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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 



enough water, to make each salon of \ 

 vinegar. We prefer to use a little more 

 honey, as it makes stronger vinegar, but 

 the weaker grade is more quickly made. 

 If the honey-water was too sweet, tiie 

 fermentation would be much slower, 

 and with difficulty change from the 

 alcoholic, which is the first stage, into 

 the acetic. This change of fernienta- 

 tion may be l?urried by the addition of 

 a little vinegar, or of what is commonly 

 called vinegar mother. 



If honey-water, from cappings, is 

 used, a good test of its strength is to put 

 an egg in it. The egg should float, com- 

 ing up to the surface at once. If it 

 does not rise easily, there is too little 

 honey. As vinegar is made by the com- 

 bined action of air and warmth, the 

 barrel in which It is contained must be 

 only partly filled, and should be kept as 

 warm as convenient. It is best to make 

 a hole in each head of the barrel, about 

 four or five inches below the upper 

 stave, to secure a current of air above 

 the liquid. These, as well as the bung- 

 hole, should be covered with very fine 

 wire screen, or with cloth, to stop in- 



A very prompt method consists in 

 allowing the liquid to drip slowly from 

 one barrel into another, as often as pos- 

 sible during warm weather. 



As we make vinegar not only for our 

 own use, but also to sell to our neigh- 

 bors, we keep two barrels, one of vin- 

 egar already made, the other ferment- 

 ing. "When we draw a gallon of vinegar, 

 we replace it with a gallon from the 

 other barrel. 



in it, and we do all enjoy honey so 

 much. 



Are the Italians and golden bees that 

 are advertised now, the same ? 



Margaret S. Swain. 



Pendleton, Ind. 



Answers.— Probably the best thing 

 you can do is to let your bees alone. It 

 is not desirable to have new colonies 

 formed late in the season, as a general 

 rule, either by swarming or dividing. 

 The fact that your hives are boiling over 

 with bees is no proof that they have any 

 notion of swarming. Late in the season 

 bees often hang out in large numbers 

 without swarming. Mere numbers will 

 not make them swarm. Even with a 

 heavy harvest they are not likely to 

 swarm so late, but when, as in your 

 case, they are gathering very little, you 

 may be sure there will be no swarming, 

 and, if divided, the result would be un- 

 satisfactory. 



Italians are often called "golden," 

 and a good many different strains are 

 claimed, some perhaps better, and some 

 worse, than the general run. 



Swarming or Dividing— Golden Bees. 



I now have 7 strong colonies of mostly 

 Italian bees. One colony is not pure, 

 but from the two strongest I took nearly 

 100 pounds of comb honey in sections. 

 I started last spring with 5 colonies, one 

 swarmed twice, and it will swarm again 

 unless I do something to prevent it It 

 is running over full of bees now. Would 

 you advise me to get a queen and divide 

 it, or let it swarm naturally? I have 

 some empty hives and combs that I 

 would like to have filled if it is not too 

 late to do it this fall. 



It is very dry, and bees are not doing 

 much but getting pollen in the mornings, 

 but they have lots of honey in the brood- 

 cbambors. 



Please advise me, through the isee 

 Journal, what to do, as I feel very ig- 

 norant on most things pertaining to 

 apiculture, but I am deeply interested 



Ripening Honey— Feeding Sour Honey 



1. How can honey be ripened ? 2. I 

 have some honey that is getting old and 

 is sour. How would it do to feed it to 

 the bees and let them store it in the 

 hive ? 3. Would it become as nice as 

 new honey ? Chas. S. Curry. 



Venice, Fla. 



Answers.— 1. Some think that honey 

 can be ripened nowhere so well as in the 

 hive by the bees. Others think it ripens 

 equally well in a room kept warm and 

 well ventilated. Of course a consider- 

 able surface, in the latter case, must bo 

 left exposed for evaporation. 



2 Better not feed for storing, but 

 feed at a time when it will be all used 

 up for rearing brood. 



2. No. 



Opening and then Sealing Cappings. 



After sealing brood or larvse from 

 three to six days, why are the bees eat- 

 ing small holes in the cappings, and to 

 every appearance feeding the larvae, not 

 all of it, but some of it, if as some of the 

 best authorities claim, sufficient nourish- 

 ment is furnished at the time sealed ? 

 The larvjc in cells opened present the 

 appearance of Fig. 12 page 47 of A 

 B C of Bee-Culture," which would be 12 



