1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



457 



-A. D. Wood- 



mum of efficiency at the minimum of expense.' 

 ley, in British Bee .Tournal. 



Mr. Woodley brings out a number of good points in this 

 brief quotation. One of them is that honey-production in the 

 future must be carried on at a less profit than in the past. 

 This is not only true of this special branch of agriculture, but 

 it is true of everything produced on the farm. So the impor- 

 tant lesson for us all to learn is how to get the maximum 

 results out of the minimum of labor. 



That is a good suggestion of his, too, to not be always 

 fussing with the bees; and surely the best thing the average 

 bee-keeper can do is to leave the " experimenting with the 

 new fads and theories " alone. Here is one of the blunders 

 that many beginners make: Just as soon as they own a col- 

 ony of bees they get a notion that they must test all the " new 

 fads" and "traps" of which they have had the misfortune to 

 learn. In a very short time they gather about them a lot of 

 tools, the use of which, if they have any use, they know but 

 little. The result is, that in a few years they quit the bee- 

 business in disgust, with a good-sized museum on their hands, 

 which could be bought at about ten cents on the dollar. 



There is a fair profit in bee-keeping, taken one year with 

 another, but the fellow who starts in with the idea that 

 " there are millions In it" is very apt to find out when it is too 

 late that he has set his eggs under the wrong hen. 



CONDnCTED BY 



UR. C. C. MJLLER. lilAJiETSTGO, ILl^. 



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



Peppermint as a Honey-Plant. 



Is peppermint a good honey-plant? Will bees go three 

 miles to gather honey from it ? There has been 50 acres of 

 peppermint set out this spring, just three miles from my bees '? 



W. C. 



Answer. — That's an interesting question, and I hope 

 you'll investigate and tell us all about it after the field comes 

 in bloom. In the meantime, I should say that you might ex- 

 pect peppermint to yield well, and your bees to work on it at 

 that distance unless they could find something nearer home. 



Is It Foul Brood ? 



I have several colonies that have what I fear is foul brood. 

 The brood is sealed very scattering, and the unsealed larva; 

 takes on a brownish color and dies ; then gets real brown and 

 looks like corruption, and then dries up. The sealed brood 

 has no holes in the capping?. I had one colony affected last 

 year, and this year I have 6 or more. My apiary consists of 

 110 colonies. J. F. L. 



Answer. — I would not like to say positively, but I should 

 fear the worst. Consult thoroughly back numbers of the Bee 

 Journal, and Dr. Howard's book on " Foul Brood." 



Italian Drones — Gathering Honey, Etc. 



1. Does a pure Italian queen produce yellow drones, or 

 are they dark, the color of a hybrid bee? I have bought some 

 queens which were said to be pure, but their drones are dark. 



2. Does the worker-bee, when it is gathering honey, 

 gather nectar from two or three different kinds of flowers be- 

 fore it returns to the hive ? 



3. Do bees, in gathering honey from different flowers, 

 store it all together, or do they keep it separate ? 



4. I notice my bees, when I look at them, and give them 

 a little smoke, they gorge themselves with honey. Do they 

 put that back into the cells ? 



5. In transferring bees from box-hives to frame hives, 

 ought the combs to hang the same end down as they did in 

 the old hive ? S. L. D. 



Answers. — 1. Very likely you are looking for more yellow 

 on an Italian drone than you will ever see. They are not yel- 

 low all over, and don't have distinct bands like the workers, 

 but are more inclined to a mottled appearance. 



2. As a rule it works on only one kind, but when forage 



is scarce I have seen a bee go back and forth from one kind of 

 flower to another. I think I have seen it stated that in such 

 case they gather only nectar and no pollen. 



3. If bees work on a dozen different kinds of flowers on 

 the same day, you may find all the kinds of honey in one cell, 

 but in actual practice you will find only one kind of honey in 

 the same cell, for bees are likely to work on clover alone, or 

 else on linden or some other of the chief sources. But the 

 kinds of flowers that yield a small amount will probably have 

 their honey mixed. 



4. I don't know from actual observation, but at a guess I 

 should say that most of it generally goes back, but they take 

 a slight commission to pay them for the fright. 



t). Probably better so, but not absolutely necessary. 



Flavor of Poplar Honey. 



Is poplar honey bitter ? Grace W. 



Answer. — I think poplar honey is the same as whitewood 

 or tulip-tree, and is quite dark in color, but I never heard of 

 its being bittar. Perhaps some of our Southern friends can 

 tell us more about it. 



Bees Leaving the Hive After Transferring. 



This summer I have been transferring quite a number of 

 colonies, and I have had some trouble in them leaving the 

 hive. Do you know the cause ? G. E. L. 



Answer. — I can only make a rough guess without more 

 particulars. You don't say whether the bees leave in a body 

 or gradually, nor when they leave. If they leave in a body 

 just after being transferred, I should say things might be too 

 dauby and close for them. The excitement caused by so much 

 broken honey in a hive with only a small entrance for venti- 

 lation might be enough to drive them out, but I should rather 

 expect them to return. If the hive, after transferring, is set 

 on a new stand, then I should expect the field-bees to leave 

 for a day or two and join some colony near the old stand. 



Is It a Case of Foul Brood? 



How can I tell if I have a case of foul brood or not ? I 

 have just examined a colony that about three weeks ago was 

 as strong as any I have, but now they are pretty weak. I find 

 that there is a great deal of dead brood, but there is no ropi- 

 ness to it, that I can see ; it has no smell that I can detect, 

 and has no pin-holes in the sealed brood. The color is not 

 brown, but of a white nature, and decayed-like; and when I 

 pull out any, there is a watery fluid that separates from the 

 mass. Please let me know, as if there is any chance of foul 

 brood I want to burn it. I don't want to experiment. 



J. M. 



Answer. — Your question shows that you are familiar 

 with the symptoms of foul brood, and I doubt if I know any- 

 thing more about it than you do. I don't believe there's any 

 foul brood in the case, but in a question of so grave impor- 

 tance I should rather have the opinion of some one practically 

 familiar with the disease. What does Mr. McEvoy think of it ? 



A Question on Management. 



I bought three colonies in 8-frame shallow hives, that is, 

 the frames are only 5 '4 inches deep, the same length as the 

 Langstroth. Now, as I wanted increase instead of honey this 

 year, I divided and made eight, and I think I had good luck, 

 as they seem to be doing finely. In place of a super I have 

 given them a hive the same size of the Langstroth, and put 

 starters 2^4 inches wide in the frames, and they are com- 

 mencing to work in them some. Now if they should finish the 

 combs in the large hives, can 1 put the large hives on the bot- 

 tom, and the shallow hives on top, with a queen-excluder be- 

 tween them, by and by, and so get the brood in the larger 

 hives, as I think the small hives too shallow, and wish to trans- 

 fer to the larger hives? Will the eight frames give room 

 enough for good colonies ; or should I have two hives and 16 

 frames for winter ? 



My bees are a cross between the Carniolans and blacks, 

 but I think they are very gentle, as I handle them without 

 any veil, and usually with my sleeves rolled up. I usually 

 have a smoker with me, but do not use it much, unless it is to 

 drive the bees from the end of the frame where I want to take 



