586 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



some, are so great that they prefer to 

 watch for swarms with undipped 

 queens. Others argue that it is still 

 worse to have swarms go off to the 

 woods with a flying queen, and clipping 

 the queen effectually bars anything of 

 the kind. Even some who watch for 

 swarms are strongly in favor of clipping 

 queens' wings as a safeguard. 



Some claim that a queen with clipped 

 wings is more likely to be superseded. 

 Those who clip deny this, saying that 

 with clipped queens the superseding is 

 promptly noticed, whereas with whole 

 wings a queen may be superseded with- 

 out the knowledge of the owner. 



Possibly you may find it to your ad- 

 vantage to settle the question by using 

 Alley queen-traps. - These will work 

 with either clipped or undipped queens. 



One of the Asters. 



What is the name of the enclosed 

 flower ? It is the best honey-plant that 

 we have here, giving more honey than 

 clover or basswood. It commences 

 blooming in August, and is still in bloom. 

 We have had heavy frosts for some time, 

 but they don't seem to hurt this flower, 

 as my bees are still gathering honey 

 from it. E. W. Moore. 



Sdgert, Ind., Oct. 19, 1893. 



Prof. Cook answers the above question 



thus : 



The plant is one of the asters, of 

 which there are many species. They 

 furnish much and excellent nectar, and 

 are greatly to be prized as honey-plants. 

 They bloom in August, and furnish nec- 

 tar until frost comes. Indeed, they 

 often yield after frosts of considerable 

 severity have occurred. They are to be 

 classed with the Solidagos, as among our 

 best honey-plants. A. J. Cook. 



Supers and Combs in Winter. 



Will it do to leave the extracting 

 supers and combs on the hives for the 

 bees to take care of through the winter, 

 here in south Florida? If not, what is 

 the best way to care for the combs in 

 winter ? The moth is very troublesome, 

 even in winter. J. H. Hill. 



Charlotte Harbor, Fla. 



Answer. — Perhaps the best answer 

 to this question might be obtained from 

 some one of experience in your State, 

 and we shall be glad to hear from such 



a one. In general, it may be said that 

 it is not a bad thing for the bees, but it 

 may be bad for the combs to be left on 

 over winter. If the moth is troublesome 

 in winter, there can hardly be a worse 

 place for the combs than to have them 

 over a colony of bees to receive its 

 warmth, unless it be that the bees are 

 wide enough awake to travel over the 

 combs and keep them clear of eggs and 

 grubs of the moth. One would hardly 

 suppose it would be warm enough for 

 the moth to lay its eggs, and for the 

 eggs to hatch without its being warm 

 enough for the bees to keep the combs 

 clear, but this is a case in which an 

 ounce of careful observation is worth a 

 pound of supposition. 



The combs can be kept away from the 

 bees, by fumigating them with brim- 

 stone as often as the little worms are 

 seen, or by keeping them in a tight box 

 or closet where no moth can enter. Per- 

 haps they would be all right to be hung 

 up with a space of an inch or more be- 

 tween the combs. • 



•nr^^TCr^'t^^'KlC-. 



Ho. 55,--C^. HatCll. 



This week we present to our readers 

 one of Wisconsin's honored and adopted 

 sons — one who has become prominent as 

 a bee-keeper, fruit-grower and sheep- 

 raiser. Mr. Hatch herhaps has not done 

 so much writing on the subject of bee- 

 culture as speaking, for during the past 

 few years he has spent much time in 

 lecturing at farmers' institutes upon the 

 subjects of bee-keeping and sheep-rais- 

 ing. 



Not being personally acquainted with 

 Mr. Hatch, though quite familiar with 

 his name as a progressive and success- 

 ful apiarist, we will let one who knows 

 him well tell us all something about him 

 and his work. The sketch, as kindly 



