1898. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAlu. 



423 



arators and sections, making a full bee-space between the 

 contents of one super and the next one above It, in which case 

 there is no difficulty about tiering up. 



3. Plane down the super so as to be 4}^ inches deep. Put 

 a board inside at one end so as to make the Inside length 

 17?8i and nail on this a strip of tin, the same as at the other 

 end. Drive in at the proper places the six staples of the par- 

 ticular kind used for supporting the T tins. 



■i. That's a thing that seems naturally to suggest Itself to 

 a great many, but I don't know of any one who has continued 

 using anything of the kind, and it's doubtful If you'll like it. 

 Cost, probably $3.00 or $i.00 a hundred. 



Wintering — Snn and Shade, Etc. 



1. Which is the better way for wintering out-doors, a 2- 

 story S-frame hive, or a single-story 8 or lO-frame hive ? If 

 wintered In a 2-story 8-frame hive, Is there not too much 

 room ? Aud if it is the better way, will the bees commence to 

 rear brood earlier than in a single-story hive? Are there any 

 other reasons ? 



2. Is it best to leave the bees packt summer and winter 

 In chaff-hives or winter-cases ? 



3. Does it make any difference for brood-rearing if the 

 cells are '4 of an inch longer than they need be? 



4. Is it better if the hives get the sun at morning and 

 night, than if they stand always in the shade ? 



5. Will the bees winter well in a 2-story hive of five or six 

 frames each ? Wisconsin. 



Answers. — 1. If a colony is strong, there is probably an 

 advantage in having the two stories, and possibly even if it is 

 weak. I don't know that they'll commence rearing brood any 

 earlier in the double story, but they are a little more remote 

 from the outside air in the upper story, and If they are strong 

 enough they will need some of the room in the lower story for 

 stores and brood. 



2. It is probably best to remove winter-eases. Chaff-hives 

 are left the same winter and summer, as they cannot well be 

 changed. 



3. The bees will cut the cells down to the proper depth, 

 but of course it makes just so much extra work. 



4. It is probably better. 



5. Yes; but if a colony is very strong It would be better 

 to have larger hives. 



Preparing Bees for \Vinler~Aflcr-S\varm§, Elf. 



1. I live on the northern shore of Lake Ontario; the 

 mercury frequently falls anywhere from 20^ to 30^ below 

 zero, and we have a great deal of north wind. Would It not 

 be a good plan to line the winter case for single-wall hive with 

 building-paper, filling the space between the paper and the 

 winter-case with chaff ? 



2. Which would be warmer, to leave the summer cover on 

 the hive, or chaff-cushion ? and will I need to remove some 

 frames and put in chaff division-boards ? 



3. Would it be best to have all hives face the south, in 

 this locality, or will it make no difference ? 



4. Would you contract the entrance In winter, or leave 

 full width? 



5. When you transfer from box-hives by placing a new 

 one filled with foundation over it, do you close the entrance of 

 the old hive ? and would the bees work up through a couple of 

 small holes, perhaps two or three inches long, or would I have 

 to remove the top of the old hive ? 



6. Can I unite several small after-swarras until I have 

 one good, strong colony, by shaking some of the bees from the 

 frames, with the new swarm, and allowing all to run in 

 together ? 



7. Has the A. I. Root Company a branch office In Canada? 



New York. 



Answers. — 1. It would probably be a good thing. 



2. The chaff-cusblon is likely best on top, but it's hardly 

 necessary to take out any frames to replace with cushion. 



3. It isn't likely there's much difference, some favoring 

 one direction and some another. 



4. Leave open full width. 



5. Transferring by putting the empty hive over isn't 

 much practiced, and you might not like the plan so well as to 

 drum out 21 days after swarming. If you have only small 

 holes for the bees to go up, the queen would be a long time 

 going up, and she might not go up at all, but they might be 

 drummed up, and if there was a frame of hrood above they 

 would stay there. In any case it would be a big help to put 



a frame of brood In the new hive. If the bottom of the old 

 hive is not nailed on, you can turn It upside down and set the 

 new hive over It. It will be at least as well if the entrance Is 

 only to the new hive. 



6. Yes, and It will be much better than to have a lot of 

 weaklings. But why not prevent all after-swarms in the way 

 already directed several times? Set the swarm on the place 

 of the old colony, putting the old colony close beside it, and a 

 week later move the old colony to a new location. That's 

 better than to have the trouble of hiving after-swarms and 

 then uniting them. 7. No. 



Pollen in Sections — Oilier Questions. 



1. How can bees be prevented from putting pollen in the 

 sections. If at all ? Will a greater number of frames in the 

 brood-chamber help to prevent this ? 



2. Will bees store honey enough In an 8-frame hive to 

 winter out-doors, with protection ? 



3. Can I use Hoffman frames in two Ideal supers, for ex- 

 tracted honey ? 



4. flow much more extracted than comb honey will a 

 colony produce, provided they have comb built for extracted 

 honey, and are allowed to cap it? Authorities differ. 



Illinois. 



Answers. — 1. I don't know. Sometimes bees put pollen 

 In sections when there seems to be no special reason for It. I 

 suspect they are more likely to do so if the sections are very 

 close to the brood-combs. Yes, it is quite possible that plenty 

 of room in the brood-chamber may make a difference. 



2. Sometimes, and sometimes not. It may happen that 

 the room is so largely taken up with brood when sections are 

 taken off that very little honey is in the brood-chamber, and if 

 DO late honey comes in the bees may starve. 



0. They would be quite too deep. 



4. I'm very much like the authorities— I differ too. And 

 seasons and conditions differ. In my locality I don't think 

 there is such a great difference, while in Nebraska some say 

 they can get three times as much extracted as comb, where 

 heart's-ease abounds. 



Wiiy Don't tiiej Swarm f— Opening Hives. 



1. I have a colony of bees that I put into a new hive. I 

 dipt the queen's wing and she went to work all right for a few 

 days, and she has young bees in the combs. Now I can hardly 

 keep her in the hive. What can I do? 



2. I have four other good colonies, and they have not 

 swarmed yet. What is the matter with them? 



3. How often can I look into the hives without doing any 

 damage to the bees ? Ind. Ter. 



Answers. — 1. You don't say whether the queen leaves 

 the hive alone or with the bees as a swarm. If she leaves It 

 alone, it's a crazy streak, and the only thing you can probably 

 do is to confine her with perforated zinc. If she leaves with a 

 swarm, then the case is to be treated as any case of swarming 

 bees. If the queen was regularly reared In the hive, accord- 

 ing to all rules she ought not to swarm this year. 



2. Thai's a good deal like saying, " My neighbor is sick ; 

 what's the matter with him ?" It is possible that they have 

 all the room needed for a brood-nest, and on that account have 

 no desire to swarm, for no matter how strong a colony may be, 

 it is not likely to swarm if all the right sort of room is present. 

 Again, it may be that forage is not plenty enough to warrant 

 swarming. 



8. Probably if you should open a hive for a short time 

 every day when warm enough, you might not notice any par- 

 ticular harm from it, yet every time a hive is opened it must 

 hinder somewhat. Better not disturb the bees unless there is 

 some fair reason for it. 



Bec-Space Above Frames and Sections. 



Is it necessary, to Insure the best results, to have a bee- 

 space above the frames and sections? Toronto. 



Answer. — The bees will do just as good work without the 

 bee-space, but if you try both ways you will probably decide 

 that you want the beespace for other reasons. If there is no 

 bee-space you are likely to kill a lot of bees every time you set 

 the sections over the frames, and with the bee-st,ace there is 

 not the same gluing. 



IW See "Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 415. 



