224 



July, 1913 



American 'Ree Journal 



more accurately tell the actual cost of 

 the combs. To make a certain test, it 

 would be necessary to secure bees that 

 had empty stomachs, feed them and 

 hive them at once. This is the only 

 way in which we could approximately 

 ascertain the cost of wax. 



The cheapness of wax production in 

 a time of abundance is only apparent 

 but not real. If it appears cheap to 

 the swarm, you maybe sure it has been 

 expensive to the mother colony. In 

 other words, the mother colony, pre- 

 vious to the departure of the swarm, 

 must have suffered for lack of room 

 long enough to compel all the bees to 

 stock themselves up so as to be loaded 

 with both honey and wax ready to 

 emerge. That is why, in times of 

 plenty, the swarm often leaves a piece 

 of built comb attached to the limb 

 upon which it has hung a few hours. 



Do not let us deceive ourselves. At 

 best, wax costs the bees probably as 

 much feed as fat does in cattle or in 

 hogs. 



Can Worker-Bees Mate ? 



The May number of L'Apicoltore, in 

 its " Questionario," records the mating 

 of a worker-bee with a drone. Whether 

 this instance has been verified or not, 

 two or three cases of this kind are on 

 record. But they prove only that the 

 atrophied organs of reproduction of 

 the worker are more or less e.xistent. 

 Some persons doubt the existence of 

 drone-laying workers. We have seen 

 them by the dozen in hopelessly queen- 

 less hives. We saw them lay eggs un- 

 der our eyes. If the organs of repro- 

 duction of a worker should accidentally 

 be sufficiently developed to admit of 

 copulation, the imperfection of her 

 ovaries would render this monstrosity 

 worthless, except as a curiosity. 



Bee-Keepers' Kevievv for Juue 



The Review for June is at hand, and 

 we must congratulate friend Townsend, 

 the new editor. He makes a magazine 

 in every way as good as ever. 



Miscellaneous ^ News Items 



Bee-Laws of Idaho. — This is the title 

 of a small pamphlet sent to us by J. E. 

 Miller, of Homedale, Idaho, inspector 

 of the 7th district. The State Horti- 

 cultural Inspector is ex-officio bee-in- 

 spector. Deputy inspectors are ap- 

 pointed by him upon the petition of any 

 bee-association or of three bee-keepers, 

 in counties where it is deemed neces- 

 sary. 



In this State, as in Texas and a num- 

 ber of other States, it is rendered com- 

 pulsory, upoji request of the bee-in- 

 spector, to transfer colonies of bees 

 from box-hives or immovable frame 

 hives to movable frames. 



It is also made compulsory to have 

 bees examined when brought into the 

 State. The amount of expenditures on 

 bee-inspection is limited to $2,500. 



Sooner or later we trust, so.iie uni- 

 versal law, applicable in every State in 

 the Union, will be passed on this mat- 

 ter. Meanwhile we are progressing in 

 the right direction. 



explain foul brood; manner of divid 

 ing; shook swarm; best method of 

 finding the queen, and many other 

 questions. 



An evening session will be held in a 

 room of the State Bank Building. Let 

 this be a good gathering of mutual in- 

 terest and benefit to all. 



H. S. Dl'BY, -SVr. 



G. T. Willis, Fres. 



A New Inspector for Michigan. — We 



understand that Mr. F. E. Millen, form- 

 erly of the Ontario Agricultural Col- 

 lege, has been appointed inspector of 

 apiaries for the State of Michigan. 

 With a man of his calibre as inspector, 

 Michigan should progress even more 

 than it did in the last few years. 



Eastern Illinois Field Day Meet Tlie 



second annual Field Day of the East- 

 ern Illinois bee-keepers, will be 

 held in St. Anne, Tuesday, July 8. All 

 bee-keepers are cordially invited. In 

 the afternoon the meeting will be held 

 in my yard "among the bees," where 

 practical bee-men will demonstrate and 



Tennessee Bee-Keeping According 



to the annual report of the Tennessee 

 State Apiary Inspector, there are at 

 present 300,000 colonies of bees in that 

 State, a large proportion of which are 

 still kept in the old-fashioned "gums." 

 With an appropriation of only $1000, 

 Dr. Ward has done a great deal for 

 the betterment of bee-keeping. During 

 the season he gave a series of lectures, 

 throughout the State, illustrated by 

 slides, and dealing not only with brood 

 diseases, but also with betterment of 

 bee-keeping in other lines. The in- 



spector estimates that the flora avaiW 

 able in Tennessee could produce a 

 revenue of $2,000,000 per annum, while 

 the annual output at present is but 

 $2.5,000. He urges a larger appropria- 

 tion in order that modern bee-keeping 

 may be taught systematically. 



Comb Building. 



Official Recognition of Apiculture. — 



The bee-keepers of Europe seem to 

 have still more trouble than we of the 

 United States in getting recognition at 

 fairs and in educational ways. In the 

 " Abeille de I'Aisne " for May, and other 

 magazines, we read a letter addressed 

 to the French Minister of Agriculture, 

 by a noted apiarist, Mr. Alin Caillas, 

 asking that the bee-industry be not re- 

 warded at fairs with only "medal 

 diplomas," but real medals in gold, 

 silver or bronze, similar to those given 

 to o,:her agricultural branches. We 

 oflfer our congratulations to our broth- 

 ers across the .Atlantic, for this action. 



Do the Dadants Keep Bees ? — An in- 

 quisitive bee-keeper lately wrote us 

 that he knows we publish a bee-journal, 

 and that some of the family manufac- 

 ture comb foundation and handle bee- 

 goods, but he wonders whether we 

 keep as many bees as when the great- 

 grandfather lived. 



We have 7 apiaries, with over 500 

 colonies, over 450 spring count. We 

 have !'00 large Dadant supers being 

 filled with white clover honev, and 100 



