1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



539 



a la Heddon, or the Root dovetailed ? If the latter, 8 or 10 

 frames ? S. A. D. 



Mossel Bay, South Africa. 



Anbwers. — 1. I donot think a very large number practice 

 it. Some of our best men, however, have practiced it, a[id 

 perhaps do so yet. I gave it a pretty full trial, but did not 

 make a success with It. Whether the fault was with me or 

 the system I cannot say. 



2. The oue advantage aimed at is the prevention of 

 swarming. Along with that the expectation of a larger yield 

 than if the bees swarmed, but hardly a yreutt]/ increased 

 surplus. ' 



3. I cannot say about the disadvantages with others, but 

 with me there was the disadvantage that sometimes the bees 

 swarmed as soon as the queen was freed, even though no 

 brood was in the hive, and many colonies were greatly reduced 

 In numbers, with no young bees, and the combs clogged with 

 pollen. Besides, I don't think I had an increase of surplus. 



4. The queen could be confined in any kind of cage tha'' 

 could be brought in close contact with the brood-nest, and no 

 bees are needed in the cage wiib her. 



5. The Dovetail, but I am unsettled as to size, and am 

 earnestly seeking light upon the question. If, in the dark- 

 ness of Africa, you have auy light upou it, please send a glim- 

 mer across the waters. 



The Sweet Clover "Song." 



Is not the song of sweet clover turned wonderfully in the 

 last year ? We cofild then still read, " Sweet clover is a bad 

 weed." Now we read, " It is a very valuable weed." 



WhntI No honey at Marengo? Just a few days ago I 

 took from each of two dillerent hives -18 well-filled sections — 

 8-frame hives, at that; but many have not half that much. 

 We have had much wet weather the last six weeks. 



Garden City, Mo., July 22. Q. J. Y. 



Arbweb. — Yes, I think a change is taking place with re- 

 gard to sweet clover. In two different counties where I have 

 been this year, I have seen places along the road for a mile at 

 a stretch where the sweet clover was kept eaten down by 

 stock. 



■ — ■ I m 



Swarms Leaving their Hives. 



Why cannot I make the swarms of bees go into a hive ? 

 One large " gum " has sent out two swartns in two months. 

 Each time I provided a clean hive, and to do away with all 

 odors, rubbed it out with salt water and peach tree leaves. 

 The bees hung about this new hive for a night and day, then 

 left. Yesterday the second swarm came out, and 1 did as I 

 have mentioned. The bees went into the hive, and I felt they 

 would there take up their abode, but from some cause tliey 

 came out, and went into the very same old gum they swarmed 

 from. I would be grateful indeed if you would tell me why 

 they act so, or what I have failed to do. I have only three or 

 four cdljnies, aiid I dislike losing these new young swarms. 



Waverly, Mo. Mbs. S. Z. C. 



AnBWEB. — I hardly think the salt and peach leaves were 

 the cause of the trouble, but at least 1 think they did no good. 

 Perhaps the most frequent eause of swarms leaving a hive Is 

 heat. All old colony will stick to its brood even if uncomfort- 

 ably hot, but a swarm newly hived is likely to say, "Look 

 here: we're not going to s' and this. We'll get right out and 

 run the chance of finding a cooler place." So off they go. 

 When a swarm returns to the old hive, it may he because for 

 some reason there is no queen with them. Keep your hives 

 well shaded and cool, with abundant entrance for fresh air, 

 and you've done the right thing to have swarms stay. 



Hives, Sections and Queen-Cella. 



1. What size hive will 1 % sections fit best with T tins ? 



8. Have you tried sections with separators with Jg cleats 

 on each side ? How will they work ? 



S. What size hive will 1% sections fit the best, larger 

 than the 8-frame, with section-holders? 



4. Will bees tear down queen-cells without a queen or 

 presence of laying-workers? C. H. A. 



Anbwkbs. — 1. Any size of section will fit any size of T 

 super. That is one of the advantages of a T super. You can 

 at any time change to a section of di£fureut width without 

 changing your super. 



2. Never tried them. I think some speak well of them. 



3. If your frames are spaced 1% from center to center, 

 and you have the usual space for a dummy, your 8-frame hive 

 will lueasure 11^3^ Inside, and each frame added would add 

 I % inches more. If your supeis are the same width as your 

 hives, you can have six holders over an 8-franiehlve, and have 

 plenty of room for a follower and wedge. Over a 9-frame 

 hive you ca:i have 7 holders, but it will be a pretty tight 

 squeeze, and you can have no follower or wedge. Over a 10- 

 frame hive you can have 7 holders with more room than is 

 desirable for follower and weilge. Over an I l-frame hi«e you 

 can have 8 hulilcrs with about the right space for follower 

 and wedge. So if you want a hive larger than 8-frame, and 

 want it for 17^ sections, the best thing will bean 11-frame 

 hive. 



4. Yes, Indeed. Go to any hive and take away their 

 queen and immediately give a qneencell, and you'll probably 

 have the pleasure of seeing them tear it down. After 24 

 hours, when they have become fully aware of their queenless 

 condition, they will likely respect it. Still, they will some- 

 times take a notion to tear down any cell you give them, even 

 after they have started queen-cells themselves. 



Not All in the Kind of Hive. 



I have several colonies of bees, and they are doing pretty 

 well, with the exception of oue which is the best I ever saw. 

 1 have taken three times as much surplus from it as from any 

 other, all the same kind of bees. Is it on account of the hive, 

 which is one of my own design ? The style of hive Is 8-frame, 

 made for two supers of 24 sections each. E. C. C. 



Tarentum, Pa., Aug. 2. 



Answeb— No hive has ever been gotten up by which three 

 times as much honey can be obtained as in the average run of 

 hives. It probably never will be gotten up. The fact is, that 

 the difference in hives is more for the convenience of the bee- 

 keeper than for the benefit of the bees, Efery now and then 

 something happens in the way of a heavy yield to make the 

 beginner think he has a hive that will give extra returns. The 

 testimony seems quite clear. The bees were all the same, 

 they bad the same treatment, and there was no difference In 

 any respect except in the hive. It's hard to believe that the 

 hive was not the cause of the difference in the yield. But the 

 very next year the ihing may be reversed. The hive that 

 gave the big yield does not come up to tlie average. More 

 than once I've had cases in which one hive gave five times as 

 much as another. So far as could be seen, the bees were the 

 same, no difference to be seen in any respect, and the hives 

 were precisely the same. Of course there is a difference 

 somewhere, but to tell what the differetice is, has remained a 

 puzzle amoug observing men for many years. 



Yellow Drones. 



In your reply to S. L D., on page 4.57, you say that Ital- 

 ian drones are not yellow all over, and don't have distinct 

 bands like the workers, hut are Inclined to a mottled appear- 

 ance. Now, I am not a queen-breeder on an extensive scale, 

 but I rear my own queens, and I think I can send you a queen 

 that will produce drones that are yellow all over, and her bees 

 are also good honey-gatherers, if there is any to gather, but 

 they won't gal her honey from prairie grass or hazel brush. 



I had 16 colonies in the home yard this spring, and have 

 Increased to 84, by natural swarming, and have extracted 

 600 pounds of mint honey, and taken about 400 pounds of 

 section honey, and there is that much on the hives yet, that is 

 not quite finished, and the bees are now working on buck-bush 

 with more vim than I remember to have ever seen before. I 

 think they will finish those sections. 



I send you by this mail a queen and a sample of what I 

 call yelli'W drones. Vou can give this queen to Miss Wilson If 

 you don't want it. J. C. B. 



Bronson, Kans., July 26. 



Answeb — The bees you send are beauties — queen and all 

 — and what you say about ihem I have no desire to contradict. 

 Suppose some oue should ask me, '-How many bands have 

 Italian workers?" I think I should answer, "Three;" and 

 yet the workers you send have more. When we talk about 

 Italians, I suppose the bees such as come from Italy are 

 meant, unless o-bauded, or something of the kind, is specified. 

 I have drones that are nearly a solid yellow, and yet they 

 haven't the distinct bands to be found on the workers. Even 

 the workers you send, althaugh among the most yellow I ever 

 saw, have not as distinctly marked bauds as original Italians. 



