142 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



July 



and severe played havoc vsritli bees 

 throughout the United States and just 

 now bees are bees. I understand Sel- 

 zer and Hornor are both hustlers and 

 know the business from A to Z. 

 Rutledge. Pa., June 16, 1904. 



3. — One-eighth is all right over 

 frames, but if tiering up, upon such a 

 hive, it would be necessary that three- 

 sixteenths to one-eighth space be af- 

 forded below frames in upper story. 

 The combined spaces, it will be noted, 

 would give that necessaiT betweeai 

 frames. Read farther down on same 

 page of Prof. Benton's book, which 

 fully explains this point. 



4.— Eggs hatch in about three days 

 fi'om the laying at all times — if they 

 hatch at all — we believe. — Editor. 



Metz, Wis., May 28, 1904. 

 Mr. Editor: 



I have some questions which are not 

 well answered in the text books that 

 I wish you would answer in July Bee- 

 Keeper: 



1. — I bought a number of 5 3-4 ex- 

 tracting supers that have no bee space 

 over the frames — only about ti scant 

 one-eighth of an inch. Is not a bee 

 space necessary? I thought so. 



2. — Many bee-keepers speak of quilts. 

 Of what and how are they made and 

 how used? As no cover fits closely, 

 I want to use something under it. 

 Will a cloth of any sort not sink down 

 in the middle and cause trouble? 



3.— I see that Frank Benton, in his 

 "Manual of Apiculture," third edition, 

 page 44, says to leave only one-eighth 

 over the frames. Is that all right? 



4. — Do eggs always hatch three days 

 after laying, or do they sometimes 

 take a longer time? I mean, do they 

 ever stay in the hive for weeks in the 

 winter, or at other times, before 

 hatching? 



By answei-ing in July number you 

 wilf oblige. Beginner. 



1.— A bee space is not necessary 

 over the frames, but is quite essential 

 between the top bars of the lower 

 story and the bottom bars of the tipper 

 story when tiering up. 



2. — Quilts may be made of any cot- 

 ton goods. Twilled goods is prefer- 

 able. Tear them in sizes to just cover 

 the top of hives, roll them up and dip 

 edges in melted wax to prevent ravel- 

 ing, and lay in direct contact with top 

 of frames and press down smoothly. 

 In your climate, such an arrangement 

 is really preferable to the bee space 

 and honey board. 



KEEPING- SWARMS SEPARATE. 

 Westville Ctr., N. Y., Apr. 25, 1904. 

 Mr. Koop asks for advice where a 

 number of swarms alight on the same 

 limb. I can generally prevent swarms 

 clustering together, when the second 

 swarm doesn't come out imtil the first 

 has clustered, or nearly so, and the 

 third until the second has clustered, 

 and so on, by simply spraying the 

 cluster with cold water and keeping 

 a spray of water playing between the 

 clustered swarm and the swarm in the 

 air. It sometimes makes lively work 

 and takes two or three of us, but I 

 have had four swarms issue one after, 

 another so quickly that all we could 

 do was to keep spray pump and dip- 

 pers going. But we landed them on 

 four different trees within a radius of 

 twenty-five feet, and then took our 

 leisure hiving them. I do not say this* 

 plan always works, but it has saved 

 me lots of work separating swarms. I 

 think that bee-keepers who do not 

 run their apiary on the clipped wingi 

 plan will find it worth trying. 



I think that bee-keepers who live in 

 localities where they have cool nights 

 during the spring months, as we have 

 in northern New York, should pro- 

 vide more protection over the brood 

 nest than a three-eighths board and a 

 thin oil cloth. If they would pack 

 them on top with di-y chaff, sawdust, 

 or planer shavings, they would have 

 less spring dwindling, more early 

 swarms and more bees ready when 

 the honey flow comes. I put the empty 

 supers on the first thing in the spring, 

 when I set them out, and fill them up 

 with planer shavings; or, what is bet- 

 ter, fill a bran sack part full of chaff 

 and pack that in closely. It is han- 

 dier to take off and more convenient 

 when looking colonies over. 



I keep packing in until I put sec- 

 tions on. 



