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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 11, 



Then when a young queen emerges from her cell, the swarm 

 issues with the first young queen, the old queen being put out 

 of the way. Possibly your bees may have swarmed about the 

 date of your writing, for a young queen is usually ready to go 

 with a swarm eight or ten days after the issuing of a prime 

 swarm. Still, the bees sometimes give up swarming, especi- 

 ally if there is a failure in the yield of nectar. 



Size of Italian Bees— A Queen's Sting. 



1. It is an established fact that Italian bees are larger 

 than blacks. Do the Italians rear the young bees in larger 

 cells than the blacks ? If so, when an Italian queen is in- 

 troduced in a hive where all the combs have been built by the 

 black bees, will the bees that hatch out be stunted in size ? 

 And if so, will that defect be overcome after hatching ? 



2. I have heard that the queen has a sting shaped some- 

 what like a shoemaker's awl, but without the barbs of the 

 worker-bee's sting. Is this the fact ? Novice. 



AN.SWER. — 1. I don't know how well established it is that 

 Italians are larger, but I never heard of their being less for 

 being reared in combs made by blacks. A drone reared in a 

 worker-cell is much dwarfed in the process, and he doesn't 

 overcome it after hatching. I've seen workers of very small 

 size that had been reared in cells made small by being squeezed 

 together, and I don't think they ever got any larger. I've 

 seen workers hatch out of drone-cells, but they didn't seem to 

 be any larger than common. 



2. A queen's sting is curved instead of being straight like 

 a worker's. But it has barbs. The sheath is more heavily 

 barbed than the worker's, but the darts are nearly free from 

 barbs. 



Wintering on 8 Frames — Golden Italians. 



1. Can a full colony of bees (that is, one large enough to 

 gather a good surplus of honey the following year) be win- 

 tered in the 8-frame lower hive-story of the Langstroth frame 

 size ? 



2. What are "golden Italians ?" P. A. 

 Evans, Ky. 



Answers. — 1. Hundreds of colonies have been wintered 

 in 8-frame hives. Unless closely watched, however, there is 

 more danger that they may run short of stores than in hives 

 holding more frames. 



2. Bees with more than three yellow bands, especially 

 those with five bands, are often called "golden Italians." 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. J. P. II. BROWJ^t, jyUGUSTJl, GA. 



[Please send all questions relating to bee-keeping In the South direct 

 to Dr. Brown, and he will answer In this department.— Ed.] 



Supers on " Swarms. 



1. When a swarm issues, and about three frames of comb 

 and five empty ones are used, would you allow them to go into 

 the upper story, or confine them below ? 



2. Would you keep any colony in the lower story when 

 sections are used, or give free access? 



Hurrah for the " Southern Department !" It is just what 

 " we beginners need." J. J. W. 



An.swer. — 1 and 2. I would confine them to the lower 

 story for three or four days until they get fully settled down 

 to work, then I would give free access to the super. B''ill your 

 sections at least two-thirds full of foundation, and if they are 

 not over 1% inches wide, it will be very seldom that the queen 

 will go there to deposit eggs. 



Feeding Tor Winter— Direction of Fliglit of Ab- 

 sucondinK Sivarnis. 



1. When is the best time to begin to feed weak colonies 

 for winter — before the honey-Pow stops, or not till after? 



2. A man who keeps bees here asked me this question, 

 and I could not answer it : Why do bees, when they swarm 



and take a notion to leave, go west or southwest? If they 

 go east, or any other direction, they don't go far — not over 3i 

 mile. 1 have followed them for miles when they went west, 

 and couldn't find them. S. L. D. 



St. Leo, W. Va. 



Answers. — 1. It is best to get weak colonies strong in 

 bees and stores before winter; but if you cannot, then do the 

 feeding after the fall flow; and feed as fast as they can take 

 it up. 



2. I think when they wish to "change base," they pay 

 no attention to the "points of the compass," but to the acces- 

 sibility of the woods or forest without reference to north, 

 south, east or west. This has been my observation. 



Drones and 5-Banded Bees — Wiring Frames. 



1. When a queen-excluder is used, and brood-frames in 

 the upper story, would you cut out all of the drone-comb ? 



2. Is there any queen that rears bees that will show all 

 five bands, and no others? 



B. Should a drone-trap be used to catch all drones when 

 not swarming ? 



4. I wire my frames with the common six-strand clothes' 

 wire separated — is it good or not? J. J. W. 



Answers. — 1. I would cut it out. 



2. To answer this question in the a£6rmative is to exact 

 more of the poor queen than she can do. There may be some 

 rearers of 5-banded bees that would "cuss," otherwise. 



3. If you rear queens and desire them purely fertilized, 

 all objectionable drones should be caught ; but in a large apiary 

 some drones should always be preserved to fertilize queens in 

 case the bee-keeper has not surplus fertilized queens at com- 

 mand, for very often a queen may meet with some mishap, 

 and unless she can be replaced, the colony will be lost. 



4. Such wire is too thick. Number 28 to 30, Brown & 

 Sharp's guage, tinned wire is best. 



Liatc Drones — Bee-Forage — Transferring. 



1. I want to rear some queens next fall to introduce to 

 some of my black colonies. How can I rear drones so late, 

 say in September, after all the black drones are killed ? 



2. I have bought a farm. What is the best forage-plant 

 for me to sow for the bees to get honey from ? 



8. I had two swarms to issue the other day at about the 

 same time. Both tried to cluster together, and I covered one 

 up, and the other went back to the box-hive ; since then I 

 have found four queens dead in front of the hive. What made 

 them do that way ? Would you transfer it yet, or is it too 

 late? C. R. R. 



Harden Station, N. C, May 23. 



Answers. — 1. It is very difBcuItto get bees to rear drones 

 in the fall. Select a strong colony with an old queen, and 

 place three or four frames containing both drone and worker- 

 comb in the brood-nest, and then feed three or four ounces of 

 sugar syrup regularly every evening to stimulate the queen. 

 This should be done in July and August. The combs must be 

 carefully watched, and as soon as drone-eggs are laid, the 

 comb containing them must be removed to a queenless colony 

 for rearing and keeping, as it would not be safe to allow them 

 to remain with the old colony, for bees sometimes are liable to 

 change their notions. 



2. Try Alsike, melilot, white clover, etc. 



3. They concluded to give up swarming, and destroyed 

 all extra queens. It is not too late to transfer, if you do it 

 where robbers can't get at you, but you must see that they 

 have sufficient stores. 



The " Trial Trip " Offer of the Bee Journal to 

 those not subscribers — 10 weeks for 10 cents — will be with- 

 drawn July 15. This is positive. It is hoped that all who 

 have taken advantage of our liberal " short term " offer will 

 so appreciate the Bee Journal as to subscribe for a year at the 

 expiration of their lO weeks. Remember, the time for send- 

 ing in names on the 10-weeks-for-lO-cents ofiFer, expires July 

 15. I trust those who subscribe for a " trial trip" for their 

 friends, will be able to secure them as regular subscribers, and 

 thus earn some of the premiums offered in the Bee Journal for 

 such work. 



