1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



671 



about three frames; and as these were all in the upper story 

 it was not strange she did not go below. Another remained in 

 the upper story without going below, and I feel pretty sure 

 she would have occupied more combs if they had all been in 

 the upper story. As to the rest, however, the queens seemed 

 to occupy one story as well as the other, altogether against 

 my expectation. For instance, Aug. 22 I found, in No. 36, 

 eggs in both stories. That shows clearly that, during the 

 week of Aug. 19 — 26, the queen must have made at least 

 three changes from one story to the other. So I feel pretty 

 sure that, as a rule, the queen will occupy two stories about 

 as well as one, if the room in one story is not sufficient. — Dr. 

 Miller, in Gleanings. 



ONE OR TWO STOBIES FOR BROOD-CHAMBERS. 



And now comes in the point Dr. Miller and I do not agree 

 upon. I very much object to tiering up. Lifting off and on 

 upper stories is too hard work. I very much prefer having 

 all my frames in one story. He rather favors holding on to 

 the 8-frame size, and giving extra stories when needed. I 

 think that would be a good plan, too, as our queens go readily 

 from one story to the other, even if it were not for the great 

 amount of hard lifting that is involved in it. Just think a 

 minute about it. For every colony that is examined, that 

 upper story has to be lifted off and then lifted back again, 

 and the upper story is always the heavier one. After you 

 have lifted off and on upper stories all day, you begin to think 

 there is not much enjoyment in bee-keeping. 



Another point in favor of one story is, I think, I can find 

 queens a little quicker with one story than with two. With 

 two stories she has a little more chance to get out of your way. 

 — Emma Wilson, in Gleanings. 



CONDUCTED Br 



DR. J. P. H. JSR OW2V, 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 



Cotton Honey. 



My friend, J. .T. Keith, on page 576, thinks I must be 

 mistaken in observing that cotton-bloom yields honey some 

 seasons, from the fact that he has never discovered any in an 

 experience of 18 years. While he has not been able to detect 

 any, other bee-keepers have. A few years ago a friend living 

 in a great cotton-belt in South Caroliua, found his bees storing 

 large quanties of surplus at a time when there was no other 

 bloom within reach of his bees except cotton. He saw them 

 working on the bloom, 



Placing Feed in the Combs. 



I have tried an experiment that seems to me to be good. 

 That is, to feed a weak colony of bees, I simply take out a 

 frame that contained nothing — which is easily found in a hive 

 in bad condition ; brush the bees off, then hold it over the ta- 

 ble on a plate, and pour into the cells some sugar syrup, such 

 as we use in a feeder. Turn it over and fill the other side 

 likewise. Then I place the frames in the hive in such a posi- 

 tion away from the balance of the comb, to the other side of 

 the hive. As the sun goes down I place it in the hive. I find 

 that by the next suuset the bees have carried all out into the 

 other combs. Now, my questions are : 



1. Have you ever tried it ? 



2. Should the bees not move this syrup, would it not be 

 as good for them as if they had? Mrs. E. O. Swafford. 



Rosebud, Tex., Sept. 23. 



Answers. — 1. Yes. 



2. It would be as good, unless it should ferment. 



Laying-Worlicr Experience, Etc. 



Three years ago I commenced with one colony of black 

 bees, and now I have 22 colonies. Some of them are as nice 

 Italians as can be had in this country, and I have not lost a 

 single-colony. Last spring when I examined my bees, I found 

 that one colony was queenless, and had laying workers in it. 



I gave them brood and eggs, and thought they would rear a 

 queen, but to my surprise they would not. So the next thing 

 to do was something else, and I thought I would experiment a 

 little, so I commenced. I took the upper story from the laying 

 worker's hive, spread a newspaper on a single hive, and set 

 the upper story on the other stand. I made a hole in the cen- 

 ter large enough for the bees to pass through, and in 24 hours 

 the bees were all at work and seemed to be all right. I used 

 the lower story box the same way as the first, and each 

 swarmed in a short time. So that ended the trouble with the 

 laying workers. Now I have four colonies from three, and 

 they are in good condition, but the honey crop in this section 

 of the country has been very poor this year. 



There are some bee-men in this county, and if some would 

 talk up the bee-business it would become a paying business. 

 The industry has never had much encouragement here. If 

 men would take the pains in the culture of bees that they do 

 in the culture of cotton, there would not be so much cry of hard 

 times. A. M. Barfield. 



Stone Point, Tex., Aug. 25. 



Toung Bce$ Webbed in the Cells. 



Dr. Brown. — Last year I bought 40 colonies of bees,mostly 

 all black, in boxes of different shapes and dimensions. 1 

 transferred them into 10-frame Langstroth hives last spring. 

 Last mouth I reared some Italian queens, and the young bees 

 of two of them cannot get out of the cells, and the workers 

 cut the combs (I suppose) to let the young bees out. I send 

 you a few of the bees in question. Can you tell me what is 

 the matter with those bees? The honey they are storing now 

 is very strong or rancid. Do you think it will be good when 

 ripe? From what kind of plant are they gathering that 

 honey ? Nearly all the hives are full of honey now. 



Richmond, Tex., Sept. 6. J. Baudat. 



Answers. — The reason your young bees can not get out 

 of the cells, they are webbed fast by the larvae of the wax- 

 moth. The worms have spun webs under them. Your better 

 plan is to take a pen-knife and dig them out, and dislodge the 

 worms, and give the bees a chance to place the combs in a clean 

 condition. Clean out the bottom-boards of those colonies. 

 The honey, I think, is all right. I know nothing of its source. 



The Bce-jHartin or Kingbird. 



Since writing my article on page 553, I have been trying 

 the merits of the kingbird for the table. My son killed 17 

 yesterday, and most of them are loaded with fat. I can as- 

 sure you that at this season of the year they are splendid eat- 

 ing. I have just been eating them. They are gathering now 

 into flocks preparatory to their regular fall migration, and 

 may be killed in great numbers. I think that they are fully 

 equal to any bird I have ever tasted for delicacy of flavor. 

 Now is the time for bee-keepers to " get even," if they want 

 to kill the kiugbird. 



I still adhere to the views in my former article, and think 

 that the bird does more good than harm. T. S. Ford. 



Columbia, Miss., Sept. 14. 



Favors a Square Hive. 



As there is a great deal of talk about what is the best 

 hive, I will give my idea. First, all that I have seen of them 

 there is no argument in favor of the larger hives, for this lo- 

 cality. Of course, where it is one perpetual honey-flow they 

 might be exactly right. I think our 20-inch frame and hive 

 is out of shape, and too long to handle. A square hive, 14 

 inches square, and 10 inches deep is just right with loose bot- 

 tom and top. If this size were adop'ed there would soon be 

 no more moth talk, and always plenty of surplus honey. I 

 have fifty colonies of German-hybrid and Italian bees, and 

 have plenty of honey. 



Last year I found a plant growing wild on Big Black riv- 

 er. I saw that bees and humming-birds had just covered it. 

 I gathered the seed, and sowed it in my bee-lot, and now the 

 bees and humming birds have a paradise. It grows 8 or 10 

 feet high, and every flower has a drop of the prettiest syrup I 

 ever tasted. Nocultivation is necessary, as it excludes all 

 other weeds, and stock will not eat it. The seeds lie in the 

 ground all winter, and come up the next spring. 



Benton, Miss., Sept. 11. R. E. Manning, 



