398 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



see that bees can pass through loaded the 

 same way the zinc is punched, better than 

 from the opposite way. Now, isn't this 

 the cause of complaint that bees do not work 

 as well through excluders as without? It 

 seems to me very certainly the reason. It 

 seems strange, too, that, as there have been 

 so many fine points brought out, that this 

 has never been thought of; and as there are 

 thousands of excluders made, regardless of 

 which side is up, it is of great account. Of 

 course, part happen to be right. 



I desired to call your attention to it, feel- 

 ing interested for all. I would bj'all means 

 put it smooth side toward the loaded bees, 

 whether whole sheets or in strips between 

 wood. 



I use excluders wholly for both comb and 

 extracted honey. I got 1000 lbs. in one 

 rainy and cold season (from 7 colonies, 

 spring count) . 



Hallowell, Me. E. P. Churchill. 



[We have for years made our Alley drone- 

 excluders and honey-boards so that the 

 smooth edge is presented to the in-coming 

 laden bees. It is barel}' possible that oc- 

 casionally a trap or a honey-board might 

 be sent out with the zinc put in the wrong 

 side to. — Ed.] 



STERILE OUEENS AND SUPERSEDXJ.^E. 



If an old queen gradually, in spring, say 

 May or early June, becomes sterile, what 

 is the natural procedure of the workers? 

 Will thev of their own accord start queen- 

 cells when they iind she is fast becoming 

 useless, or will they wait till it is too late? 

 If they choose the former method, what be- 

 comes of the old queen? 



Charles A. Crovvell, Jr. 



Winthrop, Mass., Mar. 24. 



[When queens begin to fail through age, 

 or from injury, the bees will usually start 

 the building of cells before they give out en- 

 tirelj'. Of course, it may sometimes happen 

 that, before such cell-building begins, the 

 old queen may die. In that event, so long 

 as there is larvas old enough, cells will 

 surely be raised. If they raise cells before 

 she fails, and a young queen is hatched 

 out, the two may be allowed to exist in the 

 hive side by side without interference. But 

 this is the exception. As soon as the 3'oung 

 queen appears on the scene the old one as a 

 rule steps down and out. Whether mortal 

 combat takes place, resulting in a victory 

 for the young and strong, or whether the 

 bees themselves take matters into their 

 hands, and kill the old queen, I can not sa}^ 

 Perhaps Doolittle, or some or our veterans, 

 could tell just what is done. — Ed.] 



queen to more vigorous egg-laying? Do 

 bees ever rear brood if no pollen is in the 

 hive? R. T. Wisterman. 



Gasport, N. Y. 



[Give j'our bees some combs of sealed 

 stores. We make it a rule, every fall, to 

 set aside a good supply of such combs. In 

 the spring, when it is too cold to do much 

 feeding, we insert one of these combs in the 

 brood-nest. — Ed.] 



feeding bees without stimulating. 

 My bees are rearing brood, and have con- 

 sumed nenrl y all of their honey. What and 

 how can I feed them so as not to excite the 



moke technical and scientific and 

 less elementary matter called 



FOR. 



I would rather miss any part rather than 

 thatcnlled " General Correspondence." and 

 wish there were more of R. C. Aikin, and 

 also more by that other Miller — Arthur C 

 whose ver}^ didactic way of speaking did not 

 prevent his remarks from being very sug- 

 gestive and interesting. The way of hav- 

 ing each article followed by an editorial 

 comment I particularly like. It sets one to 

 thinking in a very lively way to compare 

 the two points of view, and consider which 

 is nearer the truth. Geo. A. Bates. 



Highwood, N. J. 



young's method OF wiring frames ; A 

 correction; department of ques- 

 tions AND answers like A 



big convention. 



You get the wrong idea from the wiring- 

 board on p. 247. Mr. Thwing, on p. 236, 

 gives my idea, but in a little different wav; 

 that is, to nof get too much loose wire off 

 the spool at once. He begins in the middle 

 of the frame, and has to lose 2 in. of wi'-e 

 on each frame, making 83 ft. of loss on ."^00 

 frames. The tension is only to hold the 

 wire, and not to make it tight in the frame, 

 as you say. See my cut again. Put the 

 wire through 1-1, and then pull throug'h far 

 enough to go back through 2-2; then put it 

 through 2-2 Now the trouble is at hand. 

 Hold the end of the wire in the right hnnd, 

 and pull the wire through 1-1 with the left 

 hand, working both hands simultaneously 

 until you have enough wire through to 

 make 3 and 4, and some to spare; then you 

 have at no time no more loose wire than 

 does Mr. Thwing This board can also be 

 fitted up for putting in the foundation with- 

 out moving the frame. 



Mr. Editor, I like j^our department of 

 questions and answers. It makes me feel 

 as if I were at a great big convention, and 

 you were chairman. Let more write and 

 tell what we know, and let Mr. Root weed 

 it out, but, as Dr. Miller savs, "respect- 

 fully.' That is right, Mr. Editor. Hold 

 a tight rein on the doctor. When old horses 

 do run ofT they do more harm than the 

 young ones do, for they usually take the 

 whole family with the old horse. But do 

 not let Dr. Miller drive you through every 

 mud-hole. A. P. Young. 



Cave City, Ky. 



