294 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May 12, 



number of years. In a prolonged season some of the colonies 

 with the old queens will swarm late. Unqueeniug I have 

 practiced on a large scale. The queeus were removed at the 

 commencement of the honey-flow, and all queen-cells cut out. 

 Nine days after, all queeen-cells were removed except one. 

 This stopt all swarming, but many colonies were found queen- 

 less at the next inspection, and some colonies did not work 

 satisfactorily as long as they were queenless. 



Last year I tried requeening shortly before the honey- 

 flow. I put the queen with two frames of brood above the 

 queen-excluder in an extracting-super filled with empty 

 combs. The vacancy whence I took the two frames was filled 

 with brood and bees of certain other colonies, which were en- 

 tirely used up for the purpose, so that I decreast the number 

 of colonies 20 per cent, at that time. Nine days after I took 

 the upper story with the old queen to a new stand, then cut 

 out all the queen-cells of the one on the old stand, gave them 

 a virgin queen three to six days old, and put on a super. The 

 object of having the old queen above is to get all the brood in 

 the lower brood-chamber sealed, and have some honey stored 

 where the oldest brood has hatcht. This puts the lower part 

 of the hive in a hopelessly queenless condition, without hav- 

 ing the colony queenless. To get virgin queens of the proper 

 age, queen-cells have to be started about one week before the 

 old queen is put above, and the ripe cells are put in queen- 

 nurseries, to be taken care of by a few colonies until wanted. 

 My queen-nurseries are th.f size of a Langstroth frame, and 

 will accommodate o4 colonies each. The cages can also be 

 used for introducing-cages. 



This management proved the most effective and profitable 

 one I ever tried. Three operations completed the work of re- 

 queening. The only attention these colonies required was to 

 supply supers and remove same when finisht. It will be seen 

 that by this plan one man can handle several apiaries, as about 

 one inspection every week during the honey-flow should be all 

 that is necessary. H. Rauchfuss. 



[Continued next week.] 



CONDUCTED BY 



nn. c. o. AirLLEx. masengo, ill,. 



[Questions may be mailed to tbe Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct. 1 



DUacivantage of Painting; Hives. 



What are tbe disadvantages of painted hives ? The advantages 

 are that they look better and last longer. One disadvantage I have 

 seen stated, of white painting, is that they are more attractive to 

 tbe moth-miller, and I have sometimes painted my hives other 

 colors, but I like no other color as well as white. Iowa. 



Answer. — Probably the chief disadvantage of paint on hive- 

 bodies is that the paint does not allow the prompt drying out of 

 the wood in spring. A large amount of moisture comes from the 

 bees, and if the hive is painted this stays in the walls. It is per- 

 haps best to have the cover painted, but not the body. It is hard to 

 understand why moths should trouble white hives more than 

 others, and if I should paint my hives at all, white would be the 

 color. 



■ I » 



Placing Hives — Question About <tucen- Breeders. 



1. On page 810 (1897) in answering a question concerning spac- 

 ing hives, you mentioned that your hives were set in pairs; also, 

 that you advised a questioner before to arrange his hives in that 

 way. To the uninitiated it would seem that gaining more space 

 was about the only reason for so doing, but there may be others. 

 Will you give all the points which caused you to arrange in that 

 way, and advised others to follow suit ? 



3. Queen-breeders, when testing queens, undoubtedly find a 

 goodly number deficient in mating, one way or another. What do 

 they do with those queens ! I should like to know, as I am quite 

 suspicious, and inclined to believe that they unload them on the 

 unsophisticated buyer for untested ones. What is your opinion ; 

 Don't say " I don't know." California. 



Answers. — 1. If I had 10 acresot ground freely at my disposal, 

 I think I would set my hives in pairs, and I think I would advise 

 any one else to do so unless I should find a man that I bated worse 

 than any one I've met yet, and I'd give him the same advice. I 

 may not be able to give fully the reasons why 1 like the plan, but 

 I suspect I can give enough to satisfy a reasonable man like your- 

 self. In trying to think of an objection, the only one that occurs 

 to me is that you can get at one side of the hive only, but I'm not 

 sure that I care to get at more than one side. Yes. I remember a 

 case in which it was bad to have hives sit so close. One time a 



colony was made queenless and broodless (I'm not sure but comb- 

 less,) and in its desperate condition it mareht straight out of its 

 own hive into the neighboring one. But in an apiary of 100 colo- 

 nies I think that would not happen once in 30 years. Now for the 

 advantages: 



If I had 10 acres of ground for an apiary, I wouldn't want to 

 spread the bees all over it, for I wouldn't want to travel over so 

 much territory in going from one hive to another. Suppose there 

 are 40 hives in a straight row. 10 feet to each hive, that is, the hives 

 measure 10 feet from center to center. I would move them to- 

 gether in pairs, having the pairs measure 10 feet from center to 

 center, thus occupying just half the ground they did before, and 

 they will be just as safe as they were before, so far as concerns 

 workers or queens getting into the wrong hive. Or, suppose the 

 40 hives are placed in a row five feet from center to center, I would 

 leave Nos. 1, 3, 5. etc., right where they were, and I'd move Nos. 

 3, 4, e, etc.. up to them, thus having the same ground occupied as 

 before moving, but there would be only half the danger that any 

 bee would get into the wrong hive. 



For bees are familiar with form, and if they're accustomed to 

 go to a certain part of a hive as their entrance, they persistently 

 stick to that part. Try this: This spring cover up or close the en- 

 trance to a hive half its width at the right hand side, and after a 

 few weeks open that side and close the left. You'll find that it will 

 trouble the bees no little to find the entrance. They'll persist in 

 trying to get in at the side that was formerly open, and to which 

 they are accustomed. Now, in the eyes of the bees it seems as tho 

 that pair were a single object. They will not make the mistake of 

 going to the right side when they should go to the left. That is, 

 they'll not make the mistake of going into No. 15 instead of No. 15. 

 If they make a mistake at all, it will rather be to go into No. IT in- 

 stead of No. 15, for No. 17 is at the same side of the pair as No. 15. 



By having hives in pairs you need only half the number of 

 stands. It will take more lumber to make a double stand, but not 

 twice as much, and it will be less than half the trouble to level the 

 stands. For it's easier to level a long stand than a short one. 



3. I hinted a little while ago that you were a reasonable man. 

 I take that back. I don't call any man reasonable that will a5k a 

 question and then bar out the only answer on hand that will fit. 

 But I will say that an honest man would never sell as an untested 

 queen one that he had learned was mismated. He would sell it for 

 what it was, or keep it himself, or destroy it. 



Sour Hone}' and 9Ioidy Combs. 



I had a colony of bees die about March 10. They left about 15 

 pounds of honey, and some of it that did not get capt over has 

 soured, and some of the combs are moldy in spots. There was not 

 a cell of brood in any of the combs. 



1. Would the bees clean the mold and sour honey out of 

 the combs ? 



3. Would the combs do just as they are to hive new swarms on ? 

 If not, why not ? Michigan. 



Answer.— 1. Yes, they'll fix them up all right, only don't give 

 one colony too big a job at a time. 



3. If they're pretty bad the swarm might desert. But you can 

 let the bees clean them up beforehand, and then they'll be all right 

 for a swarm. One reason against holding them as they are for a 

 swarm is, that they would probably be getting worse all the time. 



A Beginner's I^uughablc Experience in 

 Wintering Bees. 



On page 170 you request " Iowa '' to report as to how he came 

 out with his top ventilation. Well. I'm •• Iowa," and as my church 

 advocates an honest confession, I'll obey and try to give facts as 

 nearly as I can come at them. 



First. I'll say we haven't a live bee on the farm. I am a be- 

 ginner with bees", have made a failure in my first attempt, but I'm 

 in earnest when I say I will try again, for I'm in love with the bee, 

 and think probably the next lot will be carried through the first 

 winter at least. It's an old saying, we never know what a boy will 

 do. And I will add, 'tis also hard to tell what an older person may 

 do when he embarks in the bee-business. And I suppose you will 

 say an old fool is the worst of fools (and I don't care if you do.) 



Now, I smelt trouble, hence only one colony would I buy when 

 the fever struck me. My better-half jokes me about so much bee- 

 literature about the house, and not a bee alive on the place. I tell 

 her and the kids that my failure afforded us an early feast of 

 honey, otherwise we would have waited a long time for it. 



Now. Doctor. Joe will give you the particulars in full as to that 

 colony of bees, then if you can tell which mistake was the fatal 

 one, I'll treat. 



Last fall I gave a neighbor four Bryan dollars for a colony in 

 an old-fashioned box 16x16 inches, and 34 high. I got them home 

 all right and set up in the orchard. Well, I've wintered for 30 

 years on Webster County prairies, and I know something about 

 the blizzards that this country is subject to. I have seen snow 

 blockades here us early as October 16. I am a farmer, and ever 

 since then I have governed myself as much as possible to be in 

 readiness for winter, and you can judge I had the bees in the cellar 

 in ample time. If it was the first of November, it wasn't any later. 



Now, the women-folks objected to having bees put in the cellar, 

 but we finally compromised by my agreeing to put screen over the 

 entrance of the hive. The bottom was nailed tight to the hive. 

 Our cellar has only entrance from the outside. 



