404 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Keplies by Prominent Apiarists. 



[It is useless to ask for answers to 

 Queries in this Department in less time 

 than one month. They have to wait their 

 turn, be put in type, and sent in about a 

 dozen at a time to each ot those who answer 

 them ; get them returned, and then find 

 space for them in the Journal. If you are 

 in a "hurry" for replies, do not asli for 

 them to be inserted here.— Ed.] 



Syrians anfl Italians, 



Query, No. 271.— 1. Are the Syrian bees 

 better honey-gatherers than the Italians ? 

 2. Are they, or are they not, more gentle 

 and docile than the Italians ?— C. T. C. 



The Syrians that I have had were 

 no better honey-gatherers than the 

 Italians, and not nearly so docile.— 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. 



1. With me the Italians are far the 

 best honey-gatherers. 2. Full-blood 

 Syrians are nothing near as gentle as 

 the Italians.— G. M. Doolittle. 



1. I think not. 2. I have every rea- 

 son to believe that they are more 

 irritable and belligerent. I have never 

 owned any, and I judge from observa- 

 tion.— James Heddon. 



1. I think so; only, however, be- 

 cause they breed faster, and so are 

 stronger. 2. At first they seem 

 crosser, but soon they are handled as 

 easily. The first year our Syrians 

 were quite irritable ; since which they 

 are very amiable.— A. J. Cook. 



No. but the crosses between Syrians 

 and Italians prove excellent honey- 

 gatherers. Pure Syrians are nearly, 

 if not quite, as gentle and docile as 

 Italians, but they must be handled 

 differently.- G. L. Tinker. 



1. I doubt it, but I have had little 

 chance to know. 2. I never noticed 

 any difference, but, as before, I have 

 had little chance to know.— C. C. 



MlLLEE. 



Some colonies of Syrian bees are 

 extra-good honey-gatherers ; also the 

 same with Italians. It will take years 

 yet to decide that point. My limited 

 experience with Syrians is this : They 

 will handle just as well as Italians, 

 but you must not jar them in the 

 hive ; if you do they will " boil up and 

 over."— H. D. Cutting. 



1. There is not much difference in 

 the honey-gathering qualities of Ital- 

 ians, Cyprians and Syrians. 2. Purely 

 bred Italians are the gentlest bees I 

 have ever had in my apiary. Some 

 colonies of Syrians and Cyprians are 

 just as gentle and amiable as any 

 Italian colony, but such is not the 

 rule, as scores of experienced apiarists 

 will testify.— G. W. Demauee. 



1. Some say they are. Tliese mostly 

 offer queens for sale. As for myself 



I have not seen that any particular 

 difference exists. They are not more 

 gentle and docile than tlie Italians. I 

 have seen those that were as ferocious 

 as Mexican hornets. I have my 

 doubts, too, about the purity of these 

 new races — so-called— at least those 

 that were first offered as " dollar " 

 queens. Nothing, as yet, has been 

 found that will compare with our 

 noble, thoroughly-tested Italians. — J. 

 E. Pond, Jr. 



Taxii Colonies of Bees. 



Query, No. 272. — Are bees taxable 

 property ?— Wis. 



Yes.— Dadant & Son. 



In my opinion they are. — W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



I pay taxes on mine. I think I 

 ought to.— C. C. Miller. 



They are taxed in Ohio ; and I 

 know of no reason why they should 

 not bear the burdens of taxation like 

 other property.— G. L. Tinker. 



They are not usually taxed, but I 

 see no reason why they should not be. 

 —A. J. Cook. 



Yes, unless specially exempted from 

 taxation by statute. This is the case 

 in Iowa, and perhaps in other States. 

 If bees possess a marketable value, 

 why should they not be taxed?— J. 

 E. Pond, Jh. 



They are taxed here when a person 

 is not in debt, the same as other 

 stock. If in debt, no stock is taxed. 

 As our assessors do their work in the 

 month of June, nothing unfair is 

 likely to occur, as bees are on the in- 

 crease then rather than on the wane. 

 — G. M. Doolittle. 



I asked a prominent judge in this 

 county a few years ago, this same 

 question, and he said that " he did 

 not know, but if we talked about it 

 very much we would have them all 

 taxed." His idea was this : If bees 

 were taxed in some sections and not 

 in others, to have an act passed in 

 each State exempting bees from taxa- 

 tion.— H. D. Cutting. 



I hope so. We ought to be willing 

 to assist in paying for the blessing we 

 share in enjoying, had we not ? If 

 we want our property rights respected, 

 let us insist that bees are property, 

 and taxable property, too. Property 

 in bees has been so long degraded 

 that not one bee-keeper in a thou- 

 sand realizes what his rights are. — 

 James Heddon. 



If bees, when in a State of domes- 

 tication, are "property "in the com- 

 mon meaning of tliat term, why may 

 they not be taxed as other property 

 is, without violating principles of 

 human rights, is a question that is 

 self-answering. The fact that bees 

 in the past have been regarded in law 

 as being ferm naturm, when not re- 

 claimed from the wild state, or when 

 at large, and without means of iden- 

 tification, cannot affect the right or 

 power of the State to tax them as other 

 property when their state has been 



changed from the wild to the domestic 

 state, and made useful and profitable. 

 — G. W. Demaree. 



Using Empty Coinlis. 



Query, No. 273.— My loss is 27 out of 44 



colonies ; 1.3 died in the hives, and 14 have 

 dwindled. The combs can be considered in 

 fair condition. Shall I use the combs for 

 increase ? If so, how can I use them to the 

 best advantage for increase and honey ? 

 Shall I use any comb foundation ? I use the 

 10-frame Langstroth hive, increase by 

 natural swarming, and prevent second 

 swarms. — Ont. 



Yes. Use them to make divisions. 

 —Dadant & son. 



You can use them to the best ad- 

 vantage by working for extracted 

 honey. Hive the bees upon the 

 empty combs.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Why not give them to new swarms ? 

 Unless nice, they can be melted up 

 and foundation given to new colonies. 

 —A. J. Cook. 



If the combs are worker combs I 

 should use them all before using any 

 foundation. Give them to the bees 

 just as fast as they can take care of 

 them.— C. C. Miller. 



Tier up the combs on the hives in 

 use, and when the colonies become 

 very strong, make divisions. If a 

 swarm issues, and comb honey is 

 wanted, hive it on a few combs, and 

 adjust sections at once.— G.L. Tinker. 



Work for extracted honey and use 

 all of your extra combs. It will de- 

 pend upon your locality and honey 

 yield whether you will want to use 

 foundation or not. Prevent all second 

 swarms if you want honey in place of 

 increase.— H. D. Cutting. 



1. Yes. 2. Give each new swarm 

 five of the combs, and put on the 

 surplus arrangement when the swarms 

 are hived. Contract the hive to the 

 five frames, using dummies.— G. M. 

 Doolittle. 



I would use the combs for obtaining 

 increase, and for taking extracted 

 honey. By no means would I use 

 foundation as long as I had good 

 combs to supply the bees. I regard 

 a large supply of good combs as one 

 of the essentials to a good outfit to 

 the apiary. If I have more than I 

 can find use for, I keep them until I 

 do need them.— G. W. Dbmaree. 



1. "Yes. 2. By giving them to colo- 

 nies as needed, or by forming nuclei 

 and building up the same with the 

 combs. A little care and the exercise 

 of judgment will utilize all the combs 

 you have on hand.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



1. Yes, Use your combs. Run a 

 part for extracted honey, making one 

 queen do double service for a time, 

 and when both sets of combs are well 

 filled with brood, divide the colony if 

 it does not swarm. Do not place full 

 combs and empty frames, or frames 

 of foundation side by side. Let all 

 frames have an equal chance, if you 

 want nice combs.— James Heddon. 



