American fiee Journal 



April, 1914. 



Members in Attendance at the Kansas Convention at Topeka in February. 



starvation, keeping stores well equa- 

 lized, and keeping a close watch on the 

 brood-nest. As soon as the queens 

 start to laying well, keep them at it by 

 inserting empty combs in the middle 

 of the brood-nest, and if such frames 

 contain some honey along the upper 

 edges all the better. This should be 

 kept up until the brood-nest is well oc- 

 cupied by the queens, then add supers 

 as fast as the bees enter and start well 

 at work in them, inserting the empty 

 supers under those already on. 



What I mean by equalizing stores 

 may not be understood by some. It is 

 simply taking frame.s of honey (not 

 live liees) from hives which can spare 

 them and giving them to those which 

 may be lighter or contain but little 

 honey. In turn the empty combs from 

 the lighter hives are put in the middle 

 of the hives from which the honey was 

 taken. This will cause the heavier 

 ones to rear more bees, and the weaker 

 ones will be stimulated to greater ac- 

 tivity by being supplied with stores. 

 This means more in the way of harvest- 

 ing honey than the average beekeeper 

 is aware of. 



Is a Bee-Estate Easily Disposed of? 



This is a very important question to 

 those who own large bee-estates or 

 those who contemplate doing so. In 

 rare cases such an estate might have 

 to be disposed of at a sacrifice; but in 

 the majority of cases the reverse would 

 be true. A well established bee-busi- 

 ness is a good investment, and if no 

 member of the family who owned it 

 would care to take up such a business 

 after the owner's death, it could easily 

 be disposed of at a good figure 



This question troubled the widow of 

 the late Mr. R. W. Herlong, of Florida, 

 who died leaving a large bee-estate, 

 but it was not long before Mrs. Her- 

 long learned of a number of buyers, 

 and soon closed the business out at a 

 good profit. 



There is a much greater demand for 

 a well-established bee-business than 

 for just a small lot of bees. From a 

 paying standpoint it is better to buy a 

 well equipped and established business 



when one has available cash. My wife 

 used to say to me often, " What could 

 I do with all the bees should you die ?" 

 I told her to have them worked on 

 shares. But what about it now, should 

 such be the case, or should I decide to 

 sell ? The deal or sale would be made 



and confirmed in short order. There 

 are many people who know me, and 

 have some idea of the output of the 

 business, and who are anxious to take 

 stock at the first opportunity, and no 

 doubt such is the case with beekeepers 

 who have a similar business. 



Bee-Keeping <^ For Women 



Conducted by Miss Emma M. Wilson, Marengo. 111. 



Grey and Grade Italians 



What are the grey Italians, and where 

 are they procurable ? 



A few days ago I heard of grade 

 Italians, which are reared in Califor- 

 nia in the plateau of the mountain 

 Shiala Nevada. If you know of them 

 please let me know in what point the 

 grade Italians are superior to other 

 breeds of bees? Knni Wada. 



Japan. 



It would seem that there must be 

 some mistake about the grey Italian. 

 Yellow is the distinguishing color of 

 Italians. Pure Italian stock shows 

 three yellow bands on the abdomens of 

 the workers. In America Italians have 

 been bred with four or five yellow 

 bands, but there is no tendencyto grey. 

 There are also what are called albino, 

 having bands quite light in color. 

 These approach more nearly to grey 

 than those previously mentioned, yet 

 they are never called grey Italians. Is 

 it not possible that Carniolans, not Ital- 

 ians, are meant ? Carniolans are fa- 

 vored by some, but in general they are 

 not considered equal to Italians. They 

 have an unenviable reputation as great 

 swarmers. 



A grade Italian is probably what is 

 usually called hybrid ; that is, a cross 

 between Italian and black bees. These 

 grades, or hybrids, are not generally 

 desired, yet they are the most common 



Miss Knni Wada. 

 A leading woman beekeeper of lapan. 



of all bees in this country, because at 

 one time only blacks were here, and 

 since the introduction of Italians there 

 is always a tendency toward a mixture 



