May, 1915. 



American Hee Journal 



CITY APIARY OF H. E. HESSLER AT SYRACUSE. N, Y. 



(Reports And ^ Experiences 



L;^ 



Notes from Mr. Lovell 



The article and illustrations on tlie Vis- 

 conti family in the American Bee Journal 

 for December were especially valuable. To 

 one acQuainted with their warlike history 

 in the uth and 15th century, their attention 

 to beekeepintr and the culture of the silk- 

 worm seems almost anomalous; but as his- 

 tory deals largely with wars. etc.. very likely 

 they even then gave attention to agricul- 

 ture; certainly Lombardy was known as 

 " the garden of Italy." 



We are having a very mild January, and 

 bees are wintering well. Mr. Pellett's paper 

 on honey-plants with its suggestions of an- 

 other summer's work is exceedingly wel- 

 come. John H Lovell. 



Waldoboro, Maine, Jan. i8. 



simply forced to abandon their combs as 

 the water rises. Thus they leave them 

 without filling themselves with honey. As 

 every beekeeper knows, the contamination 

 is spread by tainted honey. If the bees 

 carry any of that contaminated honey with 

 them, the cure would not be complete. It 

 very probably would be insurticient in cases 

 of European foulbrood. since this is usually 

 transmitted by the queen.— Editor ] 



The Water Treatment for Foulbrood 



As soon as foulbrood is discovered in any 

 colony of ordinary strength, the diseased 

 colony should at once be treated by placing 

 in a tank with sufficient water as deep as 

 the bottom-board; tank to be perfectly 

 level, and the water deep enough to keep 

 the bees from escaping from the infected 

 hive. Take a clean hive, with full sheets of 

 foundation, place a wire-cloth upon the top 

 of clean hive and place the clean hive upon 

 the top of the diseased hive in such a man- 

 ner thai the bees can readily work up into 

 the clean hive, putting weights on top of 

 upper hive to keep the lower hive from 

 Boating, 



Commence pouring water into the tank in 

 a steady stream, so that it will consume 

 about 20 minutes for the water to get high 

 enough to force all the bees from the dis- 

 eased bottom into the clean top. Continue 

 the water until it is forced to the top of the 

 lower hive. 



Great care must be taken to not pour in 

 too much to raise the water above the joint 

 of the lower and upper hive. After this 

 treatment has progressed this far. the bees 

 are absolutely clean and free from any dis- 

 ease. Then take the clean hive, have your 

 bottom-board ready on the same stand as 

 you had the diseased stand, set your clean 

 bees on top of the bottom-board and your 

 treatment is complete 



Take diseased colony or the old hive and 

 destroy it totally by fire. F. K. McCOY. 



Idaho. 



[Mr. McCoy informs us that he has cured 

 12 colonies of American foulbrood by this 

 treatment. It is evidently based upon the 

 fact that the bees are not frightened but 



Sugar Feed Better than Some Honeys 



The Bee Journal is again at hand, and as 

 good as usual, but there is one thing I take 

 exception to is the paper on "Wintering 

 Bees." by Lewis Post, at the Wisconsin 



meeting, where he termssugar syrup a dope 

 We will have to look into the sugar trust's 

 kind of sugar furnished to Wisconsin, or 

 Bro. Post's mistaken statement. Honey- 

 dew is worse than dope unless bees can 

 have at least one Highta week through the 

 winter: if no Might, there will be dead bees 

 in the spring. But with sugar, either granu- 

 lated or cut loaf, but no cheaper grade, the 

 bees will winter better than on any honey 

 they may gather, and Bro. Post will be 

 able to prove that, if he will try it. too. 

 Many things are stated that sometimes mis- 

 lead those that are learning, and lean on 

 those who can state fairly what experiments 

 have done. 



I or you can take all the honey away from 

 a strong colony as late as Oct. 15, and give 

 only 15 pounds of cut-loaf sugar on top of 

 frames, placing the bees in two hive bodies 

 for outside wintering or one body for cellar 

 wintering; puttingan oil-cloth coveringover 

 sugar, an empty super and air excluding 

 packing inside of super and outside pack- 

 ing as other hives are treated, and those on 

 sugar will be the best in spring The same 

 with syrup, only more syrup and the start to 

 feed must be earlier. We have late honey 

 here that causes more or less dysentery, 

 and I have not been able as yet to trace it. 

 The taste to me is as good as buckwheat 

 honey, and I am sure that sugar beats that 

 kind of honey The difference incur locali- 

 ties might make the difference, or bad sugar. 

 But no excuse will go with me. Sugar beats 

 honey at any time for wintering bees, if 

 given to them by one who knows how. from 

 years of testing the best way. I hope that 

 those who might be caught short of honey 

 late in the fall will not let their bees die for 

 the want of good granulated sugar syrup. 

 Geo, M. .Steele. 



Philadelphia, Pa., Feb, 15. 



[There is no doubt that, for wintering, 

 sugar syrup beats honey-dew or honey 

 loaded with pollen grains. 1 hese load the 

 intestines of the bees and are deadly, in 

 long confinements. But the Wisconsin peo- 

 ple usually have very fine, light-colored 

 honey. We are not astonished that they 

 prefer it to sugar syrup.— Editor. I 



Folding Sections, Etc. 



I want to tell you the way I cut my founda- 

 tion for sections I have a miter box such 

 as described in "A B C and X Y Z in Bee 

 Culture," but the saw kerfsare as described 

 on page 147 of "Fifty Years Among the 

 Bees;' that is, a'*, 6!6, o?!, n, and so on You 

 need no rule to fuss with, and you can cut 

 15 sheets as quickly as one, although it takes 

 a little longer to place 15 than one, using a 

 little soapy water on knife. This way of 

 cutting foundation one can cut about one- 

 half more in the same time and no risk of 



APIARY OF REV. H, L. HART AT BECKER, MINN, 



