6 



THE) MBlMRICMr* {MMm JOWMMMI^. 



iMOTII\e BEES i:^ WII\XER. 



Written far the American Bee Journal 



Query 501. — My apiary is too near the 

 highway, and it is desirable to move the bees a 

 few rods. Can it be done this winter, without 

 danger of loss when they come out for a flight in 

 the spring ?~ New York. 



Yes. — W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Yes. — James Heddon. 



Yes. The loss in the spiing will be 

 insignificant, — J. P. H. BRO'VOf. 



Yes, if a board is so placed over the 

 entranee as to make them re-mark 

 their location. — A. B. Mason. 



Yes ; it can be done on any day 

 when not extremely cold. Bees ap- 

 pear to mark their location dnring 

 their first flight in the spring. — Mrs. 

 L. Harrison. 



Yes. Not a bee need be lost. Re- 

 move as far as possible all familiar 

 objects from the old location. — M. 

 Mahin. 



Yes, I have several times moved 

 bees in December, from 1 to 100 rods, 

 with no bad resnlts. — G. M. Doolittle. 



Yes, they may be moved now or in 

 the spring, before they have had a 

 flight, without loss from change of 

 location. — G. L. Tinker. 

 "HYes, if you place some obstruction 

 leaned against the hive, over the en- 

 trance, so that they will mark their 

 location. — H. D. Cutting. 



I should prefer to wait till spring, 

 and then move them a few feet at a 

 time till the new location was gained. 

 In any other way I think that some 

 losses must occur. — J. E. Pond. 



Yes, the loss would be very slight 

 if any at all. Leaning a board against 

 the front of each hive before the first 

 spring flight, might assist in prevent- 

 ing loss. — R. L. Taylor. 



it can be done at any time if all are 

 moved. The danger from loss by bees 

 losing their bearings is not so great as 

 some think. I have quite often moved 

 colonies only a few feet, with no bad 

 results. — Eugene Secor. 



I would remove them as early as 

 January, or before they have a chance 

 to fly much. Thej' can be removed at 

 any time by using broad boards to 

 shade the entrances, and thus induce 

 the bees to mark their new locations. 



C. H. DiBBERN. 



Usually there is no trouble at all in 

 doing this. If anxious, turn the hive 

 about and place a board against the 

 hive so that it will lean over the en- 

 trance. — A. J. Cook. 



Move them just before flying in the 

 spring, and make their old ground 

 look as difterent as jjossible. A board 

 put up in front of each hive after 

 moving will help. — C. C. Miller. 



There will be a little loss even then. 

 When you move them, place a slant- 

 ing board in front of the entrance, to 

 show them a change of position at their 

 exit. If there is any danger of spring 

 dwindling, do not move them at that 

 time. We have once suttered a severe 

 loss for just such a reason. — Dadant 

 & Son. 



Yes, your hives can be moved back 

 as far as you want them without any 

 perceptible loss of bees. Several years 

 ago I was situated exactly as you de- 

 scribe ; my apiary was too close to the 

 highway, and people passing were 

 afraid of the bees. I staked ofl' the 

 new 3-ard, and got everything ready so 

 as to place the hives as nearly in their 

 old position relative to each other as 

 was practicable. I then had a man to 

 help me, and each hive was borne be- 

 tween us so steadily that the bees were 

 not aroused in the least. After the 

 hives were all placed in their new loca- 

 tion, we cleaned uj) the old yard of all 

 land-marks as much as possible ; and 

 the first warm day thereafter I made 

 some smothered lires of damp straw on 

 the old site, and kept them going till 

 the bees had marked their new loca- 

 tion. Some boards or shingles were 

 placed in front of each hive. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



Yes ; it will be A'ery easy as well as 

 very " desirable " to move the bees 

 during the winter repose, if they are 

 too near the highway. It is very im- 

 portant that the apiary should be 

 located at a safe distance from high- 

 ways, pathways, and places where 

 damage may result from such location; 

 and if any others are so located, let 

 there be no delay in making the re- 

 moval. The bees will re-locate the 

 location on their first appearance in 

 spring, especially if a board or bough 

 be placed over the entrance. — The 

 Editor. 



PRETEIVXinrCi QUEE?VS FROM 



liAYIWG II\ SECXIOr«S. 



WHtten for the American Bee Journal 



Query 502.— If I hive a prime swarm on 

 eight standard Langstroth frames, with starters 

 one inch wide, and transfer the supers from the 

 old to the new hive, will a slatted brealt-joint 

 honey-board keen the Queen from laying eggs in 

 the sections ?— Illinois. 



It will, if accurately constructed. — 

 J. P. H. Brown. 



Yes. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



I have never tried it, but I should 

 think not. — A. B. Mason. 



I think that it would usually, but I 

 have not had experience. — C. C. 

 Miller. 



Not in every lase, but if they are 

 good to work in the sections, the queen 

 will seldom go there. — H. D. Cutting. 



It may have a tendency in that 

 tlirection, but to make a sure thing, it 



should be queen-excluding. — W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. 



Mxist likely, if the supers are well 

 filled with honey ; otherwise we would 

 advise a delay of one or two days. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



I have never tried it, but I should 

 say that it would be doubtful, especially 

 if starters used were comb foundation ; 

 if of comb, the queen would be less 

 liable to go into the sections. — G. M. 

 Doolittle. 



Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. 

 It will depend upon your management 

 otherwise. A queen-excluder is the 

 only safe and sure remedy. — J. E. 

 Pond. 



Usuallj', but not always. Whj- not 

 use a queen-excluder, then assurance 

 is made not only doubly but wholly 

 .sure. — A. J. Cook. 



No, not in every case. A queen-ex- 

 cluding honey-board, or some comb in 

 the brood-chamber, would be neces- 

 sary in order to keep the queen out of 

 the sections. — R. L. Taylor. 



I should prefer.in that case, a queen- 

 excluding honey-board. If supers 

 were put on at once, I should fear that 

 the queen would go into the sections. 

 — Eugene Secor. 



If the sections transferred from the 

 old hive are nearly ready to seal up, 

 it will ; otherwise the queen would be 

 almost certain to lay eggs in the sec- 

 tions. — C. H. Dibbern. 



That will depend upon circum- 

 stances. If there are empty combs in 

 the super, and the flow of honey should 

 fail for a day or two, I would expect 

 the queen to enter it and turn it into a 

 brood-chamlser. I would prefer to 

 wait before putting on the super, luitil 

 the bees had got started below. — M. 

 Mahin. 



The slatted break-joint honey-board 

 alwaj'S has a tendency to keep the 

 queen below, and I have never been 

 troubled with brood or pollen in the 

 surplus department whether these 

 honey-boards were made queen-ex- 

 cluding or not, I am wondering if 

 your fear of getting brood in the sec- 

 tions under the circumstances you 

 mention, is the result of experience or 

 theory. I have practiced this placing 

 over the siu-plus on swarms, for over 

 15 years, and I have never been 

 troubled with brood in that waj' ; and 

 I used to do it before we had founda- 

 tion to put in empty frames. At this 

 season of the year all combs are filled 

 with honey as fast as built, whether 

 built from foundation or otherwise, and 

 there is no chance for the queen to lay 

 in them. — James Heddon. 

 . No. The habit of bees inclines 

 them to ascend to the highest point in 

 the hive, and when a hive is arranged 

 as described by you, the queen is 

 likely to go into the surplus cases at 



