308 



THE AMERICAI? BEE JOURNAL. 



Replies by Prominent Apiarists. 



Tlie Mating of Queens. 



Query, No. 251. — In answer to Query, 

 No. '3^4, about the distance a queen will fly 

 to meet the drone, is not the distance siven 

 too great ? Bo not the drones go part way ? 

 -J. S. B. 



Very likely they meet half way. — A. 

 J. Cook. 



We said one mile. The drones 

 probably go over half way.— Dadant 

 & Son. 



We are gradually learning a little 

 about the subject, but I do not be- 

 lieve that Qiuch is known positively. 

 — C. C. Miller. 



I think you are correct in suggest- 

 ing that the drones go part of the 

 way, and I should not be surprised 

 to learn that their part is the greater 

 part.— JAME.S IIkddon. 



I do not believe that anyone knows 

 which does the most of the traveling. 

 All I know is that I have had queens 

 mate with drones reared five or more 

 miles from my apiary.— G. M. Doo- 



LITTLE. 



In all probability they do. If you 

 will throw fine flour on some drones, 

 after noon, you will liiid that they 

 will be absent from one to two hours, 

 giving an opportunity to go a long 

 distance. But this is all guess-work. 

 —II. 1). Cutting. 



This is a subject of which I knoiv 

 bnt little, except that queens have 

 mated with drones from hives at the 

 distance mentioned.— W. Z. Hutch- 

 inson. 



To the first part of your question I 

 think I should say yes. I have good 

 reasons to believe that virgin queens 

 rarely, if ever, go out of the range of 

 visioii from their homes. I feel sure 

 that this is the case as a general rule. 

 The case is different with the drones. 

 I could not find room to discuss the 

 matter here, but nature has evidently 

 imposed the greatest risk upon the 

 drones.— G. W. Demaukk. 



Yes, queens never fly very far from 

 the hives, probably never, more than 

 one-half of a mile. The drones not 

 only have powerliil wings, but are 

 able to maintain for two hours at a 

 time, vvilliout rest, their wonderfully 

 rapid flight, and traverse over miles 

 of country. The wing-power of the 

 worker bees will never fail with such 

 matchless winged sires ; especially 

 since the male is prepotent over the 

 female offspring.— (i. Ij. Tinker. 



Answers to this query are all theo- 

 retical. It is assuuied with some show 

 of proof, however, tliat drones have a 

 particular place of congregation, and 

 ttie queens are met by them there. In 

 the present state of knowledge this 

 idea is as good as any. Tlie facts can 

 only be determined by thorough 

 tests.— J. E. Pond. Jr. 



Room for Surplus Honey, 



Query, No. 252.— In using the Falconer 

 chaff hive, how many sections would it be 

 be-it to use on top of the brood-frames— a 

 rackful holding five rows of nine each, one 

 holding four rows of 8 each, or four rows of 

 n each ?— Ohio. 



Thirty-six sections abore the brood- 

 chamber is the number most gener- 

 ally in use.— W. T. Falconer. 



I never have used the hive named, 

 but I suppose it would depend on the 

 strength of the colony and the size of 

 the sections. A good, strong colony 

 ought to take Ave rows of nine each, 

 if 1-pound sections are used.- C. C. 

 Miller. 



I never have used the Falconer 

 chaff hive, but I have had the best 

 success with 3 rows of 8, making 24 

 sections to the rack, and tiering up 2 

 and 3 racks high.— H. U. Cutting. 



I should cover the entire brood-nest 

 with sections.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Either would do, but 1 prefer a sur- 

 plus arrangement which would allow 

 of putting on 2 rows of 8 each, and in 

 a week another 8, and so on until all 

 the room is utilized. The putting on 

 of the whole surplus-room at the start 

 often discourages the bees, — G. M. 

 Doolittle. 



I prefer to tier up the sections, and 

 I object very decidedly to such large 

 section-cases. For the ordinary pound 

 section, four sows of 5 or (> each are 

 enough under all circumstances. — G. 

 L. Tinker. 



I do not know the size of the top of 

 the brood-nest of the Falconer hive. 

 I prefer a section-case made just the 

 size of the top of the brood-chamber, 

 and made so that the sections will 

 run parallel with the frames. The 

 length of the case can be regulated to 

 suit the length of the hive by nailing 

 cleats on the ends, if necessary. A 

 case holding 32 sections suits me best 

 for tiering up.— G. W. Demaree. 



I have never used the Falconer 

 hive, but it; will depend upon the 

 honey - flow. When honey is being 

 gathered in large quantities give am- 

 ple room ; when in less degree, give 

 less ; in fact, proportion the room giv- 

 en to size of colony and amount of 

 honey being gathered, and you can- 

 not go far wrong,— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Reversing Frames, 



Query, No. 253.— In reversing frames, 

 ilo the bees not have a great amount of ex- 

 tra work to do in changing the cells? Most 

 of the combs of brood that I have noticed, 

 on the upper side, have a strip of honey, 

 and the celts dip towards the centre. I 

 would think that in reversing the combs, if 

 the honey was very thin, it would run out. 

 Do the bees change the the angle of the 

 cells ?— Oregon. 



I do not believe that the bees 

 change the angle. — C. C. Miller. 



All the experience I have had was 

 in reversing sections. This causes 



the bees extra work, for the reasons 

 given in the query.— G. M. Doolit- 

 tle. 



I do not think that any such change 

 is made, and certainly the honey does 

 not run out. I hnd that I get more 

 honey, and such facts are worth 

 oceans of theory. — A. J. Cook. 



I think not. No nectar is thinner 

 than that gathered from fruit-bloom, 

 and it will not run out of the combs 

 until they are held nearly horizontal. 

 Even when water is poured into a 

 comb it is pretty hard to shake it all 

 out.— G. L. Tinker. 



In transferring combs I frequently 

 put the top side of the combs down 

 and the bees seem to tix the cells all 

 right. The thin honey will sometimes 

 run out when handling the combs. In- 

 verting combs will never give a great 

 deal of trouble, for the simple reason 

 that practical bee-men will soon learn 

 that it does not pay to reverse combs 

 or hives for practical purposes.— G. 

 W. Dejiaree, 



All the work the bees are induced 

 to perform by reversing, is profitable 

 work for the bee-keeper. No, the bees 

 do not change the pitch of the cells, 

 nor does the honey run out.— James 

 IIeddon. 



1. Yes, most certainly, and also in 

 conveying the stores to the upper 

 story, as it all must be moved a sec- 

 ond time. 2. Yea, at times, but the 

 idea of the reversionists is, that the 

 frames will be re-reversed in a short 

 time. The whole theory of reversing 

 is against nature and natural laws.— 

 J. E. Pond, Jr. 



I have never noticed that the bees 

 changed the angle or " dip " of the 

 cells, and the thin honey does not run 

 out. But let us suppose that the bees 

 did change it, and that it caused them 

 a great deal of work, what would we 

 care if better results were secured V It 

 is the " results " that we are working 

 for, and not to save the bees from 

 labor.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Con'ventioD Notices. 



tW The Northwestern Illinois and Southwes- 

 tern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' Association will bold 

 their next meeting at Mr. Kd Whittlesey's. 12^ 

 miles south of Pecatunica, Ills., on May -25. l?8fi. 



J. STEWAHT. S«f. 



tS~ The Illinois Central Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold its neit meeting at 

 Mt. Sterling, Ills., on Tuesday and Wednes- 

 day Oct. 19 and 20, 1886. 



,1. M. Hambauoh, See. 



la?" The next annual meetlns of the MichipaD 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held ii> 

 Ypsilantl, Mich., on Dec. I and -2. 1886. 



H. D. CCTTING, Sic. 



System and Success. 



t^>~ All who intend to be systematic in 

 their work in the apiary, should get a copy of 

 the Apiary Register and commence to use it. 

 the prices are reduced, as follows : 



For .')() colonies (1'20 pages) $100 



" 100 colonies (2'20 pages) 125 



" '200 colonies (-120 pages) 150 



The larger ones can be used foi a few col- 

 onies, give room tor an increase of numbers, 

 and still keep the record all together in one 

 book, and are therefore the most desirable. 



