January, 1915. 



American "Bee Journal 



"Migratory Beekeeping"— "E. R. Root, 

 Medina. Ohio. 



"Straining and Clarifying Honey "—H. H 

 Root. Medina. Ohio. 



" Autumn Malingto Control Inheritance." 

 — Prof K. W. L. Sladen, Ontario, Canada. 



"A Plea for Better Bees "—Jay Smith. 

 Indiana. 



"A Competency for the Hive" — 'E. D. 

 Townsend. Northstar. Mich. 



"Honey Publicity "-*Geo. W. Williams. 

 Kedkey. Ind. 



" The PJdiicational Value of Beekeepers' 

 Associations "—A. Y. Yates. Connecticut. 



A considerable number ofother con- 

 tributions have been solicited and are 

 anticipated. 



The following Committee on Local 

 Arrangements is announced : Direc- 

 tors, Wesley Foster, Chairman, Boul- 

 der, Colo., Louis F. Jouno, 4732 West 

 34th Ave., Denver, Colo., and Mr. N. L. 

 Henthorne, President of the Colorado 

 State Beekeepers' Association, Platte- 

 ville, Colo. Members are at liberty to 

 communicate with the committee con- 



cerning local details in regard to ex- 

 hibits. 



EXHIBITS. 



It is impossible to announce the ex- 

 act nature of e.xhibits, but supply 

 houses, glass and can manufacturers, 

 as well as others wishing to make a 

 display should address the above com- 

 mittee. Burton N. Gates, Pres. 



Amherst, Mass. 



Ontario County, N. Y., Meeting The 



25th annual meeting of the Ontario 

 County Beekeepers' Society will be 

 held in the Court House at Canandai- 

 gua, N. Y., on Tuesday, Jan. 12., 1915. 

 An interesting program will be pro- 

 vided. A general invitation to attend 

 is extended to the honey producers of 

 adjoining counties and the State. Come 

 and bring the ladies. 



F. Greiner, Sec. 



BEE-tftEPiNG <^ For Women 



Conducted bv Miss Emma M. Wilson, Marengo. 111. 



North Carolina Notes 



This is our third summer with bees, 

 and our experience may be of interest 

 to the readers, as we are in the North 

 Carolina mountains which Mr. T. J. 

 Wilder often mentions. 



Although my husband is very much 

 interested in bees, he leaves the care 

 of them to me, and I do not see any 

 reason why women cannot be as good 

 beekeepers as men. Women will be 

 interested in something, chickens, 

 flowers, fancy work, etc., to relieve the 

 monotony of house work, and I find 

 bees the most profitable as well as the 

 most interesting. 



We started in three years ago by 

 buving five colonies of Italian bees. 

 We thought it would take at least that 

 many to keep us supplied with honey. 

 You can imagine our surprise when we 

 secured 200 pounds and increased to 15 

 colonies We ran out of patent hives 

 and put them in box-hives. I trans- 

 ferred them this year. 



The next year, 1913, was so cool here 

 in the mountains until the last of June 

 that we did not have any honey-until 

 just before sourwood bloomed. We 

 had no swarms that year, but sold 

 about $25 worth of honey. 



This year has been good, especially 

 the early part. We had a heavy apple 

 and locust bloom. We got a full super 

 of the finest honey from the locusts 

 by preventing swarming, blocking up 

 the entrances and getting them started 

 in the super as soon as we could. I save 

 all the empty combs I can for bait 

 combs, as we produce bulk comb 

 honey. I place the partly filled frames 

 over a colony that needs feeding in the 

 fall and let them carry the honey down 

 in the brood-chamber before cold 

 weather. Then in spring place one or 

 two combs in the super. I doubled my 

 number of colonies this year, but one 

 absconded. I sold $80 worth of honey 



at 15 cents a pound here in the coun- 

 try. Some of my colonies that did not 

 swarm produced about 90 pounds. 



We live on the west side of the Blue 

 Ridge mountains, about one-fourth 

 mile from the foot, so our bees cross 

 over to the east side, which is about 

 two weeks earlier and a lot better bee- 

 country. There is no sourwood on 

 this side, but we have a great many 

 locusts. 



This has been a busy and interesting 

 year for me. I have taken off all our 

 honey and hived every swarm; besides 

 I have transferred four, three for my- 

 self and one for a neighbor. I got 

 along so well, and the bees seemed so 

 good with the first colonies I tried, I 

 thought I did not need a veil or gloves, 

 but the bees I transferred for my neigh- 

 bor were very black. We had only one 

 veil, and I let the neighbor have that, 

 but I soon decided I had rather do 

 without assistance than a veil. I got 

 them transferred finally. 



The plan I like best is to let the col- 

 ony that is to be transferred swarm 

 three times ; hive first swarm and unite 

 second with another second swarm, 

 and place third close by the old hive, 

 then in 21 days drum the bees out of 

 the old hive and unite them with the 

 swarm placed by the old hive. I cut 

 out the old combs and place them in 

 the frames which this third swarm has 

 not filled. 



Why don't we sei- more in the Bee 

 Journal from the women ? I am sure 

 they read this department. I am a 

 regular book worm, but I read my bee- 

 papers first of all, and am planning 

 lots (if things for my bees. Beekeeping 

 is just like getting pay for something 

 you would do for nothing. 



I Mrs. I J. T. Reeves. 



Laurelsprings, N. C. 



Indeed 90 pounds per colony may 

 well look good to you, and it would 



look good to a good many others, too 

 Too often the big yields alone are 

 given, while the same ones who get 

 the big yields have dead failures from 

 other colonies or in other seasons. 



Yes, it is a thing greatly to be de- 

 sire 1 that more of the women tell us 

 about what they are doing. Perhaps 

 your example may stimulate others. 



Disturbing Bees in Winter 



I just read in the American Bee 

 Journal for October, page 353, about 

 disturbing bees in winter. Last winter 

 in the latter part of December, I was 

 moving four strong colonies from a 

 neighbor's place one-half mile distant. 

 I got the bees for the asking. We had 

 about two feet of snow and the hives 

 were entirely covered. We shoveled 

 them out, and as they had no bottom- 

 boards, but were standing on a large 

 wide board, wide enough so that the 

 bees could alight on it, I took the cover 

 of one hive where the bees had died, 

 and placed it on the canvass sheet that 

 was spread on the wagon bed and put 

 the hive of bees on that. After all four 

 were loaded we put the remainder of 

 the canvass over them and went home, 

 placed them on their former board and 

 left them alone until spring. 



They wintered all right, and one 

 colony swarmed April 30, but as I went 

 to hive it the swarm left. I had one 

 swarm from that yard two years ago 

 that has been one of my strongest col- 

 onies. I think it was also the best one 

 to rear queens from. It filled two 

 stories. 



I hope I can get a good crop of comb 

 honey next year. I can sell it easily at 

 the door. I had several calls for honey 

 this season, but had nothing to sell, 

 as my bees did not fill a single section 

 nor start in one. 



I am at present (Oct. 16) feeding five 

 colonies with soft candy and sugar 

 syrup, and they consume it rapidly. I 

 spread the candy on paper or paste- 

 board and place it on the frames, put 

 a super cover over it and close the hive. 

 I have only two Boardman feeders for 

 syrup. We have dry weather at present, 

 so the bees can work, but it may change 

 any day as the rainy season is ap- 

 proaching. 



I was told this summer that the foul- 

 brood inspector would come shortly 

 after the last flow, but he has not ap- 

 peared yet. I know a beekeeper six 

 miles south of here who has at least 

 200 colonies. He does not read bee 

 journals or books. I heard some time 

 ago that he takes the supers off before 

 the combs are all sealed and the honey 

 ripe and sells it. Of course, people do 

 not like his honey. 



Mr. Green has not been able to eat 

 honey for the last three or four years. 

 It makes him sick. He is helping me 

 in my business as much as he can, 

 although he does not understand or 

 know anything about managing bees, 

 but he has always urged me to get all 

 the bees I can, and helps me to g t 

 them home. In the spring of 1913 I 

 got four colonies, for the asking, from 

 a family that did not like to go near 

 bees. Last fall I did the same with an- 

 other party. 



1 plant all the honey plants, shrubs 



