102 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. U, 



as we did, some of the objections previously offered do not 

 have as much force as they once had, but there are times 

 when it is very necessary to be able to remove the frames with 

 the least amount of trouble. The Hoffman frames are very 

 apt to be the same as one frame about this time, as they are 

 sure to be all stuck together with propolis, or at least they 

 would be in this locality. St. Joseph, Mo. 



[To be continued.] 



Something About Deep Frames. 



BY J. A. GOLDEN. 



On page 817 (1894) I notice an article by Mr. Dadant, 

 on " Selection of Hives," which caused me to go back to when 

 I first commenced bee-keeping, and look up a feature he en- 

 deavors to bring out, and I am compelled to admit, from his 

 reasoning and my former experience with the frame then 

 used, that Mr. Dadant is undoubtedly correct, where he says, 

 "Frames should be of sufficient depth to give the queen a 

 good-sized circle on each ; also sufHcieut length, giving ample 

 room," etc,, is good reasoning, and will especially prove very 

 beneficial in the wintering problem. As, for example, when I 

 went into the bee-business I had never seen a bee text-book, 

 or a bee-paper, and, like many other men, I had my own 

 peculiar ideas as to hives. I purchased some nice lumber, and 

 having had some experience in usiug carpenter's tools, I built 

 a number of hives, each receiving 8 frames llxlS}.,' inches, 

 inside measure, and it wasn't long until I had rousing big col- 

 onies, and, in fact, I took as high as 120 pounds of comb 

 honey in sections from one hive. 



I got text-books, Alley's " Hand-Book," Root's " A B C of 

 Bee-Culture," then Gleanings, and other bee-papers, and I 

 soon found that my ideal frame wasn't a standard frame, and 

 the books intimated that if an apiary contained any other but 

 the standard frames, it would be a great barrier in selling bees. 



Thus, after some six years I was induced to slash out those 

 beautiful large combs and transfer them to the Hoffman 

 frame, Langstroth size, and then I began to have winter 

 losses, never having lost a single colony while using my former 

 larger and deeper frame. Of course, when full, they were more 

 difficult to handle than the standard size. 



After reading Mr. Dadant's solution of the hive problem, 

 I went to a room where I still have quite a pile of those 

 frames, and as soon as I began to examine, I said right out 

 aloud, " Dadant, you are correct ;" for here is the brood-circle 

 and some three inches of extended cells between the brood-nest 

 and top-bar, and widening towards each end, which contained 

 sufficient stores for the bees during the longest extended cold 

 spell ; and this is as it should be, as all know that bees do not 

 consume any great amount of honey until brood-rearing com- 

 mences, then the temperature is more intermissive, and the 

 bees can feed from any part of the hive. And now, as I look 

 back when examining the bees in the spring, I do not remem- 

 ber lifting a frame but what there was some honey remain- 

 .ing over the cluster, but I do not find it so with the shallow 

 frame, having had bees to starve v/hile the hives contained 20 

 and 30 pounds of honey of good quality, and in every case not 

 a cell of honey was found over the brood-nest proper, except- 

 ing the outside frames, which usually remain untouched until 

 brood-rearing is in an advanced stage in the spring. 



There is also another fact that I glean from Mr. Dadanfs 

 reasoning, and it is this: When using the deeper frame my 

 bees bred up strong sooner than they have since using the 

 standard frame. Then, I always procured surplus apple honey; 

 since, not any, and as I still have quite a number of those 

 hives, don't be surprised if you should hear a report from them 

 some time in the future. 



But here lies upon my desk the "Old Reliable" for 1895, 

 presenting to us a picture of Mr. Dadant and his son, and not 

 only so, but the Journal comes clothed in its new garb, having 

 been greatly enlarged, which, when bound in volumes, will be 

 much pleasanter to handle than the former size. 



Reinersville, Ohio, Jan. 8. 



Patronize Our A«lv«'rtisers.— I wish that readers of 

 the American Bee Journal would, whenever possible, patronize 

 those who advertise in its columns. Also remember, when writing 

 to an advertiser, to say you saw the advertisement in the Bee 

 Journal. This will greatly help us and those who patronize the 

 advertising columns of the Bee Journal. It is earnestly endeavored 

 to admit only responsible firms, as the publishers of the Bee Jour- 

 nal will not knowingly encourage frauds or swindlers. 



Vio Apiarist— no matter how few bees he may keep — 

 should consider that he has done his duty by his " pets " until he 

 has learned how to rear queens. — JJovlillk. 



CONDUCTED BY 



1>R. C. C. MILLER, MIAREXGO, ILL. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct.l 



Sour Honey in Hives. 



Not long ago a question was asked about a colony that 

 had sour honey in the hive, and I could give no satisfactory 

 reply. In Gleanings, S. A. Shuck, of Central Illinois, men- 

 tions it as a not uncommon thing, always being confined to a 

 very few colonies, which, he thinks, are not able to ripen their 

 honey properly ; but why they can not, remains unexplained. 



Easy Way of Transferring Bees. 



I have several colonies of bees in .Simplicity hives on loose 

 frames, with regular combs. I wish to transfer with as little 

 disturbance as possible. How will it do to move the old hive 

 with bees, and place the new hive on top, drum the bees up, 

 then place the new hive on the old stand with a queen- 

 excluder, and the old hive on top, and in 21 days remove the 

 old combs ? ' J. C. S. 



Answer. — I've done much the same thing, and ,it works 

 all right, only the qneen sometimes sulks for a number of days 

 before commencing to lay, so it will be a good plan if you can 

 put one comb of brood in the new hive, or even part of one. 



Deserting the Hives in Winter— Rearing Queens. 



1. We winter our bees on the summer stands, and when 

 winter began 1 had 12 colonies. All had from 25 to 50 

 pounds of honey stores, and all seemed to be all right up till 

 yesterday (Jan. 18). This is the first good flight the bees 

 have had in nearly two weeks, and it being such a warm, still 

 day they were out all over the place, when all of the bees in 

 two of the colonies came out and pulled for the woods— one in 

 the morning and the other in the evening. I brought them 

 back in a box, and examined the combs well, and couldn't find 

 anything the matter with them. No moths were found in the 

 hives, and they had plenty of honey and young brood, and 

 even eggs in the combs. They had fine looking queens, for I 

 had both queens in my hands and clipped their wings, then 

 put them back into the hives, and to-day they have come out 

 again. Please tell me what is the matter, as I have been 

 keeping bees 8 years and never had them come out with the 

 queen and leave plenty of honey and young brood in the 

 combs. 



2. If from any cause a colony should become queenless in 

 the winter, will they rear a queen, if the material is given 

 them to rear a queen with? Here where the weather is 

 so cold, they seldom get to fly more than once or twice a week. 



Pike, Tex. J. M. J. 



Answers. — 1. I give it up. You Texas people beat all 

 creation, and now you're going to start swarming in the 

 middle of winter. It sounds a little like the desertion of hives 

 that sometimes occurs in spring with plenty of brood and 

 honey in the hive. I have suspected that in such cases there 

 was more brood than the bees could cover, and that upset 

 them, but 1 don't know whether this is of the same character. 

 Can any one help us out ? 



2, They might rear a queen, but if no drones were flying 

 the queen would be no good. At any rate, bees are not likely 

 to rear good queens out of season. 



Transferring Bees— Feeding Flour for Pollen. 



1. Is it advisable to transfer bees early in the spring, from 

 their hive into another one containing only foundation, and 

 feed them on honey and wheat or rye flour ? 



2. Is flour a perfect substitute for pollen ? 



3. How would you manage to feed them on flour; that is, 

 get them to take up the flour and give it to the brood ? 



Amana, Iowa. A. F. K. 



Answers.— 1. Decidedly not. Early in the spring they 

 need to husband all their strength without having any extra 

 draft made \ipon it, such as drawing out foundation. Old 



