458 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 18, 



hold of them. I haven't been stung a dozen times this sum- 

 mer. H. A. S. 



Answer.— With 2;4-inch starters and room for the queen 

 to do considerable laying in the shallow frames. I'm afraid 

 the bees will build a good share of drone-comb in the deep 

 frames above. Especially is this the case while they have it 

 above, and are treating the upper story somewhat as a super 

 for surplus. If you want the bees to occupy the deep hive as 

 their winter quarters, the sooner you get the brood-nest settled 

 in it the better. I think I would right away put the deep 

 hive below, put the queen in it, and an excluder over it, and 

 then the shallow hive on top. That will make the bees 

 more likely to fill out with worker-comb, although I like to 

 have the frames filled with worker foundation best. 



The one-story 8-frame hive will be enough to winter in, 

 only you must look out or they will get scarce of stores. If 

 they winter out-doors, they may be all the better for two 

 stories, or even in the cellar, if you don't mind the trouble of 

 getting the two stories in and out. Or perhaps it may be a 

 good plan, just as soon as they have the combs about filled 

 out in the deep story, to put the shallow story under again, 

 leaving them without an excluder to occupy either story or 

 both at their pleasure. That will allow them more room to 

 store away a supply from the fall yield. 



Uniting Colonies of Bees. 



I found two small colonies of bees, and would like to know 

 how to unite them. Should I destroy one of the queens ? 



E. S. 



Answer. — Go when they are busy working in the fields, 

 put the frames of brood with adhering bees together, alternat- 

 ing them, first a frame from one hive then from the other. 

 The bees will take care of the e.\tra queen to suit themselves, 

 unless you have a preference, and kill the poorer queen. 

 Another way is to set one hive over the other — the upper hive 

 must be without bottom — and put a piece of heavy paper be- 

 tween, with a hole in the paper just large enough for a single 

 bee to go through. Let each hive have its own entrance. If 

 one of the hives is some distance from where the united colony 

 is placed, you may count on some of its bees going back to the 

 old stand, and probably uniting with the nearest colony. 



Getting Rid of a Laying Worker. 



Please tell how to find a laying worker, and if there is 

 any other way to supersede a laying worker than to find and 

 destroy It. Beginner. 



Answer. — I don't know how. I never saw but one laying 

 worker that I know of, although I suppose I've had hundreds 

 of them. It seems pretty well established now that there may 

 be not only one, but a large number of laying workers in a 

 colony. You cau't tell a laying worker from any other by her 

 looks. In perhaps most cases it doesn't pay to fuss with a 

 colony having laying workers, for it is weak and has nothing 

 but old bees. Break it up and distribute the bees and combs 

 among other colonies. If very strong, however, it may be 

 worth saving as a distinct colony. ' I think I have always suc- 

 ceeded when I have put into the colony a young queen not 12 

 hours out of the cell. Giving a queen-cell may succeed. 



May be Paralysis — Bees and Strawberries. 



One of my colonies has some disease that I cannot ascer- 

 tain the nature of. This colony was not strong in the spring, 

 and as fast as they hatch out they come to the outside of the 

 hive, walk around a few times, turn over on their backs and 

 die. There is nearly a handful some days outside. I have 

 taken the frames out, and inspected them, and everything 

 looked, as far as my knowledge of bees, all right. Please tell 

 me the cause of their dying, and what I should do for them. 



Right now I wish to state that my wife and I both have 

 seen bees working abundantly on strawberry blossoms, but I 

 cannot see a bee on apple blossoms, and fourcherry trees were 

 in full bloom right over the strawberries, and never a bee on 

 them. I think the saline air of the sea coast affects the dif- 

 ferent fruit and flora bloom. E. L. E. 



Victoria, B. C. 



Answer. — Your description points somewhat toward bee- 

 paralysis, and I cannot say for certain whether there's any 

 sure cure. By looking at late numbers of the American Bee 

 Journal you will see different remedies, but so far there is no 



agreement. Perhaps the most popular thing is to change 

 queens. Very likely if you let them alone entirely the disease 

 will disappear as it has with others. It does not generally 

 continue for any length of time as far north as you are. 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. J. P. II. BROWTf, AUGUSTA, GA. 



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

 to Dr. Brown, and he will answer in this department.— Ed. 1 



Proper Size and Sliape of Hives. 



Much has been said, and much practice has been done, 

 and all to get at the proper dimensions of the bee-hive. There 

 is much difference of opinion in regard to the size and shape, 

 and construction of the hive, but so it is in almost everything, 

 and in order to get at the best of anything we need to ex- 

 change notions and opinions. We have extremes in almost 

 everything, so we think we have extremes in the bee-hive talk 

 and practice as well as other things. Some men want a long 

 hive, while others want a small one ; some want one shape, 

 and others another shape. 



Now, I think locality and climate have much to do with 

 deciding what should be the best size of a hive for that imme- 

 diate locality and climate. But as to the best shape of a hive, 

 it has nothing to do with it, and it seems to me in order to get 

 at the proper shape of the hive we must first consider that we 

 cannot educate bees ; yet we may constrain them to build 

 their combs differently from what they would have built them 

 had they been left to their own uncontrolled will. 



In the first place, if we will but note bees when they 

 swarm and cluster, the shape of the cluster will tell you some- 

 thing. Then, in the second place, note them build combs left 

 to their will, and see if in one week's time their combs are not 

 one-third longer up and down than they are horizontally; and 

 so on their whole course of building combs is sure to be longer 

 up and down, and not horizontally. Then that being the 

 case, it brings us to conclude that the shape of the hive should 

 be something to correspond ; that the shape of the hive would 

 be better adapted to the bees made deeper than longer — that 

 is, deeper frames, or the longest way of the frame up and 

 down instead of the long, horizontal frame, like the frame 

 used in the Langstroth hive. 



Now suppose you stand on end the Langstroth frame in a 

 hive, and see if you have not come nearer filling the wants of 

 the bees naturally than when you hang it in the hive as we gen- 

 erally do. That brings us to consult our own convenience, 

 instead of considering the bees' natural instinct. 



I think the nearer we can come to the natural instinct of 

 the honey-bee, in giving them a hive to build their nest of 

 combs iu, the better for them. 



Then, again, after finding out what shape of hive will 

 suit bees best, we will have to consultour convenience — itdoes 

 not agree with the bees' natural instinct ; what is best for us to 

 do under the circumstances? I think we should construct our 

 hives as nearly as possible to suit the wants of the bees, con- 

 sidering the cold in the North and the heat in the South. 



Looking over the hive question (whic'h is certainly a very 

 important one), and with many years of experience, I con- 

 clude that a hive, in the first place, should have cubic inches 

 enough for the brood-chamber to suit the locality in which 

 you live ; then, it seems to me, a hive of about equal dimen- 

 sions in length and width, and a little deeper than otherwise, 

 would suit the bees best, and suit us as well as any other 

 shape. 



Then I prefer the tiering-up plan — that is, one chamber 

 on the brood-chamber, or more, as the need may be, and never 

 interfere with the brood-chamber for honey. Then our bees 

 are always in good condition. 



These are only my views on the hive question, which I 

 have obtained from long experience. I would also, for my 

 locality, prefer a medium-sized hive in cubic inches. It seems 

 to me that a hive, or brood-chamber, should be of sufficient 

 size to hold enough stores to last from the close of the season 

 until the full opening of the next season. Then by not inter- 

 fering with the brood-chamber stores, we almost always have 

 our bees in good condition, and take only what honey is stored 

 above the brood -chamber, either in sections, or by the tiering- 

 up plan for extracting. W. R. Graham. 



Greenville, Tex. 



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