248 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOLHINAC. 



Mar. 31, 1904. 



the frames, as in spreading brood, to the heavy work of lug- 

 ging hives full of honey to the cellar, or hauling the same 

 from the out-yards, and you will catch a glimpse of what 

 doubling the number of colonies, instead of manipulating 

 one-half the number, means. 



When viewed in this, the true light, Mr. Townsend's 

 advice to "have a few rD.ore.zo\on\e.s,^\i& avoid the extra 

 ivork" (Italics mine), sounds very strange, and as the Editor 

 well says, "The point is worth considering." I hope the 

 readers of the " Old Reliable " will consider it well before 

 they leave a correct doctrine for one which can only prove 

 incorrect. 



And in conclusion allow me to say that the above is not 

 mere fancy, but facts which the success of the two plans 

 has proven in my hands, and which will be obvious to all 

 who have closely watched the reports in our various bee- 

 papers during the past. If any reader has any doubts along 

 this line, let him try the two plans side by side till he or she 

 is convinced. Make a careful test of the matter— one-half 

 of each apiary by each plan. Don't make the mistake most 

 do — that of running the whole apiary one year on one plan, 

 and the whole thing the next year on the other plan ; for 

 the years vary so much that nothing definite can be arrived 

 at in that way. Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



I Our Bce-Heepln$ Sisters j 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Vaseline to Prevent Propolis on Fing-ers. 



Mr. E. H. Beardsley writes : " Did Miss Wilson ever 

 use vaseline on her hands when she scrapes sections ? I 

 tried it and liked it very much ; also when putting founda- 

 tion in sections my fingers get stuck with wax and bother 

 me. I keep a bottle standing near and put a little on the 

 ends of my fingers. It does not keep the gum off, but I 

 think my hands do not get so sticky." 



I usually scrape sections when the weather is quite 

 cool, so I have not been bothered with propolis sticking very 

 tnuch. I have never tried the vaseline, but I should think it 

 would help materially in keeping the hands free from the 



sticky stuff. 



Manag-ement for Chunk Honey. 



I have seen chunk comb honey mentioned lately, and 

 would like to know how to manage from caring of the bees 

 to putting it on the market. I would like to know what 

 hive is best, what supers, frames and foundation to use, or 

 any other particulars concerning it. 



Humboldt Co., Iowa. Mrs. Adei,i:,a Packard. 



There is no special management needed to produce 

 chunk honey. Just give your bees frames with starters. 

 When filled you can cut the honey from the frames (leaving 

 enough for a starter if you prefer). Now cut in pieces 

 small enough for the receptacle you wish to pack it in, using 

 either glass or tin. After packing in the pieces, fill up the 

 empty space with extracted honey, and it is ready for 

 market. 



Doubtless a Case of Bee-Paralysis. 



Please tell me something about the diseases bees are 

 troubled with. I have one colony of Italians which were 

 quite strong last November, and had plenty of honey, but 

 they have gradually dwindled until there are only about a 

 quart of solid bees left. They seem to be suffering from 

 some kind of disease, for I find handfuls of them outside 

 nearly dead, very much swollen, as if distended with honey, 

 and so weak they can not crawl or fly, but trembling, and 

 their wings have a quivering motiori. I found some of them 

 in that state clinging to the top of the frames and cloth, 

 and down on the bottom-board. Yesterday, when going 

 through them, I discovered their queen had died of the same 

 disease. 



Could you kindly suggest a remedy, and whether it 

 would be wise to unite them wilh another colony, let them 



die out, or give eggs and brood and let them rear another 

 queen ? I feel hopeless about them, for I don't know what 

 to do. During the heavy rain the moisture from the hive 

 caused mold to form on some of the frames and sides. 

 Would that injure them ? Martha White. 



Los Angeles Co., Calif. 



Pretty surely you have a case of bee-paralysis, a disease 

 that causes no great anxiety in the North, but is sometimes 

 a very serious matter in the warmer States. Many remedies 

 have been offered, only to prove lacking upon further trial, 

 but Mr. O. O. Poppleton, who is very good authority, says 

 he has made a thorough test of sulphur and found it suc- 

 cessful. He gives particular.'; for the treatment in the 

 American Bee-Keeper, as follows : 



I always go to the colony I am to treat during the day, and take 

 away all the combs that coatain brood; or, at least, unsealed brood or 

 eggs, and give to some other colony ; then, in the evening, as soon as 

 j the bees have quit work and are all home, I proceed to dust sulphur 

 over every comb in the hive, and, it possible, on every bee in the hive. 

 I never measure the exact amount of sulphur used, but suppose about, 

 a teaspoonful to every three or four combs in the hive. 



I do the work by taking what sulphur I can hold between my 

 thumb and Brst two Angers and dusting same over lirst one side and 

 then the other of each comb, bees and all ; also over any collection of 

 bees there may be oflE the combs in any part of the hive. My aim is to 

 have a thin dusting of the .sulphur over, every bee and every comb in 

 the hive. The thinner the dusting the better, so it reaches every- 

 thing in the hive. The next day, after doing this dusting, I carry 

 back to the hives the same number of combs and brood as I had taken 

 away. 



The reason for taking away brood before dusting the combs, and 

 returning again afterward, is because the dusting of combs not only 

 kills all the unsealed brood in the combs, but ruins these same comljs 

 for brood-rearing. 



For a week .after dusting a diseased colony with sulphur, fully as 

 many or more bees will be dying as before the dusting; and this fact 

 may lead some to think the "cure ''is not a cure. It will take a 

 couple of weeks before one can tell whether the treated colony is 

 cured or not. 



A Sister's Experience With Swarming-. 



Please, may I come in and chat a few minutes 7 I want 

 to sit by that new sister and learn some more about bees 

 and bears. I will tell what a time I had with one swarm of 

 bees last season. It was a swarm of Italians, and made me 

 rather nervous, as I had never hived a swarm alone, but I 

 was " in for it," as the men were not at home. So I donned 

 my mask and gloves, got a pail of water, dripping pan and 

 wing (as I use a turkey wing for a brush, and the pan to 

 take them up in if needed) ; last but not least was the hive. 

 So you see I did not forget that, if I was young and green 

 at the business. 



I set the hive as near as I could to them, shook them off, 

 and succeeded in getting part of them in, but all left in a 

 little while and went back to the old hive. Well, my feath- 

 ers fell. It was a sorry dose for the first, but the next day 

 was the same. The next day my husband helped me ; he 

 thought he had them sure, but not so, the contrary little 

 things went back to the old home. Next day, promptly at 

 11 o'clock, they were, as usual, on parade almost to a min- 

 ute, but we were at the swarming, moved the old hive and 

 put another there, and hived, or tried to hive, them. They 

 went back, but we had the laugh on them. We found the 

 queen and put her in, and they stayed and stored a fine lot 

 of honey. It was a fine swarm. I am sure experienced 

 people will laugh, and say, "That is my experience." I think 

 experience a good teacher, but sometimes a very hard lesson. 



Lampasa:s Co., Tex Mks. MelliE Lowe. 



Bees Humming- in the Cellar. 



The question is asked by " Iowa,' on page 10(1903): 

 " Do bees always keep on humming in the hives all winter 

 when in the cellar ?" Bees always hum when in the cellar 

 24 hours before a storm, and the more severe the storm the 

 louder they hum. 



Now, I would like to hear from some of the rest of the 

 good bee-keepers on this subject. 



Poweshiek Co., Iowa. Catherine Wainwright. 



Amerlkanische Blenenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is 

 a bee-keeper's handbook of 138 pages, which is just what 

 our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and 

 neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00 ; or with the 

 American Bee Journal one year — both for «1.7S. oAddress 

 all orders to this office. 



