CHAFF HIVES AND DESTRUCTION OF BROOD.
Mr. Editor:
I drop these few lines to you to ascertain whether the “Apiculturist” is opposed to publishing opinions of beekeepers in regard to certain hives, in certain localities, their good and bad qualities, etc.
I sent A. I. Root my opinion of the chaff hive, in my locality, how I lost my bees very nearly all one season, by using them; and I proved the cause to be the fault of the hive.[7] I must have been right, or he would certainly have published the article. At least I thought I was, since he didn’t publish it, which is about two years ago. Now he ought not to have been opposed to publishing my article, because I have already read in the Gleanings, where he said he was always glad to have the children write pieces for it, because, as he says, they generally speak their mind right out, no matter whom it hits.
Now, I am no child, nor am I a professional writer; but I consider that my article was as well gotten up as any child could get one up, and it was just as plain spoken too, as any article a child ever wrote for Gleanings, but it must have hit in the wrong place.
Now, Mr. Editor, if the “American Apiculturist” is conducted and run on such selfish motives, I would rather have my money returned than be considered a subscriber.
You are at liberty to publish this if you choose.
Sometime since I saw an article in one of the bee journals, in answer to an inquiry as to the reason why a certain gentleman’s bees tore down their worker brood and dragged it out.
The answer that he received was this: in case the honey flow ceases suddenly, the bees will tear down their worker brood and rid themselves of it to prevent starvation which, so far as my experience goes, I have never found to be the case, although I have known the honey flow to cease very suddenly and very often with me.
When the honey flow suddenly ceases it is a very common thing to see the bees dragging out drone brood; but whenever I see any of my bees carrying out their worker brood I know that that colony is troubled with the moth (or wax) worm.
I then open the hive and assist the bees in ridding themselves of the pests, and I have never yet failed to find the latter travelling along just under the cappings of the brood, where their presence is easily detected by white streaks which are easily followed with the head of a large pin or the point of a knife and the worm removed without injuring the brood in the least.
I suppose that the bees, in their efforts to secure and remove the worms, tear out some of the worker brood.
J. C. Simmons.
Pottsville, Pa.