356 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



TVltb Keplles thereto. 



[It i8 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 Jocrnai,. If you are 

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

 them to be inserted here.— Ed.1 



SHade for Hiies. 



a grape-vine, 

 sufficient.— J. 



where the 

 W. Dayton. 



with one or two bricks. By nailing 

 the shade-board to two boards set 

 edgewise, we keep the shade-board 

 from warping, and also raise it the 

 proper height above the hive. A 

 narrow second board, parallel with 

 the shade-board, nailed into ends 

 through the cross boards, makes a 

 nice place for bricks, which are thus 

 hid. I like these very much.— A. J. 

 Cook. 



Grape-vines, trees or boards will be 

 good for shade.— The Editor. 



Query 427.— If you had a small apiary, 

 the c.loutes of which were in single-wallert hives, 

 in tills latitude, and witUout any shade for the 

 hi ves. what kind o t shade would you recommend ? 

 —J. 8., New Hampshire. 



Trees or grape-vines.— Dad ant & 

 Son. 



A board 2x3 feet iii size.— W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



Faint the hives white, when no 

 shade is necessary .—G.M.DooLiTTLE. 



The shade made by 

 fruit-tree, etc., will be 

 P. H. Brown. 



Face the hives to the north and 

 lean boards against them 

 sun strikes them.— C 



I should use a flat board on top of 

 each hive that would project far 

 enough to give the necessary shade.— 

 J. E. Fond. 



A board longer and wider than the 

 hive, letting it project in front and on 

 the west side.— H. D. Cutting. 



Shade-boards give good satisfaction 

 in my locality. They may be made 

 of any thin, cheap lumber or of shin- 

 gles. 1 would make them some wider 

 and longer than the cover to the hive. 

 — G. W. Demaree. 



For immediate use, boards project- 

 ing over the south side with an air 

 space between them and the hive.— C. 

 C. Miller. 



Face the hives to the east, and use 

 a shade-board 2x3 feet, and place it 

 on the hive long way east and west, 

 and projecting all of its extra width 

 over the south side. This is the best 

 shade in the world, and is needed 

 with any kind of hive. — James 

 Heddon. 



I make for my hives what I call an 

 "undercover." It is used in place 

 of enameled cloth, and is made simply 

 of thin boards with three cleats an 

 inch thick on top, with strips tacked 

 on below to make a bee -space. A 

 plain board with cleated ends is laid 



colonies, and not to divide unless the 

 colonies are strong enough to permit 

 it to be done with safety. — The 

 Editor. 



on top for the cover, which is painted, 

 the other not. The air-space between 

 the two covers I tind to be all that is 

 necessary to prevent over-heating in 

 hives placed in the sun. If the cover 

 lies directly over the sections, the hot 

 sun will drive the bees out of the 

 supers.- G. L. Tinker. 



A shade-board raised 4 or 5 inches 

 above the hive. It is the best shade. 

 If one fears wind he can weight it 



TreWiM the Numlier of Colonies. 



Query 428.— I have 20 colonies in 9- 

 frame Langstroth hives, which I wish to increase 

 to BU colonies, i. «.. make an increase of 2 from 

 each colony, and at the same time get as much 

 comB honey as possible. What is the best ptan to 

 pursue 7-G. B., Ontario. 



Natural swarming.— G. L. Tinker. 



I should let them swarm naturally, 

 hiving second-swarms.- G. M. Doo- 

 little. 



Divide the colonies, and give young 

 laying queens. Use comb foundation, 

 and feed if necessary in order to build 

 up rapidly.— J. F. H. Bkown. 



Mr. Hutchinson's plan. When you 

 get beyond 40 colonies you had belter 

 halt, unless you are certain of a good 

 fall flow of honey.— C. W. Dayton. 



This question involves too long an 

 answer for this department.— James 

 Heddon. 



I should let all swarm at once, and 

 form nuclei and build these up into 

 strong colonies after the early harvest 

 is over.— A. J, Uook. 



Let them swarm ; and after a colony 

 has cast a second swarm, then prac- 

 tice the Heddon method of prevent- 

 ing after swarming.— W. Z. Hutch- 

 inson. 



If I wanted " increase " I would 

 work for that ; if honey was my ob- 

 ject, I would work the 20 colonies for 

 all they were worth, and increase as 

 slowly as possible.— H. D. Cutting. 



I do not know, as I know nothing 

 of the locality and surroundings. It 

 may be set down as a rule, however, 

 that very little surplus can be taken 

 in any locality when so large an in- 

 crease of colonies is made. To do it 

 in my own locality, I should expect to 

 be obliged to feed some to get ail in a 

 condition for winter.— J. E. Fond. 



Your location must be an extra 

 good one for honey-producing, if you 

 can make such an increase and get 

 any surplus honey. You must have 

 powerful reasons for such a heavy 

 increase of bees, or you would not 

 attempt it. Such rapid increase is 

 not profitable unless you can sell the 

 bees at a high price. I would advise 

 just one swarm from each colony. By 

 this course an apiary can be built up 

 fast enough, and a good crop of sur- 

 plus honey obtained. This is the 

 safest course to pursue. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



Fermitone swarm from each col- 

 ony, then increase by division; but 



care must be taken not to weaken the 



Getting Honey Instead of Increase. 



ftuery 429.— How would it do, if a person 

 prefers honey instead of increase, to hive a swarm 

 on frames with just starters in them, remove the 

 old colony and place the swarm on the old stand, 

 and the next day after destroy all queen-cells, put 

 the old colony on top of liie new one. and keep the 

 honey extracted when ripe?— N. S., W. Va. 



Undoubtedly the plan would work 

 well in producing extracted honey. — 

 G. L. Tdstkjsr. 



If you make the queen stay down 

 below, it is all right.— C. W. Dayton. 



If you intend to extract the honey, 

 why not give them two stories of 

 combs at the beginning, and thus 

 prevent the swarming V— Dadant & 

 Son. 



With me bees show little disposition 

 to swarm when working for extracted 

 honey.— G. M. Doolittle. 



Your plan would work well, but 

 then close attention would be re- 

 quired or some swarms would issue 

 now and then ; particularly in a large 

 apiary.— J. F. H.Brown. 



The plan would delay swarming, 

 but not necessarily prevent swarming. 

 Besides, there would be a loss by rea- 

 son of the bees having to build a full 

 set of combs, a large part of which 

 would be drone or store comb. Flenty 

 of empty combs on hand at the be- 

 ginning of the season, is essential to 

 a good yield of liquid honey in my 

 locality.— G. W. Demaree. 



I should prefer to place the swarm 

 on the old stand, and the old colony 

 or hive by the side of it, with the en- 

 trance turned >| or at right angles 

 with the new hive. Fut plenty of 

 sections on top in place of bees and 

 brood from the old hive.— H. D. 

 Cutting. 



It might work well and it might 

 not; I think fully as much honey 

 would be obtained, and with less 

 trouble, by tiering up early in the 

 season, and on so doing as the bees 

 increased in numbers.— J. E. Fond. 



It would "do," but the honey and 

 brood would be mixed in both stories. 

 I would use a queen-excluder and keep 

 the queen below, and.if necessary ,add 

 another story on top filled with 

 combs.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 



You do not explain enough. If you 

 are to work for extracted honey you 

 could remove the queen-cells, extract 

 all honey, and put on the upper story, 

 hiving "the bees right in the same 

 hive. If you wish comb honey, do as 

 Doolittle, Heddon and Hutchinson 

 advise ; if you want extracted honey, 

 do as I suggest in the last edition of 

 my book ; and you need not have any 

 increase. In working for comb honey 

 you will double colonies.— A. J. Cook. 



If you use a queen-excluder it 

 might work. If necessary give the 

 bees surplus room above. — The 

 Editor. 



