December, 191 1. 



American Hee JonrnaT| 



to accompany the bees when they go above 

 as cold weather comes on. Unless this is 

 done she will perish, as she can not pass 

 through the excluder. 



The nuclei, whose entrances are opposite 

 to that of the lower hive, will probably build 

 up into strong colonies in the spring 0£ 

 course, additional frames with honey must 

 be given to supply the queen with combs 

 and with honey for the brood. But when 

 the upper entrance is in the same direction 

 as the lower one, the colonies do not become 

 very strong, as too many bees enter the lower 

 hives. ,, , , 



Weak colonies or nuclei will nearly al- 

 ways winter ivell whenarranged in this way. 

 However. I must remark that my hives are 

 Quite close together, in long rows. If they 

 were farther apart, or placed about irregu- 

 larly, it might not work so well. 



Cassville, Wis. Mathilde Candler. 



The foregoing is taken from the Bee- 

 Keepers' Revievir. The plan of winter- 

 ing 2 colonies in one hive certainly 

 has its advantages. Reference to page 

 298, of "Fifty Years Among the Bees," 

 will show how it was used in this 

 locality when lO-frame hives were in 

 Hse, where full particulars are given. 

 The plan might have been followed 

 until the present time had there not 

 been a change to smaller hives — a 

 change that may not have been on all 

 accounts the wisest. When these dou- 

 ble hives were in the cellar in winter, it 

 was a pleasant thing to look in the en- 

 trance and see the bees hanging below 

 the bottom-bars, forming a single clus- 

 ter with the thin division-board in the 

 center of the cluster. There was really 

 all the advantage of a single colony 

 equaling in strength the combined 

 strength of the 2 colonies, with the ad- 

 vantage that at the proper time they 

 could again be made 2 colonies entirely 

 separate. 



Removing a Swarm from a Curious 

 Location 



The following from the British Bee 

 Journal is a good illustration of the re- 

 sourcefulness of a woman in an un- 

 usual situation : 



A message came to the college on the eve- 

 ning of May loth. asking if any student could 

 come and give assistance as a swarm of bees 

 was in the grounds of the Farningham Boys' 

 Homes. No one there knew anything about 

 bees, and they wished to obtain the swarm. 

 It was then too late to do anything, so we 

 promised to go over next morning. 



We arrived on bicycles with veils, smoker, 

 carbolic cloth, etc.. at i-.v a.m.. to find a 

 crowd of excited people gazing up at a tall 

 street lamp-post, the top of which was 

 swathed in muslin. Inside was a small clus- 

 ter of bees, but the majority had gone down 

 a tiny hole around the gas-jet. right into the 

 standard. We first obtained a ladder, and 

 tied a half-peck basket around the top of 

 the lamp, keeping the light out with coats, 

 etc.. and put syrup inside to entice the bees 

 up. but all to no purpose, and as we were in 

 a hurry to return to the college, something 

 had to be done quickly. 



Pickaxes were procured, and the bottom 

 of the lamp-post was undermined. The bees 

 began to pour out. and we hoped they would 

 continue to run through into a peck basket 

 we put there; presently they ceased to 

 move and were not affected by drumming 

 the sides of the standard. 



A plumber was then fetched to bore a hole 

 in the middle of the shaft for us; a good 

 stream of bees came through it. settling 

 around the top of the lamp; meanwhile we 

 kept a sharp lookout for the queen; sud- 

 denly one of my fellow-students saw her run 

 out on the ground, and caught her. We put 

 her in a match-box inside the basket at the 

 top of the lamp, and the bees began to col- 

 lect there. Meanwhile, we loosened the gas- 

 pipe inside the standard, and drew it care- 

 fully up. Pieces of comb were already built 

 around it. showing that the bees intended to 

 make this their future home, and hundreds 

 of them were clinging to the side. 



Looking down the standard, we saw it was 



still lined with bees. We got a long rubber 

 tube, and put it up the standard and smoked 

 through it, but this only seemed to stupefy 

 the bees, and not to stir them. There seemed 

 to be no way of moving them, when a bril- 

 liant idea occurred to us. We took a long 

 string, which we weighted at one end. and 

 dropped it through the hole at the top of the 

 standard. When it came out at the bottom, 

 we tied a carbolic cloth onto the end and 

 drew it slowly up. This was most effectual, 

 and in a short time all the bees were up in 

 the basket. 



In the meantime, we thought it best to re- 

 lease the queen into the basket. This we 

 did. and sprayed the flying bees with water, 

 which caused them to settle. We next ar- 

 ranged a hive in a suitable corner of the gar- 

 den; as we could not stay longer it was nec- 

 essary to hive the bees at once, in spiteof its 

 not being a good time to carry out tliisopera- 

 tion. We shaded the hive with an umbrella, 

 and when all was ready, threw the bees in 

 front, putting some handfuls close to the en- 

 trance, and syringing water around to keep 

 them from flying. The rest of the bees be- 

 gan to pour in as fast as they could, until 

 nearly all were in. We then noticed they 

 were very unsettled and excited. On in- 

 specting the last cluster of bees, what was 

 our dismay to find the queen in the center 

 half-dead, whether from injury caused by 

 her subjects or by ourslves. we do not know. 

 Our only hope was to put her in as she was 

 and secure the bees with muslin over the 

 entrance of the hive. 



We enquired if there were any bee-keep- 

 ers near, but could not hear of one nearer 

 than 4 miles. The wagonette was hurriedly 

 gotten ready, and off we drove. The cottage 

 owner was most willing to help, and allowed 

 us to overhaul his single hive, and take what 

 we liked. The colony was very strong and 

 healthy, so we took a good frame of eggs. 

 This we wrapped in flannel and drove 

 triumphantly back, and put it in the new 

 hive. We then collected a few more bees 

 which had gathered around the lamp, hived 

 them successfully, put a feeder full of syrup 

 on and left the bees humming contentedly, 

 and already forming chains across the 

 frames and fanning at the entrance. We 

 hope they will rear a new queen, and do well. 



That woman's college seems to be 

 doing good work. 



Moth-Worms Driving Out Colonics 



I have several colonies of bees, or had sev- 

 eral, and the moths have driven some of 

 them out of their hives. What is there I can 

 do for them ? I love to work with bees, and 

 in my early life used to make quite a study 

 of it, but later years my home duties have 

 been such that I could not see to them. I 

 would like to get honey enough for our own 

 use. I think Kansas would be an ideal place 

 for bees. Mrs. W. R. T. 



Kansas. 



It is a mistake to think that moths 

 have driven out the bees. A good, 

 strong colony of bees will always keep 

 the moths at bay, especially if there be 

 more or less Italian blood in them. But 

 if, for any reason, a colony dies out, or 

 becomes very weak and inefficient, then 

 the moth will have chance to take pos- 

 session ; only, however, after the col- 



ony is dead or of little value. Often it 

 is because the colony has become 

 queenless, and after a colony has be- 

 come qneenless, with no young brood 

 present from which it can rear a queen, 

 then you may be sure that sooner or 

 later the moths will take possession, 

 and in course of time use up all the 

 combs in the hive. So you see it is a 

 matter of prevention rather than of 

 cure ; and the method of prevention is 

 to keep all colonies strong, with a good 

 laying queen, and preferably of Italian 

 stock. 



In a case, however, where few of the 

 moth-worms are present, it may be 

 worth while to help the colony a little 

 at cleaning up. Taking out a comb 

 you will see where the worm is by the 

 silken web it has spun, running along 

 the surface of the comb. With a pin 

 or a wire nail, dig into its burrow at 

 one end. Now start at the other end 

 and dig upon the burrow as you go 

 until the worm comes out, when you 

 can kill it. In the wormy combs that 

 have no bees on them, you can kill the 

 worms by squirting gasolene on them 

 from a little oil-can, or you can treat 

 them with bisulphide of carbon. 



Good Time to "Hang Onto Bees" 



The long, cold winter of loio almost put an 

 end to my apiary. Only 2 colonies managed 

 to live through until summer, and I was com- 

 pletely discouraged. June 21, iqii. I sat down 

 with pen in hand to bid our kind editor. 

 Miss Wilson, and readers of the American 

 Bee Journal, a sad farewell. I was chewing 

 the end of my penholder, studying how to 

 word my farewell, when "John" came rush- 

 ing into the house with the news that the 

 bees were swarming. The farewell letter 

 was forgotten, and I soon had a swarm of 

 about a half bushel of bees safe in their new 

 home without any help or thanks to "John." 



It is too hot and dry here for the bees to 

 yield much profit, and should we have a few 

 more winters like the winter of loio, bees 

 will be a rare thing here in this township of 

 Mesopotamia. The assessor for igio found 

 only 5 colonies of bees. The rest had al 

 winter-killed. Ima. 



Geauga Co.. Ohio. July 10. 



Are you exactly just to " John " when 

 you say " without any help or thanks to 

 "John?" What would have become of 

 those bees, while you sat mooning over 

 your letter, had it not been for the 

 same helpful " John ?" 



If most of the bees in the township 

 are gone, now is the golden opportunity 

 for those that keep their courage up, 

 and take the very best possible care oit 

 their bees. They may soon reap a rich 

 harvest. It surely is no time to bid 

 farewell to bees. 



Conducted by J. L. Byer, Mt. Joy, Ontario. 



The Ontario Convention 



The Ontario Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion met in convention in Toronto. 

 Nov. 1.5, 1(3 and 17, 1911, according to 

 schedule. President Craig occupying 

 the chair. The attendance was good 

 throughout all the meetings, and the 

 program was carried out fully, to an 



appreciative audience, who gave the 

 best attention possible to the various 

 addresses and the discussion that fol- 

 lowed. 

 Co-oPERATioN Among Bee-Keepers. 



Three splendid addresses were given 

 along the lines of co-operation, by 

 Messrs. Thompson, of St. Catharines, 



