214 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 7, 



CONDUCTED BY 



Z>R. O. O. MJLLER. AlAREKGO, ILL. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller dlrect.l 



To Several Inquirers. 



One of the unpleasant things for me is to receive a letter con- 

 taining a postage stamp or a stampt envelop. When I see one on 

 opening a letter. I'm pretty sure that some one wants an answer 

 by mail. A number have written me of late asking replies by mail. 

 Now just stop a half minute and think of the time it has taken to 

 write the replies you see on this page, and remember that it has to 

 be done .53 times in the year, and if I answer all of the questions by 

 mail, it would use up a good many weeks of the year. Probably 

 there is not one question in twenty askt whose answer the corre- 

 spondent would not rather receive at once by mail. If I answer at 

 once by mail in one case I'd have to do so in all. See ? Yuii 

 wouldn't like it if all the others were answered by mail, for in that 

 case this department would cease to exist, and I've been led to be- 

 lieve that several of the readers of this paper were interested in 

 reading the answers given. Now. if you were in my place, could 

 you do other than to treat all alike ? 



Another thing. Be sure to say alintyx that you want the answer 

 in this journal, it that's where you want it. no matter if you've 

 sent questions twenty times before. For altbo I may be familiar 

 with you and your writing, I may not remember whether I replied 

 in this or some other paper. C. C. Miller. 



Acacia and Acantiia as floncy-Trces. 



What kind of a honey-plant is the acacia tree in California ? 

 also the acanthus, which is of Japanese origin. Last year we had 

 a good flow from them. Do you know if they secrete honey every 

 year? Calif. 



Answer.— Not being familiar with these trees, it will be a 

 favor if some Californian will help us out. 



-^m — 1 1 ^ 



Management of Weali Colonies. 



I have two weak colonies of bees now, and to judge from ap- 

 pearances I should say they each contained about 8,000 workers 

 and a queen. Our honey-flow will be here in about .six weeks. 

 Would I get more bees in time for it, by (1) uniting the colonies 

 now. or (2) by leaving them as separate colonies until just before 

 the commencement of the honey-flow, and then uniting ? 



Texas. 



Answer.— Perhaps you'd get more honey by uniting now than 

 by uniting at harvest time, that is, if the colonies are so weak that 

 they will need uniting at harvest. Possibly a compromise wouldn't 

 be a bad thing. Take from one of the colonies brood and bees from 

 time to time, and give to the other till it becomes very strong. 

 Then if it becomes very strong, a week or two before harvest you 

 can repay the favor and possibly have the one strong and the other 

 in fair condition for the harvest, and get more from the two than 

 from a united one. If, however, you find that can't be done, you 

 can then give from the weak to the strong at harvest, and make 

 sure of one strong one. 



^ ■ m t 



Suspected Honey — Dividing Colonies Early. 



Last fall I put into winter quarters in our home yard eight col- 

 onies, and to-day but three are living— they being weak. I suspect 

 that dread disease (foul brood) from the appearance of the combs 

 and cappings, and wish to convert the combs into wax and honey. 

 and the frames to ashes. Now. I do not know what to do with the 

 honey after the operation of rendering. 



1. What use would you advise me to make of it ? 



2. I have about .50 chatf hives, in some of which the suspected 

 colonies have been; would you risk putting other colonies into 

 them ? If not, in their present condition, how can I make them flt 

 for use ? 



3. I have 15 colonies in an apiary a few miles from home. 

 When, without much risk, can I divide (I expect to send for queens 

 and give queens at once) without risk of chilling the brood ? 



I went to a hive this forenoon and cut from one of the combs, 

 which I suspect infected, a piece of comb which I send you in this 

 mail. You perceive that it lacks the "ropiness" and the "glue-pot" 

 smell; therefore I can scarcely believe that it is foul brood. 



Illinois. 



Answers.— 1. If the honey is of good flavor there is no objec- 

 tion to using it for table use. Of course not if it is foul and dirty, 

 but there is no harm comes to the human stomach from swallow- 

 ing some of the minute plants that are so deadly to the larva of 

 the bee. If scalded it might be used for feeding, but you better 

 not use it for feeding except early in the season, tor it wouldn't be 

 nice to get any of the scalded honey into the surplus combs, and it 



wouldn't be wholesome for wintering. Perhaps the best thing 

 would be to sell it for what it is, and have it used for printers' 

 rollers or some such manufacturing purpose. 



2. Opinions are divided as to whether it's safe to use a hive in 

 which foul brood has beeu. but you'll do well to be on the safe side 

 and not use anything in the least suspicious. Boiling-heat kills 

 the foul brood germs, altho freezing does not. If you can have a 

 boiler large enough to take in half the hive, scald that, then the 

 other half. Another plan is to wet the surface of the hive with 

 kerosene, set it on fire, then before it has time to burn the wood 

 itself, cover it up so as to smother the fire. Of course you'll take 

 out the chafl' and burn it. 



I doubt whether yours is foul brood, but there's no barm in 

 being somewhat suspicious. 



3. Lots of harm done by dividing too early. Not merely chill- 

 ing brood, but dividing the force when much more rapid gain 

 would be made by leaving the force together. You'll hardly gain 

 anything before about swarming-time — at least not till the colony 

 gets to its fullest strength. 



S'weei Clover. 



1. I send a sample of clover. Is it the sweet clover of the 

 North ? Is bokhara clover the sweet clover ? 



2. Where can I get seed of the svfeet clover '. 



My bees are doing finely. Fruit-trees are in full bloom here, 

 now (March 18.) Ind. Ter. 



Answers. — 1. As nearly as can be told from the crusht condi- 

 tion in which it came, the specimen sent is the common sweet 

 clover of the North. Bokhara clover, sweet clover and melilot are 

 all one and the same thing. 



2. [See the advertising columns of the Bee Journal. — Editor.] 



Feeding in tlie Spring. 



1. I have a good colony of bees which I have to feed. How 

 much sugar syrup must I feed them till they can gather enough 

 honey to live on. This is March 24. 



2. Would you encourage brood-rearing this early ? 



3. I got a colony of bees of a man late last fall. The bees came 

 to his orchard and settled in a hive with a few frames. They filled 

 the hive full of honey, leaving no room for brood. Now the hive is 

 four-fifths full of honey, with combs crosswise and every other 

 way, and I want to give them room for brood. Would the follow- 

 ing do ? Put a new hive filled with frames of foundation on the 

 old stand, put an escape on top of the new one, then turn the old 

 hive upside down on top of the new one. and drum on the old hive. 

 If this will not do. what can I do ? Of course the hives are the 

 same kind, and I will feed the bees afterwards. Iowa. 



Answers. — 1. Hard to tell just what they'll need, but you'll be 

 safe to give anywhere from five to ten pounds, then give more 

 later if they need it. 



2. Yes. at least so far as to see there were plenty of stores, and 

 keep the bees snug and warm. 



3. Your plan would be likely to lose a lot of brood when brood 

 is very valuable. Better set the new hive right under the old one, 

 and if they're at all crowded for room for brood, there will be no 

 doubt about their building down and rearing brood. The only 

 trouble might be in case your hives have fast bottoms, but in that 

 case you could split the bottom off the old hive. 



T Super 



-Contraction When Hiving Sivaruis- 

 Candicd Unfinisiit Section« — 

 Use of Queen-Trap. 



1. If you were to fit out a new apiary, would you use the 

 T super, or some other one ? Why ? 



2. When hiving swarms in a contracted brood-chamber, do 

 you use the super the full size of the hive, or contract it also ? or 

 do you practice contraction in hiving swarms ? 



3. I have a nice lot of half or two-thirds filled sections that are 

 uncapt. that have a few cells of fall honey in them that has can- 

 died. I want them for bait sections iu the spring. Should they be 

 cleaned out. or should they l>e used as they are, and let the bees 

 take care of the candied part ? 



4. Will a heated plate answer to thin down combs in unfinisht 

 sections ? 



5. How about the use of the queen-trap when one can be pres- 

 ent only at noon and evenings ? Will the swarm return and re- 

 main clustered on the trap, or will they enter the hive again ? 

 Should they remain on the trap, would it not be necessary to give 

 ventilation from some other source while using the trap ? Or 

 would you, under the conditions nacOed above, cage the queen as 

 recommended by some, or practice Doolittle's plan for preventing 

 swarming in out-apiaries ? Southern Ohio. 



Answers — 1. With my present knowledge. I should use the T 

 super, because with it I can get nice sections of honey with less 

 labor than with any other I've tried. It is entirely possible, how- 

 ever, that some new arrangement may come up that may be better 

 than the T super, and if it were possible to wait, 1 would not fully 

 stock up till I had pretty fully investigated. 



2. I have never practiced contracting a super except in case of 

 a prolonged and very slow harvest. If I hived a swarm on less 



