278 



THE MMERICMf* mmM JQ^RIfSIr. 



W^HAT TO DO AVITH ESCORT 

 BEES. 



Written for the Amertnn.n Bee Journal 



Query 535.— What should T do with escort 

 bees, when receiving a queen by mail ?— Ohio. 



Kill them. — C. C. Miller. 

 Liberate them. — Mes. L. Hakhison. 

 You cannot use them to any account. 

 — A. J. Cook. 



I simply let them fly. — J. M. Ham- 



BAUGH. 



Let the poor things die. You can- 

 not save them. — Dadant & Son. 



Send them adrift to shift for them- 

 selves. — J. P. H. Brown. 



Let them shift for themselves. I 

 have never succeeded in saving them. 

 — M. Mahin. 



Liberate the bees in front of a 

 queenless nucleus. — G. L. Tinker. 



Let the bees go. It is alwa3's safer 

 to introduce queens without escorts. — 



P. L. VlALLON. 



If the shipping-cage is also one for 

 introducing, like the " Peet " cage, 

 leave them with the queen ; at any 

 rate, leave a few with her. My boy 

 says, " Put the rest in a bird-cage." — 

 A. B. Mason. 



Open the cage and let them all go, 

 and introduce the queen alone in the 

 cage. — H. D. Cutting. 



Introduce them with the queen, or 

 let them free, as so few bees are not 

 worth the bothering with. — C. H. Dib- 



BERN. 



Anything except letting them fight 

 with the bees of the colony to which 

 you wish to introduce the queen. — R. 

 L. Taylor. 



Let them fly out of the cage and go 

 where they will, before attempting to 

 introduce the queen J. E. Pond. 



Open the cage on the inside of a 

 window, and let the bees out ; then 

 cage the queen alone, or introduce her 

 without her attendant bees. — Eugene 

 Secor. 



Always kill and bury every one of 

 them. Should there be foul brood 

 where the ipieen came from, you might, 

 in this way, avoid getting it into your 

 apiaiy. — James Heddon. 



I used to just turn them loose to look 

 out for themselves ; but now I intro- 

 duce them with the queen. I have ex- 

 perimented in this matter until I am 

 perfectly satisfied that the workers 

 can be introduced sooner than the 

 queen can. I now rarely ever intro- 

 duce a queen fi-om my own apiary, 



without taking a few bees with her. — 

 G. W. Demaree. 



If you have a queenless colony they 

 may be given to it ; otherwise they 

 may as well be killed, for that is what 

 any colony having a queen will do 

 with them. It is not best to try to in- 

 troduce them with the queen, for such 

 a course often results in the loss of the 

 queen. — G. M. Doolittle. 



If they are " Apis dorsata," send 

 them to the American Bee Journal, 

 in alcohol. If they are not, set them 

 free, and let them take their chances. 

 I have placed them caged with the 

 queen in a colony of bees, and 72 hours 

 afterward fixed the cage so that the 

 bees of the colony could liberate 

 them, and afterwards saw no sign of 

 their untimely death. They are us- 

 ually executed as intruders. — J. M. 

 Shuck. 



It is safer to kill them — then there 

 will be no danger of their communi- 

 cating disease to your apiary. — The 

 Editor. 



PACKINCi BEES ON svinmER 



STANDS. 



Written for the AmeT'lcan Bee Jcnimal 



Query 636.— 1. When bees are packed on 

 the summer stands, is it necessary to put 

 packing under the hive? 2. If so, how is it 

 arranged ? Please give details.— Michigan. 



1. No. — R. L. Taylor. 



1. No. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



We simply pack leaves, grass or 

 straw under it, without further ado. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



1. No, l5ut it is best to do so. 2. 

 Make a double bottom and fill be- 

 tween. — A. B. Mason. 



I think that packing under the hive 

 is of but very little importance. — M. 

 Mahin. 



I prefer to let the air pass under my 

 hives to keep them diy. — G. W. Dem- 

 aree. 



It would certainly be better. Place 

 the hives either on cut hay or chaff. — 

 A. J. Cook. 



The chafl-hive bee-men may have 

 the space. — Eugene Secor. 



After trying such packing I have 

 concluded that it is not of enough 

 benefit to pay for the trouble. — G M. 

 Doolittle. 



, I have never put packing under the 

 hives. I think that it is unnecessary. 

 — J. M. Hambaugh. 



It is not absolutely necessary, but it 

 is best to pack under with straw or 

 hay, if the hives can be kept dry. — J. 

 P. H. Brown. 



Here in the South we let the bees 

 remain on the summer stands without 



any preparation whatever, all the year 

 round. — P. L. Viallon. 



It is not absolutely necessary, but I 

 think that it is a help to pack under 

 the bottom-board with leaves. — H. D. 

 Cutting. 



I do not think that packing under 

 the hives is of any use unless it is to 

 make a nice place for mice. What I 

 understand by "under the hive," is 

 under the bottom-board. — C. H. Dib- 



BERN. 



1. Yes. 2. If the hives rest near 

 the ground, sawdust can be banked up 

 against them, or leaves may be tucked 

 beneath. I usually place my winter 

 hives on a I'im filled with sawdust. — 

 G. L. Tinker. 



1. I have never done so. I give 2 

 or 3 inches of space under the frames. 

 I do not know that such packing will 

 do any harm, but my bees winter well 

 without it. — J. E. Pond. 



1. No, not if you have plentj' of 

 snow, and you do in our State. 2. 

 The details of the arrangement varies 

 according to the various methods of 

 packing. — James Heddon. 



I do not think that it is necessary, 

 and I have tried it hundreds of times. 

 As successful as I ever was in out^door 

 wintering, was with a 6-inch hole in 

 the bottom-board covered with wire- 

 cloth immediatelj' under the cluster. 

 The wire-cloth was all there was be- 

 tween the bees and the weather. I 

 had 4 inches of chaff at the sides and 

 ends, and 6 inches of chafl' on top. I 

 risked my whole apiary of 40 colonies 

 and lost none. — J. M. Shuck. 



It is neither necessary nor desirable. 

 Snow would be better under the hives. 

 — The Editor. 



IIVDIJCINO BEES TO BITIL.D 

 COmBS IN CASES. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query 537.— Could the bees be induced to 

 build comb in surplus cases by placing them 

 under or In front of the brood-chamber.where 

 the bees would have to pass through in going 

 to and from the hive ; I mean for a short time, 

 and then reversed.— Minnesota. 



No. — Dadant & Son. 



I can see no advantage in your doing 

 so. — J. P. H. Brovv^n. 



Yes, if they have no vacant room 

 elsewhere. — C. C. Miller. 



Yes, sometimes, but not profitably. 

 — R. L. Taylor. 



Yes ; but why not put them on top 

 at once. — A. B. Mason. 



It is utterly impractical for any and 

 all purposes. — James Heddon. 



Yes, they could be • so induced, but I 

 see no object in so doing. — G. M. Doo- 

 little. 



