122 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 20, 



A small room would do, and one large 

 window would probably be better than 

 2 or 3 small ones. A large room to be 

 used for other purposes ordinarily 

 might be so- provided with windows 

 that it could be divided by meand of 

 cheap temporary partitions into several 

 small rooms, and in this way several 

 colonies could lly at the same time, and 

 thus large as well as small bee-keepers 

 could avail themselves of this remedy 

 whenever necessarv. 



Such winters as the past are rare, but 

 when they do come thousands of colo- 

 nies might be saved with but little 

 trouble and expense. 



Frankfort, Mich.. March 29, 1881. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bee-Keeping in Kentucky. 



W. WILLIAMSON. 



The general reports throughout Ken- 

 tucky are very discouraging to bee- 

 keepers in general ; in fact the past 2 

 seasons have been failures. In some 

 localities a few bee-keepers have 

 brought their bees through the present 

 severe winter without loss, owing no 

 doubt to a full supply of honey in the 

 brood chambers, and being fully pro- 

 tected from the cold winter blasts. All 

 should, however, take courage, as the 

 coming season may be one of a bounti- 

 ful supply of honey and swarms which 

 will amply repay them for the failures 

 of the past. All empty combs should 

 be carefully cleaned off and laid away 

 for future use, as, if brood chambers are 

 tilled with these empty combs, and 

 swarms put in them in May, they will 

 often thrive better and store more 

 honey than the parent colony. All col- 

 onies should now be fed up (whenever 

 the day is mild) to induce early breed- 

 ing. A little rye-meal should be placed 

 in convenient places to take the place 

 of pollen. Nothing should be left un- 

 done in the early spring that will tend 

 to strengthen and build up weak colo- 

 nies. It is not necessary to feed honey 

 to bees— a good syrup made of sugar, 

 water, and a little flour, makes excel- 

 lent feed. It can either be fed as a 

 syrup or made into candy. From all 

 reports that I have been able to obtain, 

 the loss of bees in Kentucky this winter 

 will be fully W, and if the remainder are 

 not fed up early, fully a third more will 

 perish for want of supplies. 



Lexington, Ky. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



What Is Royal Jelly T 



W. C. PELHAM. 



much practical importance, I will sug- 

 gest how your readers may try some ex- 

 peri ments, the results of which may be 

 of interest to scientific bee-keepers and 

 the world at large. 



1st. Substitute a drone egg for a 

 worker egg in a queen cell naturally 

 built, and if necessary seal it artificially 

 and hatch it in a lamp nursery. (See 

 Langstroth on this experiment). 



2d. Supply a workereggwith worker 

 food collected from the cells so that it 

 may be as abundant to the larva as 

 royal jelly is. 



3d. Supply a drone egg in like man- 

 ner. 



These last two may be varied by col- 

 lecting the food from drone cells. I do 

 not think it .beyond the possible to 

 hatch a bee egg and nurse the larva du- 

 ring growth in an artificial queen cell. 

 It would probably require to be capped 

 or sealed over at the proper age. I have 

 noticed that the bee larva? if unsealed 

 and removed from the care of the bees 

 work out of the cells and fall off 

 the combs. The sealing may, there- 

 fore, be merely to confine them to the 

 cells. 



Mason Co., Ky. 



r'or the American Bee Journal. 



My Experience with Separators. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



In the article under the above cap- 

 tion, published in the Bee Journal of 

 March 23, your correspondent makes 

 some very broad assertions to support 

 his theory of the development of queens. 

 For instance he says : " The fertile 

 workers are produced by the workers 

 taking the drone's semen into their 

 stomachs," etc. If your correspondent 

 would state just how he discovered that 

 fact it would be of interest to your 

 readers. 



Just what constitutes the royal jelly 

 may be hard to determine, but we might 

 settle whether or no it differs mater- 

 ially from the food given workers and 

 drones by collecting enough of the lat- 

 ter to supply a queen cell, and hatching 

 it, if necessary, in a lamp nursery. 

 That the eggs do not differ in character 

 from which workers and queens are 

 produced is well established. If the 

 eggs are the same up to the time of 

 their hatching, there can be no way to 

 produce queens except by nutrition, 

 growth, development. The idea that 

 the ovary of the bee can be fecundated 

 while in an undevoloped state is not in 

 accordance with physiological laws as 

 now known. I will venture to assert 

 that no instance can be named in the 

 whole animal creation where the female 

 is impregnated by means of the diges- 

 tive organs. To each set of organs in 

 the animal economy is assigned their 

 functions and the functions of one set 

 cannot be assumed by another set in 

 the manner that Mr. It. indicates. 



While a knowledge of the composi- 

 tion of the royal jelly may not be of 



We read on page 33, American Bee 

 Journal, 1881, these words from the 

 pen of Mr. Ileddon : " These separators 

 cost me too great a portion of my sur- 

 plus crop, to say nothing of their first 

 cost and trouble of manipulating;" 

 and again, " there is no need of those 

 nuisances called separators." On page 

 75 of the Bee Journal we read, also, 

 " that all separators are a great draw- 

 back to the production of comb honey." 

 Now, this all sounds good, and if there 

 were no other bee-keepers in the United 

 States except himself, no doubt all 

 would be well. But it happens that 

 myself and others keep bees ; it also 

 happens that all honey districts are not 

 like his, and that different methods are 

 used to secure certain results, by dif- 

 ferent parties ; hence, the only true way 

 to arrive at a right conclusion is to watch 

 and see what methods the successful 

 ones adopt. 



I believe tin separators are right the 

 opposite of a nuisance; that they do not 

 cost us a pound of our surplus crop 

 after they are bought, and that they are 

 no drawback to the production of comb 

 honey, but, on the contrary, a help. 

 Now for my reasons for such a belief : 

 We first used separators in 1872, on a 

 small scale, to try the feasibility of 

 them. These were cut so as to leave }4 

 an inch at the top and bottom of the 

 sections, as we were sure they would 

 retard the labor of the bees in the boxes, 

 inasmuch as they divided the bees into 

 small clusters apparently. To test the 

 matter, we used some without separa- 

 tors, and went so far as to leave the 

 bottoms pretty much entirely off some 

 boxes, to see how much the gain would 

 be ; but at the end of the season each 

 was about balanced as regards the sur- 

 plus. We found we had made a blun- 

 der in cutting our tin too narrow. The 

 next year the tin was cut wider, and 

 also some were slotted so as to divide 

 the bees as little as possible. Some 

 were used with, and some without sep- 

 arators. No perceivable difference as 

 to yield was the result, while many of 

 those without separators could not be 

 crated, to say nothing of glassing them. 

 We finally adopted a separator as wide 

 as the inside of the box within > 4 inch 

 at the top and bottom, with no perfora- 

 tions of any kind, and to-day, although 

 we have experimented many ways since 

 then, we see no reason for abandoning 

 them ; but on the contrary, many rea- 

 sons for still continuing their use, a few 

 of which we will give you. 



First, we wish to work our sections 

 from the sides to top of the hive, as was 

 described in last week's Bee Journal, 

 believing, as we do, that better results 

 can be secured in that way. If we did 

 this without separators we should get 

 very uneven combs, as our experience 

 has taught us. 



Second, we wish to take off each sec- 

 tion as soon as it is capped over, while 



it is snow- white, and not leave it on the 

 hive till all are finished. Now. if we do 

 this, taking out V or more, and place 

 those partly tilled, or empty except a 

 starter, in their places, unless separators 

 are used the bees will lengthen the cells 

 of those farthest advanced, so as to 

 crowd into the others, thus making 

 irregular combs, as we have in putting 

 an empty frame between two full ones 

 in the brood chamber. 



Third, by the use of cases with separa- 

 tors, we need take none of the precau- 

 tions about " adjusting," which Mr. 

 Ileddon told Mr. Tuttle about, but sim- 

 ply slip our boxes into the cases, clamp 

 them together, and no further trouble. 

 We should want to use cases anyway, 

 to keep the boxes clean and free from 

 propolis, if nothing more, and should 

 consider the plan of letting the bees go 

 over the bottoms and tops of the boxes, 

 as given on page 75 of the Bee Jour- 

 nal, a bad one. 



One other thing : I see, in order to get 

 these straight combs, Mr. Ileddon uses 

 comb foundation, and as most of us 

 must buy it, we have to take the pennies 

 which we have hoarded up for the sup- 

 port of our families, and send them 

 away to some supply dealer, to encour- 

 age him in getting a living in that way 

 instead of producing honey for market. 

 I am glad Mr. Ileddon does not sell 

 foundation, for if he did we might think 

 he was throwing away tin separators for 

 other supply dealers to " grind their 

 axes on," while he ground his on the 

 more piolitable "comb foundation" 

 (see Bee Journal, page (5(3). Please 

 excuse me for joking. 



I embarked in the bee business with 

 the understanding that I paid out no 

 money for extras or luxuries, and from 

 my experience with comb foundation I 

 still consider it a luxury, believing that 

 we can produce comb from the bees at 

 a less expense than it costs us to buy 

 foundation, and thus keep our pennies 

 at home. Again, our honey comes with 

 a rush, as a rule, and the bees seem to 

 prefer to add their own wax on to the 

 foundation, rather than to draw the 

 foundation out, with the one exception 

 of the thin Van Deusen. I have re- 

 peatedly scraped the cells and honey 

 off of the lozenge-shaped foundation, 

 washed the foundation, and presented 

 such a piece, together with a piece of 

 the same that had never been used, to 

 parties to have them tell which the bees 

 had used, and it was with difficulty that 

 any difference could be found. With 

 the Van Deusen the case is different, 

 for in order to make the flat bottoms 

 lozenge-shaped, the bees must manipu- 

 late it. But this manipulation costs the 

 bees time, hence the flat-bottomed is 

 not as readily accepted by the bees. 

 Where not more than 2 or 3 lbs. of honey 

 is stored in a day, the bees generally 

 thin the foundation properly ; but if a 

 greater yield, the wax in the foundation 

 is little used, the bees merely using 

 their wax to lengthen the cells with. 

 At least such is my experience with 

 foundation of various shades for the 

 past 5 years. 



Once more : From experiments made 

 each year for the last 5 years, I have 

 been unable to see wherein any gain was 

 made in our honey crop by the use of 

 foundation. We have repeatedly placed 

 boxes filled with foundation, and those 

 having a starter of natural comb to the 

 amount of not more than three square 

 inches, side by side, and as a rule, the 

 box with the starter of comb would be 

 filled ready to be taken off first. We 

 also have 'failed to notice any greatly 

 increased yield by the use of foundation, 

 reported by any one. To sum up, from 

 experience and observation up to the 

 present time, we believe comb founda- 

 tion does not, all things considered, pay 

 when used in section boxes ; that section 

 boxes cannot be used to the best advan- 

 tage without tin separators ; that the 

 first cost of tin separators is no greater 

 than filling the sections (which the sep- 

 arators will cover) once full of founda- 

 tion, and that after the tin separators 

 are once purchased they are good for 

 life, while the foundation must be pur- 

 chased each year. Therefore, we use 

 separators in preference to foundation. 

 Mr. Heddon will please excuse me if I 

 once more quote his favorite sentence, 

 by saying in regard to separators, " I 

 am not prejudiced in their favor because 



Iadopted them ; I adopted them because 

 I was prejudiced in their favor." I any 

 well aware that many will say in regarJ 

 to my statements about foundation, 

 that " they are no credit to me." as they 

 did in regard to a previous article from 

 my pen on the subject of " comb foun- 

 dation." Nevertheless, if 1 say any- 

 thing about what we use, I must say 

 what I believe to be the truth about it, 

 whether it is, or is not, a credit to me. 

 Borodino, N. Y., April 5, 1881. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



How to Separate Swarms. 



Under the above caption Bray & *ea- 

 cord attempt, in the issue of the Bee 

 Journal of April 6th, to tell how they 

 perform the operation ; but after read- 

 ing, the " inquirer after truth" will not 

 be much wiser than before. 



They say : " Make a box 3 feet long 

 (or any size that will fit the frames of 

 your hive), make one entrance to the 

 box for the bees to pass in and out ; 

 make a tight cover to fit the box, with 

 cleats on 2 sides, no end cleats ; make 3 

 or 4 division boards; then the box is 

 ready for hiving the bees. 



"Now take the box and hi ve the cl uster 

 of 2 or more swarms, and as soon as all 

 the bees are in the box. put it in a shady 

 place, and let it remain there until the 

 next morning ; then push the box 

 cover lengthwise of the box and you 

 will observe each queen with her colony 

 clustered by themselves ; now place 

 the division board between each cluster, 

 push the cover back again over the 

 cluster and hive at pleasure." 



Two of the most important points in 

 the operation are left entirely in the 

 dark. What use is made of the frames 

 mentioned in the first paragraph, and 

 how are 2 or 3 swarms in one box to be 

 shaken in front of the hives they are 

 designed to occupy without risking the 

 original confusion ? When a correspon- 

 dent attempts to teach others how to- 

 perform some original operation, he 

 should be particular to mention every 

 minutia. One omission in this respect 

 will frequently befog the whole business. 



Kansas, April 17, 1881. 



[We observed the omission on the part 

 of the author at the time of its publi- 

 cation, but refrained from calling at- 

 tention to it for the reason that writers 

 usually prefer explaining their methods 

 in their own way. We are glad, how- 

 ever, that it has awakened criticism, as 

 it forcibly illustrates to contributors 

 the necessity for precision in describing 

 new discoveries. Accuracy should be 

 observed in every detail, and brevity in 

 style of composition. — Ed.] 



For the American Hoe Journal. 



Ventilation for Winter. 



S. GOODRICH. 



All bee men talk about ventilation ; 

 the question is, how much is wanted ? 

 The novice is inclined to think, after 

 reading about chaff hives and cellar 

 wintering, that his bees must be kept 

 warm, at least they must not be exposed 

 to the winter blasts, consequently he 

 bundles up his bees in a tight-fitting 

 hive, covers them with chaff, straw and 

 blankets, stops up the entrance so that 

 not more than two bees can pass, 

 "Now," he says to himself, "my bees 

 are in good shape for any weather." I 

 think blankets, chaff and straw, or any 

 other absorbent, is all right as far as it 

 goes ; but bees, like all living animals 

 or beings, require a constant supply of 

 fresh air and a chance for the foul air to 

 escape. Now, I would like to know 

 how this is to be accomplished with a 

 tight-fitting hive and only a small open- 

 ing at the entrance V 



I am satisfied, from experience and 

 observation, that after packing the bees 

 in straw or chaff, if an opening be left 

 at the top over and above the packing, 

 so that the air can pass freely, the bees 

 will, 99 times out of 100, come out as 

 well in the spring as in any other way, 

 provided you let them alone, do notdis- 



