(American ^ec Journal 



Wintering Bees in a Warm Room 



On Dec. intli I transferred a stronti colony 

 from a to-frame hive into an 8-frame glass 

 Iiive. Tlie cliange was made out-of-doors; 

 temperature 3a desrees. The bees were all 

 in the new hive in about 20 minutes, when 

 they were taken inside and placed in a south 

 window in a cold room and given a tfying- 

 cage 2 feet square, the hive entering the 

 cage at the back, with an entrance out-of- 

 doors through the cage. 



On Feb. i-jth they were moved into a warm 

 room and given a Ifying-cage the same as be- 

 fore; temperature of the room 60 to 70 de- 

 grees. 



March 4th the hive was placed on top of a 

 new circular hive. The bottom-board was 

 removed to .jive the bees a free passage 

 down through the lower hive and out into 

 the cage. 



March 12th the bees with the Queen were 

 all smoked down into the lower hive, and 

 the top hive removed. They were given a 

 frame of honey from the original hive, this 

 being placed in the cage. They at once 

 made themselves at home, and began build- 

 ing comb and filling it with honey from the 

 frame. 



The hive is made on the plan of a half 

 circle, with glass on all sides. The frames 

 are of standard size, and are placed long 

 side up. and are so arranged that they can be 

 turned around in such a way that each 

 frame stands at right angles to the next one. 

 thus giving an opportunity to see every 

 movement of the bees on the frames. 



The frames contained only foundation of 

 different dimensions from none to full 

 sheets. They are now (March 23' working 

 on 6 frames, and have them well filled. 



The second day they prepared a brood- 

 nest, and the queen commenced to lay, and 

 continues to do so. 



The frames are open from once to many 

 times each day for inspection. This does 

 not appear to disturb the bees in their work. 



They are looked over each night, a careful 

 examination and a record being made of the 

 changes dtiring the day. 



The bees are hybrid, very black. When 

 outside they were very cross, but since be- 

 ing inside have become gentle, and can be 

 handled almost as safely as flies. 



The hive with the brood and stores from 

 which these bees were transferred, was 

 taken to another room and given to a single- 

 frame colony, that has been kept in a warm 

 room since June 14. IQ08. 



The frames were spread, and the frame 

 with its bees and brood placed in the center 

 of the brood-nest. 



The changes have been very successful. 

 G. T. Whitten. 



School of Horticulture. Hartford. Conn. 



[We would be pleased to publish further 

 results of Mr. Whitten's experiment with 

 bees.— Editor. 1 



A Beginner's Good Report 



I am a beginner in the bee-business. Two 

 years ago I bought 4 colonies of bees from a 

 neighbor, 3 in light frame dovetailed, and 

 one super for each hive with the shallow ex- 

 tracting frames. One colony was in an old 

 Langstroth hive with 3 supers for sections 

 Yes. and the best thing of all was Root's " .-^ 

 B C and X Y Z of Bee Culture." which I read 

 very carefully. Then I proceeded to get 

 supplies, which were >) new 8-frame hives. 

 and 4 shallow supers for each hive. The 

 man I bought them of laughed at me. and 

 said that I wouldn't need so many. But you 

 all know what a bountiful year that IQ08 was. 

 and 1 found I could have used more supers 

 to good advantage before the end of the sea- 

 son. The colony in the hive for sections 

 filled 100 sections. I sold S32 worth of honey, 

 nearly all extracted, as we used nearly all 

 the section honey ourselves, and had 10 good, 

 strong colonies in the fall, and some Targe 

 frames of honey to slip in in the spring. 



I told some of the other bee-keepers how 

 many supers I had for each hive, and they 

 laughed at me. and said I needed only one. 

 and then when it was nearly capped over 

 take it off and extract it and put it back 

 on the hive, and the bees would do belter 

 and fill them quicker. But right there is 

 where I kicked. I had heard so many say if 

 they could only get some old-fashioned 

 honey like they used to find in the wild bee- 

 trees, they would like to have it at any price. 

 So that set me to thinking, that if I had su- 

 pers enough so I could leave it on the hives 

 till it was well ripened. I would have just as 

 good honey as they could get out of their 

 wild-bee trees. 



Well. I found that 4 shallow supers were 



not enough for a year like looft. but I left my 

 honey on just the same, and lost about 2 

 weeks of good honey-flow. Well, the other 

 fellows extracted 2 or 3 times, and the mar- 

 kets around home were pretty well filled. I 

 was laughed at. and told that I would have 

 to ship my honey when I extracted. When 

 the lujney became good and ripe. I extracted 

 and found it good and thick, with a fine 

 flavor. I filled some i-quart and 2-ciuart 

 Mason fruit-jars, and somes-gallon cans, and 

 was ready for business. Tliat was the first 

 of the week, and on Saturday I got ready to 

 go down town. I commenced to put in some 

 hone\-. and my wife asked. "What are you 

 going to do with so much?" "Sell it, sure!" 

 And I did. It was 2 miles from town, and I 

 stopped at every farm-house on the road and 

 had them taste my honey, and ended by 

 making a sale and a good customer. I was 

 back home again by noon and had sold S15 

 worth of honey. Pretty good. I thought. 



It wasn't long until we began to get calls 

 by 'phone, and, my 1 it was gone all too soon. 

 My customers were all ready for igoo, and 

 more with them, but, alas, it was a poor 

 year, but I did pretty well, for I extracted 

 600 pounds, and increased to 18 colonies. 

 The one in the hive for sections filled y6. 

 which was good for last year. I have neigh- 

 bors within a quarter of a mile whose bees 

 did not store enough to winter on. I winter 

 my bees on the summer stands. I lost 6 col- 

 onies last winter, so have 12 left in fair shape 

 for this season. One of my bee-keeper 

 friends lost 52 out of 55. and he did not get a 

 pound of honey last summer. 



We have a fine show for white clover this 

 year, and are hoping for the best. 



Barnum. Wis.. Mav 3. R. L. Reed. 



Little Bobby's Essay On Bees 



The bee is a queer sort of an insect that 

 gives people a few points that they don't 

 appreciate The queen-bee bosses the hive, 

 just like ma bosses our home. The drone- 

 bee is like pa— he don't care much about 

 work. There are other kinds of bees, in- 

 cluding political-bees, quilting-bees. and 

 husking-bees. But the best bees of all are 

 the kissing-bees. There is a kissing-bee in 

 our parlor every Sunday night, and I get a 

 nickle not to tell about it. When it comes 

 to the choice of bees, give me a kissing-bee. 

 every time. F. M. 



Meredosia. Ills., June 27 



A Texas Report 



Bees are doing well here, but it is raining 

 great floods now. ruining the basswood 

 honey crop, and it is hurting the farmer as 

 well as the bee-man 



I secured 1800 pounds of extracted honey 

 in April from 40 colonies. The balance has 

 not been extracted. The honey is very 

 good. Prices I get are 12'A per pound retail. 

 and 10 cents for 300-pound or half-barrels. 

 For basswood I get 12/2 cents per pound in 

 300-pound or half-barrels: 15 cents retail. 



This part of Texas is not good for the bee- 

 business. From a single colony 181 pounds 

 is the best I have been able to get in 7 years' 

 business here. J. E. Magee. 



Pennington. Tex.. May 25. 



Securing Foul Brood Laws 



I notice, on page isf. the Report of the Sec- 

 retary of the New Jersey Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation concerning the failure to get the 

 Governor's signature to their foul brood 

 law. We bee-keepers in Missouri had the 

 same experience, so I feel I can give some 

 advice. It never occurred to us that after 

 we had worked on both houses of the Legis- 

 lature, and our bill had passed the commit- 

 tee with their recommendations, then passed 

 both houses, that it would be turned down 

 by the Governor, yet he did so. and it made 

 many sore, and was a bitter disappointment 

 to all of us. 



Some time after the Governor had done 

 this, he was in this city to make a speech, 

 when I had occasion to meet him and intro- 

 duced myself as President of the Missouri 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association. I then ex- 

 plained to him the law we were after aimed 

 at an infectious disease of bees, and that it 

 was not practical to handle it by individuals, 

 but had to be done by experienced men who 

 knew how. I explained that the disease was 

 the same in character, or rather in its re- 

 sults, as glanders in horses, and as he knew 

 that that disease was not curable so far as 

 any one knows, yet foul brood is curable by 

 proper treatment, but is just as fatal as 

 glanders if let alone. 



I also showed tlie Governor that where a 

 colony of bees had died and left honey in 

 the hive, the other bees would rob the hive, 

 and thus carry the disease, and it would 

 spread all around, thus continuing the dis- 

 ease as long as there were any bees to carry 

 the diseased honey. The Governor told me 

 that he had not so understood the case, and 

 that if we would bring such a bill to him 

 again, he would cheerfully sign it. which he 

 did when we got one through 2 years later. 

 So I say to any one in any State working for 

 a foul brood law. to be sure to see the Gov- 

 ernor and explain most fully the importance 

 of the bill, and also the importance of the 

 industry, not only as to the benefits of the 

 bee-products, but as to the perhaps greater 

 importance of the aid in fruit-growing. 



It is simply impossible to control foul 

 brood without State aid. and a .State inspec- 

 tor with the law to back him up so that he 

 can enforce either a cure of the disease or 

 destroy the infected colonics. I know of 

 some bee-keepers now who have written me 

 that they know they have the disease among 

 their bees, but that they do not have the 

 time to work with them, so they were letting 

 them die. and thus keep the disease spread- 

 ing. If the bee-keepers will not do anything 

 where this trouble is spreading, the inspec- 

 tor should destroy everything that would 

 spread the disease, for what they have is 

 not only of no value in that condition, but is 

 a great menace to others. Hence a law is 

 very much needed to compel some bee- 

 keepers to do the right thing. Understand I 

 am not advocating the destruction of colo- 

 nies so affected, where they can be and are 

 treated for a cure, but only that those who 

 will not make an effort to cure the colonies 

 so affected, should be compelled to destroy 

 them, so as not to risk infecting others. 



I think we in Missouri have one of the best 

 foul brood laws, as the State Board of Agri- 

 culture makes the appointment of the in- 

 spector on the recommendation of the State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, and the inspector 

 reports everything he does to the Board. 

 When the time arrived to appoint the in- 

 spector, there were 9 applicants for the 

 position, some of whom the members of the 

 State Association had never heard of. and I 

 do not know yet whether some of them were 

 bee-keepers or not. but some of them had a 

 "political pull." and. doubtless, some of 

 them would have secured the position 

 through the influence they had. but for the 

 fact that our Association had something to 

 say about it. 'These men did not apply to 

 the Association, but direct to the Board. 



There is just one point we would like 

 bettered in our law if we could get it. and it 

 is this: W^e are compelled to go to the Leg- 

 islature every 2 years to secure an appro- 

 priation of funds to carry on the work of in- 

 spection. This hazards the appropriation, 

 and it would be a calamity to some of the 

 bee-keepers of Missouri if we should fail to 

 get an appropriation so that the inspector 

 can go on with his work. Our inspector has 

 done most excellent work while he has been 

 at it. but it will take some time yet to get 

 the disease under control. 



So I would say to any who are working for 

 a foul brood law. do not forget to see the 

 Governor and thoroughly inform him as to 

 what you want. This will apply also for 

 securing the appropriation. 



Mexico. Mo. J. W. RousE. 



'White Clover No Good 



The white clover season here is no good 

 this year. There seems to be no nectar in 

 the blossoms. Alsike is in abundance, but 

 atmospheric conditions have delayed the 

 crop of honey. I doubt if I could find one 

 pound in my whole apiary of 32 colonies. 



Knox. Pa.. June 25. Emory E. Beck 



Non-Swarming — Fearful Drouth 



Mr. Upson see page 200 wants to knowif 

 I know of any one using my method of non- 

 swarming, with 8-frame hives. I no not. I 

 do not know of any reason why it would not 

 work with an 8-frame as well as with a 10- 

 frame hive. 



We are having a fearful old drouth on our 

 hands. Unless we can get rain soon all 

 prospects of a honey crop will go glimmer- 

 ing. The hives are full of bees, out there is 

 no nectar for them to gather. Honey-dew 

 was abundant, and the bees utilized it for 

 breeding purposes, and are now waiting for 

 somethingto turn up; and that is just what 

 their owners are doing. Bee-keepers in this 

 locality are not wearing that ' smile that 

 won't come off." Dr. H. Jones. 



Preston. Minn.. June 30. 



