1887 



GJ.EANINGS IN BEE CULTUliE. 



659 



mite and two or three other insects, they so entire- 

 ly checked the g-rasshopper outbreak that the pests 

 were very scarce the succeeding- season. 



These blister-beetles are ol'ten known as the "old- 

 t'ashioned potato-biiM-s," and have a life-history 

 similar to that described by Prof. Cook for Melw, 

 except that they attack frrasshopper egg's instead 

 of bees. Their very curious life-history was first 

 worked out by Dr. C. V. Riley. 



These insects are very abundant throughout the 

 West the present season, and are doing- considera- 

 ble ruiscliief (perhaps as compensation for the good 

 they did when young) by eating- potato and tomato 

 vines, cabbages, beets, corn, and, in fact, almost 

 any green thing they can find. They can be driven 

 out of small fields, much like a flock of chickens— 

 generally a better method than poisoning them, 

 because we can not afford to dispense with the ser- 

 vices of their young as grasshopper-destroyers. 



C. M. Weed. 



State Laboratory of Natui-al History, Champaign, 

 111. 



ENTRANCE - SCEEENS TO PREVENT 

 ROBBING. 



FRIEND HAYHURST GIVES US A VERY VALUABLE 

 SUGGESTION. 



fRIEND ERNEST:— When reading "A Caution 

 to Beginners," on p. 598, the thought occurred 

 to me, " 1 wonder if I can not give E. a little 

 lift in that matter." Suppose you try my way 

 of circumventing the thieves. Out of some 

 quarter-inch stuff, two inches wide, make five or six 

 little frames, six inches in width, and as long as 

 your hives are wide. Tack pieces of wire cloth on 

 one side of these, thus making screens to be adjust- 

 ed over the entrances of your hives. This can be 

 done quickly by "toeing" a wire nail through each 

 end into the front of the hive. When you remove 

 the tent from a hive just operated upon, allow time 

 for most of the flyers to get into the hive, then shut 

 out the robbers with one of these enti-ance-screens, 

 which may be left in place until you have gone 

 through five or six more hives, by which time the 

 first one will have matters straightened up and be 

 I'eadyfor battle if necessary. The screens should 

 be made at least as large as mentioned, so as to al- 

 low some of the bees to cluster outside of the en- 

 trance if they wish to; and in very hot weather, 

 with the sun shining directly on the hives, it is not 

 safe to leave the screens on very long, else the 

 bees, finding themselves shut in, may start to " run- 

 ning" and soon smother. 



I have used these screens for a number of years, 

 and they have enabled me, on many occasions, to 

 put up from twenty to thirty or more 1-lb. packages 

 at a time, regardless of the weather or time of day, 

 and at seasons when it would be sure to start rob- 

 bing if I should attempt to put up one package in 

 the usual way. E. M. Hayhurst. 



Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 12, 1887. 

 As I have alreatly liad something similar, 

 I feel very sure your })lan will work. I in- 

 fer from your descrii)tioii that you are usin^ 

 a hive with a Laii.iistroth i)ortico. It is a 

 pretty difficult matter to close tlie entrance 

 of a Simi)licity hive with any kind of wire 

 screen. Ilowever. I will try to put your 

 plan, in some form, into execution, and give 

 it a thorough trial. 



THE BLESSINGS OF A SHORT CROP 

 OF HONEY. 



AliSCONDlNG SHORTLY AFTER SHIPMENT. 



T^TOl'R old reliable Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, in 

 I^IP your July 15th No., has been aiding you in 

 ^JC putting backbone into some of us. We were 

 "*■ getting ourselves into position to do some 

 small blowing on humbuggery of bee-kee|>- 

 ing as an aid to family supi)ort; but his suggestion, 

 that a failure in crop may not be fully a failure in 

 purse, and that the little honej' made may bring as 

 rauchasa largeryield would, bracesupour sanguine 

 temperament, and we have no bees for sale yet. An- 

 other year maj' serve us better; if not, you may 

 have opportunity to advertise some cheap i)ure Ital- 

 ians. 



About one year ago, though late in the season, we 

 determined to purchase 30 swarms of bees, and do 

 as others had— make money, or an attempt at it. 

 We soon had ordered from Charles D. Duvall, Spen- 

 cerville, Md., Id swarms by express, which came to 

 hand promptly and in good condition, excepting 2 

 inside cages were overheated, and two-thirds per- 

 ished. They arrived about noon; and as soon as 

 practical all were transferred into good eight-frame 

 hives; and before night, work was going on as 

 though they were still among their native hills. At 

 11 next day, one colony became dissatisfied, and, 

 without giving a reason or warning, abru])tly left 

 the hive; but we soon took them from a pear-tree 

 near, and, after putting them back, seeing- discon- 

 tent, we closed the hive till near night, then gave 

 them their freedom. Next morning, about 7, they 

 dropped from the hive, and within one minute were 

 hastening toward the east, in spite of much water 

 thrown among them. Some few were shut up in 

 the hive, but the swarm was lost. A few hours 

 later (Sunday morning, of course) two swarms more 

 came out, mixed up, and alighted together on 

 the heavy fork of a pear-tree. Though not quite 

 tyros in the business it was not pleasant to get 

 these bees into two hives again, neither was it 

 profitable; for by 10 next day they left by the same 

 route of their fellows the day before. In short, 

 five of the ten swarms left, all taking the same east- 

 erly direction. If going by instinct to their old lo- 

 cation, they should have gone northwest. 



About this time, Aug. 20, our second importation 

 arrived from South Carolina, by express. They 

 were transferred without trouble, and appeared to 

 enter right into the spirit of their calling; and 

 though late, many of them laid by stores sufficient 

 for the winter. Others, weaker and less active, had 

 to be fed to carry them through. What much sur- 

 prised us was, that in April, after the bees had been 

 working at least a month, we found one swarm 

 dead and another nearly so— starved to death. They 

 had apparently been so engaged with their brood 

 development as to overlook their supply of food, 

 and a few cold non-working days ruined them. And 

 now the outcome: The thirteen colonies fully win- 

 tered have given us but four new swarms, and they 

 were mostly late; the last, July 27th. Most of the 

 brood frames are well filled with winter stores, but 

 the honey-boxes have received but little attention, 

 a few being nearly filled, but none yet completely 

 capped. 



During oxu- long heated season the bees have 

 hung out, fanning themselves, apparently trying to 

 keep cool, while care for the future did not seem to 



