(Entered as second-cla88 mattci ,it 



'st-Offlce at Hamilton, 111., under Act of March 3, 1879.) 



Published Monthly at $1.00 a Year, by American Bee Journal, First National Bank Building 



C. p. D.'\D.'\NT, Kditor, 



DR. C. C. MILLER. Associate Editor. 



HAMILTON, ILL, MARCH, 1913 



Vol. LIII.— No. 3 



Editorial 



Comments 



Cross Yellow Bees 



The Editor of Gleanings in Bee Cul- 

 ture, in Jan. 1.5 number, comments 

 upon the statement that very yellow 

 bees are often cross. Italian bees, 

 when pure, are especially gentle. All 

 imported Italian bees are. The breed- 

 ing for color ought not to destroy 

 that quality. Is it not possible that 

 those cross strains come from a mix- 

 ture of the Cyprian bees, which were 

 bred so plentifully years ago on ac- 

 count of their bright copper-colored 

 bands and shield ? We gave them a 

 full trial ourselves, and have since 

 carefully eliminated them. But why 

 breed for color in any case ? It is 

 true, yellow bees sell best. But pro- 

 lificness and activity ought to be the 

 qualities selected above all others. 



Do Bees Dislike Black? 



Mr. John H. Lovell writes very in- 

 terestingly in Gleanings in Bee Culture 

 on this subject, and gives good evi- 

 dence that bees do not dislike black, 

 but that it is more readily noticed by 

 them than other colors. Hence, they 

 will sting a black hat more readily than 

 a light-colored one. They will cer- 

 tainly sting a dark woolen hat or felt 

 hat more than a straw hat. The latter 

 is made of vegetable fiber, to which 

 they are accustomed, and which they 

 mistrust less than the wool, hair or 

 felt of animals. 



Black shows rarely in the fields 

 above the soil. When looking for an 

 enemy, they would be sure to mistrust 

 anything of that color. 



On the other hand, the trunk of a 

 tree, a cluster of their own sisters are 

 of a dark color. Attention has been 

 called, in the " Langstroth-Revised Hive 

 and Honey-Bee," paragraph 417, to the 

 fact that a swarm may often be induced 

 to settle on a dark mullen stalk or a 

 piece of black cloth, tied to a pole in 

 full view of the apiary. We have per- 

 sonal knowledge of the value of this 

 suggestion. 



Where is the farmer boy who does 

 not know that the bumble-bees of a 

 destroyed nest will rush into the dark 

 mouth of an empty jug if it is placed at 

 the spot occupied by their nest imme- 

 diately after destroying it ? Has the 

 black hole a fascination for them, or 

 do they expect to find the enemy 

 within ? 



Foul Brood iu Iowa 



A letter received from Mr. Frank C. 

 Pellett encloses his report to the Gov- 

 ernor of Iowa as inspector for 1!I12. It 

 shows the disease in 34 counties. Mr. 

 Pellett states that the bill, which car- 

 ried an appropriation for inspection 

 for 1913, was killed in committee, but 

 that a slightly different bill will at once 

 be introduced. It is said that lack of 

 interest on the part of the bee-keepers 

 is the cause of failure of the first bill. 

 Each bee-keeper should take an inter- 

 est in the matter and write to his rep- 

 resentative and senator about it. 



One of the most sanguine bee-keep- 

 ers of the State, Mr. A. B. Tackaberry, 

 of Cantril, writes : 



" The Bee Journal should urge the 

 bee-keepers to write to representatives, 



demanding their support. Iowa is a 

 sister State, and you should be inter- 

 ested in its success." 



The American Bee Journal has of- 

 fered to help in every way, but the 

 Iowa bee-keepers must lead the fight. 

 Join hands, friends, and you may yet 

 win this season. Write to your men 

 that they must support the bee-disease 

 bill. 



Death ol' Graiidiiiotlier Wilson 



We realize now a little more than we 

 ever did before what is meant by "The 

 Vacant Chair." For more than 14 

 years our home has been brightened 

 by the presence of Grandmother Wil- 

 son. January L'4, after being up through 

 the day, she went to bed at her usual 



Mrs. Margaret Wilson. 



bedtime, and at 10 o'clock she very sud- 

 denly breathed her last without a pang 

 or struggle. She lacked 22 days of 

 having rounded out 94 years. Her 

 beautiful life was an inspiration to us 

 all, and fragrant memories are left. 



c. c. M. 

 We know that the above lines will 



