454 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



July 19, 1900. 



fine, well-developt berries of the best quality, while the iso- 

 lated one will yield but few bunches of scattered berries. 



A great many varieties of apples, plums and pears are 

 self-sterile, and in order to bear perfect fruit must be cross- 

 pollinated with pollen of other varieties of the same species. 

 Cross-fertilization is strictly necessary for small fruits, such 

 as raspberries, g-ooseberries, etc. In some seasons, when 

 apples, plums, pears and cherries bloom, the weather is 

 often unfavorable for pollination. It may be too cold and 

 too wet, and the pollen remains too moist and too sticky. If 

 during- such seasons there would be but a few hours of 

 sunshine, while the bees in great numbers would visit the 

 blossoms, fruit would set abundantly, and a good crop 

 would be the result. If, however, during the few hours of 

 sunshine no bees would visit the bloom, very little fruit 

 would set. 



The honey-bee was wisely created to perform the trans- 

 mission of pollen, its body being covered, especially on the 

 underside, with many fine hairs of a compound, feather-like 

 nature. When a bee alights on a flower, and whirls around 

 on the same, its hairy body is soon loaded with pollen. Ar- 

 riving on the next blossom some of the pollen comes in 

 contact with the stigma of that flower, and is fertilized. 



Thirty to 35 years ago fruits were more perfect and 

 abundant. At that time there were ten colonies of bees to 

 one at present, in this locality. In those days fruit-trees 

 when in bloom fairly swarmed with bees. Mark the change 

 in the spring when trees are blooming. Compare the num- 

 ber of bees you may see among the blossoms with those of 

 former days. 



Thirty-five years ago almost everybody kept bees. Our 

 forests were then full of hollow trees where runaway 

 swarms found lodging-places. From there they would 

 swarm the next season. Runaway swarms from the api- 

 aries, and swarms from the woods, were caught and put in 

 common boxes, nail-kegs, etc. In the fall of the year when 

 honey was wanted a colony or two would be slaughtered by 

 " brimstoning " them. Admit that 35 years ago bees had a 

 better range for gathering nectar (honey) than now. At 

 that time our forests abounded in yellow poplar, linden, or 

 basswood, and other nectar-yielding trees that are getting 

 very scarce now. On the other hand, there is a better range 

 of field flowers, white clover, etc. Three j-ears ago this 

 locality produced more white clover honey per colony than 

 at any other time in 30 years. 



Bees are not hard or difiicult to winter if you give them 

 some attention in the fall of the year. The writer has win- 

 tered from 12 to 25 colonies for 12 years without the loss of 

 a single colony. Bees have other values than here set 

 forth. Their stings are said to be sure cure for a great 

 many cases of rheumatism. Cases have been reported in 

 which the cure was almost instantaneous. 



Bees, like stock, have been greatly improved by breed- 

 ing-. They are more docile, not so apt to sting as those of 

 former days, and there is not much danger of getting in- 

 voluntarj- treatment for rheumatism from them. Try it a 

 few years, farmers andfruit-giowers. Keep more bees, and 

 you will be surprised to learn what a benefit they will be to 

 you. — Tuscarawas Co., O., Weekly. 



Belgian Hare Breeding is the title of a pamphlet just 

 publisht, containing 10 chapters on " Breeding the Belgian 

 Hare." Price, 25 cents, postpaid. It covers the subjects of 

 Breeding, Feeding, Houses and Hutches, Diseases, Methods 

 of Serving for the Table, etc. It is a practical and helpful 

 treatise for the amateur breeder. (See Prof. Cook's article 

 on page 292.) For sale at the office of the American Bee 

 Journal. For SI. 10 we will send the Bee Journal for a year 

 and the 32-page pamphlet on " Belgian Hare Breeding."' 



Our Wood Binder (or Holder) is made to take all the 

 copies of the American Bee Journal for a year. It is sent 

 by mail for 20 cents. Full directions accompany. The Bee 

 Journals can be inserted as soon as they are received, and 

 thus preserved for future reference. Upon receipt of $1.00 

 for your Bee Journal subscription a /till yea}- in advarice, 

 we will mail you a Wood Binder free — if j'ou will mention it. 



The American Fruit and Vegetable Journal is just 

 what its name indicates. Tells all about growing fruits 

 and vegetables. It is a fine monthly, at 50 cents a year. 

 We can mail you a free sample copy of it, if you ask for it. 

 We club it with the American Bee Journal — both papers one 

 year for SI. 10. 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. O. O. AIILLBR, Marengo, HI. 



[The Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail.— Editor. 1 



Keeping Extra ttueens Over Winter. 



Can one keep extra queens over winter, that is, in a 

 box — so that in case of a queenless colony one can resort to 

 them ? Ilunois. 



Answer. — The only way to keep queens successfully 

 thru the winter is in a colony of bees or a nucleus. The 

 trouble is to bring a nucleus thru the winter, unless it be 

 pretty strong. 



^ ■ » 



Colonies Killing Bees. 



I have 16 colonies of bees, and today I lookt thru hive 

 No. 5 at 1 p.m., and, finding them in a normal condition, 

 went away. At 4 p.m. I lookt thru No. 11, that had one 

 queen-cell capt. I noticed before I had closed it that they 

 were fighting on the frames. I closed it up, and at 7:30 I 

 saw at least a half gallon of bees dead at the entrance, 

 about an equal amount at each, No. 5 and No. 11, which are 

 about 3 feet apart, and are black bees. What is the proba- 

 ble cause of this trouble? I have been reading the Bee 

 Journal nearly two years and don't recall a like case askt 

 or answered. 



I used planer shavings and a little tobacco in the 

 smoker. The bees were still fighting at nightfall, and I 

 gave them a good smoking. I must wait till morning to 

 see the result. Kentucky. 



Answer. — A stray swarm may have tried to force en- 

 trance. Sometimes such a swarm will be kindly received, 

 and at other times every one of the intruders will be killed. 



Some Swarming-Troubles. 



1. I have a colony of bees that has attempted to swarm 

 several times ; the queen being dipt she did not go with 

 them upon the first swarming, so the bees returned. I then 

 placed a perforated-zinc entrance-guard on the hive and 

 have left it there ever since. The colony has attempted to 

 swarm several times since putting on the guard, but of 

 course in each case the bees have returned. I do not care 

 for increase, and so have put entrance-guards on all my 

 hives. What will be the result ? Will not the swarms re- 

 turn each time they attempt to leave, and finally get to 

 work all right. I have two supers on the first colony men- 

 tioned, and the bees are working in both. I prefer to have 

 them store honey, instead of wasting their time attempting 

 to swarm. 



2. I have been thinking of trying the following experi- 

 ment with the above colony : 



Remove the hive from the stand and put on the brood- 

 chamber a shallow extracting-super filled with frames of 

 comb foundation. Then on top of it put a queen-excluder, 

 and on that the two supers with the bees in them. After 

 putting the queen in the shallow brood-chamber place the 

 old brood-chamber beside the old stand, facing in the oppo- 

 site direction. This would throw practically all the work- 

 ing-force of the bees back on the old stand, causing them, 

 according to my idea, to fill the supers rapidly, and thus 

 also prevent all further attempts to swarm. After two or 

 three days I would remove the old brood-chamber to a new 

 stand, letting them rear a queen. What do you think of 

 this latter scheme as a method for preventing swarming, 

 and also getting a honey crop ? Later on the two colonies 

 could be united for winter, and thus do away with increase 

 that is not wanted. A. B. S. 



Answeks. — 1. The entrance-guard will hold the queen, 

 so that the swarm will be obliged to return, unless it hap- 



