292 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



be a success yet until they have been tried a 

 few more seasons in different localities and 

 under different conditions. There are several 

 other ways in which such a device could be 

 be made useful, for instance, in transferring 

 colonies from box hives into movable 

 frames, by the drumming out of the queen 

 and most of the bees, hiving them in the 

 frame hive and then putting the box hive 

 along side of the frame hive, adjusting the 

 device so that the remainder of the bees will 

 work into the other. After twenty-one days 

 the box hive would be deserted and contents 

 could be thrown into a solar extractor. 

 Probably foul brood colonies could be treat- 

 ed in a similar manner. [I fear it would not 

 answer for treating foul broody colonies, as 

 some of the bees turned into the new hive 

 might carry with them some of the infected 

 honey. — Ed. J 



Mr. Taylor mentions in one of his reports 

 an experiment he was going to make, which 

 we also haa intended to make this season, 

 but circumstances prevented it. The exper- 

 iment is " what quantity of bees will work to 

 the best advantage." This question seems 

 to us of great importance and has consider- 

 able bearing upon the non-swarming ques- 

 tion. Our plan of making the experiment 

 was different from Mr. Taylor's. We were 

 to make artificial swarms, a la Doolittle, by 

 taking bees from upper stories, caging them 

 in a box, introducing a queen in a few hours 

 and in the evening hiving them on inch 

 starters. We intended to make two swarms 

 of 8 lbs. each, two of 4 lbs., two of 5 lbs., and 

 two of G lbs. and give them young queens all 

 reared from the same mother, by this plan 

 bees and queens would be as nearly uniform 

 in working quality and age as it is possible 

 to get them. 



Duff, Colo. Sept. 10, 189P,. 



[I sent the foregoing to Mr. Taylor and he 

 replies as follows : — Ei>.] 



In reply to the criticisms of friend Kauch- 

 fuss I desire to say that I write for those who 

 think and who read before they criticise. 

 Time and space would fail me were I to 

 write at such length as to compel acceptance 

 without the exercise of thought. I know my 

 readers have knowledge and I expect them 

 to use it in interpreting me. This is not for 

 friend R. especially, but for certain others 

 also, and, at all events, let the criticism 

 come ; it will help to get at the truth which 

 we are all seeking. 



As to friend R.'s first point, that I did not 

 report as to the keeping over of queen cells 

 during the time of depopulation, I think I 

 need only say that I stated in substance, as 

 an evidence that the swarmmg fever was 

 gone from the depopulated colony, that the 

 bees left therein generally began carrying 

 out immature drones; and I supposed that 

 every thmkmg bee-keeper knew that of the 

 two, queen cells "go" before the drones. 

 Friend R. must know that too, for further 

 along he says, in stating the result of his 

 own experiment, that the " next day " after 

 the " depopulation " "the queen cells were 

 destroyed and the drones killed," so I fear 

 he did not read my entire article. 



I am the more inclined to think this for he 

 complains that I did not use a large hive 

 like the ten-frame Langstroth, while if he 

 had read he would have found that I used no 

 less than four two story Heddon hives, each 

 of which is equal in capacity to the ten-frame 

 Langstroth ; I used four of the single story 

 Heddon, too, so as to satisfy those who 

 might otherwise have thought that I should 

 have used a smaller hive, nor did I omit, in 

 order to cover the ground well, to use the 

 medium hive also — the eight-frame L. 



R. L. Taylob. 



Lapeeb, Mich., Sept. 23, 1893. 



T I ]WI B I_i "2- TOFICS. 

 No. 9. 



K. L. TAYLOB. 



All feeding for winter stores should have 

 been finished before the appearance of the 

 October Review, but should there have been 

 a failure it may still be done if the weather 

 continues warm or even if moderately cold 

 if some suitable feeder is used and is kept 

 warmly covered. The feeder should be so 

 adjusted in such a case that the bees can 

 reach the syrup directly over and in close 

 proximity to the cluster. Then the food 

 should be given as warm as the bees can 

 bear it, in quantities of not more than two 

 or three pounds and as rapidly as the bees 

 will take it. If there should be occasion to 

 feed after the weather becomes too cold for 

 this plan it may still be accomplished with 

 a small number of colonies though of course 

 with somewhat greater chances against their 

 wintering well, by giving them the food in a 

 warm room. For this operation each col- 



