PEBKUAHY 1, 1915 



125 



Heads of Girainii from Differeelt Fields 



The Backlot Buzzer 



Many a novice has heard that " birds of a feather 

 always flock together," and then gone and tried to 

 put two queens in the same hive. 



Some Answers to Questions on Starting 

 with Bees 



Hereafter no one need expect me to answer letters 

 privately, even though a two-cent stamp is enclosed, 

 for I am too busy with other work, and cannot take 

 the time to answer them all. Although beekeeping 

 is my hobby, it is only my side line, as I am a rural 

 mail-carrier, and am on the road six hours in win- 

 ter, and the spare time I must make use of for 

 prepariuK spring operations. 



The following are answers to questions sent me. 



I would start in the spring by buying a colony of 

 bees. I would use only standard factoYy-made hives 

 the size depending on location and whether running 

 for comb or extracted honey. The ten-frame is best 

 for central Wisconsin, especially for extracted honey. 

 I use nothing but a two-inch bottom, open on two 

 sides, which I get from Gus Dittmer. 



Bees can be kept on almost any town lot as long 

 as they are compelled to rise in their flight to and 

 from the fields by some object as brush, bush, trees, 

 fences, etc. If handled at the right time of day and 

 night, days clear, and during a honey-flow, they will 

 not bother. Most lots have some out-of-the-way cor- 

 ner. I advise starting in a small way, and with 

 good gentle Italian bees. 



As to profit, this year was poor, but I sold $120 

 worth of extracted honey from 18 colonies, and kept 

 a barrel for myself and friends. 



The number of colonies that can be kept in one 

 place depends upon the country. I had 24 last 

 sea.son, and increased to :!:!, which I am wintering 

 in a cellar. Half a block from my place are six 

 colonies; two blocks away there are 25; half a mile 

 north are 50 to 55 ; % mile southwest, 35 or 40; 

 IV2 miles south, 30, besides a lot of farmers who 

 keep one and two colonies apiece. Last season I 

 was the only one around Fall Creek who had any 

 amount of honey to sell. Carl Baumbach, Jr. 



Fall Creek, Wis., Jan. 7. 



Finds Smoke Introduction Successful 



I note a tendency to throw cold water on Mr. 

 Miller's " direct-smoke introduction of queens " in 

 bee publications lately. I consider it one of the best 

 helps in bee manipulation of recent date. After the 

 basswood flow I went through the beeyards caging 

 tlie best queens, introducing them to the ones with 

 poorer queens; and, when fixing them for winter, I 

 was surprised to find ^so many young queens in colo- 

 nies from which the good queens had been removed, 

 and so many of the older queens accepted satisfac- 

 torily. 



In carefully looking over the reports, there is 

 usually some cause of failure evident among them, 

 as, for example, trying to run the queen in when the 

 robbers had grown a little bothersome while trying 

 to find the poor queen. Or perhaps some little detail 

 of the plan was overlooked. 



In a late number of the American Bee Journal 

 Miss W^ilson, of Marengo, 111., says they let the hives 

 remain queenless one day before smoking in the new 

 queen. 



The beekeeper should have the good queen caged 

 and all ready to smoke in as soon as the poor queen 

 is caught out of the hive. Of course he should re- 

 move the poor queen as carefully as possible to avoid 

 disturbance. The real point is to get the new queen 

 into the hive so there will not be a bee but still 

 thinks she is their old queen. Keeping a colony 

 queenless one to three days gives the bees a chance 

 to raise another, and, consequently, makes it harder 

 to introduce a new queen. 



Colo, Iowa. D. E. Lhommedieu. 



False Face instead of a Bee-veil 



The first time I had any occasion to handle bees 

 w-as when the old gray mare turned over one of the 

 bee-gums, and we had to set it up again. I told my 

 father to wait and I would get my false face. The 

 mask was made of an old black hat with red bound 

 around the eye holes — the whole combination just 

 the thing to " sick " the bees after me. 



I slipped up to the overthrown hive, and all at 

 once they came at me like hot shot. They got under 

 the false face in a moment, and then the fun began. 

 As it was tied on with new strings it was hard to 

 get off; but I finally tore it off just the same. 



This quieted ray bee fever for several years; but 

 after a time we got some more, and since we all liked 

 honey so well they were robbed to death. The follow- 

 ing season I began reading, and going at the business 

 in a different manner. I secured some good bee lit- 

 erature, and read up on the subject. I can now 

 liandle bees in a more businesslike manner; but I do 

 not use my old false face. I handle them without 

 veil or gloves. I have twenty-four colonies all in 

 good condition. 



Last fall I had a case of foul brood. Since I 

 discovered it so late I could not save them. I just 

 burned them — frames, combs, and all. 



Hatcher, W. Va. I. C. QuESENBURa. 



