1898. 



THE AMEHICAN BEE JOURNAu 



263 



the Hoffmans, which come together ooly part of their length, and 

 have one sharp edge that, under the pressure of the thumbscrews, 

 might cut in more than desirable. 



4. Probably to some extent. 



5. If they don't carry up the honey from the inverted combs, 

 what object in inverting '. Probably, however, the honey would 

 not be carried up in all cases. 



6. Concentrating the force of the colony in less space just as a 

 flow is beginning, will, of course, have a tendency to compel them 

 to store in the super, and may work all right, providing there is no 

 trouble about winter stores and the colony being too weak after- 

 ward. But in the main it is probably better to have colonies pow- 

 erful enough to work in supers without such cutting down. One 

 season of failure I had just one colony that gave me a super of 

 honey, and that was a colony with IG Langstroth frames. If you 

 have a bait section in a super there is little trouble, but they will 

 store surplus in it if they are strong enough to store, and there is 

 anything to store from. The point to aim at is to have colonies as 

 strong as possible at the time the main flow opens. Possibly your 

 colonies might be stronger to good advantage. It might be that 

 you would not do badly to try the plan of John F. C4ates, who gets 

 good crops of honey by keeping strong colonies in big box-hives. 

 But he doesn't get a pound of surplus from these colonies. He gets 

 swarms from them, hives the swarms in small hives, gets his crop 

 from these small hives, and after he has taken the crop breaks up 

 the colonies in the small hives, relying on his big hives, or " breed- 

 ers," as he calls them, to build up for winter and swarm again the 

 next year. 



7. It depends upon the kind of excluder you have. If you have 

 merely the sheet of zinc, that can lie Hat upon the top-bars. But 

 you will probably be better satisfied to use an excluder with slats 

 that will make a bee-space between top-bars and excluder. 



8. It cannot be relied on. 



9. They are not likely to build brace-combs, but in the course 

 of the season they will build up little hummocks of propolis here 

 and there, making it appear as if they were making something to 

 climb upon. Theoretically they ought to be troubled no little to do 

 so much climbing. Practically I never could see any bees waiting 

 for their turn to get up, even when there was no chance to get up 

 except a block at each corner. 



10. As yet they have been tried by comparatively few. I think 

 no adverse report has come from any one who have tried them, but 

 some who have not tried them strongly oppose them. 



Putting Kces Out Early. 



I see by the Bee Journal that you have put your bees out. 

 Why, what does that mean ? I thought you always kept them in 

 till they could gather honey and pollen ! 



I have been in the habit for years of putting my bees out as 

 early as possible on any fine day so they can have a good flight. 

 You see, by doing so, they commence to breed and have a lot of 

 young bees to take the place of old ones when warm weather 

 comes. 



I put mine out on March 14, and since then we have had just 

 such weather as I like, for it keeps the old bees in and prevents a 

 good deal of what is called ■' spring dwindling." 



Kane Co., 111. Geo. Thompson. 



Answer.— This year I wanted to try the experiment of copying 

 you Pox-river bee-keepers, so I put out 20 colonies March 14, the 

 same day you put out yours, and left the rest to be put out the 

 usual time — when soft maples bloomed and all things pointed to 

 the opening of spring. But that time came only two days later, 

 when maples were blooming, and frogs and meadow-larks singing. 

 So I began putting out the rest March IT, and the two times of 

 putting out were so close together that I don't know any more 

 about the matter than I did before. Maybe I'll live to try it agaiu 

 next spring. 



Experiments with Six-Frame Hives. 



In answer to your question on page 76.3 (1897) I would say: I 

 have wintered from 10 to 25 colonies of bees in six-frame hives for 

 four years, and I am now begiuning the fifth winter. I have been 

 doing this as an experiment for the sole purpose of finding out the 

 best hive for general purpose?, especially for the farmer bee-keeper. 

 I have been doing this experimenting for over 20 years, along with 

 other business, and have experimented with all kinds of hives, and 

 the hive which I shall describe is uot just the exact one that I want, 

 but I have in my mind's eye to day a hive which I believe will be 

 perfection for an all-purpose hive. I am going to experiment next 

 season, and then as soon as I can find a suitable location I will 

 engage in the bee-business as a business. 



The hive which I have used for the last five years is a six-frame 

 one, size S-^^ inches wide, frame 17 inches long, inside measure, and 

 eight inches deep; top-bar I'-j inches wide and one inch deep, '4- 

 inch bee-space with '4 inch to divide in seven parts to space. 



I fed one fall (1895), as there was no honey to gather in this 

 country, and this gave me a splendid chance to experiment. So 1 

 took one six-frame, one eight, and one nine-frame hive, and gave 

 them equal amount of sugar, and then did not look at them again 

 until the last of March, 189(1. Now, how did I find them ? The 

 eight and nine-frame had not a live bee on them, but the six-frame 

 was in fair condition, and had some stores yet. So this was good 

 proof which hive was best for wintering. 



Still one more experiment: June '20. 1897, there came out a 

 nice swarm from an eight-frame hive, and before I had time to 



hive it, out came another from a six-frame, and as a matter of 

 course settled with the first swarm. Now I said to my wife, "Here 

 is a good chance for an experiment,'' and we hived them in a 12- 

 frame hive, and the next day another six-frame colony cast a 

 swarm, and we hived it in a six-frame hive. Now, what did I get 

 in the way of surplus ', I got 35 pounds of fine honey from the Vi- 

 frame, and 48 pounds of the same kind from the six-frame. Please 

 tell me which hive you would rather keep as a business hive, the 12 

 or the six. I know. 



I want double-wall hives, and also want a follower both in the 

 hive-body and in the surplus arrangement. I do not feed in the 

 fall — March and April is the proper time to feed. 



My colonies get very strong in six-frame hives. Five the past 

 season averaged 130 pounds each of comb honey : best one 134 

 pounds, while the best I got from my nine-frame colonies was 

 70 pounds, and the eight-frame 94 pounds. These are the best. 

 Now. these are big yields for this part of the county. They proba- 

 bly do not occur more than once in 10 years, altho I would like to 

 see them often. 



I prefer this hive because it takes less lumber to build it. A 

 colony will give more surplus of comb honey, and it takes less 

 honey to winter — three very important points. In five years' use 

 I have only found the queen in the sections twice. Of course. 

 Doctor, you are aware that it will take somewhat closer attention 

 to use a six-frame hive than it will to use a larger one, but I think 

 I got good pay for my watchfulness. I wish I could see you and 

 describe to you the kind of hive we need. When I say "hive," I 

 mean everything complete — hive, supers, frames and all. 



If I have done you some good with this scribbling. I am happy 

 indeed. David N. Ritchey. 



Franklin Co., Ohio. 



Answer. — Mr. Ritchey, when one can get such results as you 

 mention, it hardly seems that his practice can be much out of the 

 way. Still, a question may yet be raised whether you would get 

 the same results if you used exclusively six-frame hives. There's 

 John F. Gates (I wonder if John has gone to sleep; I haven't seen 

 anything from him tor some time) he gets all his honey from very 

 small hives, and he also has some very large hives from which he 

 gets no honey, but he counts that his large hives are the most im- 

 portant, for be gets rousing swarms from them, and these swarms 

 when hived in the little hives give him good crops, but he doesn't 

 carry the little ones over winter. 



There are certainly advantages in the small hives, and it's a 

 big advantage to have such little fellows to handle, and altho you 

 say they need closer watching, I'd be willing to give the closer 

 watching if they'd give right results. You do not say whether in 

 any case you have kept the same colony straight along for several 

 years in a six-frame hive. That would be a better test. Possibly 

 you have done so. but you don't mention it. For, in a locality 

 where the main harvest comes directly after swarming-time, if 

 two swarms are of equal ability, the one put in a six-frame hive 

 ought to give more surplus than the one in the eight-frame hive, 

 because it puts less honey in the brood-chamber. But the question 

 is, how would they compare the following year ? Can you have 

 as strong a colony with five or six frames of brood as with seven 

 or eight ? 



It will be interesting to know if you have compared the two 

 hives separately for several years, and can give us results. I should 

 not expect so strong colonies in six frames as in more, but the 

 proof from the bees themselves is the most conclusive. 



Pestered witli Ant§ — Carrying Out Earva*. 



1. Here in Southern Indiana, when we take our honey off and 

 store it away for future use, the ants get into it and carry it off 

 and desiroy it to such an extent that they are a great nuisance. 

 What can we do to prevent it ? 



2. I have three colonies that are carrying out young brood, 

 and occasionally I see a moth among the dead larv:i? on the alight- 

 ing-board. What is the cause ; Indiana. 



Answers. — 1. Various means of dealing with the pests have 

 been suggested, but really the best thing is to have the honey in 

 ant-tight cases, so the ants can't get at it all. In the meantime you 

 might try a sponge lightly filled with sweetened water — altho it 

 will be necessary to exclude them from the honey if you want them 

 to attack anything less sweet — and then when the sponge is covered 

 with ants, dip it in boiling water. 



2. If the brood is somewhat mature and the number not verj* 

 great, it may be that wax-worms have injured the brood so it is 

 carried out. That's not very likely to be the case thus early in the 

 season. More likely the brood carried out is mostly young and 

 white, and the brood is destroyed because starvation has come. 

 Unless stores are obtained from some source the end may not be 

 far off. 



Xhe Names and Addresses of all your bee- 

 friends, who are not now taking the Bee Journal, are wanted 

 at this office. Send them in, please, when sample copies will 

 be mailed to them. Then you can secure their snbscriptions, 

 and earn some of the premiums we are offering. The 

 next few months will be just the time to easily get new sub- 

 scribers. Try it earnestly, at least. 



See "Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 205. 



