cages lose out. Wo have had 

 some trouble where the cages were held to- 

 gether by little wooden strips and the nail 

 diiven thru into each cage. — Ed.] 



Does It Pay to Feed in the Spring? 



In reading "Fifty Years among the 

 Bees" I conclude that Dr. Miller's location 

 is very much like my own — that is, his hon- 

 ey sources are about the same, with the 

 exception of cucumber bloom which he has 

 from the fields of the growers for the pickle- 

 factories. He is two degrees north of me, 

 or about 150 miles, which makes his season 

 a little shorter and a little later in the 

 spring. 



I wish to ask him if he believes it pays 

 to stimulate bees between fruit bloom and 

 white clover — that is, feed a little every 

 day, no matter whether the bees have plenty 

 of stores or not. If his location is like mine 

 there is nothing yielding honey then except 

 dandelion, and I have always practiced feed- 

 ing at that time; but I am doubtful if I am 

 any the winner for it. My doubts are 

 aroused by other bees in the neighborhood 

 being about as strong as mine without the 

 feeding. Of course, if the bees were short 

 of stores they would need to be fed. Would 

 it be best to feed in that case a little at a 

 time or a big feed all at once? 



Sabetha, Kan. Frank Hill. 



[Dr. Miller replies:] 



In a locality where there is a dearth so 

 long that the queen stops laying entirely, it 

 is important, not only that the bees shall 

 have on hand a good ^tore of supplies, but 

 that they be fed every day or two. The 

 break between fruit-bloom and clover, at 

 least in this locality, is not enough to stop 

 the queen laying, provided abundant stores 

 are in the hive, and I don 't believe anything 

 would be gained by frequent feeding. Of 

 course, any shortage should be supplied; but 

 it is just as well to give it at one time. 



An Unusually Good Report from a City 

 Apiary 



I began with five colonies. I have sold 

 honey to the value of $45.75. Honey for 

 home use, $20.00. Sold the increase for 

 $20.00. Total income for the season, $85.75. 

 Expenditure was $20.00. Net gain, $85.75, 

 or $13.05 per colony, spring count, and this 

 on a city lot 40 feet wide. 



Des Moines, la. E. E. C. Grantham. 



[Lest some beginner should think that 

 such a record is always possible, perhaps we 

 should add that Mr. Grantham has gone far 

 beyond the average, almost the record, we 

 should say, from a city apiary.— Ed.] 



The First Flight in the Midst of a High 

 Wind. 



My bees had their first flight January 21; 

 and because of a very strong south wind 

 many of them were unable to get back to 

 the hive, and so were chilled to death. The 

 ground in front of each hive was covered. 

 There are about forty hives in my apiary, so 

 you can see the loss was great. 



Sheldon, HI., Feb. 11. C. L. McNealy. 



