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THE AMERICAN BEE JOliHWAL. 



Nov. 10, 1904. 



Cleaning Up After the Men-Folk Bee-Keepers. 



"Somnambulist," who has well beer, styled "that delight- 

 ful dreamer," has evidently been taking notes and doing some 

 thinking with a sleepy eye in the direction of the sisters' 

 comfort ; as witness the following from the Progressive Bee- 

 Keeper : 



"I wonder if the bee-keepers whose wives and daughters 

 clean up after them ever consider how very difficult the re- 

 moval of wax and propolis from a hundred and one things 

 which have come into too close contact with same? I have 

 been tempted to surmise that if they did there would not be 

 so many things daubed up. A little more thoughtfulness on 

 the part of the bee-keeper would save much labor on the 

 part of those who are often scarcely able to keep up with 

 what seems naturally their part. One lady of my acquaintance 

 has discovered the use of turpentine in removing propolis. 

 Would you believe it, I have known of one good man who 

 was so close with his wax that his wife and daughter had 

 to 'slip' a little when needed for household purposes. These 

 people laid it among linen that was to remain idle for a time, 

 to prevent its getting yellow." 



RepoFt for the Season— Cleansing- Beeswax. 



I wintered my bees on the summer stands. I lost Z- 

 colonies last season, as my husband was sick and I could not 

 give them the attention which they needed. A few of them 

 starved, and the balance winter-killed. 



The honey-flow in this part of the State was good. The 

 white clover was fine, but the weather was dry through buck- 

 wheat and goldenrod bloom. I secured 700 pounds of honey 

 from 17 colonies, spring count, and my increase was more 

 than double. 



I enjoy working with the bees. I gaiiu<i a great deal of in- 

 formation this season through the American Bee Journal and 

 the handling of bees. The "Old Reliable" and Gleanings are 

 next to my Bible in literature. 1 get more information for 

 $1.00 through the American Bee Journal than from any other 

 paper I know. I could not do without it. Long may it 

 prosper ! 



Jefferson Co., Pa., Oct. 22. Mrs. Laura Tucker. 



P. S. — How much sulphuric acid ought to be used to 

 one pound of beeswax to whiten it? I have a lot of old 

 combs which I wish to render. L. T. 



The acid is in proportion to the water used, rather than 

 to the amount of wax. If the wax requires very little cleans- 

 ing, use one part of acid to 200 of water, making it stronger 

 as the wax has more impurities, and in a very bad case one 

 part of acid to 50 of water. Drop the acid into the hot wax, 

 and do it very carefully, or you will make the whole thing 

 boil over. 



A vessel of stone, wood, or some other material not 

 affected by the acid must be used. Some, however, the Da- 

 dants among them, object to the use of acid, preferring the 

 wax uncleansed by acid. 



A Paste for the Hands. 



Have you noticed how much more frequently than for- 

 merly recipes containing honey appear in our leading maga- 

 zines and papers? The following is taken from "The Ladies' 

 Home Journal," and is from the pen of no less a person than 

 Emma E. Walker, M. P. : 



"An excellent almond paste is made as follows : 32 parts 

 of blanched bitter almonds are pounded to a fine paste ; add 

 gradually a mixture of honey, 60 parts ; yolk of egg, 30 parts ; 

 almond oil, 60 parts ; bergamot oil, I part ; and clove oil. i 

 part. This paste is excellent for rubbing on the hands at 

 night." 



The " Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, Ohio. 



BEE HIVE H.MCHED CHICKS — QtlEENS STINGING. 



Yes, Mrs. Amos, with bees for part of the heat, and hot 

 water bottles for part of it, no doubt it is possible to hatch 

 eggs. Quite ingenious of you to try it — and get three chicks 

 out of twelve eggs. 



And that's a very interesting experience which you con- 

 tribute about the two recently emerged queens imprisoned in 

 the palm of your hand. Trying to sting each other is a 

 probability (perhaps not a certainty) under such circum- 

 stances. I hardly think bad marksmanship gave you the sting. 

 'Pears like that when once the half dormant stinging machin- 

 ery is fired up, and got nicely to running, there is more will- 

 ingness to scat,ter stings around "permiscus." I take it the 

 sting you got was only a prick, not a solid and deep one 

 that tore the sting away. By the way, I'm not aware that a 

 queen ever has her sting torn away. Who knows? Page 665. 



ON THE BALLING OF QUEENS. 



No, Sister Wilson, I don't say just yet that bees never 

 ball a queen to protect her; but I have long suspected that 

 same. Somehow the thing doesn't look like a friendly act. 

 Usually happens at a time when bees are overworked at breed- 

 ing, and feel edgewise at the queen on that account — least- 

 wise I play it so. Also the queen can, and sometimes does, 

 show very bad and provoking manner.s — in extreme cases 

 pipes, sulks, runs off the combs, kicks in the mouth her most 

 faithful friends when they offer her food. If she was where 

 she ought to be they couldn't chase and catch her exactly ; 

 she would be in touch all the while. Perchance they consider 

 this running off alone as a sort of threat to desert the hive ; 

 and they respond with a, "We'll see about that." Or say we 

 look at it in this way : Angry because there are no more 

 cells ready for her to lay in she sulks off alone in the corner 

 of the hive. Now in early spring when the colony is weak 

 (the situation we are considering mostly) the corner of the 

 hive is the home of bad smells, the result of last winter's 

 death, decay and mold — not yet made balmy and sweetened 



up as the whole interior will be later on. She tnust herself 

 contract a portion of the bad smell by lurking there. I've a 

 notion this may help them on toward the inclination to ball 

 her on the opening of the hive — and perhaps oft when it is 

 not opened. She doesn't smell right. 



SOME QUEENS AND WOMEN FOLKS. 



Well, queens certainly are genuine women-folk. Why 

 should any one wish to deny them the right to change their 

 minds? One on page 668 first clinches another queen she 

 comes in contact with, then changes her mind and lets her 

 go. So little perturbed is she in mind that she falls to eating 

 some honey which is at hand. The other gueeu not coming 

 to eat she takes some of the honey to her. (Makes one think 

 of ancient heroes in literature in the few occasions when they 

 get chummy on the battle-field.) But, lo, another change of 

 minds bobs up when a third queen is put in. She kills her 

 off hand, and having killed her, kills lier newly-made friend, 

 too. Did she suspect her of wishing to mix in on the wrong 

 side? Or is the passion of killing, once aroused, blind and 

 ungovernable — among insects as sometimes among human 

 savages? It's a fascinating study to find out — find out rcaUy 

 — what thoughts and feelings are actually cherished by the 

 most highly developed creatures below us. I take it that 

 Wm. M. Whitney is a competent observer; and he should 

 have our thanks for the observation. 



CLOSED ENDS VS. OTHER FRAMES. 



There's a theory that ordinaty frames let air circulate 

 around the frame ends to such an extent that breeding is 

 hindered. Is it a fact? Closed-end fr.Mues are advised as a 

 remedy. Questioned to 26 experts as 10 how this is, 11 fail 

 to score. II think that the ordinary frame promotes early 

 breeding practically just about as well, and only 4 think the 

 closed-cn>l desirable for the purpose named to a mentionable 

 degree, i 'age 676. 



