782 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. 5, 



CONDUCTED BY 



OR. C. C. MILLIiR, JMARE^S^GO. ILK. 



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



Gretting Colonies Strong Early. 



My bees quit breeding quite early this fall, while the 

 honey-flow continued late. The hives are full of honey, but 

 weak in bees. I expect a honey-flow to begin early in March. 

 What can I do to get ray bees strong by that time ? C. S. 



Lathrop, Calif, 



Answer. — I'm afraid you can't do a great deal more than 

 to let them alone. If, however, warm weather fit for bees to 

 fly comes before the flow begins, and the queens do not com- 

 mence to lay, you might start them at it by uncapping some 

 of the honey in the hive. It's something unusual for the 

 breeding to stop early when the honey-flow continues late. I 

 wonder if your queens stopped laying because they were 

 crowded out with honey. 



How Many Langstroth Frames for a Good Queen. 



I live in the center of San Diego county, where a large 

 hive is needed, I think, if anywhere. I have a few bees in a 

 bad hive, which I don't like. I intend to get about a dozen 

 Langstroth hives in the spring, but I cannot decide on the 

 size. Now how many Langstroth frames can a good 3-banded, 

 leather-colored Italian queen till ? Would it do any harm if 

 the hive were too large ? The bees could fill it up with winter 

 stores, could they not ? A. N. M. 



Poster, Calif. 



Answer. — I don't know for certain just how many frames 

 she can fill, but more perhaps than she generally gets. I sup- 

 pose you are working for extracted honey, and in that case it 

 is not generally considered that an overplus of combs will do 

 any harm, only it isn't nowadays considered advisable to ex- 

 tract from combs containing brood. Chas. Dadant & Son are 

 amongst the most successful producers of extracted honey, 

 and they use what is equivalent to 12 Langstroth frames. I 

 have had queens occupy 14 frames. 



Syrup Pails for Holding Honey. 



I would like to ask whether syrup pails would do to put 

 extracted honey in. The pails are made of pine, have three 

 hoops on, and are well made. They hold from IX to 2 gal- 

 lons each, and have a tight-fitting cover. W. C. 



Luce, Mich. 



Answer. — I'm afraid they wouldn't be good. The honey 

 would be likely to taste of the pine. But you might provide 

 against that by treating the pails as some treat their barrels. 

 Heat some parafifine quite hot — beeswax will do, but costs 

 more — pour it into the pail, quickly turn the pail about in such 

 a way that the paraffine comes in contact with all parts of the 

 inside surface, then pour it out again. If you move lively 

 about it, there will be very little parafifine used, but a thin 

 coating will cover all. It will be better to use quite a quan- 

 tity, for if you use a very suall quantity it will quickly cool 

 and you will have a coating unnecessarily thick. The pail 

 should not be too cold when the application is made. Don't 

 soak the pails with water before using. 



Wintering Bees in a Damp Cellar. 



I have quite a number of colonies of bees, some in chaff 

 hives, which I winter out-doors. I also have a number of col- 

 onies in single-board hives. Those I wish to winter in the 

 cellar, but my cellar is damp; the walls are stone, and the 

 bottom earth. What would you advise one to do under these 

 circumstaiices ? C. J. P. 



Port Perry, Ont. 



Answer. — If you have enough colonies to warrant the 

 expense, I'd put them in the cellar and I'd keep enough fire 

 there to keep the temperature at perhaps 50J. You can tell 

 better about that by seeing at what temperature they are 

 quietest. Hot stones or something of that kind could be used, 



but hot water wouldn't "do, and I wouldn't use an oil-stove. 

 The vapor from the burning oil is bad for the bees, and the 

 oxygen of the air is used up by the flame — the very thing that 

 the bees need. I don't know of anything better for a fire 

 than what I use — a small cylinder stove, in which is kept, 

 day and night, a low fire of anthracite or hard coal, the fire 

 never being allowed to go out till the weather becomes so 

 warm it isn't necessary. The door of the stove is left open all 

 the time, both because that is the only way to keep a low fire, 

 and because it helps the ventilation of the cellar. I gener- 

 ally keep ray cellar at about 4.5^, but a very damp cellar I 

 would keep warmer. If I had a damp cellar, and only one or 

 two colonies to put into it, I believe it raight still pay to have 

 a stove and warm it up occasionally. 



Wliat Size Hive for Comb Honey ? 



Having sold out my stock of bees, hives, and everything, 

 I wish to begin anew next spring with from two to six colo- 

 nies. Now the question is : If you were in ray place, what 

 size hives would you buy, thinking to produce comb honey"? 



I carae here the latter part of September, and I have not 

 seen one bee since I carae, and cannot hear of any within four 

 miles of this place. I do not know what there is for early 

 blossoms; there are quite a lot of willow trees set around in 

 the place; all the streets are graded (that is, worked up with 

 plow and scraper), and have growu up to sweet clover, and the 

 prairie is covered with golden-rod for miles, but I never saw 

 but one bee on golden-rod in my life. E. H. B. 



Chicago Lawn, III. 



Answer. — I'm sorry to say I don't know. The question 

 as to the size of hives has been a burning one for some time, 

 and I have been trying to find out what is best for myself, but 

 have been somewhat hindered in making any decision from 

 my own experience, from the fact that the years 1894 and 

 1895 have been years of dead failure of the honey crop in 

 this region, so practically I know little more about it than I 

 did two years ago. I do know that many queens, and perhaps 

 nearly all good queens, will keep supplied with brood more 

 combs than are found in an S-frame hive. So I'm inclined to 

 think I want more room than that before the main harvest 

 comes. Whether that room should be allowed the whole year 

 around is a question. Again, I don't know whether bees will 

 do as well with 10 or 12 frames in two stories as in one. If 

 they will, I prefer the 8-frame hive, with the opportunity of ■ 

 enlarging to any desired capacity by means of a second story. 

 If obliged to choose at the present time, I think I should take 

 the 8-framer, but I don't know how long I'll be of that mind. 



Earn Your O'^'n Suttscription. — Any present 

 subscriber can earn his or her own subs.;ription to the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal for one year by sending Ihree, new s^ibscribers, 

 with §3.00. A copy of " Bees and Honey " will also be mailed 

 to each new subscriber, and the Bee Journal will be sent to 

 the new readers from the time the order is received up to the 

 end of 1896. This is an easy way to earn your own subscrip- 

 tion and at the same time help to circulate the Bee Journal. 

 Remember, getting 3 new subscribers pays for your own sub- 

 scription for 1 year ! Of course, no other premiumnwill be 

 sent in addition. This is a straight offer by itself. 



Liberal Book Premiums are offered on page 

 75-4, for the work of getting new subscribers to the Bee Jour- 

 nal. It is a fine chance to get a complete apicultural library. 

 Think of it — 40 cents' worth of books given to the one send- 

 ing a new subscriber ! Remember, please, that only present 

 subscribers to the Bee Journal can take advantage of that 

 offer. The publishers of the Bee Journal believe in making it 

 an object for the old subscribers to push for new readers 

 among their neighbors and friends, hence the generous pre- 

 iura offers to them. It is hoped that all may begin now to 

 work. Sample copies of the Bee Journal free. 



No'W is the Time to work for new subscribers. 

 Why not take advantage of the offers made on page 754 ? 



foKi 



