THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



fit IB quite useless to ask for answers to 

 oieries in this Department in less time 

 than one month. They have to_ wait their 

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

 dozen at a time to each of those who answer 

 them : get them returned, and then And 

 space for them in the Joubnai-. If you are 

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

 them to be inserted here— Ed.1 



Bees ADsoliitelyjuiet in Winter. 



Query, No. 371.-Ought bees to be ab- 

 solutely quiet when wintering in the best 

 condition ? I have placed some of my colo- 

 nies in the cellaf this winter, for the flrer 

 time, and I can always hear a gentle hum 

 by placing my ear near the entrance, is 

 that an alarming condition?— H. C. f. 



the " gentle hum " spoken of, will be 

 found in every hive, in every winter, 

 and that the same is not evidence at 

 all of unfavorable conditions.— J. h,. 

 Pond. 



]Sro. A "gentle hum" indicates 

 contentment.— The Editor. 



Not absolutely so.— J.P. H.Brown. 



I should not be alarmed at it.— C. 

 C. Miller. 



This gentle humming is not an ob- 

 jectionable symptom.— W. Z. Hutch- 

 inson. 



The low hum that you hear is not a 

 bad sign.— Dadant & Son. 



It is very seldom that bees are 

 "absolutely" quiet. A gentle hum 

 is not an alarming condition.— H. i). 

 Cutting. 



No. Bees always make a gentle 

 humming noise if alive, no matter 

 how quiet.— G. M. Doolittle. 



This gentle hum is usually heard 

 when bees are in just that hibernat- 

 ing (V) condition most desirable. You 

 may rest in peace, so long as it is 

 thus.— A. J. Cook:. 



I have never been able to discover a 

 colony that did not hum more or less. 

 The gentler the hum the better are 

 they enjoying their nap.— C. W. 

 Dayton. 



Quietude is the natural condition of 

 bees while in winter quarters. A low, 

 gentle hum indicates high tempera- 

 ture in' the hive. When the tempera- 

 ture falls a little, they will quiet down 

 to perfect silence.- G. W. Dbmareb. 



Bees hibernate when wintering in 

 the best condition. In this state they 

 are absolutely quiet as far as the eye 

 can detect, except at feeding times. 

 The imperceptible respiration is ac- 

 companied by a faint murmur that is 

 more distinct where many colonies 

 are placed close together, as in a 

 cellar.- G. L. Tinker. 



No. Sometimes they make a great 

 deal of noise, and come out in nice 

 condition. Much depends upon what 

 causes them to make that noise. 

 Disease causes restlessness, but rest- 

 lessness does not always, nor usually, 

 cause disease. Your bees are as quiet 

 as is usual.— James Heddon. 



My own opinion is that the nearer 

 the bees can be kept to an absolute 

 state of quietude, the better they will 

 winter. In practice, a state of " ab- 

 solute " quietness cannot be main- 

 tained. I apprehend, however, that 



Effect Of Water in Bee-Cellars. 



Query, No. 372.— 1. Can a cellar be too 

 dry for wintering hees ? If so, can it be too 

 wet ? 2 Will a body of water on the floor of 

 a well-cemented cellar increase.or dimimsh, 

 the moisture of the air in the cellar?- F.,Wis. 



1. I do not think that it can. 2. It 

 will increase the "moisture.— J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



1. Dryness or dampness have less 

 to do with wintering than tempera- 

 ture. If the temperature can be kept 

 from 43° to 47°, I should worry little 

 about the other conditions.- G. M. 

 Doolittle. 



I do not know that a cellar can be 

 too dry or too wet. I should suppose 

 that the water in the cellar would 

 make the air more damp, but I may 

 be wrong.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



We do not think that it can be too 

 dry, but we think that it can be too 

 wet. A standing body of water, if 

 colder than the cellar, will absorb 

 moisture.— Dadant & Son. 



I should prefer a very dry cellar for 

 bees. Yet I have known cellars to 

 have 2 to 3 inches of water and yet 

 the bees came through in good con- 

 dition. 2. It will increase it.— II. D. 

 Cutting. 



1. If the other conditions are right, 

 I think that bees will winter m spite 

 of humidity. 2. If the air and water 

 are of the same temperature it will 

 have no effect. But make the water 

 the warmest, and saturation of the 

 air will take place.-J. P. H. Brown. 

 1. I hardly think so, if ventilation 

 and temperature are all right. 2. I 

 think it can. It depends upon the 

 ventilation. Our cellar with its sub- 

 earth ventilation has water in it all 

 the time, but it is not unpleasantly 

 damp. Some of the pleasantest and 

 sweetest cellars I know of have large 

 cisterns in them.— A. J. Cook. 



1 A cellar cannot well be too dry 

 or too wet for bees, if the tempera- 

 ture is suitable. 2. It would increase 

 thehumityof the air; but heat and 

 cold has so much to do with the rela- 

 tive humidity that much depends 

 upon the temperature as to the degree 

 of moisture in the air.— G. L. Tinker. 

 No ; moisture will do no harm if the 

 temperature is kept in harmony with 

 it. Water thrown on the floor of my 

 cellar would increase the humidity of 

 the atmosphere therein, because it 

 would soon dry off.- James Heddon. 

 1 I think not ; bees always generate 

 more or less moisture ; I question also, 

 whether it is possible, without using 

 heat, to have a dry cellar. 2 Ordi- 

 narily it will; much will depend, 

 however, upon other conditions, such 

 as ventilation and warmth. The usual 

 and ordinary effect of the water will 

 be to keep the air warmer, and thus 



tend somewhat toward making the 

 temperature more equable. — J. E. 

 Pond. 



1. Different persons hold different 

 theories, but after all, do they really • 

 know anything about it 'i* 2. tinder 

 some circumstances the water on the 

 floor would certainly increase the 

 moisture, and 1 can hardly think of 

 any circumstances in which it would 

 diminish it. There have been cases- 

 of successful wintering of bees in 

 which a stream of running water in 

 the cellar was believed to be helpful. 

 — C. C. Miller. 



As temperature (not humidity) i& 

 the essential point in the cellar win- 

 tering of bees, let that be kept at from 

 45° to 50°.— The Editor. 



Extra Comtis for Extractini. 



Query, No. 373.— The coming season I 

 will work 7.5 colonies for extracted honey, 

 but I have no extra combs. 1. How shall I 

 proceed to get combs built at the least ex- 

 pense ? Should full sheets of foundation be 

 used, or starters onlv ? 2. Should the frames 

 to be filled be placed above or beneath the 

 brood-nest? If below, would there not be 

 less drone comb built ?— W. Va. 



I should use full sheets of founda- 

 tion placed beneath the brood-nest.— 

 J. P. H. Brown. 



I use full sheets of foundation 

 placed above the brood-chamber, and 

 I have no trouble with drone comb.— 

 H. D. Cutting. 



In a short and abundant honey-flow 

 foundation is worth $1 per pound. If 

 it is light and continued you might 

 extract often from fewer combs, and 

 gradually work in frames with 

 starters.— C. W. Dayton. 



In my locality I cannot get combs 

 built in the natural way for extract- 

 ing purposes, without sustaining very 

 great loss in the way of surplus 

 honey. 1. It pays well to employ full 

 sheets of foundation to get a supply 

 of extracting combs. 2. They should 

 be placed above the brood-nest all 

 the time.— G. W. Demareb. 



I should use comb foundation, and 

 I should not care where the frames 

 vpere placed. We can secure many 

 frames of comb in the spring before 

 the season opens, by placing founda- 

 tion right in the brood-chamber- A. 

 J. Cook. 



1. In such a case I should use full 

 sheets of foundation, placing them in 

 the upper story when the honey 

 harvest arrived, and raising a frame 

 of brood to this story so as to secure 

 immediate work there. 2. I should 

 place them above.— G. M. Doolittle. 

 I would use full sheets of founda- 

 tion. I put it in above ; you might 

 try both ways. I would advise you 

 not to prepare to produce extracted 

 honey, but to work for comb honey, 

 unless most of your surplus crop is 

 dark.— James Heddon. 



1 I do not know. The higher the 

 price vou get for honey, the more you 

 can afford to use foundation. I think 

 tliat there is more inducement to use 

 foundation where the honey-flow is 

 profuse and of short duration, than 



