280 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOLRWAL. 



April 14, 1904. 



hive right on top of the swarm. They would unite, and the 

 young queen would be sure to survive. 



Mr. Pettit — If the first shake is done well enough, and 

 an extracting-super put on the parent hive at once, there is 

 no need of a second shake, unless you don't want increase. 



Mr. Hall would have the second shake anyway. 

 Another point which Mr. Pettit did not mention was to put 

 a frame of unsealed brood in with the swarm. This elicited 

 much discussion for and against, which might be summed 

 up thus : If the queen-cells contain only eggs then a frame 

 of young brood will make the swarm more contented. If 

 the cells are far advanced the swarm would start new cells 

 on this young brood, and swarm the next day. 

 [Continued next week.} 



[ Our Bee-Hcepins Sisters ] 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Gloves for Women Bee-Keepers. 



My Dear Miss Wilson :— I fear I have been very 

 negligent about replying to those inquiries regarding the 

 gloves I wore last year, but " better late than never." I 

 purchased mine at a men's furnishing house, paying SI. 00 

 for them. They are Eisendrath's asbestos tan. Can be 

 had at Keith Bros., wholesale dealers in Chicago. They 

 seem rather clumsy at first, but soon fit the hand, and when 

 soiled I wash them and they are soft and clean as new. I 

 seldom feel a sting through them, and a hot smoker will 

 not hurt them a bit. I did a great deal more work than 

 handling bees with them, and they are good for another 

 year, as far as I can see. Mine have one fault, they are 

 rather short at the wrist. 



I hope this will appear in time for those sisters who in- 

 quired about them. Elizabeth M. Smith. 



Winnebago Co., Wis. 



An Iowa Sister's Report. 



Dear Miss Wilson :— This is a stormy day, and the 

 wind is blowing cold from the north, but in spite of the 

 snow and cold I realize that in a short time the bees will 

 again be on the summer stands, and the same old measure 

 of care and interest will be required to secure a good crop 

 the coming season. 



I was sorry to notice in the report given of the honey- 

 yield for last year that I was credited with producing more 

 than I did, which may be accounted for, I imagine, by the 

 addition of one too many ciphers to the right of the 1000 

 pounds of extracted, making it read 10,000 pounds. My 

 crops, I think, will average about 9000 pounds for the past 

 five years, all told, both comb and extracted. I do not live 

 in a locality where very large crops can be obtained, unless 

 we should have a season when all the conditions would be 

 just right for it, which has not occurred during my experi- 

 ence as a bee-keeper. There has been untimely high water, 

 wet seasons and dry seasons to contend with. 



My bees are wintering well in the cellar, but of course 

 the dead-line is ahead. 



I atttended the bee-keepers' convention at Madison, 

 Wis., last month, and enjoyed it very much. 



Clara West Evans. 



Allamakee Co., Iowa, March 14. 



How I Dress for Bee-Keeping-. 



It interests, me very much to read the Sisters' depart- 

 ment. 



In the way of dress, I like a narrow dress-skirt, just to 

 come to the instep of the shoe, a gingham hat and a cotton 

 bee-veil. I have some mitts that I knit out of candle-wick, 

 which come from the second joint of the fingers almost to 

 the shoulders ; the bees can not sting through the candle- 

 wicking. 



I enjoy bee-keeping very much, and love to read the 

 American Bee Journal. I think the pictures are very inter- 

 esting. I think that bee-keepers' associations are good 



things, and there is where we bee-keepers ought to be. I do 

 not belong to any, but I hope I will get there some day. 



I have invented a swarm-catching cage that I think is 

 far ahead of the Manum swarm catcher ; but the Manum 

 can also be used. 



I also invented a "drone-catching cage " last summer. 

 I kept 80 little Plymouth Rock chickens in the bee-yard, and 

 taught them to catch the drones. They would watch at the 

 entrances of the hives and catch and eat the drones as they 

 came out of the hives. Catherine Wainwright. 



Poweshiek Co., Iowa. 



Spring- Feeding of Bees. 



Dear Miss Wilson : — We have been having good 

 weather, and the bees have been working some ; they have 

 been getting quite a bit of pollen. The 14 colonies have 

 wintered well with one exception, which colony appears to 

 be queenless. 



We fed our bees a short time ago. This is our way : 

 Have the water boiling, then set it on the back of the stove, 

 or the hearth, and stir into it a cupful of granulated sugar 

 at a time until it is of the right thickness ; chen put in about 

 a pound of extracted honey for a pailful of syrup. The 

 honey prevents the sugar from crystallizing in the feeder. 

 Then feed while it is lukewarm or tepid, by pouring it in 

 soup-plates, which are placed on the brood-frames, and 

 small pieces of board thrown in. Whenever a section or 

 division-board gets broken I save it for this purpose. 



For early spring feeding I think I would prefer a feeder 

 which hangs among the bees. 



I have prepared a lot of solid wood for the smoker to- 

 day, but we use oak-bark that falls off of the fence around 

 the apiary a good deal. 



Yes, that question, " How old is Ann ?" is in nearly 

 every paper I pick up. I am 14 years old. So now I think 

 no one will have to ask again. Ann F. Kelly. 



Hickory Co., Mo., March 10. 



Bees Packed All Summer— Full Sheets or 

 Starters for Swarms. 



1. A bee-keeper near here keeps his bees closely packed 

 all through the summer with woolen quilts and carpet. Is 

 this right ? 



2. One of my colonies died, due, I think, to a week's 

 rain we had not long since. In the frames there is quite a 

 lot of honey, but with a cell here and there with mold, and 

 some few cells holding dead bees. What is best to do with 

 them 7 



3. Would it be wise to put the frames out a distance 

 from the hives and let the bees clean out the honey ? 



4. Is it better to put full sheets of foundation in frames 

 for a swarm, or just starters ? 



5. Is the Danzenbaker a winter hive ? 



Indiana Co., Pa. Mrs. E. M. S. 



1. I wouldn't think it necessary. It might be a good 

 thing in a very cool spell, but not so good in a very hot time. 



2. Give them to the bees to care for. They will do it 

 better than you can. Put a hive-body full of frames below 

 a strong colony, thus allowing the bees to pass out and in 

 through the frames to be cared for. 



3. Not a very bad plan if you are careful about robbing, 

 but I should prefer giving them directly to the bees. 



4. Full sheets if you want all worker-comb. 



5. It is intended to be used for both summer and winter, 

 the same as the dovetailed hive. 



Honey as a Mealth-Food is the name of a 16- 

 page leaflet (3>^x6 inches) which is designed to help in- 

 crease the demand and sale of honey. The first part is 

 devoted to a consideration of " Honey as Food," written 

 by Dr. C. C. Miller. The last part contains " Honey-Cook- 

 ing Recipes" and "Remedies Using Honey." It should be 

 widely circulated by every one who has honey for sale. It 

 is almost certain to make good customers for honey. We 

 know, for we have used it ourselves. 



Prices, prepaid— Sample copy free ; 10 for 20 cts. ; 25 

 for 40 cts.; 50 for 70 cts.; 100 for $1.25; 250 for $2.25; 500 

 for $4.00 ; 1000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free 

 at the bottom of the front page, on all orders for 100 or 

 more copies. Send all orders to the Bee Journal office. 



