1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



595 



so bees can fly, probably they keep down under the chaff, or 

 get above the frames. 



When I had cleaned out all the chaff below the frames, 

 being sure I had gotten the mice out, too, then I put up the 

 hive again and filled in all around the frames with chaff, put- 

 ting a thin division-board outside of the frames, and carpets 

 on top, and repacked with chaff, and put a strip of tin over 

 the entrance so that the entrance would let only a bee pass in 

 and out. I had no further trouble with mice. The bees were 

 not injured any, apparently, as both colonies are among our 

 best this summer. Had I neglected them until spring, or for 

 some weeks, I think they would have been injured. We have 

 in the past lost some colonies jus! in that way, at least we 

 thought that was the cause of their death, being aroused by 

 the mice when they ought to be dormant, and the entrance 

 being clogged. One can generally tell if mice are in the hive, 

 by looking in the top ; they will have runways in the straw. 



Roseville, III. 



Opening Up New Markets for Honey. 



BY F. A. SNELL. 



In years past there has been much territory in our coun- 

 try where bees have not been kept — some parts, at least, of 

 which are not adapted to the keeping of bees. I have tried 

 and succeeded very well in making sales in such territory to 

 some e.\tent, through friends located there. In doing so the 

 benefit would be two-fold in seasons when our crops have been 

 good here, as then all bee-keepers have a good crop, and there 

 is much to be sold; and if too much honey is thrown on our 

 home or any other one market the result is a demoralized one, 

 and low prices obtained for our honey. 



The other benefit results in having an outlet for the large 

 crop when it comes, and at good prices, besides supplying the 

 people at distant points with Nature's purest and most health- 

 ful sweet — honey. 



In 1886 our crop of honey was a good one in quantity and 

 quality. Having friends in the unoccupied fields I wrote 

 them as to selling for me, or buying and selling it to grocers 

 or consumers. I thus secured two good markets at good dis- 

 tributing points. At one of these points my friends sold nearly 

 2,000 pounds of comb and extracted honey for me at satis- 

 factory prices. At the other good point the second friend did 

 nearly as well. Others with whom I thus arranged disposed 

 of from 100 to 500 pounds, buying outright from me. The 

 comb honey netted me about 15J^ cents, and the extracted 9 

 cents, or about that. Each year since I have sold more or less 

 at the distant points. The only drawback has been our ex- 

 tremely poor seasons for the last six years, during which time 

 I have been able to ship only small lots to the distant points, 

 owing partially to the urgent home demand for our honey. 

 This season thus far has been a poor one with us. 



Bee-keepers who make their bees their leading business 

 should see well to it that too much honey is not forced on their 

 home markets or the large city markets, but try to keep 

 posted as to the honey crop, and select the not overcrowded 

 points to sell their products in, so far as is possible, using no 

 deception in crating. Have the sections cleaned of propolis, 

 and as little soiled as can be; thus the best prices will be 

 secured, which are too low, like all products of labor. 



At this time, and for several years past, whether the crops 

 were light or heavy, the tendency has been gradually but 

 surely downward, until very little or no profit is left to the 

 producer, and sometimes the produce is sold,' at less than the 

 actual cost of producing. The producer of honey, at least, 

 should come as near to the consumer as possible, which is 

 secured to quite an extent by selling, at points as above in- 

 dicated, in vacant territory ; for, were these remote points 

 reached by our large city dealers, much expense would be 



added; viz.: freight to city markets from the country pro- 

 ducer hundreds of miles away, perhaps; cost of commission 

 and transportation from city to the unoccupied markets, 

 which would make a difference of from 2J< to 5 cents per 

 pound at the final selling point, which would of necessity com- 

 pel the dealer there to add this amount to the selling price ; 

 and the loss from breakage is much iucreased at times, all of 

 which will add to the retail price unless the grocer loses, in 

 which case less honey will be consumed than if sold at a lower 

 figure, and the grocer less inclined to buy ; when, if sent by 

 the producer to the point of consumption, all parties would be 

 helped, and far more honey used at such points ; and as the 

 extent of our country is immense, on the whole the results of 

 bringing the producer and consumer near each other would be 

 great, and the greatest amount of honey possible sold, result- 

 ing in a benefit to all parties interested, viz.: the bee-keeper, 

 dealer, and consumer. I think too much thought along this 

 line cannot be bestowed. — Gleanings. 



An Experience with Vicious Bees. 



BY GEO. L. VINAL. 



On page 486, L. S. inquires about vicious bees. While 

 gathering honey on May 26, 1895, I purchased several colo- 

 nies in box-hives, and transferred them into frame hives. In 

 a few days I found I had some vicious bees in the yard, and 

 traced them to one of those colonies. In looking into the hive 

 I found it contained more brood and honey than any other 

 colony in the yard. I was loth to destroy the queen, as she 

 was so prolific, and her bees such workers, so I put up with it. 

 They wintered well, and last spring they commenced the same 

 warfare on any one that approached the hive, so I concluded 

 to destroy the queen, and sent for two untested Carniolan 

 queens. 



Now comes the peculiar part of the story. One of the 

 queens was quite large, round, with a long, pointed abdomen ; 

 around the abdomen were two white, not gray, but very dis- 

 tinct white, bands. Opening the hive of vicious bees, and 

 finding their queen, I destroyed her, and introduced the Car- 

 niolan queen successfully. There could be no mistake, as I 

 clipped her wings before introducing her. 



In about a week I looked for her, and found her, and was 

 astonished at the amount of brood there was in the hive. I 

 did not disturb them again for 20 days. The young bees were 

 hatching bees, still cross. I did not disturb them again until 

 the middle of June, when I opened the hive. Oh, how cross 

 they were ! I supposed it was some of the old queen's bees. 

 They came up with a zip, and were all over my hands and 

 face. I used the smoker, but 'twas no good, they drove me 

 out. 



I then put some tobacco into the smoker, but that was 

 also a failure. Then I put in some oak puff-balls, and smoked 

 them with that, and succeeded in looking over the hive. 

 When I lifted out the frame the bees ran over it like race 

 horses. My hives hold 12 Langstroth frames; they were full 

 of brood and honey, but of all the cross bees they were the 

 worst. 



I closed the hive, thinking perhaps it was the presence of 

 some of the old queen's bees that still made them so cross. I 

 cannot go within 50 feet of the hive, but I am pretty sure to 

 get a reminder of their presence. They are the most excellent 

 workers I ever saw, out early in the morning and late at night. 

 When other bees are loafing and hanging out, they are bring- 

 ing in honey and pollen. 



They are also the most inveterate robbers. They are quite 

 large, have three white bands around their abdomens, and the 

 thorax is a shiny black. I had occasion to open the hive a 

 few days ago, and they drove me out three times. At last I 



