20 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



With Replies tliereto. 



[It is quite useless to ask for answers to 

 Queries In this Department in less time 

 than one month. They have to wait their 

 turn, be put in type, and sent in about a 

 dozen at a time to each of those who answer 

 them ; get them returned, and then find 

 space for them in the Journal. If you are 

 in a "hurry" for replies, do not ask for 

 them to be inserted here.— Ed. 1 



DouWe HiTGS for f interim. 



Query, No. 359.— Is it an advantage to 

 winter two or more colonies in one hive ? 

 Why are not double hives more generally 

 used ? What is their worst disadvantage ?— 

 Glenville. Ky. 



I can see no practical advantage in 

 this system.— H. D. Cutting. 



I have never practiced such winter- 

 ing. Some like it ; others do not.— 



G. M. DOOLITTLE.. 



I do not think it is. The worst dis- 

 advantage is that it is often desirable 

 to move one of the colonies to a new 

 location.— G. L. Tinker. 



Yes, there is an advantage, as it 

 economizes the packing material, also 

 the labor of packing, when bees are 

 protected upon the summer stands. 

 Their worst disadvantage— and it is 

 a big one— is that the hives hinder in 

 the manipulation of the bees in the 

 working season.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



In the case of small colonies it is. 

 Double hives are too inconvenient to 

 manipulate. One colony might re- 

 quire the hive to be manipulated that 

 would very seriously interfere with 

 the other colony.— J. P. H. Brown. 



Double or triple hives have no ad- 

 vjintage that we can see. We tried 

 them. Their worst feature is that 

 you cannot disturb one colony with- 

 out disturbing all that are under the 

 same roof .— Dadant & Son. 



I do not think there is any advan- 

 tage. The disadvantages are in the 

 bother and trouble of changing back 

 and forth, which are enough to keep 

 me from that method.— J. E. Pond. 



It is an advantage to winter 2 colo- 

 nies in one hive, but it is more con- 

 venient to move two single hives close 

 together than it is to manage so cum- 

 bersome a hive as a double hive would 

 be. I have had as many as 6 colonies 

 in a hive. The worst disadvantage 

 was the loss of queens. — C. W. 

 Dayton. 



Yes. Double hives are heavy to 

 handle, and I would not want any 

 thing but a single hive at the time of 

 putting on supers. The use of double 

 hives, however, as laid down in " A 

 Year Among the Bees," I consider of 

 very great advantage.— C.C. Miller. 



They have been used over and over, 

 and discarded. They are not con- 

 venient for summer. It is better to 

 put several hives together in the win- 

 ter. Many do this, and winter their 

 bees very successfully.— A. J. Cook. 



In theory it looks as though two or 

 more colonies divided off in the same 

 hive would be to the mutual advan- 

 tage of the several colonies lodging so 

 closely together ; but in practice the 

 plan has not been worth the extra 

 trouble to me. I suppose that the 

 chief objection to a " double hive " is 

 that they are inferior to the single 

 hive for honey producing. I am more 

 and more convinced that the less 

 complication there is about a hive the 

 better it will work. The hive does 

 not gather honey; it is the bees that 

 do the work. Hence the hive that is 

 the most simple and handy to work 

 with, is the best. I am sure that 

 time will prove this to be true.— G. 

 W. Demabee. 



If one can think of no better way to 

 conserve the heat of a cluster of bees, 

 than to place another cluster by its 

 side, he might do so with some little 

 advantage in that direction. About 

 all the disadvantage there is in 

 double hives, is that they will make 

 the cost of honey production enough 

 more than what it will be by the use 

 of readily movable hives, that their 

 user will be left far behind in the 

 race. It may take time, but I trust 

 all will see it by and by.— James 

 Heddon. 



While " double hives " may be of 

 some advantage in wintering weak 

 colonies, they are too costly and in- 

 convenient for general use. — The 

 Editor. 



RemoTins Propolis Stains. 



Query, No. 360.— What is the best way 

 to remove from the fingers propolis and the 

 stain it leaves ?— Prof., N. J. 



The cheapest and readiest material 

 is kerosene oil.- J. P. H. Brown. 



Good soap and soft water has al- 

 ways answered my purpose. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



I should like an answer to that 

 question myself. I generally let it 

 wear off.— G. M. Doolittle. 



Use a little alcohol ; it will remove 

 all propolis instantly.— H.D. Cutting. 



Use home-made soap and wash 

 thoroughly in very warm water. — C. 

 W. Dayton. 



I have used naptha and alcohol, and 

 have also found that rubbing with a 

 piece of pumice-stone would remove 

 the stains.— J. E. Pond. 



Use a soap that contains some 

 " gritty'" material that will scratch it 

 off. I am not certain, but I think 

 alcohol will dissolve the propolis. — 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Alcohol, linseed oil, turpentine, or 

 ammonia. Alcohol or ammonia are 

 preferred, because they leave no un- 

 pleasant smell behind.— Dadant & 

 Son. 



The best thing I have tried is soap 

 and warm water, and the friction of a 

 soft corn-cob. The fumes of sulphur 

 will remove vegetable stains. But 

 the stain left by propolis soon disap- 

 pears without any remedy, if you will 

 not worry about it.— G. W. Demaree. 



Alcohol takes off propolis very 

 readily ; so will spirits of turpentine. 

 It is wonderful to see how a little 

 alcohol will remove the propolis. — A. 

 J. Cook. 



Pour a little ammonia on your 

 fingers. You can also take it off by 

 rubbing grease on your fingers and 

 washing in very hot water.- C. C. 

 Miller. 



We have used alcohol for removing 

 the propolis from the fingers, and 

 have always found it very effective. — 

 The Editor. 



RearinE Queens on tlieir Heads. 



Query, No. 361 — Lately 1 saw this sen- 

 tence in the Bee Journal : " Queens can- 

 not be reared standing on their heads." I 

 want to know if this is so, and, if it is, how 

 often should a hive be inverted to accom- 

 plish this object during the swarming sea- 

 son ?— C. E. B., Ohio. 



It is generally believed that queens 

 cannot be reared on their heads. How 

 often to reverse will depend upon 

 circumstances.— H. D. Cutting. 



Queens are " reared " with their 

 heads toward the apex of the cell, 

 which usually points " downward." 

 While thus seemingly "standing on 

 their heads," the latter is protected 

 and supported by a soft, delicate, and 

 most elaborately woven cushion of 

 the finest silk.— J. P. H. Brown. 



" Standing on their heads " is the 

 natural position for queens to be 

 reared. The brood-combs should be 

 inverted every 5 or 7 days. Though I 

 have successfully run an apiary 

 through one season on that plan, I 

 could not determine the exact time. — 

 C. W. Dayton. 



All my experience goes to prove 

 that 999 out of every 1,000 queens are 

 reared "standing on their heads." 

 The other one is in a horizontal posi- 

 tion. If stood the other way, heads 

 up, perhaps they might not hatch, but 

 I have little or no experience along 

 that line.— G. M. Doolittle. 



I am not so anxious to prevent 

 natural swarming as to practice in- 

 version for the purpose, even if it is- 

 effectual. I believe it to be an un- 

 reliable preventive, although the bees 

 complete no cells. Swarms often 

 issue without having started queen- 

 cells.— G. L. Tinker. 



I think I have seen one whom I con- 

 sider good authority state that in- 

 verting once a week will prevent 

 swarming, but if it be true that bees 

 will sometimes swarm without start- 

 ing queen-cells at all, how can invert- 

 ing prevent such bees from swarm- 

 ing V I have, however, had no experi- 

 ence in the matter.— C. C. Miller. 



AVe find that turning causes the 

 cells to be destroyed, and seems to 

 cause bees to give up swarming. The 

 frequency would depend upon circum- 

 stances. I should have little fear of 

 swarming if hives were inverted 

 every week, though we found one in- 

 version enough in every case. The 

 bees gave it up, and went pell-mell 

 into the sections.— A. J. Cook. 



