Jan. 29, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



73 



Of course, this means a saving in the purchase of founda- 

 tion. 



There are, however, good reasons why some think it 

 better to put in a large amount of foundation, even to fill- 

 ing the section full. 



Where a small starter is used, there will be more or less 

 drone-comb built, and a section containing part drone-comb 

 does not present so good an appearance ; and you know 

 that n comb honey the matter of looks is important. 



Another thing : There is generally very little drone- 

 comb in the brood-chamber, not as much as the bees would 

 like to have used for drone-brood, and when drone comb is 

 built in the sections there is much likelihood that the queen 

 will lay in the sections unless queen-excluders are used. 



Even if excluders are used, the bees will hold some of 

 the drone-comb open for the queen to lay in, thus leaving 

 parts of sections unfinished. 



Another advantage, and at times the greatest advantage 

 of all, is the fact that when a flood of honey comes, the 

 bees have a greater surface to work on with full sheets, 

 and there seems plausibility in the claim of some that more 

 honey can be secured than by using small starters. It 

 surely must be a saving of time for the bees. 



The question for each one to decide for herself is 

 whether the saving of cost of foundation by using small 

 starters will be worth more or less than the advantages of 

 full sheets. 



We have decided the question, that for this " locality " 

 we can not aiford to have anything less than full sheets. 



Look Out for Mice in the Bee-Cellars. 



You are not forgetting those mice in the cellar, are 

 you ? If you are, you will be ready to vent your vengeance 

 on them next spring when j'ou see the big holes they have 

 made in your nice combs. You would better vent it now 

 with a little strychnine and cheese. It will be more to the 

 point. 



I think I hear some one say, " She told us that before." 

 So I did, but if you are any like me you will need some one 

 to tell it to you often, else you forget. 



A Thermometer for the Bee-Cellar. 



Have you a thermometer in your cellar ? If not, you 

 would better get one and keep it there. Y'ou can get one 

 for 15 or 20 cents. 



About 45 degrees is generally considered the best tem- 

 perature for bees, but all thermometers are not alike. If 

 you have a lot together you may find that they vary ten 

 degrees. How are you to know which is right ? Put your 

 thermometer in your cellar, then keep close watch of your 

 bees, and see at what temperature your bees keep the most 

 quiet, then try to keep them at that temperature. 



That is the right temperature for you. At least that is 

 what your bees say. 



Honey-Mufflns. 



Two eggs, 2 cupfuls tlour, '+ cupful extracted horey, ^4 

 cupful milk, 1 '4 tablespoonfuls butter, 1^4 teaspoonfuls bak- 

 ing powder, '2 teaspoonful salt. 



Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks until thick, melt the 

 butter, add it and stir in the honey, milk and salt. Sift in 

 the flour, beating until smooth. Then fold in the whites of 

 eggs, which have been beaten stiff. Add the baking pow- 

 der at the same time. Bake in muffin-rings set on a grid- 

 dle. When done, drop a bit of butter on top of each, 

 sprinkle with pulverized sugar, and serve ; or, omitting the 

 sugar, pass extracted honey with them. 



For special occasions a delicious sauce is made from 

 honey and almonds, two tablespoonfuls of finely shredded 

 blanched almonds being mixed in each cupful of honey. — 

 The Delineator. 



Why Not Help a Little — both your neighbor bee-keep- 

 ers and the old American Bee Journal — by sending to us the 

 names and addresses of such as you may know do not now 

 get this journal ? We will be glad to send them sample 

 copies, so that they may become acquainted with the paper, 

 and subscribe for it, thus putting themselves in the line of 

 success with bees. Perhaps you can get them to subscribe, 

 send in their dollars, and secure for your trouble some of 

 the premiums we are constantly offering as rewards for 

 such effort. 



Tbe "Old Reliable" seen through New and Unreliable Qlasses. 

 By e. e. HASTY, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, O. 



BASY FALL INTRODUCTION OF QUEENS. 



Glad it was the careful Mr. Doolittle that said the 

 usual precautions of introducing queens can be dispensed 

 with late in the fall when brood-rearing has entirely ceased. 

 Reasonable — but we want some good testimony in addition 

 to sweet reasonableness when a queen's life is at stake. 

 Just remove old one — wait two days — drop in new one. That 

 the bees shall be quiet, and not cross at the time, is to be 

 assumed, I suppose. Page 787. 



UNTESTED AND TESTED QUEENS. 



It would be nice to say, " Untested queen," " Color- 

 tested queen," "Tested queen " — making three grades; but 

 the breeders, or some of them, are going to hang on like a 

 bulldog to the old established use of the term, " Tested 

 queen." You see. Page 787. 



INFORMATION ABOUT THE HONEY CROP. 



So 48 out of 400 Colorado bee-keepers return a postal 

 card sent to them with request for information about the 

 crop. And Californians are not " spry " to give away their 

 information to Coloradoans, and vice versa. Shall we scold? 

 Or shall we smile — and say, L,et's quit trying to travel on 

 the good-nature of other people ? Page 789. 



OLD LOCALITIES VS. THE NEW. 



Yes, many old localities must see their crops gradually 

 decline (on the average) ; while on the plains, as dandelions 

 and white clover and sweet clover, etc., come in, the change 

 is the other way. Interesting to see that in Hall Co., Nebr., 

 from 1860 on, bees lived six or seven years — no surplus, no 

 swarms — but now swarms and surplus all the same as in the 

 white man's country. Wm Stolley, page 791. 



WISE BEE-KEEPERS STORE NOW. 



Bees are not storing now, but wise bee-keepers are. Just 

 so, Sister E. M. W. Page 792. 



ADVANTAGE OF OBSERVATION HIVES. 



Ralph D. Cleveland is right. There ought to be lots o' 

 more simple, cheap observation hives. The reasons he 

 gives are correct — and in addition it would advertise our 

 business and sell our honey much more than enough to pay 

 cost. Pages 801, 805. 



BALLED QUEENS. 



Against Mr. Doolittle this time. Can't back him, ex- 

 cept that possibly he may be right as to his own locality. 

 When the bees of a newly-hived swarm ball their queen, 

 give up to them at once — that the incident is a failure, and 

 that the bees may as well go back to the old hive first as 

 last — do that anyhow. This is about what my experience 

 indicates. He says it is exceptional for them to ball her the 

 second time after she has been properly released. Page 804. 



WHY THE BEES ATTACKED THE HATPIN. 



On the issue between Mrs. Snyder and Miss Wilson, as 

 to why the bees attacked a black hat-pin and not the black 

 veil where drawn over the edge of the hat, I'll venture this 

 guess: \t taM.e&hXa.c)!. co\oT plus something else to stir the 

 dander of bees very much. Probably the hat-pin sparkled 

 which the veil did not. Possibly also it had a little chain, 

 or dinglet of some sort, that kept bobbing around. I have 

 seen bees attacking the end of a stove-pipe out of which 

 smoke was crinkle-crankling. Sparkles and quick motions 

 much worse than any possible color. Page 609. 



APIARY GARMENTS— SMOKING BEES. 



Mrs. Snyder's best new idea is that a garment worn in 

 the apiary and nowhere else will contract an odor concilia- 

 tory to the bees. Looks quite reasonable. 



To smoke a colony — wait ten minutes — smoke again — 

 wait ten minutes more— smoke again — rather expensive of 

 precious time. But I once had a colony I so dreaded to en- 

 counter that I wouldn't have minded the time. For timid 

 persons, just for the first time getting up spunk to handle 

 bees, I should Jcall it an excellent device— one of the best 

 possible. Page 609. 



