THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



G67 



WhilP talking and idly watctiinK a 

 liive of Italians, Mr. Dodge called the 

 reporter's attention to an niieasy l>ee 

 that was circlinR around the hive. 

 " Tliat." he said, "is a robber or 

 scout from another colony, to lind out 

 liow strong this colony is. It will 

 watch its chance, and if able to piiss 

 the sentries undetected, will load it- 

 self with honey, and when it comes 

 again it has an army at its back. The 

 only resistance is made at the bar- 

 riers wliere ttiere is some slaughter." 



Tiie Syrian robber that we were 

 watching did not succeed, for not 

 being able to give the " pass-word," 

 it was immediately seized by the rear 

 legs and pushed 'oft tlie platform, 

 being able to escape wltli its life. " If 

 there are bees enougli to cover the 

 comb," said Mr. Dodge, " robbers 

 will not come." lie kept his hives 

 pretty evenly populated by strength- 

 ening weak colonies with brood-combs 

 from more populous hives. 



Instead of a glass box, honey is 

 now put up for market by the bees in 

 a frame 4x4 inches on the inside, and 

 tills being put into a paper box, it 

 looks as pretty as a box of confec- 

 tionery. In this frame a bit of thin 

 foundation is placed so that the bees 

 will start the comb straight. Tliere 

 are 2H of these small frames, holding 

 just about enough for table use, held 

 in a large crate or case the size of the 

 hive. For liquid honey, a strong 

 foundation and frame of tlie full size 

 of the hive is used. This, when lilled, 

 is placed inside of a cylinder which 

 revolves, and tlie caps tirst being 

 taken from the cells, the honey is sent 

 out by centrifugal force. 



Bee- Keepers' Magazine. 



The Pecten or Comb of the Bee. 



Not the least wonderful feature in 

 the anatomy of the bee, is that artis- 

 tic contrivance, which, from its con- 

 formation and use, may very properly 

 be termed the bee's comb. 



As the perception of the bee de- 

 pends upon the sensibility of the 

 antennse. it is obvious that those or- 

 gans, to fullill their various functions, 

 must be kept perfectly clean, and 

 hence the Great Mechanician, in or- 

 ganizing and creating the bee, antici- 

 pated its necessities in this respect, 

 and provided an effective instrument 

 for its relief. 



On a pleasant day, if we take our 

 position near a hive, while the bees 

 are passing out and in, we shall most 

 likely notice more than one bee stop 

 a moment upon the aligliting-board, 

 raise one of ita forelegs and appear to 

 wipe the antennre with it : and as the 

 leg is covered with bristles, we might 

 conclude that these answered the pur- 

 pose of a brush, to cleanse the an- 

 tennae; but, watching more carefully 

 we shall observe that only a particular 

 place in the leg is applied to the 

 antenna\ and exa.mining this place 

 with a microscope, we shall tind, just 

 below the articulation of the two 

 longest joints, a semi-circular notch, 

 lined with teeth, and just above, a 

 thumb-like appendage, which, uyxm 

 the leg Hexed, extends across the 



opening of the notch ; this thumb 

 presses and retains the antenna with- 

 in the ilDtcli, and wipes the under side 

 of it, and may serve at other times as 

 a brace to support the joint. 



The number of teeth is about lifty, 

 placed close together and even. The 

 right leg has its comb for the right 

 anleinne, and the left for the left 

 aiiteniiic; the combs are used either 

 alternately, or both are applied at the 

 same moment, while the bee is poised 

 upon its middle and hind legs. Dur- 

 ing the nuptial season, when the 

 drone sallies from the hive, it would 

 be extracadinary if he did not pause a 

 moment at the entrance to comb down 

 his autenn;e. Tlie queen, equally 

 with the worker and drone, is pro- 

 vided with a similar pair of combs, 

 and some other insects furnished 

 with antenna', have a similar arrange- 

 ment for keeping those organs in per- 

 fect order. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



The Season— Visiting Ind. Apiarists. 



I. J. GLASS. 



In reporting the yield of honey for 

 this part of Illinois, the figures would 

 not be very astounding. The flow 

 from white clover began with flatter- 

 ing prospects, but the protracted 

 drouth cut it short. I had a patch of 

 buckwheat, but the weather turned 

 so cold and wet that the bees could 

 work on it but little. My returns for 

 the season, although small, compared 

 with the reports of some others, are 

 nevertlieless encouraging, and I can 

 say that my bees will go into winter 

 quarters in better condition than ever 

 before. I have had such remarkably 

 good success during the two previous 

 winters, by housing my bees in the 

 cellar, that I am inclined to deviate 

 very little from tlie past in preparing 

 them for the coming winter. 



My cellar is not very dry, and it 

 has no ventilation pipes, but it has 

 direct ventilation from two windows. 

 Last winter, owing to the extreme 

 cold, the windows were tightly closed, 

 with snow banked on the outside, for 

 six weeks, and in order to keep the 

 temperature above 4.5", I had to re- 

 sort to artiliciHl heat. I have come to 

 the conclusion that dampness does not 

 affect the bees in confinement, if the 

 temperature is kept between 4-5^ and 

 .50^. I am a little inclined to the pol- 

 len theory, but as I have no surplus 

 combs, that plan of wintering is not 

 applicable in my case. Yet I regard 

 the temperature and perfect quiet to 

 be of more importance than any other 

 consideration ; for with those re- 

 quisites I am not fearful of serious 

 consequences. 



Recently it has been my pleasure to 

 visit some bee-keeping friends in In- 

 diana, among whom were George Hat- 

 field & Son. Mr. Hatfield has kept 

 bee's for more than ,S.5 years, and it 

 seems as though the enthusiasm of 

 these two bee-keepers increases with 

 their long experience. Time and 

 again has their apiary been swept 

 almost tenantless, by disease and 

 other disasters, and last winter more 



than 7.') per cent, of their colonies- 

 succumbed to the inevitable ; yet by 

 increasing their colonies by division, 

 they have stocked up again, and their 

 apiary presents a fair appearance. 



I do not believe that these gentle- 

 men are known in the bee-papers, but 

 their knowledge is from experience- 

 alone, and their ideas are generally 

 correct. Tlie manner in which they 

 propose wintering their bees the com- 

 ing winter is as follows : 



They will make a large, long box 

 out of lUincli lumber (the length to 

 be determined by the number of 

 hives), and this box or trough will be 

 placed witli the open side downward, 

 and elevated about 2 inches from the 

 ground. The hives will be placed on 

 the ground in two rows, one on each 

 side of this trougli, with the front 

 ends coming close against this long 

 box, the hive-entrances to be just 

 under the lower edge of the box, and 

 the hives 4 inches apart. All around 

 and about 20 inches from the rear of 

 the hives, it is to be boxed up about 

 20 inches higher than the tops of the 

 hives, and this space is to be packed 

 closely with dry sawdust. Each end 

 of the long box or trough is to a'each 

 to tlie outside for ventilation, and all 

 covered so that it will not leak. 



Another apiarist of some note in 

 that locality — a Mr. Kelley — has 

 erected a stone house for his bees ; 

 but I am sure that it will be too cold, 

 unless he resorts to artificial heat. 



Another bee-keeper whom I met, 

 lost a colony of bees last winter, 

 which, as is claimed by all who saw 

 them, would not sting. His children 

 could play with them, and the most 

 nervous persons could handle them 

 with the same impunity as if they 

 were drones. I have some gentle 

 Italians, but they are not very pleas- 

 ant '• play-things." 



Sharpsburg,© Ills. 



Rural Can.Tdian. 



Hints about Wintering Bees. 



J. C. TnOM, M. D. 



AVintering our bees may be done in 

 two ways, and it is for the bee-keepei' 

 to decide which plan he will follow, 

 and tlien persevere with it until he 

 attains the measure of success that 

 experience will in the end put him in 

 possession of. The tirst way is in a 

 special repository built for the pur- 

 pose ; the second is a good cellar. 



The cellar being most generally ob- 

 tainable, it should be made thoroughly 

 dry, if not already so. Make a parti- 

 tion across one part of it (the darkest 

 and quietest end), leaving room ac- 

 cording to the number of colonies to- 

 winter. Construct benches a foot or 

 two high for the hives to be placed 

 upon, and the repository is ready. 

 Much has been written on the subject 

 of sub-earth ventilation ; but if the 

 air of the cellar can be kept pure and 

 sweet, it is sufficient to keep the bees 

 in liealth. Keep the temperature al- 

 ways above freezing. 



Some sunny day early in November, 

 remove the honey-boards and place- 

 a sheet of factory cloth beneath them. 



