41st YEAR. 



CHICAGO, ILL,, OCTOBER 24, 1901, 



No, 43, 



i ^ Editorial. ^ I 



"Too Previous " Unqueening. — Quite 

 a number of bej^inners in bee-I\eepinjj malie a 

 big mistake when, after they have ordered 

 queens from a dealer or breeder, they imme- 

 diately kill the queens of the colonies where 

 they wish to introduce the new queens when 

 they arrive. This is a risky and unnecessary 

 thing to do. Never destroy a reigning queen 

 until the i|ueen sent for is received. Very 

 often queens can not be sent by return mail, 

 even if so advertised. A breeder may be able 

 to send by return mail almost invariably, but 

 more than likely the bee-keeper who has been 

 so hasty as to kill the old queen before the 

 new one arrives is so unfortunate as to have 

 the mailing of his queen unavoidably delayed 

 several days or a week. Even a queen- 

 breeder can not control all circumstances at 

 all times. So the safest way is to wait until 

 the new queen is on hand, then proceed to 

 remove the old queen and introduce the new 

 one according to directions. 



Discrepancies of Apiarian AVriters. 



— There is not entire unanimity among the 

 writers of bee-literature. Views are held that 

 seem diametrically opposed. Sometimes they 

 are really just as much opposed as they seem 

 to be. Sometimes wrong views are held. 

 Sometimes a difference of locality or a differ- 

 ence in conditions may give rise to opposite 

 views, both views being right. Sometimes, 

 however, a fuller understanding may show 

 that there is really no discrepancy where dis- 

 crepancy appeared. 



A case in point is that of getting unfinished 

 sections cleaned out by the bees. The Miller 

 plan is to have the sections in a pile with an 

 entrance so small that only one or two bees 

 can pass at a time. The B. Taylor plan is to 

 spread out the sections so as to allow the 

 freest apjiroach. One plan seems to be the 

 exact opposite of the other, yet a little ex- 

 planation will show that both plans have the 

 same basis for action. 



In a time of scarcity expose a single section 

 of honey, and in a little while it will be so 

 thickly covered with bees that no jiart of the 

 comb can be seen, and the cotnb will be 

 chewed up into little bits. If by any means 

 it can be so managed that the bees shall not 

 beat all crowded upon the comb, the bees 

 will deliberately empty the honey without 

 marring the comb. 



The Miller plan says: Admit so few bees 

 at a time that they will not be crowded upon 



the comb. The Taylor plan says: Spread 

 out so many sections that there will be 

 no crowding. Each plan strives tor the 

 same thing — to prevent the bees crowding 

 upon the comb. The Miller plan is safe in 

 any case; theTaylorplan works more rapidly, 

 but can be used only when 8 or 10 sections 

 can be put out for each colony. 



The Illinois Fair Premiums were 

 awarded by C. P. Dadant this year. Secretary 

 James A. Stone, of the State Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, has sent us the list, which is as 

 follows : 



Display of comb honey — 1st, J. A. Stone & 

 Son, ?20; 2d, Chas. Becker, 5;15; 3d, G. M. 

 Rumler, SIO. 



Collection labeled cases containing I'i or 

 more pounds of white honey from different 

 flowers — 1st, Chas. Becker, $8 ; J. A. Stone & 

 Son, ¥5; G. M. Rumler, ?3. 



Collection labeled cases containing 13 or 

 more pounds of amber or dark honey from 

 different rtower.s— 1st, Chas. Becker, S8 ; 2d, G. 

 M. Rumler. $b. 



Case white clover comb honey, 13 to 24 

 pounds — 1st, Aaron Coppin, S4; 2d, Geo. A. 

 Hunt, s:3; 3d, J. A. Stone & Son, ?2. 



Case of sweet clover comb honey, 12 to 24 

 pounds — 1st, Chas. BecKer, S4; 2d, J. A. 

 Stone it Son, ?3; 3d, Aaron Coppin, S2. 



Case of basswood comb honey, 13 to 24 

 pounds — 1st, Chas. Becker, 84; 2d, J. A. 

 Stone & Son, §3; 3d, G. M. Rumler, .*2. 



Display of extracted honey — 1st, Chas. 

 Becker, .?30; 3d, J. A. Stone & Son, glo: 3d, 

 G. M. Rumler, .?10. 



Honey extracting on the grounds — 1st, C. 

 Becker, ;S5; 2d, J. A. Stone & Son, S3. 



Frame of comb honey for extracting — 1st, 

 G. M. Rumler, S.t: 2d, Chas. Becker, ¥3; 3d, 

 J. A. Stone & Son, •?2. 



Display of candied honey — 1st, C. Becker, 

 $20; 3d, J. 4. Stone & Son, ?15; 3d, G. M. 

 Rumler, SIO. 



Display of beeswa.x — 1st, J. A. Stone it 

 Sou, $15; 3d, Chas. Becker, 810; 3d, G. M. 

 Rumler, $b. 



One-frame observatory hive of dark Italian 

 bees— 1st, G. M. Rumler, |4; 3d, C. Becker. ?3. 



One-frame observatory hive of golden Ital- 

 ian bees — 1st, Chas. Becker, §4; 3d, G. M. 

 Rumler, i?;:i. 



One-frame observatory hive of Carniolan 

 bees— 1st, J. A. Stone & Son, S4; 2d, Chas. 

 Becker, SS. 



Honey-vinegar, one-half gallon, with recipe 

 for making— Ut. G. M. Rumler, S4; 3d, J. A. 

 Stone & Son, Rl; 3d, Chas. Becker, $3. 



Display of designs in honey or beeswax — 

 1st, J. a'. Stone it Son. $12; 3d, Chas. Becker, 

 ?8; 3d, G. M. Rumler, .?6. 



The Colorado Convention. — The 32d 



annual session of the Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' AssoL'iiuion will be held in Repre- 

 sentatives Hall. State Capitol, Denver, Nov. 

 18, 19 and 20. 'I'he following program has 

 been prepared liy tlie program committee. 

 The secretary, D. W. Working, says it is 

 probable that there will be a few minor 

 changes in the program, but nearly all the 



papers have been definitely promised, and 

 that a profitable and interesting meeting is 

 assured. 



In addition to the usual officers' reports, 

 discussions of questions, etc., the following 

 papers, addresses, etc., will be given: 



Grading Honey — J. S. Bruce. 



Summary of the Recent Discussions on 

 Breeding— F. L. Thompson. 



President's Address— R. C. Aikin. 



Stereopticon Talk, Illustrating Bee-Keep- 

 ing in the United States and Canada — E. R. 

 Root. 



The Interests of Isolated Bee-Keepers — 

 Frank Drexel. 



Advice to Beginners — H. C. Morehouse. 



Methods of Wintering Bees — L. F. Jouno. 



A Good Honey-House — T. Lytic. 



Abnormal Swarming-Fever — Mrs. A. J. 

 Barber. 



Stereopticon Lecture — The Anatomy of the 

 Honey-Bee— Prof. C. P. Gillette. 



Long-Tongued Honey-Bees — Prof. Gillette. 



When to Produce Extracted Honey — A. F. 

 Foster. 



Extension of State Association Benefits — D. 

 W. Working. 



The National Bee-Keepers' Association — R. 

 C. Aikin. 



An attractive feature will be the exhibit of 

 bees and bee-products. The premium list 

 (a copy of which we have not seen) should 

 attract a large and representative showing of 

 the work of our little storers of sweets. 



It is earnestly hoped that there may be a 

 large attendance. The Colorado Association 

 Is practicallj„the only rival of the National, 

 both in mfeftbership andKvalue to the bee- 

 keeping industry of' the United States. Some 

 day we trust there may be others to claim 

 such a distinction. 



How Long are Brooil- Combs Good? 



— To this i|uestion a bee-keeper replies in 

 Centralblatt, that at the most they should not 

 be used more than three or four years, one 

 reason therefor being that the queen shows 

 her preference for new combs in Wfiich the 

 bees are better developed. It would be very 

 hard to convince the mass of bee-keepers that 

 just as well developed bees do not proceed 

 from combs 20 years old. And that queens 

 prefer to lay in fresh combs is decidedly 

 against the observations of many bee-keepers 

 on this side. 



Correct Use of Bee-Keeping Terms 



is a matter of some consequence. It has been 

 a matter of no little dilliculty to have the use 

 of ''hive " for " colony " eliminated from our 

 bee-literature. " Swarm '' for " colony " was 

 also quite common. Now that the tendency 

 toward correctness in terms has become some- 

 what general, there seems to be a letting-up 

 under the plea that several names for the 

 same thing gives a pleasing variety. This is 



