252 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



W&ihnX mxd glaiu; 



ANSWERS Br 



James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich. 



Potatoes as Bee Food. 



We have found out, last winter and 

 this spring, that sweet potatoes baked 

 in tlie stove and well peeled, answer 

 very well for Ijee feed. They will 

 suck and eat a common sized potato 

 in little or no time. Perhaps this is 

 an old discovery ; but as we have 

 heard no comments about it yet, we 

 bring the subject out as new to us. 



Marksville, La. J. E. Didier. 



ANf'WER.— I have many times heard 

 that bees would use nitrogenous food 

 in the way of bread, potatoes, etc. I 

 have never had any occasion to ex- 

 periment in that line ; but should 

 think that baked sweet potato might 

 be used by bees as a substitute for 

 pollen. 



Bee-Moth . 



Will Mr. Heddon please say whether 

 there is any danger of moth injuring 

 frames of comb foundation packed in 

 a honey-house '? Hallett & .Son. 



Galena, 111. 



Answer.— Though I have handled 

 foundation quite extensively from its 

 first advent, I have never yet seen the 

 larvae of the bee-moth any where 

 about it. 



4. I do not. Not that I am sure 

 that it injures her, or her progeny; 

 but with my system of securing 

 swarms, I find less labor and trouble 

 when the queen's wing is not clipped. 



•5. After the disease has developed 

 to a certain point, an unloading of the 

 intestines is followed by immediate 

 death. 



6. I could not say without witness- 

 ing the phenomenon. 



7. As you will see by the answers 

 above, we depend mainly on the bees 

 to take care of the queens, which 

 they are sure to do in almost all cases. 



The Value of Q,ueens. 



Will Mr. Heddon please answer the 

 following : 



1. How long are queens prolific ; and 

 how long should they be Kept V 



2. Win a colony kill off its aged 

 queen and supply itself with another ; 

 or must we kill her V What time of 

 the year is the best for supplying 

 queens V 



3. Of what value, if any, are the 

 drones after the queen is mated ? 



4. 1)0 you believe in clipping the 

 queen's wings ? 



5. After having diarrhoea, if bees fly 

 freely again, are they not all right '? 



6. I noticed my bees flying out of the 

 entrance, directly into the grass in 

 front of the hive. What caused such 

 actions '{ 



7. Will you give some instructions, 

 through the Bek; Journal, on the 

 care of queens '? Subscriber. 



Answers.— 1. Queens naturally 

 reared, or properly artificially reared, 

 are usually proliHc,and worthy for 3 or 

 4 years ; and will at once be super- 

 seded by the bees when they become 

 unprofitable, as thev will fail all at 

 once. 



2. I believe that where other man- 

 agement is right, it is best to leave 

 the superseding of the queen to the 

 bees. If you attend to it, the proper 

 time is when you find the old queen is 

 worthless, and the bees fail to super- 

 sede lier. 



3. The old theory is— no value; but I 

 am not sure that that theory is correct. 



Eemoving Bees from Cellars. 



1. Is it advisable to remove bees 

 from cellars, for a cleansing flight, 

 while they seem to be doing well ? 



2. If so, is it important to place 

 them on summer stands, exactly as 

 they were during the previous season? 



Answers.— 1. No ; I think not. 

 2. Not if they have been in the cel- 

 lar any considerable length of time. 



Bee Pasturage. 



How many bees will a piece of land 

 support, where the bees are north of 

 a lake, with elm, cotton, ash, willow, 

 locust, and lots of vines in plenty V 

 There are about 10,000 acres in a half- 

 circle of four miles. Would you ad- 

 vise keeping the bees all in one yard ? 



Bee Dale, La. Wm. J. Dawson. 



Answer.— I am so little acquainted 

 with Southern honey resources that I 

 would hardly venture a reply. I 

 could not say, in regard to keeping all 

 your bees in one apiary, as .you no- 

 where state how many colonies you 

 have. 



Age of Queens, etc. 



Will Mr. Heddon please answer the 

 following : 



1. Can a person keep pure Italian 

 stock in a field where otner races of 

 bees are kept '? 



2. How old is the queen which issues 

 with the swarm 'i 



3. Do you use drone-traps to exclude 

 the drones ; or is it just as easy for the 

 bees to kill them off when they see 

 fit ■? S. r. Daily. 



Mt. Hope, Kans. 



Answers. — 1. You cannot have all 

 your queens purely mated in a field 

 where the drones from other races are 

 in the air in considerable numbers. 



2. The queen that issues with the 

 first, or prime swarm, is, as a rule, 

 one or more years old. With all after- 

 swarms, the queen is from a few 

 hours to a few days old. 



3. I am yet rather of the opinion 

 that there is something impracticable 

 in trying to exclude, retain or separ- 

 ate the different genders of bees, in a 

 hive, by using different sized openings. 



Japan Plum Tree. 



Having one of those trees in my 

 yard, near my bees, I had occasion to 

 watch the actions of my bees on it. 



The tree was itself a "swarm of bees.'' 

 As it blooms in December, it seems to 

 me it ought to be the best thing out, 

 as a life preserver for bees in winter. 

 The sweet scent of the bloom is that 

 of honey itself, and it blooms at such 

 a propitious time of the year. Would 

 it not be well to plant some of these 

 trees about the apiary 'i 



Jules E. Didier. 

 Marksville, La. 



Answer. — I .should think so ; 

 though I am not at all posted in re- 

 gard to Southern honey flora. 



Honey and Beeswax Market. 



Office of The anekican Bee Journal, ! 

 Monday, lu a. m., April 14, 1884. ! 



The following are the latest quota- 

 tions for honey and beeswax received 

 up to this hour : 



CINCINNATI. 

 HONEY— There is no life in the market. Ex- 

 tracted honey sells in its resular way and to its 

 wonted channels, wltiiout any speculative feeling 

 about it, and brines 7(<&l'ic on arrival. Comb honey 

 sells slow at 15W16C a lb. from store for choice. 



beeswax-Is in good demand; choice yellow 

 brings 35c a lb. on arrival. 



Chas. F. Muth. 



NEW YORK. 

 HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2 

 lb. sections, 17@18c. Dark and second quality, 

 15c.: extracted white clover in kegs and bar- 

 rels, 9®inc. 

 BEESWAX— Prime yellow, 34(935c. 



H.K. &F.B THORBER Jt Co. 



CHICAGO. 



HONEY— Of late receipts of comb noney has 

 been scattered amongst many tirms, and as all are 

 desirous of realizing on their receipts at as early 

 a day as possible, prices have been irregular and 

 low. some lots being offered trom 5c to 7c per lb., 

 less than 30 days ago. I quote white comb l3@16c: 

 fancy 18c. Extracted honey— demand light, 7@9c. 



BEESWAX-30@37c. 



R. A. Burnett. 161 South Water 8t. 



KANSAS CITY. 

 HONEY— Demand for choice white comb 1 and2 

 lb. sections continues pood at 16@17c. Dark and 

 irregular comb not wanted. Extracted in fair de- 

 mand at R(§itc. 

 BEESWAX— None in this market. 



Jerome twichell. 514 Walnut Street. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 



HONEY— We again advise our shippers not to 

 put their extracted honey in old or second-hand 

 tins and cases. The wood of old oil cases is satur- 

 ated with oil, the nails will not hold, and the cases 

 often arrive in a broken and dilapidated condition. 

 They smell of coal oil, look rouah, and are not as 

 salable as good, clean, new packages. 



Have a partition in your cases between the cans, 

 thus making them strong enough to ship to Europe. 

 Comb honey in Harbison sections and frames is 

 the most salable on this market, and it is our ex- 

 perience of 18 years, if you want the top price for 

 comb honey, put in your cases only the wnite and 

 that which is straight, and will come out clean with 

 the sections. You will do better to extract the un- 

 even and crooked combs. 



White to extra white comb, 15® 18c; dark to good, 

 10@13c; extracted, choice to extra white, 7@8c; 

 dark and candied, 5@— 



BEESWAX— Wholesale, 27^®:Mc. 



Stkarns & SMITH. 423 Front Street. 



ST. LOCI8. 

 HONEY — Steady; demand and supply both 

 small. Comb, 12@16c per lb., and strained and ex- 

 tracted e(?6Hc. 

 BEESWAX— Firm at 32@32Xc. for choice. 



W. T. ANDERSON & Co.. 104 N. 3d Street. 



CLBVELAND. 

 HONEY— The honey market is unchanged with 

 us. There is a continued steady demand for choice 

 white 1 lb. sections at 18c; 2 lbs. move more slowly 

 at lt>'^l7c: but for second quality there seems to 

 be no demand. Our supplies of I lb. are kept well 

 down. Extracted does not sell at all at any price. 

 BEESWAX— Wanted at 3.')C. 



A. C. Kendel. 1 15 Ontario Street. 



BOSTON. 



HONEY.- Demand light. 1 lb. sections comb 

 honey, I8@2nc. ; 2 lb. 16@18c. Extracted, 9@Uo. 

 BKBSWAX-35C. 



Blake & Riplet, 57 Chatham Street. 



