AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



25 



them in the center at the start, they 

 would have built drone-comb in them, 

 because a queenless colony, or a colony 

 with a virgin queen, always builds 

 drone-comb, if they build any. But 

 after the queen is mated, and laying, 

 they don't care for drones until they 

 want to swarm again, but, on the con- 

 trary, they are interested in building up 

 the colony with a working force to 

 gather stores for the coming winter. 



Bronson, Kans. 

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0f~ Do not write anything- for tiublication 

 on the same sheet of paper with business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



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Best Year for Honey. 



This is the best year for honey we ever 

 had. Bees are doing finely. 



'Henry Alley, 



Wenham, Mass., June 20. 



Honey Coming in Rapidly. 



Honey is coming in at last rapidly. I 

 have about 250 colonies in prime condition 

 for it. J. W. Tefft. 



Camillus, N. Y., June 20. 



Bees Doing Well Now. 



Bees are doing well now in our vicinity. 

 Till about June 5th we had very discourag- 

 ing bee-weather, as it was so cold and 

 rainy. Ira Shookey. 



Long, W. Va., June li). 



Not Much Over a Living-. 



I have 18 colonies of bees, and owing to 

 dry weather and white clover failing, they 

 have not gathered much over a living. The 

 colonies are strong in bees. 



A. F. Hanna. 



Epworth, Iowa, June 27. 



Feared a Failure of Crop. 



Since early in April we have had no rain 

 until the last few days. We were beginning 

 to fear a failure of all crops, as everything 

 was drying up. Mrs. A. L. Hallenbeck. 



Millard, Nebr., June 21. 



Having a Honey-Famine. 



I write to ask about the honey-flow in 

 Illinois. Here we are having a honey- 

 famine; the weather seems just right, 

 clover and sumac at their best, but nothing 

 in them. My colonies are extra heavy, 

 having been fed early, and built up good 

 on dandelion and plum blossoms, but now 

 that clover has come they are starving. A 

 few swarms issued, but had to be fed to 

 keep from starving. 



Basswood will open in one week, and if 

 the same conditions continue, the bees 

 must die. The hives do not contain, on an 

 average, one pound of honey. I have never 

 seen these conditions before, in an experi- 

 ence of 20 years. The past four years have 

 been unprofitable with bees, but I think 

 what few are left are going to play out 

 now. E. A. Morgan. 



Chippewa Falls, Wis., June 20. 



Getting a Fine Flow of Honey. 



Chestnut and sourwood are now in full 

 bloom ; and bees are getting a fine flow of 

 honey. Many bees were killed by the late 

 cold. J. G. Teter. 



Athens, Tenn., June 19. 



Working in tlie Sections. 



My bees are now working in the sections, 

 but I failed to learn the source, as white 

 clover is about over. I have had one 

 swarm from 50 colonies. No honey yet in 

 this vicinity. J. C. Wallenmeyer. 



Evansville, Ind., June 25. 



Having a Splendid Honey-Flow. 



I am enjoying a splendid flow of honey. 

 Raspberries gave a splendid flow of honey, 

 and still continues to yield. If white clover 

 yields honey this year as it should, I can 

 see no reason why I should not get a large 

 crop of honey. My first swarm issued on 

 June 3rd. This is the earliest my bees ever 

 swarmed. G. F. Tubes. 



Turtle Point, Pa., June 21. 



A Swarming Experience. 



My bees are doing well. I have 12 colo- 

 nies. Yesterday I noticed a swarm on one 

 of the trees. I went for a hive, and when I 

 got back with it they were gone. Soon 

 after, one of my neighbors notified me that 

 a swarm of my bees had taken possession 

 of one of his apple trees, and wished me to 

 come and take them away. I took a peck 

 basket and a turkey's wing, and went up 

 and brushed them into the basket, put the 

 cover on, and brought them home, a quar- 

 ter of a mile from my house. I dumped 

 them down in front of a Langstroth hive, 

 and they marched in all right. 



I sold two colonies, this spring, for flO 

 each to a gardener, to put in his cucumber 

 green-houses, to work on the flowers. 



Geo. Rackleff. 



Woodfords, Maine, June 21, 



