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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



TVltb Replies thereto. 



[It IB quite useless to ask for answers to 

 Queries in this Department In less time 

 tkan one month. They have to wait their 

 torn, 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 

 Bpaoe for them in the Journal. M you are 

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

 them to be inserted here.— Ed.] 



RemoTini Pollen from Comlis. 



' Qaery 474 How can I remove old pol- 

 len from brood-combB ?— G. T. 



Melt the combs.— Dadant & Son. 



Soak the combs in water until the 

 pollen can be thrown out in the ex- 

 tractor.— G. L. TiNKEE. 



Give it to the bees in the spring. 

 We never have too much pollen.— A. 



J. CciOK. 



Put in the hive in early spring, and 

 unless spoiled, the bees will use up 

 the pollen, converting it into brood. 



— G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



You cannot do it, but you can let 

 the bees do it if you will insert the 

 combs in the hive in the spring.— J. 

 P. H. Beown. 



Practically this is impossible. The 

 only way is to give them to the bees 

 in the spring, when they will take 

 care of the bee- bread .—W. Z. Hutch- 

 inson. 



Put them in the brood-nest in the 

 spring of the year ; that is, exchange 

 them lor combs in the brood-nesl 

 that have no pollen in them.— G. W. 

 Dbmaree. 



I do not know the best way for you 

 to remove the pollen or bee-bread. I 

 believe it best to let the bees do it, 

 which 1 always do.— James Heddon. 



If you have more than the bees can 

 use to advantage, melt them up. You 

 can dip it in water, and the pollen 

 will ferment and loosen in the cells, 

 when you can jar a large part of the 

 pollen out.— H. D. Cutting. 



If not spoiled, let the bees use it. 

 If spoiled, it can be soaked up thor- 

 oughly and thrown out with the ex- 

 tractor. If there is only a little of it, 

 the bees will clean it up.— C. C. 

 Millee. 



Keep it until spring, and then allow 

 the bees to use it in rearing brood. I 

 do not think it can be profitably re- 

 moved in any other way. Soaking it 

 out with warm water has been ad- 

 vised but I have never found it to 

 work satisfactorily.— J. £. Pond. 



Exchange them for combs in the 

 broodnest having no pollen in the 

 spring. Such brood-combs of pollen 

 will be very acceptable to the bees 

 then, and they will take care of them 

 much more easily than you can, and 

 without expense or labor on your 

 part.— The Editoe. 



Nnmlier of Brooa-Comlis for Winter. 



Query 475.— In order to winter bees 

 salely, how many combs are necessary ?— ont. 



From 3 to 8, according to the size 

 of the colony.— G. M. Doolittle. 



Just what they can cover, provided 

 they contain the requisite amount of 

 stores.— J. P. H. Beown. 



Only enough to hold the bees and 

 abuuuaut stores. 1 consider unoc- 

 cupied combs in the winter a damage. 



— C. C. MiLLEE. 



As many as are necessary to give 26 

 pounds of honey to the bees, and room 

 for the cluster.- JJadant & Son. 



I have wintered a colony well on 

 the summer stand on two Langstroth 

 frames. 1 prefer from tour to six 

 Laugsiroth tramea well covered with 

 bees at the commencement of cold 

 weather.— J. E. Pond. 



Perhaps not any are absolutely 

 " necessary." I consider from 5 to 8 

 of oidiuary size the best number.— 

 James Heddon. 



This depends upon the size of the 

 colony. 1 have repeatedly wintered 

 nuclei on 3 Gallup trames.— A. J.Cook. 



It will depend upon the size of the 

 colony ; from 'Z to lu trames. A small 

 colony will winter on three combs in 

 good condition, if well taken care of. 

 — H. D. Cutting. 



That depends upon the size of the 

 colony. 1 winter all good colonies on 

 a lull set of combs. 1 am not an ad- 

 vocate of "crowding bees" in their 

 winter quarters.— G. W. Demaeee. 



1 prefer 5, and not more than 6 

 Langslroth trames, or an equivalent 

 space. But in a very large, well- 

 packed chaff-hive, bees will winter 

 very well on full sets of combs, if the 

 stores are not too much scattered 

 through the combs.— G. L. Tinker. 



It depends upon the size of the 

 colony, and where the bees are win- 

 tered. Out-of-doors I would not try 

 to winter a colony upon less than 5 

 combs; in a warm cellar as small a 

 number as 2 or 3 may be used, if the 

 colony is proportionally small.— W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



Even nuclei can be wintered in a 

 good cellar ; but out-of-doors, the col- 

 ony should have sufficient winter 

 stores, and from 5 to 8 frames.— The 

 Editoe. 



Is Plienol Injarions to Bees ? 



Query 476.— Is phenol injurious to bees 

 when used in moderate quantities 7-New Vork. 



I have had no experience with it.— 

 G. M. Doolittle. 



I do not know.— W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son. 



I do not think it is, but I have had 

 no experience in its use for bees.— G. 



L. TiNKEE. 



Mr. Thos. W. Cowan, in his Bee- 

 Keepers' Guide, gives the following 

 safe re<3ipe, as indicated by Mr. Che- 

 shire : 1. Pure phenol in crystal, 12 

 ounces ; water, 3 ounces. Shake until 



dissolved. 2. Solution No. 1, one 

 ounce ; water, 1 pint, 3. Solution No. 

 2, one ounce ; sugar syrup, 1 pint.— 

 Dadant & Son. 



From what I have read of its use 

 on bees, I think it is safe if used in 

 moderate quantities.— H. D. Cutting. 



From what I have read, I should 

 judge not, but I have never tried it. — 

 C. C. Miller. 



I do not think so. If it were I think 

 we should have learned the fact from 

 those who have used it.— A. J. Cook. 



I have had no experience with phe- 

 nol, and have but little faith In its 

 usefulness in the apiary.— G. W. 

 Demaree. 



If used to eradicate disease it is not 

 injurious; but if applied to bees in a 

 normal condition, I should say it was. 

 —J. P. H. Beown. 



I have never used it, but I do not 

 see why it should be more injurious 

 than smoke. Unless used in quaatity 

 sufficient to kill at once, I cannot 

 think that any harm will follow from 

 its use.— J. E. Pond. 



I do not know. I have never used 

 any, never had any occasion for its 

 use, and hope I never will have. I 

 think there is no necessity for this 

 spreading of foul brood, which is now 

 so rife in our country. — Jas. Heddon. 



No. Mr. Cheshire, who had Jo de- 

 stroy many colonies of bees in ex- 

 perimenting " in order to find the 

 curative dose," says : " The vapor of 



Ehenol (the phenol being poured on 

 lotting paper), on two occasions, 

 killed all the brood." He then adds : 

 " I found that 1-200 (that is one part 

 of pure phenol to 200 parts of syrup) 

 was refused by the bees altogether ; 

 that 1-400 might be given constantly 

 to a sound colony without appearing 

 to limit the queen in breeding, or 

 touch her health ; that 1-600 dispatched 

 foul brood quickly, even while honey 

 was coming in ; and that 1-750 ap- 

 peared enough when it was not. I 

 have established these quantities as 

 the correct ones." Moderate quanti- 

 ties are, therefore, not injurious. — 

 The Editoe. 



Convention Notices. 



^" The Eastern Indiana Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will meet at Richmond, Ind . on Oct. 5, 1887. 

 M. O. Uevnolds, Stc. 



ly The Pan-Handle Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will hold its next meeting in the K. of P. Hall, No. 

 1 138 Main St., Wheeling, W. Va.. on Out. a> and 27, 

 1887. All bee-lieepers are cordial ly invited. 



W. L. KINSEY, Sec. 



ly The Kentucky State Bee-Keepers' Society 

 meets In Falmouth, Pendleton Co., Ky.. on Oct. 18, 

 1887. This is expected to be a very Interesting 

 meeting, and a large attendance is expected. 



J. T. COMNLKY, Sec. 



Unlou Conveutiou at Clilcago.— The 



North American Bee-Keepers' Society and 

 the Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Society will 

 meet in Joint convention at the Commercial 

 Hotel, cor. Lake and Dearborn Streets, in 

 Chicago, Ills., on Wednesday, Thursday and 

 Friday, Nov. 16, 17 and 18. 1887. Arrange- 

 ments have been made with the Hotel, lor 

 back room, one bed, two persons, $1.73 per 

 day, each ; front room, $:^.00 per day each 

 ptrson. This date occurs during the nectind 

 u)«e/t of the Fat Stock Show, when excursion 

 rates will be very low. 



W. Z. Hdtchinson, Sec. 



