1^8 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



tice the weather. It is when rain is coming, 

 and coming in a definite sort of way and 

 near at hand, that we get our largest honey 

 yields. This is the foundation of the popu- 

 lar weather proverb that rain will come when 

 bees work late at night. I tried long and 

 earnestly to realize something at predicting 

 weather by the records of the honey scale. 

 It amounted to no more than the signal ser- 

 vice predictions do. Too many exceptions 

 and perhaps-es. 



I guess most beginners at bee-keeping are 

 akin in getting their foundation bulged— and 

 distorted until the cells are ever so much 

 wider one way than they are the other — and 

 then they get out of the difficulty by using 

 wire. I revolted against wire, and have 

 never used any. I find from year to year 

 that my bees keep me supplied with good 

 combs without the expense of brood founda- 

 tion. I use some section foundation; but I 

 have decided that it is unprofitable (in my 

 field) to use more than very little pieces for 

 starters. Am almost persuaded to abolish 

 the little pieces too, and use starters of virgin 

 combs. The object of this would be to get 

 rid of the taste of beeswax (and soap) which 

 my tongue can detect readily, even if my 

 customers do not notice it. 



A prime repeat is my phrase to describe 

 the case where an ordinary prime swarm it- 

 self sends out a swarm (with the same old 

 queen) when they get their hive full of comb 

 and brood — sometimes before. They are 

 rather common with me; and I would like 

 some other greenhorn to tell me how to pre- 

 vent'em. In this it was 2fl days from the 

 time the swarm was hived until it sent forth 

 a swarm. But they were sufficiently angel- 

 white to stay when they were put back where 

 they came from. It won't do to expect such 

 a result every time. Now as to swarming 

 being stimulated by frequent opening of the 

 hives. The matter is one of quite a little im- 

 portance — among the secondary questions 

 that is — and appears not to have been decid- 

 ed as definitely as the case probably admits 

 of. Those who are hungry for practical 

 problems to solve might take it up. While I 

 cannot prove pro or con, the sum total of my 

 experience has made me pretty strong in the 

 opinion that the swarm fever is made worse 

 by frequent overhauling of things. 



"July 2nd. Found the first filled sections." 



A few sections of honey may be a small 

 thing to cackle over; but as cackling is a nor- 

 mal and healthful exercise— and seldom to 



be enjoyed if we wait for a whole nest full of 

 eggs to be realized at once — let us cackle. 

 Let us rejoice when the first fruits of our 

 harvest come in. Yes, more, let us put our re- 

 joicing in the devout form of thankfulness. 

 Many are the opportunities we have to rejoice, 

 and to realize that God is looking on, which 

 are lost by the heedless letting of them slip 

 through our fingers. Most reader .5 will think 

 July 2nd. pretty late for the first finished 

 honey. It is all right for this location. As 

 for the present year 1892, July 2nd. is quite 

 near as I write, and the combs have on their 

 winter blackness yet; and hive after hive has 

 only a few dozen cells in which honey can be 

 seen at all. 



" Sunday, July ith. The discontented bees at 

 4—8 swarmed agnin, and after remaining out 

 a couple of hours rushed into stand 6 — 7. Bass- 

 wood has beeu in bloom a Ions time, but a fair 

 per cent, of the buds are not yet open, and I saw 

 two trees which had not yet begun. White clover 

 has been kept in fine condition by tiie wet weath- 

 er, and many bees work on it notwithstanding 

 the basswood. Was surprised to see that my 

 bees some of them went beyond the creek and its 

 basswoods to work on Mr. Miner's chestnut 

 trees. " 



This swarm I presume was left to itself for 

 two hours because I was at Sunday School. 

 A badly disgruntled lot they were. They 

 swarmed six times in six days— missed one 

 day, but got up two swarms another day to 

 make it up. After they had forced them- 

 selves into 9 — 7 they found they had changed 

 the roof over them " but not the spirit that 

 was within them," and came out next day. 

 The last I find of them in the records they 

 were in a box under the chestnut trees, 

 where I think they remained without doing 

 very much the balance of the season. 



A very valuable trait of the basswood it is 

 that the individual trees disagree so much in 

 their time of blooming. With this Sunday 

 in .July I commenced the habit of recording 

 the condition of the bloom each Sunday. 

 My long walks to two different Sunday 

 Schools in different directions allowed me to 

 see what was in bloom as I could no other 

 day of the week. 



" July 7th. Had noticed yesterday and to-day 

 a small but compact bunch of bees at the corner 

 of 10 — 1, where I had put in with the residents 

 an after swarm with a virgin queen. They had 

 the queen balled in this bunch. Rescued her, 

 and put her over the frames in a cage. This plan 

 of renewing an unprosperous colony seems to be 

 worthless. " 



Alas for the long procession of nice plans 

 and ways that would be so handy if only they 

 would work according to program! When 

 swarms are so plenty that the apiarian feels 

 like the old woman that lived in the shoe it 



