Feb. 1, 1912 



Italians are Gentler and Produce More Honey, but 

 they Also Swarm Worse. 



For some years I have had a yard of black bees 

 about three miles from home, while at home I have 

 only Italians: and 1 have endeavored in every way 

 to arrive at the truth in the matter as to which is 

 really the better under all ordinary conditions. At 

 first I thought the Italians were the better; then 

 one season caused me to chanee my opinion, and I 

 have now come to the conclusion that 1 prefer 

 Italians; but 1 think there is really but a very lit- 

 tle difTerence as to the amount of honey gathered 

 by each race. While the Italians have proven to 

 be a little ahead in the amount of honey gathered, 

 they have overbalanced this by being worse to 

 swarm, especially early in the spring, before there 

 is any honey of notice to gather. 



Another difference that 1 have never seen men- 

 tioned is that the blacks are not nearly as apt to 

 use up their stores by rearing brood early and late 

 in the season. I have rarely found a black colony 

 starving in the winter or spring, while this is al- 

 most the rule with Italians here, as they nearly al- 

 ways require more or less feeding, either in the fall 

 or spring. 



On the score of gentleness the Italians are far 

 ahead of the blacks, as the latter will sting much 

 worse, and are so nervous that they will fall from 

 the combs to the ground, where they will scramble 

 about and crawl under one's clothes if possible. I 

 am pretty sure that the Italians slightly excel as 

 honey-gatherers, and very much so as to gentle- 

 ness and ease with which they may be handled. 

 Taking every thing into consideration I now prefer 

 Italians; but it is a great deal more trouble to keep 

 them pure, as there are always some blacks in the 

 neighborhood, either in trees in the woods or in 

 hives. I find that this is to some extent the case 

 in most of the country, as a great many queen- 

 breeders send out queens that produce hybrids 

 which are as cross as cross can be. I have had 

 hives of hybrids that were so cross that an inexpe- 

 rienced person would have been in danger if he 

 had tried to handle them. 



Stonecoal, W. Va., Dec. 1. W. C. Moll,ett. 



Mouse-proof Entrance. 



During cold weather there is often great damage 

 done by field mice where the hives are left on the 

 summer stands and the entrances left unprotected; 

 but if a wire mouse-screen, like the sample I am 

 sending you, is used, there will be no trouble at all 



are uneasy. Dr. C. C. Miller, in one of his articles 

 some time ago, described how he quieted his bees 

 by raising the temperature. 



This roaring may be caused by bad air, even 

 though the temperature be right; or it may be 

 caused by too low a temperature, even in good air. 

 It may be advisable for you to put artificial heat in 

 your cellar. The best way, of course, is to put a 

 small drum stove, burning hard coal, or something 

 that will give a steady heat, down in the cellar, 

 connecting the same to a chimney reaching down 

 through the floor. Of course, if you can not apply 

 this kind of stove you might use a large coal-oil 

 lamp; but this makes the air of the cellar very 

 foul. When the temperature of the cellar Is as low 

 as ;{2", and you have no means of raising it, your 

 bees will be almost sure to die before spring.— 1";d.] 



Association of Apiary Inspectors of the United 

 States and Canada. 



On Dec. 80, 1911, in Washington, D. C, there was 

 formed a temporary organization of the above 

 name with a view to increasing the efficiency of 

 apiary inspection and to bring about a greater 

 uniformity in the laws, and more active coopera- 

 tion between the various inspectors. 



A committee on permanent organization was 

 formed, to report at a meeting to be held in Cleve- 

 land, O., in December, 1912, in connection with the 

 meeting of the Association of Economic Entoniol- 

 ogists. Prof. Wilmon Newell. College Station, Tex- 

 as, is chairman of this committee. 



A standing committee was also appointed on leg- 

 islation for the purpose of drawing up a law Incor- 

 porating the necessary and desirable features. The 

 undersigned was appointed chairman of this com- 

 mittee. 



All apiary inspectors and official entomologists 

 of the United States and Canada who are interested 

 in the advancement of apiculture are invited and 

 urged to join in this movement for an increased ef- 

 ficiency in the fight against brood diseases. For 

 the present it was decided to levy an assessment of 

 $1.00 per year on each member to defray necessary 

 expenses. It is hoped that arrangements may later 

 be perfected for affiliation with the Association of 

 Economic Entomologists. Requests for member- 

 ship and the assessment may be sent to the under- 

 signed. E. F. Phillips, 

 Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C, 



Secretary. 



Dr. Burton N. Gates, Amherst, Mass., 



Chairman. 



from mice, and the bees can pass out and in freely 

 when the weather is warm enough for them to fly. 

 I first bevel the entrance as shown, and I find that 

 the bees pass in and out with much greater facility 

 than with the ordinary entrance. 

 Wilkinsburg, Pa. W. D. Kkye.s. 



Bees Uneasy Because of Low Temperature in the 

 Cellar. 



Why are my bees restless in the cellar with the 

 temperature down to 32", and the air good? They 

 keep up a constant buzzing, and a few come out 

 and die. 



(ilenwood City. Wis., Jan. 12. .1. E. Cook. 



[The trouble with your bees is undoubtedly be- 

 cause the temperature of the cellar is too low. It 

 should seldom go below 45" F.; and when it goes 

 below -10 the bees are apt to roar or show that they 



Cellar Wintering Best when Bees can Not Fly for 

 Over Five Months. 



On page 741, Dec. 15, I note your statement, " It 

 takes much less skill and time to winter bees out- 

 doors," and "The average beginner will succeed 

 better by it." I would take exception to both of 

 those statements, especially for a man who lives as 

 far north as I do, and in as cold a climate. Last 

 winter my bees were without a flight for 5 months 

 and 17 days; nor was there one day when they 

 could have had a flight even if they had been out- 

 doors. I lost 6 colonies out of 86. 



Last year my bees had their last flight October 

 18, and there has not been a day since when they 

 could have flown. I put them in the cellar Nov. 3. 



We had one night in November when the mercu- 

 ry was 28 below zero. There have been several 

 nights when the temperature has been to zero. 

 The night of Jan. 1 the temperature was '^b" below 

 zero; Jan. 2, 26 below; to-night, Jan. 3, it is 24 be- 

 low; and at no time in the last three days has it 

 been warmer than 14 below zero. I think I had 

 better stick to cellar wintering. 



Robbins, Wis. ( i. C. Chase. 



Clipping does Not Impair the Usefulness of a Queen. 



Clipping queens, in my experience of over twen- 

 ty-five years, does not us-ially in any way impair 

 their usefulness or shorten their lives — at least 

 they often live three or four years after being 

 clipped — p. r)2:5. Sept. l. I usually ciit square across 

 all the wings, taking off about half of each. 



li you want to kill bumble-bees or yellow-jackets, 

 put some gasoline in a spring-bottom oil-can and 

 .squirt it into the nests. Do it before you stir them 

 up. Humble-bees can be handled by using smoke. 



Payson, III.. Dec. 29. Danikl K. Robkix.s. 



