THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



The moth passes the winter usually in 

 the eij.ii-slai:;e, and a jiood, solid freeze 

 will kill those; so, in the spring there are 

 no worms to eat the comh. 



There are usually two hroods during 

 the season, one in the spring, the other 

 during the fall. It takes about three 

 weeks for the larvie to mature. 



Another point in the sife keeping of 

 combs is the presence of pollen or dead 

 brood. The larvie of the moth cannot 

 live Oil wax alone; thev nuist have so!ne 

 other food. Now, combs used for ex- 

 tracting seldotu have any poU-n or other 

 nitrogenous foo<l for the worm. The 

 combs wliich are in hives where the bees 

 have died are the most liable to their at- 

 tacks. How to protect them brings me 

 to the second of those two questions. 



We used to think thai we must not let 

 a bit of horey be exposed when the bees 

 were not storing honey or we should have 

 trouble from the robbers, but now we do 

 about as we please in that regard; that is, 

 always keeping in mind certain laws. 



When the bees start to rob a place, if 

 we can make them think thev have got it 

 all, there will be no further trouble, while 

 if we cover up or take away the honey 

 they will keep on looking for it. 



Now fo'- my method of feeding the bees, 

 and at the same time caring for the combs 

 that are likely to be troubled by the bee- 

 moth: 



As soon as the bees begin to work in 

 the spring, 1 go around and take out all 

 the dead ones and store the honey and 

 combs in the honey-house. Then I put 

 out one or two hivefuls of it somewhere 

 at one side of the apiary, leaving the en- 

 trances so the bees can get in and carry 

 awav the honey. As fast as one lot is 

 carried away I put out more, as long as I 

 have more to put out. Then I go through 

 the hives and take out the heavy combs, 

 replacing them with the ones first clean- 

 ed out, letting them carry this honey 

 back in turn. This I keep up clear to 

 the time of the honey- flow. 



No self-respecting moth will stav in 

 those hives that are used for feeding; 

 things are too much stirred up, and the 

 combs go into good, strong colonies often 

 enough to discourage them if they tried 

 it. If we can keep the s])ring brood of 

 worms from maturing, we shall have to 

 wait for more until our neighbor sends 

 them to us in August again. 



As to robbing, the only time I ever see 

 any is at the last extracting, after the 

 honey-flow stops in the fall, and not then 

 unless we are a little too slow in getting 

 over the yard. I mean bees tr\ing to 

 rob one another. I usually give them 



something else to think about at that 

 time. 



As fast as the combs are extracted they 

 are spaced and piled crosswise of one 

 another so the bees can get at them free- 

 ly. Soon the bees find tliat there is hon- 

 ey to be had in the back part of the hon- 

 ey-house, and they start in to clean those 

 combs. By the time the last one is piled 

 aw.iy there is a scene like the one Ernest 

 Root so graphically described after one 

 of his visits to W. L. Coggshall, but there 

 is no robbing in the yard. 



Perhaps if one worked slow enough 

 the bees might get started on colonies 

 that were opened any lime when there 

 was a honey-flow, but life is too short and 

 honey too cheap to spend that amount of 

 time over any one bee-hive. 



I cannot lietter sum up the question 

 than b}' quoting a remark made at dinner 

 at a recent bee-convention: "No good 

 bee- keeper is troubled by bee-moths or 

 robbing." 



Honey Quotations. 



TliH following rules for grading honey were 

 adopted by the North American Bee Keepers' 

 Association, at its Washington meeting, and, so 

 far as poHsible, quotations are made according 

 to these rules . 



Fancy. — All sections to he well filled ; comhs 

 scraiijht, of even thickticss. and firmly attached 

 to all fonrsides: both wixxl and comb nnsoiled 

 by travnl-stain, or otherwise : all the colls sealed 

 oxcepi the row of cells next the wood. 



No. 1. — .AH sections well titled, bnt combs un- 

 even or crooked, detached at the bottom, or 

 with but few celts nnf-eaU'd ; both wood and 

 comb uiisoileil by iravel stain or otherwise. 



In addition to this the honey is to be classified 

 accordingto color, using the terms white, araber 

 and dark. That is, there vi ill be " fancy white," 

 No. 1, dark," etc. 



The prices given in the following quotations 

 are those at which the dealers sell to the gro- 

 cers. From these prices niu.st be deducted 

 freight, cartage and commission— the balance 

 being sent to the shipper. Commission is ten 

 per cent.; except that a few dealers charge only- 

 five per cent, when a shipment .sells for as much 

 as one hundred dollars. 



CHICAGO, 111.— We ciuote as follows: Fancy 

 white i6; Other grades white, as to quality, 14 to 

 1.5; amber, 12 to 14: extracted, as to package, col- 

 or and flavor, 7 to 9. Beeswax, 28. 



S. T. FISH & CO.. 

 Mar. 14. ibg 60. Water St., Chicago, Ills. 



