646 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Oct. 12, 1899. 



fall. It has somewhat peculiar roots of a knotty character, 

 resembling — well the following- will explain itself : 



One day Mr. Davenport happened to see some travelers 

 stopping near his sweet clover field, and a man digging at 

 some of the bunches. On turning around he said, " They 

 are very deep." 



Mr. Davenport was surprised, and so he askt, "What?" 



"Why those goober-peas," %vas the reply. 



So it will be seen that, as that man was from Georgia 

 where he knew all about 'em, sweet clover roots resembled 

 his peas. 



This being the last subject on the program the conven- 

 tion adjourned to meet next year at Hutto, Williamson 

 county. 



The apiarian exhibit in connection with the meeting 

 comprised some very useful implements, and fine samples 

 of honey and wax. 



The list showed 3,524 colonies represented by the mem- 

 bers present. Louis ScHOLL, Sec.-Treas. 



CONDUCTED BY 



JOK. C. O. Mlhl^liK. Afareiigo, III. 



(The Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, wheu he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail. — Editor.] 



Carrying Out Dead Bees. 



What ails my bees ? About a month ago I noticed bees 

 carrying out what lookt like white wings. Now early in 

 the morning I notice, from six hives, the bees carrying out 

 white dead bees, and even some small live ones with a sort 

 of white film about the body. Ohio. 



Answer. — It may be that all the j'oung bees carried 

 out are those that have been damaged by worms, and it 

 may be that part of them are young drones in the larval 

 state that the bees are carrying out because the honey-flow 

 has ceast. There is nothing alarming in either case, and 

 the thing to do in order to avoid trouble with worms in the 

 future is to keep your bees strong and of Italian blood. 



Perhaps Only the Poor Season. 



I have three colonies this season. I had four last sea- 

 son, but lost all but one, and I moved it home about '2 mile. 

 It was in a cracker-box. Last fall I took the top box off and 

 got 75 pounds of honey ; in place of the box I put on top one- 

 half of a painted hive I made, and this spring they went 

 into it and made four combs nearly the full length, and 

 workt till the first swarm issued. They then left the top 

 and did nothing since, and the other two swarms seemed to 

 fill the bottom of the hive with comb, but don't work in the 

 top. I uncovered the cracker-box to-day, and I find no 

 honey in the cells nor capt. They seem to be starving and 

 working. 



Now what is the matter with them ? There is a bad 

 odor. In July I noticed many young bees carried out of the 

 hive not fully formed. I sometimes think they have foul 

 brood. Is there nothing that will kill the disease except re- 

 moving into new hives ? I thought probably they left the 

 top because I lookt at them once or twice a week. I dislike 

 moving them so late. I have lookt the journals over, and 

 read all articles on foul brood. Iow.\. 



Answer. — Very likely there is nothing at all the mat- 

 ter except that the season has been poor and the bees have 

 not gathered enough to fill up with. In the first place, the 

 original colony began working all right in the upper story. 

 Then the two swarms depleted it so much that there were 

 not bees enough to store above, and the work there was 

 stopt. The two swarms have probably been working away 

 the best they could, but the season has been probably poor, 

 as it has also been in most localities, and it is asking too 

 much in a poor season to make three good colonies out of 



one. It may be necessary for you to feed in order that there 

 may be enough stores for winter. 



The white brood carried out was not from foul brood. 

 Bees don't carry out brood affected with foul brood, but let 

 it decay in the cell. A bad smell does not necessarily come 

 from foul brood, for sometimes a very disagreeable smell 

 will be in a hive for a short time that seems to come from 

 the stores gathered. While there is a possibility that there 

 may be foul brood, there is nothing in the statement you 

 make that may not easily be accounted for without the 

 presence of any disease. 



Late Transferring and Uniting. 



1. I have kept bees only the past six months, but if I 

 have no honey to show, I have gained in experience, as I 

 have transferred several box-hive colonies and introduced a 

 queen successfully. One of my neighbors intends to brirn- 

 stone a number of this seasoti's first swarms for the honey, 

 but will give me the bees if I take the honey away. Is it 

 too late to build up a good colony from them by feeding ? 



2. Would you give them an Italian queen, or wait until 

 spring ? 



3. Could I put the two or three colonies together ? They 

 will have to be carried two miles, and perhaps the shaking 

 lip would keep them from quarreling. 



4. How late in the fall could I build up a colony ? 



Connecticut. 

 Answers. — 1. If the weather is favorable there is prob- 

 ably time yet to accomplish your purpose. 



2. It would be better if the united colony could start in 

 at the very beginning next spring with an Italian queen, 

 but there are difficulties in the way. The bees not being on 

 combs yet, it will be hard for j-ou to look over them to find 

 the black queen or queens, and after combs are built it will 

 be pretty late. 



3. Unless the colonies are 7'ery strong, you will succeed 

 better to unite two or three in one, and you are right in 

 thinking the shaking up of the journey would help to pre- 

 vent quarreling. Being deprived of all combs will also 

 prevent quarreling. 



4. That depends upon the character of the season. You 

 may do the work any time in the fall if there is still left 

 two or three weeks of weather warm enough for bees to flj'. 

 Of course, the earlier the better, and the bees should have 

 full sheets of foundation. 



Arrangement for Wintering Bees. 



1. What do yoti think of my plan for out-door winter- 

 ing ? I have 35 colonies. Mj- plan is to take good No. 2 

 tongue-and-grooved siding or flooring 16 feet long, and as I 

 keep my bees about 3 inches from the ground, I would shift 

 them a little day by day until I got them in rows of 10 in a 

 row, then take the lumber that I just named — take some 

 1x2 inch strips and make the back 30 inches high, the roof 

 30 inches wide, so that I can take the back and top and front 

 down in separate divisions ; smooth the earth off a little, 

 and let the hives rest on the earth about 2 inches apart, and 

 leave a space of abotit 4 inches behind the hives and the 

 back of the shed or box that I put the bees in, and stuff it 

 in tight behind and between the hives with dry oats-straw. 

 Then make a front to the little shed all in one piece, so I 

 can let it down or leave it up, just to suit the weather, but 

 will not put any straw in front of the hives at all, have 

 them face the South, and as the hives sit on little inch thick 

 strips, it leaves the space of 3 inches under the hives to be 

 packt with straw. By using a lath about two feet long the 

 straw can be packt around the hives very solidly and neatly. 



It will cost me about S15.00 to fix them that way. The 

 lumber can be taken down in sections, and put away when 

 not in use. They will last a long time that way, and be a 

 short job to ptit them up or down. 



2. If made that way would the bees get mixt up if they 

 were moved a little at a time the way I spoke of ? You see, 

 I would shut the front of the shed when it is real cold, and 

 sometimes in the middle of the day, when it warms up a 

 little, and the snow is real dry, I would close it and the 

 bees would not fly to get stuck and die in the snow. It 

 would be almost the same as a chaft' hive, and lots cheaper. 



3. Do you think if fixt that way they would breed in 

 the wrong season on account of the sun shining on the 

 fronts of the hives ? I would leave the front of the shed or 



