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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Octoler 27, 



matter of prejudice, but there may be nothing unfair in my 

 saying that 200 years from now It is quite possible people will 

 consider " massed " just as strange spelling for " mast " as the 

 spelling of 200 years ago now looks to you. If you are right 

 in saying, " Doubtless reform In some words is necessary," 

 I'd like to know what needs reforming more than using " ed " 

 for the sound of " t." 



Mr. Onderdonk writes further: " Now I trust you will 

 excuse me, but I am going to criticise another thing I never 

 tried, that is, the T super. You say regarding the tall sec- 

 tions and peep-holes In the lower corners, you don't find but 

 they are just the same as the i;^. If, as I fancy, you used 

 the T super, this must be expected ; because the T makes each 

 section entirely Isolated. To get the bottoms finlsht clear 

 across, communication from end to end of the section-holder 

 must, be complete." To which I may reply that the tall sec- 

 tions to which I referred were in Danzenbaker supers, fence 

 and all, and the square sections in T supers. 



C. C. Miller. 



Properly Cleaned Scction«« of Honey. 



How is It that honey you see In store windows is so clean, 

 and the sections look as if they never had any bee-glue on 

 them ? How do bee-keepers get them this way ? I use the 

 Root hive and the sections fit as tight as they could without 

 breaking when putting them In the frames. Maryland. 



Answer. — The answer is easy. Every section that is not 

 perfectly clean when taken from the bees Is thoroughly 

 cleaned by scraping with a knife, or cleaned by one of the 

 section-cleaners about which so much has been said within 

 the last year or so. In some regions the bees gather more 

 propolis than in others. There is also a great difference in 

 the time of the season. Early in the season and while honey 

 is coming in with a rush, sections may be taken off so clean 

 that they need scarcely any scraping. If left on till late in 

 the season they will be badly daubed with glue, and elbow- 

 grease must not be spared If the best price is to be obtained. 



MoTing Bees a Short Di§tance. 



c I am a young bee-keeper, having about 20 colonies. I 

 wish to move them about 20 rods. When Is the best time ? 



New York. 

 Answer. — You will be pretty safe to move them after 

 they have not flown for a month or so. The only trouble is 

 that they may not have a flight again for a few weeks after 

 being moved, and the disturbance of moving will be bad for 

 them. If you are prophet enough to know when they are 

 going to fly, and then move them the evening before the day 

 of their flight, you will hit it just right. Possibly you can 

 move them so carefully and quietly as not to stir them up 

 enough to do any harm. 



Transrerring, Bee-Paralysis, Etc. 



1. I have a colony of bees In an old hive that I want to 

 transfer into a chaff hive In about three weeks, when all the 

 brood is hatcht. Could I transfer them safely if I give them 

 five frames of honey, and, besides, feed them 1 



2. What is the right way to put chaff over the brood- 

 frames 7 Could I put the board over the brood-frames first, 

 then chaff in a bag on the top ? 



3. One of my colonies has so many shiny, black, hairless 

 bees. I can take them in my hands and handle them roughly, 

 and they don't sting. What are they ? Robbers ? And how 

 Is best to get rid of them ? 



4. Two weeks ago I bought an Italian queen from Texas ; 

 I introduced her and it took four days from the time I intro- 

 duced her before she started to lay. Was she not mated be- 

 cause she did not start to lay sooner ? 



5. How can you tell a mated queen from a virgin queen ? 



New Jersey. 

 Answers. — 1. With five Langstroth frames filled full of 

 honey there ought to be no trouble about the bees wintering 

 without any additional feeding. 



2. It doesn't matter much how the chaff Is put In, so it is 

 not allowed to sift down between the combs among the bees. 

 Your plan Is all right, only the board between the frames and 

 the cushion of chaff should be thin, better not more than ?8 of 

 an Inch. 



3. The probability Is that the colony has bee-paralysis. 

 In the North It is not likely to become very serious, altho in 

 the South it leads to very heavy losses. Many cures have been 



given, but none that seem to be always successful. One of the 

 latest has been reported in every case successful where tried, 

 but It is possible that the next time it is tried It may prove a 

 failure. It is, however, very easily tried. The plan is simple. 

 Let the diseased colony exchange places with a healthy one, 

 putting the sick one In plane of the well one, and the well one 

 In place of the sick one. It isn't a hard matter to try it. But 

 the probability is that if you don't do a single thing the dis- 

 ease will disappear of itself. That is generally the case In 

 the North. 



4. It Is not an unusual thing for a queen to be some time 

 starting to lay after she has been stopt for a few days. In- 

 deed, it would be a rather strange thing If she had started in 

 to lay at once ; for It was a long journey from Texas to New 

 Jersey, and at this time of year queens are less inclined to lay 

 than earlier. 



5. You can only tell after they begin to lay, altho If you 

 are experienced you can tell something by their looks. After 

 the queen lays and her brood Is sealed, if the sealing is flat, as 

 the sealing of worker-brood always is, you may count that the 

 queen has mated. On the other hand, if her brood that is in 

 worker-cells has round cappings, something like little bullets, 

 she Is not fertilized and Is worthless. Take off her head at 

 once. 



Thinks His Bees Have Paralysis. 



Some weeks ago I wrote to you about two colonies of bees 

 that I thought something was wrong with. From your reply 

 I am certain they had bee-paralysis. One seems to have re- 

 covered, and the other is about the same. I have tried the 

 salt cure, on this one, but can see no benefit from It. They 

 are still driving out sleek, shiny, half-starved looking bees. 

 There is a peculiar trembling motion among all the bees at 

 the entrance, not seen about the other hives. At the same 

 time the bees seem to be in good condition, plenty of stores for 

 winter, and at present are working with a vim on Iron weed ; 

 not a colony In the yard Is working any better; hundreds of 

 acres of iron weed in full bloom on all sides, and If the weather 

 will keep warm I am in hopes of getting a fine surplus. Is 

 there any danger of this disease spreading ? Would it be best 

 to destroy the colony and take no chances ? Virginia. 



Answer. — I'm not sure that there's anything contagious 

 about the disease. As you probably know, it is much worse 

 In the far South. In my own case, in Northern Illinois, it has 

 made its appearance at different times for a number of years. 

 Without any attention being paid to it, it disappeared each 

 time of Its own accord. If I had tried any of the various rem- 

 edies, I might have given credit to them, and I think It very 

 likely that many who have attributed its disappearance to this 

 or that remedy would have had equal success If they had al- 

 lowed the disease to run its own course. I never destroyed 

 but one colony on account of it. That colony was so bad that 

 there was no profit in keeping it, altho it is possible that If I 

 had tried it another year It might have done better. I don't 

 remember that I've had a single case this year. So you see 

 that in my case there's no cause for alarm, but at the same 

 time it may be well to keep in mind that in some places it is a 

 terrible scourge. If your colony Is doing well, It may be as 

 well to let It alone. 



Oolden Method of Producing Honey — Using Two 

 S-fraine Hive Bodies. 



1. Where can the " Golden method " of producing honey 

 be obtained ? When and where was it publisht? 



2. Which text-book on apiculture. If any, contains ex- 

 planations as to using two 8-frame hive-bodies to accommo- 

 date the queen ? I am at a loss to know if the second brood- 

 chamber Is to go on top or below, and if excludlng-zinc is used ? 



Ohio. 



Answers. — 1. See American Bee Journal for July 30, 

 1896, page 481; also page 884, of same volume. [We are 

 unable to supply the copies of this paper containing the pages 

 named, but will try lo republish the method before another 

 season Is here.- — Editor.1 



2. I doubt your finding It In any of the text-books. Prob- 

 ably all do not follow exactly the same plans, but I can tell 

 what is my own practice, premising that I cellar my bees and 

 work for comb honey. Before the queen becomes crowded in 

 the one story, I put the second story under. If more conven- 

 ient to do so, I may give the second story much earlier than it 

 seems to be really needed, and believe it to be rather advan- 

 tageous to do so, as the bees will keep the extra combs in 

 better condition than they will be kept In If left away from 



