18^8 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAlu. 



327 



that the Association agrees to abide by the action of the com- 

 mittee. This gives the committee time to sound virus and 

 perfect details. The result of their deliberations is expected 

 to be made known at the spring meeting. 



A complete recasting of the Constitution and By-Laws 

 was presented by the committee for that purpose, and adopted 

 by the Association, which it is believed will make the Associa- 

 tion's work more effective than heretofore. 



Mr. Nichols, by request, spoke of his scraping-machine 

 for separators, which saves him some work and expense. The 

 essential feature is two knives with springs. 



THE BEE-INSPECTORS' REPORTS. 



J. B. Adams, Boulder County — Total number of colonies 

 inspected, 580; number diseased, 32; destroyed, 32. 



Thos. A. Riggs, Arapahoe County — Number inspected, 

 942: diseased, 39; transferred, 26; destroyed, 13. 



Peter Kranz, Otero County — Number inspected, 2,738; 

 diseased, 27. 



H. Porter, Jefferson County — Number inspected, 2,294 ; 

 diseased, 15; destroyed, 15. 



M. A. Gill, Mesa County — Number inspected, 2,733 ; dis- 

 eased, 26 ; destroyed. 26. 



Chas. Adams, Weld County — Number inspected, 18; dis- 

 eased, none. 



Mrs. A. .T. Barber. Montezuma County — Number in- 

 spected, 192; diseased, 2; destroyed, 2. 



Frank Rauchfuss, Sec. 



CONDOCTED BT 



DBt. O. O. AULLER, MAREISIGO, ri,L. 



[OuBBtlonB may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.! 



Trimmings Down Brood-Combs. 



When combs are very rough, is it a good plan to cut them 

 down smooth in the flush of the season ? Conn. 



AN.SWER. — You probably refer to irregularities on the sur- 

 face of brood-combs. It's a good plan to trim down the worst 

 of these at auy time when convenient. 



Laiig^trolli and IIU Invention. 



In the Bee Journal I often see a certain Mr. Langstroth 

 mentioned. I suppose he is the inventor of a kind of hive or 

 frame very valuable to bee-keepers. I would like to know 

 something about him, especially the time and place he lived 

 and died, and about his Invention. WiscoN.siN. 



Answer. — Rev. Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth was born in 

 Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 25, IBKJ. In 1852 he invented the 

 movable frame, went to Oxford, Ohio, in 1858, and to Dayton, 

 Ohio, in 1857, dying there Oct. 6, 1895. 



Carrying Out Brood— Feeding Bees. 



1. What is wrong with my bees ? Two colonies began 

 gathering pollen the first week in April, and seemed to be 

 doing well, but now in the morning I find some of the brood 

 on the alightiug-board, some of which are about nine days old, 

 I judge, and others have wings and eyes formed, some of which 

 seem partly torn to pieces. Some of the former are alive when 

 found. They are in old-fashioned box-hives, so I cannot ex- 

 amine inside very well. One of these colonies swarmed once 

 last summer. The other did not. 



2. I have another colony that did not swarm, and seemed 

 to have very few bees all summer. This spring it has gath- 

 ered no pollen. Are they queenless? 



3. What is the best way to feed in box-hives ? I intend to 

 get rid of them as soon as possible. New York. 



Answers. — 1. The probability is that your bees were near 

 the starving point, hence destroyed brood. Very likely the 

 coming of fruit-blossoms has corrected the trouble. 



2. If they carry no pollen when other colonies are carry- 

 ing in plenty, they are likely queenless, and should be united 

 with another colony. Make a hole in the top of the hive if 

 there is none, then set the hive under another that has a queen. 



3. OLe good way is to use the crock-and-plate method • 

 making a hole in the top of the hive, then covering over s** 

 that no bee can get in from the outside without going tbrougq 

 the hive. 



Getting Bees oo \ew Combs. 



I have 10 colonies of bees in standard hives, the combs of 

 which are old and have a great deal of drone comb in them. I 

 want to get the bees on full sheets of foundation and use the 

 old combs for extracting purposes. I thought of fitting up 

 other brood-chambers with foundation, and raising up the old 

 hive, set the new one under with a queen-excluder between 

 them, with the queen below. Will this do ? If not, how shall 

 I do It ? Indiana. 



Answer. — Sometimes a queen will sulk without laying for 

 some time if confined on foundation below, with brood above 

 the excluder. Give her one frame of brood below by way of 

 encouragement. 



Building or Drone-Comb. 



1. If a hive-body tilled with frames containing starters be 

 placed under a colony of bees, will they build as much drone- 

 comb as they would if it were placed above them ? 



2. How would you proceed to have a number of brood- 

 frames filled with comb and have as little drone-comb as pos- 

 sible when only starters are used In the frames, and the apiary 

 run for extracted honey ? New York. 



Answers. — 1. It would be more likely used for brood 

 below, and on that account more likely to be worker ; but if 

 used for storing honey there might be no difference. 



2. Have the comb built in weak colonies, and in colonies 

 with young queens. 



Oalhering Pollen and Honey— Alfalfa. 



1. Do bees gather honey and pollen at the same load ? 



2. Do bees get much honey from box-elder ? 



3. What Is the general length of the alfalfa honey-flow? 



4. Is there ever a failure of a honey-flow under irrigation ? 



5. We have thousands of acres of alfalfa, but most of It is 

 kept for seed, and not Irrigated, and that which is cut for hay. 

 is cut before the first bloom appears. Last year was my first 

 year here, and I saw the bees working on alfalfa only about a 

 week, just before frost. Alfalfa produces from 6 to 8 tons of 

 hay per acre, and from 7 to 15 bushels of seed. Now, if you 

 or any one else can tell me how to handle It, to get a honey- 

 crop, I will be very much pleased. Nebraska. 



Answers. — 1. They often bring honey without pollen, and 

 when they bring pollen they may bring honey with It, perhaps 

 not very often bringing pollen without honey. Possibly that 

 may not be the rule In all localities. 



2. I think they do, but I may be mistaken. 



3, 4, 5. I confess ignorance, and will be glad if our alfalfa 

 friends will help us out. 



Sivarming — Ceils of Old Combs. 



1. Does the queen, or do the bees, cause swarming ? 



2. Do bees swarm after or before queen-cells are built ? 



3. Can a queen's wings be dipt with scissors ? If so, how ? 



4. When comb Is used for a long time for rearing brood, 

 do the cells get small enough to make the bees under size (for 

 each bee leaves a web, I am told) ? Iowa. 



Answers — 1. Both work together toward that end, but 

 the immediate impulse to swarming at the time the swarm is- 

 sues comes at times and perhaps always from the workers. It 

 sometimes happens that a swarm issues when there is no queen 

 in the hive, the queen having been taken away an hour or 

 more before, the bees not having yet found out their queen- 

 lessness. 



2. Generally queen-cells are prepared and well advanced 

 before a swarm issues. 



3. Yes. Hold the queen by the thorax or body (not by 

 the soft hinder part) having the tall toward the hand that 

 holds the scissors. Now cut off as much as you can conven- 

 iently from the two wings on the side next you (there are two 

 wings on each side.) 



4. Some think a difference in size of bees results. Per- 

 haps most think there is no difference. I never throw away a 

 brood-comb because of its age. The change made in cells Is 

 mostly at the bottom, making the thickness of comb greater, 

 but not affecting the size of bees. 



