756 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Eeplies 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 And 

 space for them in the Journax,. If you are 

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

 them to be inserted here.— Ed.1 



Cyiirian and Syrian Bees. 



Query, No. 341.— 1. Can Cyprian and 

 Syrian bees be distinguished by their color, 

 or any markings? a. Do they rear more 

 brood than Italians ? 3. What, in your opin- 

 ion, are the best bees for gathering honey ? 

 —Texas. 



1. Yes. 2. No. 3. Well-bred Ital- 

 ians.— J. P. II. Brown. 



1. Yes, by a close observer. 2. Y'es, 

 but out of season. 3. Italians for this 

 locality.— G. M. Doolittle. 



It is possible that they may, but I 

 have seen most excellent authorities 

 (V) badly puzzled. In times of scarcity 

 they do rear more brood. Dark Ital- 

 ians or hvbrids are the best honey- 

 gatherers' I have ever owned.— VV. Z. 



IIUTCniNSON. 



1. Experts claim that they can ; I 

 am not expert enough, I must confess, 

 to do so. 2. Not with myself. 3. 

 Pure Italians.— J. E. Fond, Jr. 



1. Y'es. 2. Fully as much. 3. Ital- 

 ian bees, or a mixture of Cyprians 

 and Italians. The Italians are the 

 most saving race.— Dadant & Son. 



1 and 2. I do not know. 3. The best 

 bees for comb honey, so far as I know, 

 are a cross between the best strains 

 of Italian and German bees.— James 

 Heddon. 



3. I have had little personal experi- 

 ence with any except Italians and 

 hybrids, but from what I read about 

 others, I am not anxious to get any 

 other race.— C. C. Miller. 



1. Yes. 2. Y'es. 3. A cross bred 

 bee having a Syrian or Cyprian queen- 

 mother. Italian drones give the best 

 results in crossing. The good points 

 of such a cross can be perpetuated, 

 and every point of objection bred out, 

 is my experience.— G. L. Tinker. 



1. Y^es, by a person who has had 

 large experience with them, but by 

 the ordinary observer, no. 2. Yes. 3. 

 If honey is near by and plentiful, a 

 good strain of •' black bees " will pro- 

 duce the most honey ; but if honey is 

 scarce, or a long distance away, then 

 a cross between Syrian queens and 

 Italian drones will produce the 

 greater quantity. This is only my 

 experience.— n. D. Cutting. 



1. Yes. 2. They have excelled in 

 this respect so far as I have tried 



them. If it was a mere question of 

 the amount of honey gathered in a 

 given time regardless of consump- 

 tion by the gatherers, I would say 

 that the Cyprians excel all other 

 bees, so far as my experience goes ; 



but 3. Properly bred Italians are 



the best bees, when all things are 

 considered. If Italians do not gather 

 more honey than some other varieties 

 of bees do, they have superior quali- 

 ties in the way of economy, as they 

 manage to keep honey in store, when 

 other bees fail.— G. W. Demaree. 



I think so. Surely Syrians are 

 easily distinguished from Italians. 

 Syrians do breed faster than Italians. 

 I cannot speak confidently yet as to 

 the best t>ee. All have their good 

 goints. The hypothetically best bee 

 is a cross so well planned as to com- 

 bine all the good qualities and elimi- 

 nate the bad ones.— A. J. Cook. 



CoTerins Bottom-Boards. 



Query, No. 342.— How will plaster of 

 Paris do with which to cover old bottom- 

 boards ?— F. 



Try it and report.— G, M. Doolit- 

 tle. 



We would prefer hydraulic cement. 

 Dadant & Son. 



It will do, but I should prefer to 

 burn them up and make new ones. — 

 II. D. Cutting. 



Well enough ; but I should prefer 

 the simple board.— A. J. Cook. 



I think that new bottom-boards 

 would be preferable when the old 

 ones give out.— G. L. Tinker. 



If it can be made to stay in place 

 it might answer, but it seems to me 

 that wood is too cheap to allow of any 

 such " puttering."— W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son. 



If to remain as a permanent fixture 

 I should guess it might answer well, 

 but I have had no experience.— C. C. 

 Miller. 



I have never tried it, but I think it 

 would work well, as it is a most ex- 

 cellent absorbent of moisture; and, 

 besides, can be easily kept clean. — J. 

 P. II. Brown. 



I think it will answer a good pur- 

 pose, but it is liable to scale off, and 

 is not durable on that account. I 

 have used thick whitewash made of 

 lime and salt, which has given good 

 satisfaction. But it pays better to 

 have good painted bottom-boards. — 

 G. W. Demaree. 



I do not know of any necessity for 

 covering old or any bottom -boards 

 witli any substance; plaster would 

 probatilv do as well as anything for so 

 covering.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



It would be all right, as far as the 

 bees are concerned, if you are satis- 

 lied with the weight of it, and its 

 lack of durability. If a bottom-board 

 will hold together I see no use for the 

 plaster.— James Heddon. 



Italianizing Colonies. 



Query. No. 343.— How soon can I Ital- 

 ianize colonies after being transferred ? — T. 



Right away, or any time when most 

 convenient.— C. C. Miller. 



Any time, before, during, or after 

 transferring. — James Heddon. 



Introduce Italian queens at the time, 

 of transferring.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



As soon as the colony gets settled, 

 or within 4 or 5 days.— G. L. Tinker. 



As soon as you are ready. — G. M. 

 Doolittle. 



It depends altogether upon the sea- 

 son.— Dadant & Son. 



Just as soon as you have queens 

 ready to put in.— H. D. Cutting. 



I .always wait until they get their 

 "new house In order " before I give 

 them a new queen.— J. P. H. Bkown. 



At once. It will take some weeks 

 for all the bees to become changed. — 

 A. J. Cook. 



Y'ou may Italianize them right at 

 the time you transfer them, if you 

 have laying queens ready. The black 

 queen should be removed and the 

 Italian queen caged until the bees are 

 reconciled to their adopted mother. 

 Or it may be done later in the season, 

 if you do not have laying queens 

 ready.— G. W. Demaree. 



Just as soon as you can introduce a 

 queen. If the introducing is done 

 during fruit-bloom (which is the 

 proper time for transferring), the bees 

 will probably all prove Italians in 

 three months, and perhaps less. If 

 in the fall, Italianize late in the fol- 

 lowing spring.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



Convention Notices. 



t^" The Keystone Bee-Keepers' Association 

 wilt meet in the Court House at Scranton, Pa., OQ 

 Tuesday, Dec. 14, i886, at I" a.m. 



ARTHUR A. Davis. Sec. 



|y The eleventh annual meettns of the N. W. 

 nis. & S. W. Wis. Bee-Keepers' Association will be 

 field in the Oritnd Army Hall in Uocliford. Ills., 

 on the third 'fuesday In January, 1HH7. There 

 will be a two days' session. J. Stewakt, Sec. 



tW The next annual meeting of the Nebraska 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association will be held In 

 Lincoln, Nebraska, on Wednesday, Jan. I2, 1887. 

 I^ocation ot Hall to be used and Hotel accommo- 

 dations will be Riven after further arrangements 

 have been made. U. N. Patterson, See. 



tW The Uedar Valley Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will hold its ne.Yt semi-annual meeting in the City 

 Hall at Vinton, Idwa. on Dec. 7 and .1, lf«6. An 

 ex. client proKramme will be presnted, includinK 

 essays by the very beat of Iowa apiarists. Special 

 rates have been secured at the Hotels, and all are 

 invited to come and help make this meeting both 

 pleasant and profitable. H. E. Hdbbaku, Sec. 



1^~ The New York State, the Ea'tern New York 

 and the New Jersey & Eastern Bee Keepers* .Vs- 

 Bocialions will hold their Rreat united convention 

 at Albany. N. v.. on Jan. 18. li) and JO, IXSR. This 

 convention will be one of the largest, if not THE 

 laryest, ever held anywhere in this country, and It 

 behooves every bee-keeper to attend. A grand 

 exhibit of apiarian tlxlures is promised. An un- 

 u^ually brilliant proKrumme will be prepared and 

 announced later. 



