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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Aug. 29, 



gatherers. Can any one tell the cause of this improvement? 

 I have my opinion, but I wili withhold it, at least until I hear 

 from others. I will say the result is just what I expected it 

 would be. J. M. Talkington. 



Searcy, Ark., July 24. 



Answer. — The above correspondent has answered his 

 question himself — the introduction of better blobd, and more 

 attention to breeding-stock, and greater care to the rearing 

 and development of the queens. This latter is a sine qua non. 

 A queen that is reared in puvcrty—poveily in nurse-bees, pov- 

 erty in amount of royal jelly, poverty in construction of cell — 

 never can prove as satisfactory as one reared under the best 

 natural conditions. 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. C C. MILLBR, JUAJiEKGO, ILL. 



IQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Ur. Miller direct.! 



Swarming and Facing' of Plives. 



Does it make any difference about swarming, whether 

 hives face south or east? I have ray hives in one apiary 

 facing east, and at the home apiary they face south. Others 

 also here have their hives facing east and south. Now those 

 colonies in hives facing east swarmed very little, and those 

 facing south very much. The condition of all were the same. 

 I thought it might be possible that the south face may have 

 had something to do with swarming, as the sun is right at the 

 front of the hive almost all day, and It seems to keep the bees 

 uneasy. This is the first time my attention has been called 

 to it, that it may have something to do with swarming. 



Tacoma, Wash. G. L. 



Answer. — If all other conditions are precisely the same, 

 and if the sun is allowed to shine on the entrances of the hives, 

 I should expect those facing south to be the most inclined to 

 swarm. Simply from the fact that they get more heat in the 

 course of the day, and it is generally conceded that heat is one 

 of the things that helps to incline bees to swarm. 



Probably Caused by Worms. 



I have a colony of bees that the old ones kill the young 

 bees, and carry them out. What is the cause of such work ? 



G. E. L. 



Answer. — Most likely worms. The worms build their 

 galleries through the brood, and the young bees injured there- 

 by are cast out. 



Preparations for Wintering — Camiolan Bees, Etc. 



1. When the central combs of a brood-nest are about half 

 filled with honey at the end of the season, should I exchange 

 them for the outside combs, and let the bees winter among 

 their solid combs of sealed honey ? 



2. How would a piece of straw matting do (such as is 

 used to cover floors instead of carpets) to put over the brood- 

 nest in winter, and woolen carpets over this ? Would this 

 allow the escape of moisture? 



3. What causes the bees to stand on the front of the hives 

 and act as if they were scrubbing? What do they do it for? 



4. Do pure Carniolan worker-bees ever have any yellow 

 at the base of their abdomens? J. E. S. 



Cincinnati, Ohio. 



Answers. — 1. Better let them alone. 



2. I think it would do well. Indeed, some of our best 

 bee-keepers have used straw-mats. As to the escape of mois- 

 ture, of course there is no trouble about its escaping through 

 the mats and carpets, but if everything be tight over it of 

 course the moisture cannot entirely escape. But it doesn't re- 

 quire a great deal of room for escape, and the cracks between 

 hive and cover would probably answer. It is somewhat un- 

 settled whether there is any need of escape if there be opening 

 enough at the bottom. It may be well to say that the straw- 

 ais used in bee-hives are quite different from floor-mats, 



being an inch or so thick, but if enough thicknesses of floor 

 matting were used, it would amount to the same thing. 



.3. No, that's one of the mysteries. At one time it was 

 asserted that this " raking " or " wash-board " act was a sure 

 sign of swarming. But I've seen bees at it when there seemed 

 no possible chance of swarming. I think no one knows any- 

 thing about why they do it. 



4. That's rather a dangerous question to answer. For 

 original Carniolans are claimed to be grey, and only grey, and 

 yet others claim to have developed Carniolans as yellow as 

 Italians. Of course the latter might admit yellow on any part 

 of a Carniolan, but I think the majority would say there 

 should be no yellow anywhere. 



Moving Bees a Few Yards. 



I have my bees within 10 feet of the house. I would like 

 to move them about 25 or 30 yards away, to a yard I have 

 prepared for them. When can I move them without the loss 

 of any bees ' C. H. M. 



Grove Hill, Va., July 5. 



Answer. — Probably the best time is after they settle down 

 for the winter, and are not likely to fly again for some weeks. 

 But they can be moved sooner without great loss. If there 

 are no other bees within 50 yards, and honey is yielding, 

 there may be no loss. Move them after they are done flying 

 for the day, and put up before each hive a board so as to pre- 

 vent their leaving the hive without noting where they are. 

 Perhaps it will be better to pile a lot of hay or straw at the 

 entrance of the hive, not packed too tight, but a big lot of it. 

 That will be more of a hindrance than the board. Try to 

 make the old spot look as unfamiliar as possible by cleaning 

 away the old stands, and perhaps putting some unfamiliar 

 objects there. 



Bees Fighting— Fall Feeding. 



1. One of my colonies has been fighting among themselves 

 for the last six or eight weeks. The ones being killed are 

 small, weak-looking bees. They keep fighting all day. I 

 have often caught them fighting, and when I let them go, 

 they go right back to the hive where I caught them, so they 

 can't be robbers. 



2. The season in this part of the country was very short, 

 and consequently left a good many colonies in very poor con- 

 dition. Do you think it is best to feed them up this fall, or 

 wait until next spring ? There is no more honey coming in 

 this year. The bees are left on the summer stands all winter 

 without any protection, except one or two quilts. They have 

 good flights almost every week. A. B. 



Seattle, Wash., Aug. 4. 



Answers. — 1. When there is any imperfection about bees 

 that incapacitates them for useful labor, they are promptly 

 driven from the community. Something of this kind may be 

 going on at your hives. Possibly bee-paralysis may be troub- 

 ling. In any case I doubt if the trouble will be of long con- 

 tinuance. 



2. You will find, I think, that it will be better to do the 

 feeding in the fall. 



^^ I ^^ 



Caging Queens— Probably Honey-Dew— Packing Bees for 

 Winter. 



1. When a queen is caged to prevent swarming, and her 

 food becomes all used In the cage, will she die, or will the bees 

 keep her up ? 



2. I noticed early in the mornings that my bees came in with 

 a load of something, no matter whether cool, wet or dry morn- 

 ings. They came in a dropping and tumbling condition. I hus- 

 tled out to see if I could find where they work so early. As I 

 came across the meadow, I came to a small black-oak tree, 

 where bees were working on the acorns. I noticed that small 

 drops of water, or honey, were set around the acorn-saucer, 

 and a bee very quickly licked it up. I putsome to my fingers, 

 and it seemed to be waterlike. I went to a hive, took up a 

 bee that just came and missed the hive, tore her apart, and a 

 good-sized drop of nectar rolled down my finger. This is only 

 for an hour in the early morning. I went to the oak tree in 

 the afternoon, and found bees, large ants, and other Insects 

 scoot around on the acorns. The acorns were then dry. The 

 bees rear a good deal of brood, but have not much to store 

 away in the months of July and August. Is this honey, or not? 



3. I have in my yard what we call " the old house;" it was 



