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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Beplies by Prominent Apiarists. 



[It is useless to ask for answers to 

 Queries in this Department in less tinae 

 than one raontb. 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 Joobnal. If you are 

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

 them to be inserted here.— Ed.1 



Is tlie Locality Overstoclieil ? 



Query, No. 398.— I have been a success- 

 ful beekeeper for seven years, and am in 

 Just an average locality. By counting- mine 

 I find there are .500 colonies of bees within a 

 radius of 3 miles. Now I think that these 

 bees have cut my average down one-half. 

 Do you not think so? Would it ever be 

 profitable with so many bees so close ?— 

 Subscriber, Ind. 



I agree with "Subscriber." It would 

 probably be much more proatable if 

 less bee's were kept.— W. Z. Hutch- 

 inson. 



Your locality is overstocked. It is 

 very doubtful if your bees will prove 

 profitable, unless large areas are 

 sowed to clover and buckwheat.— J . 

 P. H. Brown. 



I should prefer to have fewer bee- 

 keeping neighbors. It is possible that 

 in very excellent seasons you would 

 do well despite the ill surroundings.— 

 A. J. Cook. 



It is impossible in the short space 

 alloted, to answer the question. It is 

 one of great importance to many of 

 lis. I should think that the .500 colo- 

 nies in some seasons might overstock 

 80 as to cut down tlie average yield of 

 surplus, and in other seasons I think 

 they would not.— H. R. Boardman. 



1. They have tended to decrease 

 your yield without doubt. 2. Only in 

 extra good seasons if the sale of honey 

 is the only income from them— G. M. 



DOOLITTLE. 



Localities differ so much that it 

 would be impossible to give a correct 

 answer. In my locality it would be 

 all we should want. I have read of 

 places where three times .500 colonies 

 were kept, and all did well.— H. D. 

 Cutting. 



Conundrums are always in order in 

 this department, and this is as good 

 as any. All answers will be theoreti- 

 cal, but in my opinion no difference 

 will be found if all the 500 colonies 

 mentioned should be moved 100 miles 

 away. In an average locality 1,000 

 colonies so situated in a good season 

 would gather as much honey indi- 

 vidually as though there were but 

 100; in a poor season each would 

 gather as little. Lest I may be ac- 

 cused of claiming to " know it all," I 

 will say the above is simply a matter 

 of opinion.- .1. E. Pond, Jr. 



You are touching upon a subject 

 that must come prominently to the 

 front if honey-producing is to become 

 a permanent business. Just how 

 much your average has been cut down 

 depends upon your numbers. If you 

 kept 400 and others 100 you are not 

 cut down much by them ; but if you 

 iiad 100,, and 400 more have been 

 added, one-half is probably gone, and 

 it will not pay you to stay. — C. C. 

 Miller. 



I guess there are too many bees in 

 your field. There are certainly too 

 many that belong to others to make 

 it an object for you to make the busi- 

 ness a specialty in that location. — 

 Jajees Heddon. 



At the time when your surplus 

 honey season is on hand I do not 

 "think so." I doubt if your average 

 is cut down at all. I am in a like 

 situation with yourself, but I was the 

 first to try bees here, and once had 

 practically an open field ; since " my 

 field " has been heavily stocked with 

 bees, I obtain about the same surplus 

 that I did before. But I believe my 

 bees suffer loss on account of " over- 

 stocking " at such times, as there is 

 but little honey in the fields to be 

 gathered, to keep up breeding and to 

 prevent shrinkage of stores. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



I believe that a good white clover 

 district as this has been the past sea- 

 son, under the influence of frequent 

 rains, cannot be overstocked by 1 ,000 

 colonies of bees in one locality. We 

 have still (Aug. 17) much clover 

 bloom, but for the greater part of the 

 season there never was known to be 

 so much white clover heretofore. The 

 bees were surfeited with nectar, and 

 comb honey could be left for days any 

 where without being molested by 

 them. In other years 200 colonies 

 has seemed to be too many when we 

 had little clover. Taking one year 

 with another, I do not think 500 colo- 

 nies too many for the locality named. 

 — G. L. Tinker. 



Using Sheets Of Perforateil-Zliic, 



Querj', No. 299.— Which is the best way 

 to use sheets of perforated zinc— with two 

 bee-spaces, one below and one above, or 

 only with a bee-space above the zinc ?— H. S. 



Either would answer.— G. M. Doo- 



LITTI.E. 



With two spaces.— W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son. 



I prefer two bee-spaces, so as to 

 keep all the sections neat. — A. J. 

 Cook. 



I have never had any use for per- 

 forated-zinc honey-boards. — H. R. 

 Boardman. 



It is best to use them with bee- 

 space below and above. — II. D. Cut- 

 ting. 



I do not know, but I think the one 

 space may be better.— C. C. Miller. 



Either way succeeds well, but the 

 space between the zinc and the top of 

 the brood-frames should not be over 

 J4 inch.— G. L. Tinker. 



Two, every time. Do not let the 

 zinc rest against the brood-frames, 

 nor sections, nor anything else within 

 bee-space. All are coming to this, 

 and do you not see it ?— James Hed- 

 don. 



I presume the zinc-excluders are 

 made to suit the " make" of the hive 

 used. As for myself I make all my 

 hives and cases so as to have a shal- 

 low bee-space above and below the 

 frames and sections, hence the honey- 

 board or zinc-excluder must have the 

 shallow space above and below its 

 surface or plane. I much prefer this 

 system for too many reasons to ex- 

 plain here.— G. W. Demaree. 



I use single sheets. If it is meant 

 to inquire if two sheets should be 

 used, one above the other, I can see 

 no good reason for so doing. If in- 

 tended to ask whether the zinc should 

 be so placed as to leav€ a bee-space 

 on each side of the zinc (and which, I 

 presume, is the intention), I should 

 say, give such bee-space on each side, 

 but be sure and give no more, else 

 brace-combs will surely be built.— J. 

 E. Pond, Jr. 



Nuinlier of Frames in a Hive, etc, 



Query, No. 300.-1. Can both black and 

 hybrid bees come from one colony ? 2. 

 Which is best, 10-framos or O-frames in a 

 hive 14 inches wide inside ? My hive is 14 

 inches wide, 12 inches high inside, and 14^ 

 inches long inside. The frames I use are 

 llii inches deep, and 14 inches long outside 

 —almost the same as the Adair frame— and 

 I would like to know if this is as convenient 

 as others, or if it is too short for the width 

 and length ? For e.\tracting I use two of 

 these hives, one for a brood-chamber and 

 one for extracting. For comb honey I use 

 only one. — Amana. 



See answer to Query, No. 297. For 

 comb honey I would recommend nine 

 frames in the hive you use. — J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



1. If you mean as the progeny of 

 one queen, no, although they may 

 look like it. 2. If combs are straight, 

 ten frames for summer and nine for 

 winter.— C. C. Miller. 



1. Some of the bees i^j a "hybrid" 

 colony are black bees, to all appear- 

 ances; others show one band, and 

 still others two or even three. 2. I 

 should consider it too short.— W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



1. Yes, if I understand the ques- 

 tion rightly. There are always some 

 black bees in a hybrid colony. 2. I 

 use nine frames In 13}^ inches of 

 space. I prefer the Gallup frame to 

 all others, but this is only one of my 

 preferences.— G. M. Doolittle. 



1. If the querist wishes to know if 

 there are a few all-black bees in 

 hybrid colonies, I answer yes. 2. If 

 the hive must be so large, the more 

 frames the better, provided they are 

 spaced from centre to centre 1% 

 inches. For extracting, it matters 

 little what the size and shape of the 

 brood-chamber is, but for comb honey 



