February. i;U4. 



American Hee Journal 



This was evidently hurriedly written. 

 The first subscriber giving us the cor- 

 rect reading of these lines will be given 

 a year's subscription to the American 

 Bee Journal. 



A little history of the early use of 

 this artificial pollen may be of inter- 

 est. Hartlieb, a German, as early as 

 1655, noticed that bees would take flour, 

 meal, or even fine sawdust as a substi- 

 tute for pollen in early spring. Delia 

 Rocca, in 1790, advised giving flour, 

 mixed with honey, in early spring, to 

 hasten the breeding. Dzierzon saw 

 his bees carry flour from a neighbor- 

 ing mill. The hint was not lost upon 

 him, although he did not at that time 

 know of others having followed the 

 same idea before. Quinby, in ISliii, ad- 

 vised the supplying of rye flour, ground 

 fine and unbolted, in boxes outside of 

 the hive. Like Mr. Langstroth, he 

 noticed that the bees neglected it as 

 soon as the blossoms appeared. How- 

 ever, they often become so accustomed 

 to bringing it that some of the workers 

 continue their visits to the flour even 

 a{ter most of the bees have begun to 

 bring pollen. There is no doutt what- 

 ever that they bring honey from the 

 hive to knead it. Pellets similar to 

 those which Mr. Wilsey noticed on the 

 bottom-boards will be found in the 

 boxes where the flour is given. They 

 are evidently dropped by the bees in 

 their hustle, perhaps in running against 

 each other. Those pellets are very 

 sweet, as we have ascertained by actual 

 taste. 



We advise this method of supplying 

 early " bee-bread " to the colonies, 

 when blossoms are delayed and there 

 are no stores of pollen left from the 

 previous season. If the bees are slow 

 in coming to it, bait them with a little 

 honey or some old empty combs. 



Pollen was also formerly called 

 " farina," which is the Latin for " flour." 

 Bevan thus called it in his " Honey 

 Bee." — Editor.] 



Bee Diseases 



BY GEORGE \V. BERCAW. 



SO far as my observation goes, the 

 two brood diseases, American 

 and European foul brood, are 

 never found in the same hive at 

 the same time. The one type 

 which most beekeepers here dread is 

 the European or black brood, as it is 

 sometimes called. 



A good magnifying glass is quite 

 handy in making examinations of the 

 brood, .\merican foul brood shows 

 itself usually about the time that the 

 nurse bees cease feeding and imme- 

 diately preceding the capping of the 

 brood-cells. It is sometimes quite 

 difficult to detect unless the colony has 



been affected for some time. It can be 

 observed by the irregular capping of 

 the cells, usually sealed in patches, and 

 the unsealed occasionally empty appar- 

 ently, as the larva sinks down and takes 

 an appearance resembling coffee color. 

 If a match or tooth-pick is inserted in 

 the cell and withdrawn the contents 

 assume a stringy, thread-like appear- 

 ance. Later on it dries in the cell, 

 'ihe beekeeper whose organs of smell 

 are sensitive readily discovers an odor 

 resembling that of common joiner's 

 glue in its heated state. 



All colonies should be kept very 

 strong, with good vigorous queens. I 

 recommend that no queens be kept at 

 the head of a colony for a longer time 

 than two seasons, especially in Califor- 

 nia or similar climates, where bees fly 

 during almost the 12 months of the 

 year. In colder climates, where sea- 

 sons are short, queens will stand longer. 



Do not allow in-breeding of your 

 stock if you can prevent it. This can 

 be done if close attention is paid. I 

 believe that in-breeding has a great 



deal to do with the spread of foul 

 brood. There is no question in my 

 mind that it lessens the vitality of the 

 stock. Each generation should carry 

 the torch of life undimmedto the next. 

 In-breeding is injurious among the 

 animal tribes of various kinds, and this 

 is no less true of the human race. 



It is said, on good authority, that the 

 warm climates have a tendency to in- 

 crease the virulence of foul brood. I 

 am not sure as to this, but injurious 

 insects of various kinds are more de- 

 structive to vegetation in the hot than 

 in the colder climates. This may hold 

 as to foul brood. Bees in California 

 fly during the 12 months of the 

 year, and the devastation must be 

 greater under such conditions than 

 where they fly only during three to six 

 months. 



As far as my obervation goes, the 

 common black bee is more susceptible 

 to the various diseases than the Italian 

 bee, which is in a measure more im- 

 mune from the ravages of foul brood. 



Glendale, Calif. 



Dr. Miller's 



Answers^ 



Send Questions either to the office of the .•\merican Bee Journal or direct to 



Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, III. 



He does not answer bee-keeping Questions by mail. 



Caught 60 Swarms — Moving Bees 



L I began keeping bees in May. and so far 

 I have over f>o strong swai ms. which I caught 

 by putting out small boxes in the trees, and 

 so far I have I5 of them introduced into lo- 

 frame hives, and they are doing well. If I 

 had not been suffering with a fractured leg 

 for the last two montiis. I could have caught 

 100 swarms easily. 



I have been reading an article on page 274 

 of the American Bee Journal by Mr. C. F. 

 Greening: ' It took me w years to discover 

 that my children did not have to watch the 

 bees for about four months." etc. Kindly 

 let me know how he does it. 



I only want to get the good spring swarms 

 May swarmsl. and put them to work for the 

 rest of the year, not having any natural 

 swarming. 



2. I want to move my bees about 40 miles 

 by water-way to a better location, as the 

 bees are mostly wild and dark. Which is 

 the best way to close the hive and not 

 smother the bees ? California. 



.\nsvvers.— I. I don't know how he gets 

 along without watching for swarms, as he 

 doesn't say. The only inkling he gives is 

 where he says: "My swarming for the year 

 is done during May. 1 have not had a nat- 

 ural swarm for five years." From that it is 

 a pretty safe guess that he shakes swarms 

 in May. thus anticipating any later swarm- 

 ing. If that always works satisfactorily with 

 him. it must be that his bees, his location, 

 or something else must be different from 

 mine. Not every year are my bees strong 

 enough in May to be ready to be divided. If 

 I should divide them so early. I would ex- 

 pect some of them to swarm later on. But 

 being so much farther south. May is likely 

 none too early for you. At any rate, if you 

 will shake or divide your colonies as late as 

 you can without having them swarm nat- 

 urally, you will likely have little natural 

 swarming later. 



2. Use wire-cloth for ventilation. To close 

 the entrance of a hive, fake a piece of wire 

 cloth as long as the inside width of the en- 



trance and 2 or 3 inches wide. Bend it at 

 right angles, and then crowd it into the en- 

 trance so it will be wedged fast. But that 

 will not answer if your entrances are like 

 mine, 2 inches deep. In that case take a 

 strip of wire-cloth about 2 incheswider than 

 the depth of your entrance, and as long as 

 the inside width of the entrance. Double 

 over the edge h of an inch, or an inch, and 

 crease it down Hat. Place the wire-cloth 

 against the entrance with the folded edge 

 down at the bottom-board, and nail over the 

 upper part of the wire-cloth a strip of lath 

 with a small nailat each eiid. If the weather 

 is cool, or if the bees be moved at night, this 

 ventilation at the entrance may be enouk'h. 

 If more is needed, make a frame the same 

 size as the top of the hive, cover it with 

 wire-cloth, and fasten it on top of the hive 

 with wood screws. If necessary, the cover 

 can be put about 2 inches above this, a 

 block at each corner holding up the cover, 

 being fastened with hive-staples. Even with 

 this ventilation, if the weather be hot and 

 the bees kept on the way long, water should 

 be sprayed on them from time to time. 



Granulation of Honey 



What causes the yranulatioLi of honey? Is 

 there any way to prevent it ? I sold some to 

 a man this fall. He says it was granulated 

 in the combs and he will not buy any more. 

 Does it make any difference when the honey 

 is gathered from different flowers as to its 

 " sugaring ?" Maine. 



Answer— The tranulation of honey is 

 caused, or as least hastened, by cold. Some 

 honey, however, granulates readily without 

 being reduced to a low temperature, since 

 the honey from some plants granulates very 

 readily, while the honey from some other 

 plants scarcely granulates at all. Frequent 

 changes from warm to cold favors granula- 

 tion more than a steady continuance of cold 



