1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



387 



many other " landmarks " of the lack of paint can be seen on 

 any house where paint has been omitted. 



Now, in case of a hive it is much the same. It should be 

 well painted everywhere that the elements can reach. I have 

 been troubled in years past by the rotting of tops and bottoms 

 of brood-chambers, cases, etc., where the water soaked in 

 from the outside. Some years ago I began painting all my 

 new hives on the joints, also the top of the floor or bottom- 

 board, and now I have but little trouble from decayed lumber. 



I have never kept bees in unpainted hives, therefore I 

 can only speak of them as I have found them in other apiaries. 

 I have purchased bees frequently in hives that were fairly 

 well made, of good material, but not painted, and I have 

 usually had a job to prepare them for removal. Boards were 

 warped and cracked, corners gaping, and bees "leaking out" 

 here and there in a most aggravating manner. 



Dr. Miller says on page 774 (1895) : " But I think covers 

 should be painted, and I came to this belief after years of ex- 

 perience with unpainted ones." You are right. Doctor ; and 

 it does the rest of the hive good also. I have come to this be- 

 lief after years of experience with painted ones. 



Now, I have not arrived at this conclusion from keeping 

 a few colonies. My apiaries (though at present like many 

 others in Iowa where we find honey crops like angel's visits — 

 few and far between) have in the past numbered from 100 to 

 400 colonies, and I have found the business fairly remunera- 

 tive. 



Mr. Thomas, on page 114, gives as a reason for bees de- 

 serting their hives the presence of "fat" or resinous knots 

 causing a strong smell of turpentine in the hive. If these 

 knots are varnished with shellac, the smell will be confined 

 inside the wood. Such places should always be treated with 

 a coat of shellac before the paint is applied, otherwise the 

 knot is apt to show through several coats of white lead. 



Monroe, Iowa. 



The "Golden Beauties" — Notes and Comments. 



Br EDWIN BEVINS. 



Alas ! my golden beauties have gone where the woodbine 

 twineth. An examination to-day (May 6) revealed the fact 

 that scarcely more than a hundred bees remained of a strong 

 colony that was built up from a two-pound lot of bees which I 

 got from Texas about a year ago. There was plenty of honey 

 in the hive. 



A two-pound lot of 3-banders was obtained of the same 

 party at the same time. The two lots received the same 

 treatment, and last fall the two colonies were of equal 

 strength, and well supplied with stores for winter. They had 

 the same winter protection. The 3-banders are now strong 

 and active, and doing a land-office business at brood-rearing. 



Golden Beauties ! Will somebody arise and explain why 

 this term is never applied to a yellow dog? Here's my hand, 

 Mr. Quigley, et al. It is not very sore. I suppose your fingers 

 have gotten entirely well. I shall not deliberately thrust 

 mine into the fire again. 



Some two or three weeks ago I went around among the 

 bees and fed the colonies which seemed to be light in stores. 

 I was too late, however, with one colony, as it had already 

 perished of starvation. Another colony, protected like the 

 rest, had perished with a hive nearly full of honey. It prob- 

 ably went into winter quarters without a queen. These two 

 circumstances impress upon me the necessity for watchful- 

 ness. Both of these losses might have been avoided — the one 

 by providing the colony a queen last fall, and the other by 

 timely feeding this spring. 



To-day I went over the yard again. One colony was found 

 about as strong in bees and brood as colonies are generally 

 found in swarming-time, but there was not much of anything 



in the hive for the bees to eat. This colony was built up from 

 a weak nucleus made last June. Late in July this nucleus 

 was found to be without a queen. It was given a queen and 

 strengthened with a frame of brood. Late in October an ex- 

 amination showed a hive full of bees, but there was not a 

 pound of honey in the hive. The bees were immediately fed 

 three gallons of syrup made after Mr. Doolittle's formula. At 

 the time of my first examination this spring I gave them a few 

 unfinished sections. There was a little of this honey left 

 when I examined to-day, but I could find none in the brood- 

 frames. Then I took the hive full of honey left by that 

 queenless colony, and placed it on top of the hive just men- 

 tioned. I found another colony which seemed to be stronger 

 than there is any need for just now, and which seemed to be 

 anxious for additional room. On top of this colony I put the 

 hive full of empty combs, and I propose to feed the bees 

 heavily until the honey-flow comes. 



Now, will somebody prognosticate for me the results of 

 this tomfoolishness ? I have an idea that by the time the 

 honey-flow comes the queens and most of the bees of these 

 two colonies will be occupying the upper stories. Then I will 

 take off these upper stories and force most of the bees into 

 the lower stories, in the expectation that I shall get a good 

 deal of work done in the sections placed on them. But per- 

 haps I have overlooked some condition, or conditions, that will 

 result in bringing about the defeat of my expectation. 



I also noticediin my search to-day one colony where a 

 good many bees were gathered about the entrance of the hive, 

 apparently in great distress. A few dead bees were lying 

 around, which hadjjthe appearance of haVing recently died. 

 This colony had been fed some time before, and the popula- 

 tion had gotten quite numerous. On opening the hive the feed 

 was found to be exhausted, and there was no honey to be seen 

 along the top-bars of the frames. I made some haste to give 

 them something to eat, and that colony was saved. 



Almost all of this watchfulness and work of feeding is 

 called for by bees in 8-frame hives, with frames of standard 

 depth. My big colonies, in the big hives, go serenely on their 

 way, and do not askjjany favors of anybody. I am growing 

 more and more in favor of that system of bee-management, 

 inaugurated and practiced by the Dadants. For saving of 

 labor and safety of wintering I believe this system cannot be 

 surpassed. Whether it will prove to be as good as any other 

 where comb honey is the object in view, I wish bee-keepers 

 would make haste to find out. It seems as if the honey adul- 

 terators have gotten us where we are obliged to work for 

 comb honey, whether we like it or not. 



The pollen sign is not always a sure one that your bees 

 are rearing brood. For a few days after pollen could first be 

 gathered I watched carefully, and was sure that I saw pollen 

 going into every hive. Later I noticed two hives that had a 

 good many bees gathered on the alighting-board, spending 

 their time In idleness. I watched for the return of bees that 

 might be afield. Many returned, but they brought no pollen. 

 A hasty examination showed the two colonies to be queenless. 

 I am waiting with some impatience the arrival of queens. 



I keep part of my bees in a house made for the purpose, 

 and I am ready to indorse all that has been said about the 

 superior comfort of handling bees in house-apiaries. When I 

 open one of these hives the bees do not fly up and present the 

 business end with the same alacrity that bees do from hives 

 that stand in the sunshine. 



I note with mild surprise that Doolittle has his old man 

 out in the same old garb, and I presume that I am to blame 

 for his not being better dressed. I did not buy any queens of 

 Duolittle last season. But Doolittle is partly to blame that I 

 did not buy any queens of him. I do not know that he has 

 ever told us that he handles anything but " golden beauties." 

 If the old man does not come out In a new suit next year, I 



