American Hee Journal 



feed upuii lint combs, generally starting 

 in those which have more or less pollen 

 in them. As these larva: grow they 

 change the combs by their consumption 

 and development from the nice, sym- 

 metrical cells for brood and honey, into 

 a mass of webs and cocoons. However, 

 I have never known of a strong cojony 

 destroyed from this source, especially 

 bees of the Italian race. In fact, \vhere 

 pure Italian bees are kept exclusively, 

 these pests pretty much disappear. Still, 

 combs not protected by bees are always 

 subject to their ravages, and should he 

 looked after during warm weather. 



If signs of worms appear the combs 

 should be placed in a tight barrel, box or 

 room, and fumigated with burning sul- 

 phur, having all fixed so there is no dan- 

 ger from fire. 



For brood-combs which are stored 

 away for safe-keeping during warm 

 weather, I generally use one - fourth 

 pound of sulphur for every 50 cubic 

 feet in bo.x or room in which the combs 

 are stored. After once treated in this 

 way, I have never had any further trou- 

 ble so long as the box or roorri is kept 

 closed, providing the same is tight 

 ■enough to prevent the female or mother 

 from entering and depositing more eggs 

 on the combs. 



Sowing Alsike Clover for Bees. 



The next question asked is, "Will it 

 pay me to sow alsike clover for the 

 bees? Does this clover ever fail in giv- 

 ing nectar when in blossom?" 



I have my doubts about it paying very 

 largely to sow or raise any plants or 

 trees for their honey alone; but when 

 ■we consider that alsike clover makes the 

 best of hay, it will surely pay to sow 

 this kind of clover. Nearly all of the 

 farmers in this section sow it in their 

 fields for hay, and are glad of the 

 apiarists" bees to fertilize the bloom so it 

 ■will form seed, so the bee-keepers in 

 this section do not sow it unless said 

 bee-keepers have farms, and wish the 

 clover to feed stock. 



Regarding its nectar-giving qualities, 

 it is as sure as any of the clovers. If 

 the weather is good, and the state of the 

 atmosphere right, large quantities of 

 honey are obtained from this, and the 

 ■white clover which blooms at the same 

 time. But some years none of the clov- 

 ■ers seem to give the bees anything ex- 

 cept pollen. A cold, wet season, with a 

 long-continued northerly air, seems to 

 be against a yield of nectar from any of 

 our honey-producing flora, and especially 

 that of the clovers. 



Honey Average Per Colony. 



"How much honey should an Italian 

 colony average?" is another question. 

 Very much would depend upon location, 

 the management, and the weather while 

 the flowers were in bloom which gives a 

 surplus crop of nectar. Taking the lo- 

 calities where bees are kept throughout 

 the United States, 50 pounds per year to 

 the colony, on an average, among bee- 

 keeping specialists, is about what they 

 secure. My average during the past 40 

 years has been not far from 80 pounds, 

 mostly comb honey. Best average in any 

 one year was 166 pounds ; poorest, 30 

 pounds. But I am not confined to clover 

 alone for a noney-yield, as the yield 

 from basswood is far better in this lo- 



cality than from the clovers, and the 

 clover-yield is often exceeded by the 

 flow from buckwheat. 



DisK.\sES OF Bees. 



Then comes ihc question, "Are bees 

 seized with ;m> diseases or epidemics?" 

 Yes, to a certain extent. They have 

 their wintering troubles, when the bees 

 are seized with diarrhea, on account of 

 being confined to the hive by cold 

 weather longer than they can hold their 

 feces, and if the cold weather continues 

 long enough they not only soil their 

 hives, but tlicir combs and themselves 

 as well, till tlie whole colony perishes in 

 a deplorable state. However, with cel- 

 lar-wintering, wliich is the better, where 

 continued cold is likely during the 

 months of November, December, Jan- 

 uary, February and March, there need 

 be iittle fears from this source, for the 

 even temperature of the cellar during 

 this time allows the bees to subsist on 

 very little honey, often not more than 

 5 to 7 pounds for these 5 months, so 

 that the bees do not suffer at all, and 

 come out as clean, healthy and bright as 

 they do in a section so far south that 

 they can fly every month of the year. 



Then we have what is termed "bee- 

 paralysis," which causes the bees to 

 shake and tremble, and the abdomen to 

 swell and fill with liquid till nearly 

 bursting, when they crawl all about the 

 hive-entrance and die, till in bad cases 

 the hive is depleted of bees except the 

 queen and a few attendants, when rob- 

 ber-bees or the wax-moths come in and 

 the colony is ruined. In all cases of par- 

 alysis which is bad enough to cause the 

 death of many bees during the spring 

 and early summer, the colony is so weak- 

 ened that it is not a success at securing 

 a surplus of honey. But this disease sel- 

 dom amounts to much in the northern 

 portion of the United States or Canada; 

 and, if I am correct, the South is much 

 more free from it than was the case 15 

 or 20 years ago. 



Besides the above, we have black and 

 foul brood, either of which is much 

 worse than all spoken of before. But 

 the progressive bee-keepers of to-day 

 are generally more than a match for any 

 or all of the present known diseases 

 among bees. To enter into a treatise on 

 the diseases of bees and how to cure 

 them would be too long for any one 

 article for a bee-paper. Almost any of 

 the bee-books will tell you further in 

 this matter. 



Prices of Bees. 



Lastly I am asked, "What price should 

 I pay for a colony of bees in a movable- 

 frame hive along about the middle of 

 May, or in the fall, should I conclude 

 to wait about buying any bees till that 

 time?" They are usually sold at from 

 $4 to $6 in the fall, and from $8 to $10 

 in the spring, by those dealing in bees. 

 Some bee-keeper living near you might 

 be persuaded to let you have a colony for 

 less. The reason for the difference in 

 price is that there is quite a risk in win- 

 tering, as explained above. If 10 or 

 more colonies are purchased of one par- 

 ty, the price would likely be cut some- 

 what, but if you can get a good colony 

 the middle of May for $8 you would 

 have a chance to get your money back 

 the first year. In an average season. 

 and in an average locality, such a col- 



ony of bees should give 50 pounds of 

 honey besides one good swarm. The 

 section honey should bring readily 12 

 cents per pound, or $6, and the swarm 

 worth $4, at least, in the fall, which 

 would give the purchaser more than his 

 money back, even if he lost his old col- 

 ony, or 50 percent of his bees during 

 the ne.Kt winter. 

 Borodino, N. Y. 



Some Observations in Bee- 



^^=^^ Keeping 



BY I. D. PEARCE. 



In my early years I was taught to ob- 

 serve passing events in a general way, 

 by which I have found it an easy step 

 to make note of things usual and un- 

 usual in my own sphere and its imme- 

 diate environments, and in my 40 years 

 of professional life (which I have now 

 laid down for one in which, for my de- 

 clining years, I can have pleasure and a 

 little pin money as I descend the west- 

 ern hillside), I always carefully observed 

 the small details of my manipulations 

 and their results, thus enabling me to 

 improve upon my methods in the future 

 if found necessary. 



Bee-culture fascinated me 30 years or 

 more ago, and for more or less of that 

 time I have kept a few colonies in my 

 yard for pleasure and recreation from 

 office duties. Now that I have quit the 

 office, rather than lay myself upon the 

 shelf and rust out, I have entered the 

 list of apiculturists, and as such I find 

 that the field is open for closer observa- 

 tions than I had conceived ; and being 

 comparatively a novice, I have found 

 that the bee-papers and other literature 

 added to my ozuii notes are of great 

 value. 



But a few things occurred in my yard 

 during the season of 1907 that have 

 somewhat unsettled my former convic- 

 tions. 



Controlling Swarming. 



Previously I found it comparatively 

 easy to control swarming by cutting out 

 queen-cells and adding more room 

 above. But during the past season, 

 that method in my yard was a complete 

 failure. Swarms would issue from the 

 same hive every day for 3 or 4 days in 

 succession, notwithstanding I would each 

 time cut out every vestige of a queen- 

 cell, return the swarm and see that they 

 had room above. But it did no good; 

 out they would come next day. I finally 

 lifted tlie hive and put an empty shal- 

 low hive below furnished with founda- 

 tion. This seemed to satisfy them, and 

 settled the swarming question. With this 

 latter arrangement I left them until they 

 had drawn out the foundation in the 

 shallow hive, when I exchanged places 

 with the 2 hives, placing the shallow hive 

 above, and under the super. Later on 

 I confined the queen to the lower story 

 and let them fill the shallow story with 

 honey as fast as the brood hatched out. 

 This effectually stopped all swarming 

 from the start, and I was so well pleased 

 with the success that I will not be slow 

 another season in looking out for plenty 

 of room for a prolific queen. 



Ten-Frame Hive Preferred. 



Mv hives are all the 8-frame style and 



