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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Replies 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 of 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 ask for 

 them to be inserted here.— Ed.1 



Pollen in tlie Sections. 



Query, No. 295.— How can I keep the 

 pollen out of the sections ? My bees are 

 mostly on 10 frames, Gallup size, with 

 honey-boards arranged to break joints with 

 the frames. I also tried puttinsf 2 honey- 

 boards on so they would break joints, but 

 they still put the pollen in. They put some 

 in drnne-comb. It is worse in old colonies 

 that have not swarmed, or, in fact, any that 

 are very strong. They do this way only 

 during white clover bloom, which yields a 

 great deal of pollen, and is the main crop 

 for honey here. Surplus is all taken from 

 the top. I have had trouble with this every 

 year, but I believe it is worse this year than 

 others.— Clinton. Ills. 



In this locality we are not troubled 

 with pollen in sections.— H. D. Cut- 

 ting. 



I have only found pollen in one 

 single section. You had better try 

 the queen-excluding honey-board.— 

 A. J. Cook. 



I have no trouble in that way, and 

 I do not know that I could suggest a 

 remedy.— G. M. Doolittlb. 



As I never have trouble of this 

 kind, I cannot account for yours.— 

 James Heddon. 



With a square frame and top stor- 

 ing I should not expect trouble from 

 pollen in sections. I have no trouble 

 even with the new Ileddon hive. 

 There may be something in the 

 locality, strain of bees, or manage- 

 ment.— W. Z. IIuTnniNSON. 



There are two causes of pollen 

 going into sections— one of them is a 

 narrow section, the other a small 

 brood-chamber. Narrow sections are 

 filled and sealed up the soonest. Wide 

 sections from 7 to the foot up to (5 to 

 the foot require more time for the 

 honey to cure in them ; but if properly 

 tiered up there is no loss of honey by 

 using them. Wide sections may be 

 used with a queen-excluder on a 

 small brood-chamber, if it does not 

 contain less than 700 square inches 

 of comb, without pollen going into 

 them; but not so with a narrow \% 

 section. It seems that the zinc queen- 

 excluder is no hindrance to the carry- 

 ing above of either honey or pollen.— 

 G. L. Tinker. 



I have very little trouble in this 

 direction, but cannot tell why. For 



some reason there must be a lack of 

 cells in which to store pollen in our 

 brood-chambers. I think some recom- 

 mend contraction of the brood-cham- 

 ber. I doubt its success.— C. C. 

 Miller. 



You are certainly mistaken about 

 white clover yielding " a great deal 

 of pollen." Here, white clover yields 

 but little pollen, of a pale green color. 

 I presume that your locality produces 

 an abundance of pollen-bearing 

 flowers, in which case do not adjust 

 the surplus departments of the hive 

 (and thereby get the bees in the habit 

 of storing the pollen above the brood- 

 nest) until the honey-flow has actually 

 commenced.— G. W. Demareb. 



I would like to know myself. This 

 is one of those vagaries that are con- 

 stantly happening, and for which 

 there is no special or speciflc remedy 

 that I know of. If the case was mine 

 I should experiment somewhat and 

 see if I could ascertain the cause.— J. 

 E.PoND, Jr. 



Drone-Coral) in Second Story. 



Query, No. 296.— Why do bees build 

 drone-comb in sections in the second story 

 and fill them with honey ? The colony is 

 strong in numbers, and has filled one tier 

 of sections. They have not swarmed.— Bris- 

 tol, Minn. 



Strong colonies are very apt to 

 build drone-comb, especially during 

 a busy season. — A. J. Cook. 



It takes less wax and less time to 

 store honey in drone-comb than 

 worker comb.— C. C Miller. 



When comb is built for honey- 

 storing it is of the drone size.— G. M. 



DOOLITTLE. 



Bees are apt to build more drone- 

 comb in sections when the queen is 

 old.— G. L. Tinker. 



Some colonies are disposed to build 

 drone-comb more than others, es- 

 pecially with old queens. If you will 

 use worker foundation you can pre- 

 vent it.— II. D. Cutting. 



I And that bees are more apt to 

 build drone-comb in sections when 

 honey is rapidly coming in, and also 

 in cases where there is no drone-comb 

 in the brood-chamber. In the first 

 case it is presumable that drone-comb 

 is quickest and easiest constructed for 

 the reception of honey.— J. P. II. 

 Brown. 



Bees prefer to build drone or store 

 comb to store honey in, because they 

 are guided by the strictest laws of 

 economy. It "is a matter of economy 

 and convenience with them. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



Simply to follow the established 

 rule that they prefer large and deep 

 cells for storage of honey, and will 

 always build and use such for that 

 purpose when they have the oppor- 

 tunity. They will never seal up brood 

 in cells more than 7-16 of an inch 

 deep, and will not store honey in 

 such cells if they can tind deeper ones. 

 The above inflexible law is the foun- 



dation on which the bee-keeping of 

 the future will be built, as by living 

 up to it, we can cause stores and 

 brood both to be placed where we 

 desire, and without extra trouble or 

 labor.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Colonies that have not swarmed are 

 quite apt to build drone-comb. AVhen 

 honey is coming in freely, and the 

 bees must build comb in which to 

 store it, they often build drone-comb 

 in which to store the honey, as they 

 can furnish storage room more rapidly 

 by so doing.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



It is their instinct to build drone- 

 comb where full worker foundation 

 does not prevent, especially for store 

 comb. They are almost sure to build 

 drone-comb in the sections, if they 

 have none in the brood-chamber, and 

 breed drones in them, too, if a queen- 

 excluder is not used. If you cannot 

 afford full sheets of foundation all 

 around, cut short in the brood-cham- 

 ber Hrst.— James Heddon. 



HyMOees. 



Query, No. 297.-1. What is the appear- 

 ance or markings of a cross between Italians 

 and blacks? ~. Can they be known with 

 certainty from pure Italians ? 3. What is 

 their value compared with other bees 7— 

 J. M. C. 



1. They are very indefinite. 2. A 

 whole colony, yes"; individual bees, 

 no. They are often very excellent.— 

 A. J. Cook. 



They vary in the same hive from 

 three-banded bees, which cannot be 

 distinguished from pure Italians, to 

 two-banded, one-banded, and black, 

 such crosses are good honey-gather- 

 ers, and are a decided improvement 

 upon the blacks.— J. P. H. Brown. 



1. Some bees are black; some show 

 one band of yellow, some two, and 

 some three. 2. The three-banded 

 hybrids could not be distinguished by 

 their appearance. 3. As honey-gath- 

 erers they equal either variety, but 

 as comb-builders they are a little 

 behind the blacks.— W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son. 



1. Apart of the worker-bees show 

 the three yellow bands like the Ital- 

 ians, and a part are black, with an 

 indistinctness of markings on others 

 between the two. 2. Yes. Good Ital- 

 ians all show the three yellow bands. 

 .3. An Italian queen mated with a 

 German drone produces workers of 

 good honey-gathering qualities ; but a 

 farther cross toward the blacks tend 

 toward deterioration.— G. M. Doo- 

 little. 



1. The question of pure mating of 

 an Italian queen can only be known 

 by her worker progeny. If the queen 

 is pure and purely marked, all her 

 workers will show at least three 

 yellow bands. I have had two queens 

 whose workers showed four yellow 

 bands. If impurely mated some of 

 the workers will be black, some will 

 carry two yellow bands, and some 

 three, and all will be terribly ugly. 

 2. Yes, by their markings as ex- 



