1898. 



THE AMEKICAM BEE JOURNA). 



843 



the ground, then would return to the hive in search of the 

 queen. What was the cause '? North Carolina. 



Answers. — 1. There may have been some defect in the 

 queen, or the trouble may have been merely weakness of the 

 colony. 



2-3. I don't believe I know, unless too weak in bees. 



M ^ 



Telling Carniolaiis from Blacks. 



By what particular marks can I tell the Carniolan bees 

 from the common bees generally known as "blacks?" 



Alabama. 



Answer. — Rather hard to describe, but perhaps it may be 

 said that in the Carniolans there is a light or whitish band 

 that does not appear in the blacks. 



Brood-Frames Partly Filled with Comb. 



1. I'm a beginner and have at present six colonies, and 

 the bees seem to be in good condition at present. I placed the 

 supers filled with sections on all of them May 1-i. I examined 

 all of the hives and found the frames with comb, but no honey 

 In them excepting in one. Is this all right? 



2. In regard to this one I wish the information. On open- 

 ing the hive I found the frames partly filled with comb. To 

 give you an idea you can see by the rough drawing I herewith 

 send you. What is the cause of this ? One comb has brood 

 partly capt. New Jersey. 



Answers. — 1. It is hardly wise to put on supers before 

 the bees are ready for them. In your locality they are not 

 likely to store any surplus before clover, and even then they 

 would hardly store in sections until the brood-frames were 

 well filled. 



2. The peculiarity in the case seems to be that the frames 

 are very irregularly filled, all being only partially filled, and 

 no two combs being alike in size or shape. It hardly seems 

 that bees, left to their own devices, would ever build combs in 

 this way. It may be that the combs were put together from 

 different hives, or it may be that the combs were wormy or 

 otherwise bad, so that the bees gnawed away the faulty part, 

 leaving them in this irregular condition. Of course only a 

 guess can be made, and this guess may be entirely wrong. 

 You will find nothing about such a case in the books, as no 

 such case would ever occur under ordinary circumstances — 

 only as an accidental thing. 



Laying Workers and Foul Brood. 



1. I have a colony that I found queenless in the spring, 

 but found some drone-brood, and what I thought a queen-cell. 

 I let it alone for two weeks and found no queen. I gave them 

 two frames of brood and eggs, and they paid no attention to 

 queen-rearing, but still found drone-brood. Then I gave them 

 one more frame of brood and eggs, and in a week I found two 

 queen-cells. Now, it has been 22 days since I gave them the 

 last frame, and no queen yet, but a little drone-brood. Have 

 they a laying worker and don't want anything better, or what 

 is the matter ? 



2. I have a colony that I suspect has foul brood. In the 

 spring of 1S97 I found it weak. I gave it a frame of brood 

 and discovered some dead brood, and they did not build up 

 strong in the summer. I gave them two more frames of brood 

 and they seemed lo build up and clean out the hive nicely, and 

 were in very good condition by fall, but I never put on a super 

 at all. This spring I thought they were in good condition, 

 but they do not get strong, and I find the brood scattering — 

 eggs, brood, larv:c, and dead brood all mixt up. The dead 

 turns brown but does not get ropy or smell offensive. This 

 evening I set the queenless hive by the other, and in a few 

 days I aim to double them up and put them into the queenless 

 hive, and do away with the other. What do you think of that ? 



3. I also have a third colony that is strong, but I find 

 some dead brood, and the brood scattering, but no bad odor. 



Kentucky. 



Answers — 1. The probability is that they have not only a 

 laying worker, but a whole lot of them. Better break up the 

 whole business and give the combs to another colony or divide 

 them among several. 



2. I stopt and studied over this question some time, then 

 turned to Mr. Cowan, editor of the British Bee Journal (who 

 was at my house at the time, and who knows ten times as 

 much about foul brood as I do,) and askt him what he 

 thought. He thought it might be a pretty safe thing to de- 

 stroy the suspected colonjr, as the risk was so great. Occasion- 



ally it happens that the disagreeable smell is not observed. 

 The presence of dead brood scattered among the living is very 

 suspicious. Turn back to page 289 of the American Bee 

 Journal, and study the picture taken from a photograph by 

 Mr. Cowan. Burn frames and combs, but the hive may be 

 saved. Mr. Cowan's pamphlet says : 



"The hive is disenfected by being either steamed or 

 scrubbed with boiling water and soap, and then painted over 

 with a solution of carbolic acid (one part of Calvert's No. 5 

 carbolic acid to two parts water,) and when the smell has dis- 

 appeared it will be ready for use." 



3. The dead brood scattered among the living looks very 

 suspicious, and suggests close watching, at least. 



Hives in Wliieli Bees Died- 

 Swarms. 



-IJnitins Second 



1. Last year three of my colonies died, and this spring I 

 put one of the hives on top of another hive of live bees, think- 

 ing they should get out the honey that was left in them, but 

 instead of taking the honey out they carried some more in it, 

 and besides they had two combs filled with brood, and a good 

 many of the cells were filled with pollen. What is best to be 

 done with the matter ? 



2. Can I put second swarms together without taking one 

 queen away? 



3. I have two hives with honey in them which I put on 

 top of other hives so that the bees can get the honey out, but 

 they are very slow at it. Can I leave them stand that way till 

 after swarming-time ? Illinois. 



Answers. — 1. The result would probably have been dif- 

 ferent if you had put the empty hive under instead of over. 

 However, nothing very bad has happened. You can at any 

 time take away the combs that are unoccupied and mass in 

 one hive the combs of brood. If more than will go in one story 

 and you don't want to have more than one story filled, it will 

 be an easy matter to give such combs to colonies needing them, 

 to nuclei, or to swarms. 



2. Yes, if they are united at or near the time of swarm- 

 ing. A few days later it may be well to make one of them 

 queenless 24: hours or more before uniting. 



3. Better put them under, and it will be safe to leave 

 them till wanted for swarms, or till later. 



Drones in Fruit-Bloom, Swarming, After-Swarms, 

 Putting on Sections. 



1. Is it anything uncommon to have sealed drones in the 

 hives at this time of the year (Miiy 2U) ? I have seen one live 

 drone, too. It is fruit-bloom just now. 



2. How soon can a swarm be expected from now ? The 

 colonies with drones are very strong and have plenty of sealed 

 workers. 



3. Please give me a plan or plans (if you know several 

 give two or three of the best) that you will warrant to prevent 

 all after-swarms. I have only one empty hive for every colony 

 of bees. 



4. When is the best time to put on sections, and what are 

 the signs ? I mean, of white clover, if when I see the first 

 blossom, some of the bees are whiting the top edges of the 

 comb? Iowa. 



Answers. — 1. No. On the other hand it is rather unusual 

 that you can find only one live drone in fruit-bloom. 



2. Hard to say. Depends somewhat on the weather. If 

 favorable, a strong colony might swarm in fruit-bloom, but 

 not many colonies are likely to swarm till fruit-bloom is over 

 and white clover has commenced to yield. 



8. If you cut out all queen-cells but one, being sure to 

 miss none, it's pretty safe to warrant there will be no after- 

 swarms, but it's pretty safe to warrant that if you treat many 

 in this way you'll occasionally miss a cell. Perhaps the best 

 thing for you to do is to take this plan : When a swarm Is- 

 sues, set the hive with the swarm on the old stand, putting the 

 old hive close beside it. A week later carry the old hive to a 

 new place a rod or so away. The field-bees will return to the 

 swarm, the parent colony will bo reduced in numbers, and all 

 supernumerary queens be destroyed. 



i. You can't go by date. Go by conditions. Generally 

 when you see bits of white wax put on the upper parts of the 

 comb, it is time to put on sections. But hardly when this oc- 

 curs in fruit-bloom. In Iowa, when the very first white clover 

 blossom Is seen, you may expect bees to be working pretty 

 well on white clover, so if you are observing enough to note 

 when the first lone white clover blossom appears, you may be 

 ready to put on supers in about 10 days. 



