Pebniary. 1915. 



American Hqc JonrnalJ 



THE BOX-HIVIC APIARY MENTIONI'.D IN MRS. KILDOWS ESSAY 



ANOTHER VIEW OF THE -BOX- APIARY 



as it makes a better looking section 

 when completed. 



I begin to put on sections usually 

 about raspberry bloom, depending 

 somewhat upon weather conditions 

 and prospects for a flow. If the colony 

 is very strong two supers are given at 

 once, placing the bait section super on 

 first; if not so strong, only one is 

 given, and those too weak for sections 

 are given drawn extractinf combs. 



As soon as the lower jections are 

 fairly well drawn out and filled, the 

 super is raised and an empty one put 

 under. ."Mways an empty section super 

 is kei)t on top until near the close of 

 the flow, when bees must seal and 

 finish what they have on the hive. 



As soon as completed, except possi- 

 bly the corner sections, the super is 

 removed and placed on top of the hive 

 or near its entrance for the bees to 

 run out and crawl into their hive. If 

 there is any danger of robbing a mos- 

 quito-bar bee-escape is used. I some- 

 times use a Porter bee-escape, but the 

 mosquito-bar works quicker. 



I pick out the unfinished sections in 

 a nearly completed super and put them 

 back on a hive to be completed. I also 

 sell some such sections as bulk comb 

 honey. 



Comb honey production has an ad- 

 vantage over extracted honey produc- 



tion in that it requires less heavy lift- 

 ing. A comb honey super or case is 

 only about half as heavy as a super of 

 extracting combs. It has a disadvan- 

 tage in that colonies run for comb 

 honey are somewhat moie inclined to 

 swarm ; with pr»per watchfulness and 

 care, however, this swarming may be 

 forestalled if not entirely prevented. 

 Mathilde Candler. 

 Cassville, Wis. 



Restriction in introduction Plan ? 



Evidently referring to the December 

 number of the Bee Journal, page 407, 

 D. E. Lhommedieu writes : 



"I just read your 'Introduction' 

 article. You did not follow the direct 

 plan as you waited one day, which is 

 the reason of the failure. 



" If the new queen is smoked as per 

 Mr. Miller's plan, before they in any 

 way miss their own queen, the smoke 

 fix«s things so the bees never know 

 the difference between the old and new 

 queen." D. E. Lhommedieu. 



Colo, Iowa. 



There ii no doubt that Mr. Arthur C. 

 Miller claims success when a new 

 queen is given immediately upon re- 

 moval of the old ; for he says the in- 

 troduction may be made without re- 



moving the old queen at all. But if the 

 method is to be confined to colonies 

 not previously queenless its use would 

 be greatly restricted. It would be 

 completely barred from those numer- 

 ous cases in which a colony has been 

 found queenless, and a queen ordered 

 by mail. 



But is there not some mistake as to 

 Mr. Miller thus restricting it? In 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture for June 1, 

 l!il;i. page 37U, where Mr. Miller first 

 publishes the plan, he says: "It makes 

 no difference how long the colony has 

 been queenless, whether just dequeened 

 or so long that laying workers have in- 

 fested it." 



Apicultural Education 



The beekeeping sisters will be in- 

 terested to know that the writer of 

 this 1st prize essay is the wife of the 

 efficient foulbrood inspector for the 

 State of Illinois. It was read at the 

 Illinois State Beekeepers' convention, 

 1914. 



It would be expensive business to 

 make hives such as shown in the pic- 

 tures, for nowaday* lumber as wide as 

 12 inches comes high. Just think of 

 the size holding a trifle more than 2 

 bushels ! 



" Beekeeping as a business requires 

 talent, and comparatively few persons 

 succe'd in making it profitable as an 

 exclusive line. 



" This is not the fault of the business, 

 nor the locality, but of the men. It 

 looks so easy that men are not willing 

 to take the necessary time to become 

 fully familiar with the business, as they 

 would in other lines. 



"Our best and most successful bee- 

 keepers are those who have given api- 

 culture special study, and it behooves 

 us to form organizations to awaken 

 interest on the part of the beekeepers. 

 One great object of these organiza- 

 tions, or field meets, is to glean from 

 our up-to-date beekeepers knowledge 

 which they have acquired by long ex- 

 perience. By conversation with them 

 we may fortify ourselves against many 

 errors. 



" It is surprising what a diversity of 

 hives, utensils and methods are to be 

 found among beekeepers. At present 

 there is an apiary near Fancy Prairie 

 that 'las 22 colonies of bees, all in old 

 "gums." These "gums" are made 

 from 12-inch boards, are 3 feet high, 

 and kept on benches about 20 inch -s 

 from the ground. This yard is near 

 the road, but would attract attention 

 only by its old-time appearance. If 

 this man secures honey enough for his 

 own household he is doing well. 



" In another locality we find a yard of 

 250 colonies in up-to-date hives. A 

 well arranged yard with system and 

 modern tools for work, a good honey 

 house and work shop. This man rea- 

 lizes a handsome sum each year from 

 his bees, and keeps them for profit. 

 Now where is the difference ? Not in 

 the location, nor necessarily in the 

 bees, but in the beekeepers themselves. 

 One man, not keeping abreast with the 

 times mnd the other a reader of bee 

 literature, an investigator and ready 

 to profit by others' experience. 



" Education along the line of good 



