The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-08-09
..wHY BE GOT NO HONEY FROM HIS BEES"

"WhY LIE GO1 NU aONEx &NOM &40 OGGS
A Veteran Apiarian Submits Some Observations on the
Recent Inquiry of &c. H." and the Reply by MIR.
Womble. uguoa
Editors Progressive Farmer:
1 see in the issue of July 26th a letter of in
curry by &c. H." of WAYNE County, in regard to
the trouble with his bees, answered, In part, by
"W. L. Womble, Apiarian, Raleigh, n. O." AS
we are not an agent for the sale of any partlcu-
lar "box," nor bee-keepers' supplies, we cannot
be accused of seeking any free advertising. We
have devoted about thirty-fve years of our life
to the study of and the keeping of bees. In an
article, nearly two columns in length, Mr.. Womble
failed to inform G. III. what was the trouble with
his bees, and why he found no honey when he
opened his "gum."
In the first place his bees had over-swarmed,
as they sometimes do, after casting a good natu-
raj swarm, and in the second place, there was
no honey at that time for the few bees left in
the hive to gather. Sometimes when a natural
swarm issues with a mated queen, quite a mum
Der of young queens are in their cells not hatch
ed out. Generally in four to EIGHT days one of
these young queens crawls out of her cell and
her first mischief is to crawl over the combs
and destroy her royal sisters not yet Matched out.
IhO DOCS WILL OOO I'LL Vi OOAS
queen cells and prevent this work. This older
minated queen will leave the hive, followed by
about all the older bees left by the first swarm.
This we call an after swarm, and in four days
this is repeated by the second young queen, by
which time the parent colony is so depleted as to
be of little value unless the apiarian has queens
on hand and is able to furnish them one already
mated.
nnn Of tho oduontonoc in Eooninn hooC NJ,
movable frames or racks, as some would call
them, is that the bee-keeper can open and ex-
anime his bees at any time and learn the cause
of the trouble. Bees will store as much honey
in combs in the old box gum as in any other
hives, but the keeper cannot examine them, nor
is the honey in nearly so attractive shape. We
have had hives ruined by after-swarming. The
Italian bees are noted for this practice, and it
can only be prevented by keeping bees on nova
BILE frames.
The present season has not been a good one
for honey-our spring crop being only about
half the usual yield. Annual clover did we'll but
was of short duration. We use the gray section
boxes holding about one pound of comb honey.
and find ready sale for all we can produce. Weak
colonies in the old box gums NAV be STRENGTHEN
ed up and made strong by exchanging the gums.
placing the weak colony on the stand in place of
a strong colony. The bees will come from the
fields and enter the weak colony without causing
any trouble and in a few hours the weak COLONY
will be as strong as any.
When we have to feed any of our bees we
make a good syrup of good granulated sugar and
water equal parts heated to boiling point for q
few minutes, and we feed for three purposes. no
two alike: First, to stimulate brood raising:
second, to induce comb-building; third, to fur
nlsh winter supplies. This last is seldom neces-
sary unless it is a very late swarm.
No one should undertake bee-keen;no With tho