14 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Hueries ajid Replies. 



Mlcabons of Swarming, 



Query 778. — Is there any way in 

 which to determine, with certainty, 

 when a swarm is about to issue, except 

 talking out the brood-frames and examin- 

 ing the queen-cells ? — Minn. 



No. — C. H. DiBBERN. 



I do not know of any. — Eugene 

 Secor. 



I have never found any other way. — 

 M. Mahin. 



No ; not even by the way you suggest. 

 — R. L. Taylor. 



None that I know of, and even that is 

 not always sure. — J. E. Pond. 



Yes ; by hearing the piping of the 

 young queens. — Dad ant & Son. 



No. It is not uncommon for swarms 

 to issue before starting queen-cells. — G. 

 L. Tinker. 



No, and I do not think I could tell 

 very definitely by looking at the brood- 

 frames. — C. C. Miller. 



No ; nor is that way absolutely certain. 

 There are other ways of making a close 

 guess. — James Heddon. 



There are several outside indications, 

 but to be extra sure, it is best to ex- 

 amine the frames. — H. D. Cutting. 



Yes ; by observing the condition and 

 actions of the bees it can be told, but 

 with no absolute certainty. — J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



Not with the prime or first swarm. 

 The piping of the young queens an- 

 nounces the advent of after-swarms. — 

 G. M. Doolittle. 



You can no more tell to a "certainty " 

 when a swarm will issue than you can 

 what verdict a jury will bring in. You 

 may guess right sometimes, and again 

 miss. Bees change their minds some- 

 times after their haversacks are packed 

 for the journey. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



No ; you can only guess when a prime 

 swarm is likely to issue. No signal in 

 the way of " piping" takes place except 

 when after-swarms are about to issue. I 

 notice every season that the colonies I 

 expect early swarms from are not cer- 



tain to be the first, to cast swarms. - 

 W. Demaree. 



-G. 



No. It cannot be "determined" to a 

 " certainty " when a swarm will issue — 

 not even by examining the brood frames. 

 There are indications upon which you 

 can guess pretty nearly, but it will only 

 be a guess. — The Editor. 



I>KF»OSIXINC F»OI^l^EN. 



1. If, as Mr. Doolittle says, "the 

 bees that gather the nectar do not 

 deposit it in the cells," what do they do 

 with the pollen ? 2. Have you ever 

 heard of bees being wintered by putting 

 a nice stewed chicken in the hive for 

 them to feed on ? A friend told me he 

 had wintered them that way often. 3. 

 Is it a good plan to transfer a colony 

 from a box-hive immediately after they 

 have cast a swarm, and furnish them 

 with a new queen ? Bees in this locality 

 do very well, but there are no large 

 apiaries here. Jacob Everman. 



North Middletown, Ky. 



[1. The bee which brings in pollen 

 thrusts its legs into the cell where the 

 pollen is desired, shuffles the pollen off, 

 and leaves the two loaves there in a 

 loose shape. Soon a young bee comes 

 along and packs the pollen as we 

 generally see it. 



2. Yes, but it is all a hoax. Mice, or 

 something else beside the bees make 

 way with the chicken — if it is made way 

 with. 



3. Bees can be transferred at almost 

 any time of the year, but the best time 

 is when the fruit trees are in bloom. 

 There is then less honey and brood in 

 the hive than at almost any other time 

 of the year, hence little waste, and the 

 bees are obtaining honey enough to 

 repair all damage promptly, as a gen- 

 eral thing. — G. M. Doolittle.] . 



Whitewash for Out-Door Work. 



Here is a whitewash that is said to 

 preserve out-door work : To three 

 pounds of lime add one pound of cheap 

 grease, and then add hot water until it 

 is of the right consistency. Apply hot. 

 — Exchange. 



