30 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



1 told him why I did not cut the founda- 

 tion in the middle and yet he says he "can- 

 not understand." "It L am mistaken I shall 

 soon find it out by actual test. If they 

 bulged, you would certainly have had drone 

 <!omb, and I have not seen a drone cell, in 

 the comb sent me." 



A pity he could not see that the comb sent 

 him had been supported by sticks about 

 every 3 inches, so it could not sag, I used 

 that which sagged for comb honey. 



Again he says: "1 can by no means be 

 responsible for your mistakes. Consider 

 seriously, friend 13., whether all these fail- 

 ures mentioned may not be more your fault 

 than of the things themselves. 



All the mistake 1 made was, in not send- 

 ing the foundations back as soon as I found 

 that they would sag. I do not say that 

 pure bees-wax foundation will sag, but I 

 think "novice" "must have been so care- 

 less as to get hold of wax adulterated with 

 tallow," or something else. 



New Buffalo, Mich. R. S. Beckteli.. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Comb Foundation. 



The two samples of comb foundation sent 

 me for experimenting, were placed in sur- 

 plus boxes, accepted and appropriated by 

 the bees, and tlie result entirely satisfactory. 

 And, on testin.t; the honey I find nothing un- 

 palatable from the use of the foundation, 

 and therefore recommended it as a good in- 

 vestment for the supply of all surplus boxes, 

 for which you have no good white comb. 

 And to the manufacturers of comb founda- 

 tion, I would say that a medium thickness 

 is better than a heavier article. For I tliink 

 it is a mistaken idea, that the bees lengthen, 

 by drawing out, and thus reducing the 

 thickness of the cells, as given them. 



Fredonia, N. Y. P. Millee. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bee Notes from Kentucky. 



Deak Joukxal.— The honey yield has 

 been very large here during the "past season. 

 I prefer to raise bees rather than honey, as 

 it is less trouble. Bees sell very readily 

 here at a good price. Living in town I can 

 keep but a few colonies at a time. I like 

 the Italians the best ; they are good honey 

 gatherers ; they work up" all bits of comb 

 that may be left about the hive. As to their 

 gentleness, I see no difference between them 

 and the blacks, but in all other points they 

 certainly are superior. I have received by 

 mail twelve or more dollar queens from Dr. 

 D. P. H. Brown, of Augusta, Ga. They all 

 (except two or three of the last ones) proved 

 very satisfactory. The last one was intro- 

 duced July 20th, and filled the hive full of 

 beautiful yellow bees in sixty days, scarcely 

 a black bee remaining. I received a dollar 

 queen from Andrews & Yauglian, Colum- 

 bia, Tenn.; it was introduced Scj). 9. Tiie 

 best honey yield this season, was taken by 

 Dr. G. W. Martin; he got 100 lbs. box honey 

 and 500 fts. extracted, from 4 hives. He made 

 one artificial swarm at the end of the season. 

 The Journal comes regularly and is appre- 

 ciated. Nearly all the honey gathered was 

 in May, June, and July; the fall flowers 

 were abundant, but failed to give honey. 



Mason Co.. Ky. Wm. W. Lyxch. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



How I Destroyed Moth-Millers. 



The moth-fly or brown miller is our bee- 

 enemy here, and this is how I managed it: 

 The latter part of July, August, and the 

 first part of September, I took dishes con- 

 taining vinegar and rain water and sweet- 

 ened it. Set them on the hives at sundown 

 or dusk; took them away at sunrise, and 

 pinched all the millers in the dishes or on 

 the sides of the hive. One morning I killed 

 19; generally about half a dozen. I killed 

 hundreds of them during the season. As a 

 result, I see now (Oct.) no injury from this 

 enemy, to those that are anything like 

 strong. 



I called to see a neighbor, and looked at 

 his bees. I could see the moth-fly or miller 

 on his hives, and worms crawling around. 

 He said he had neglected them; and had 

 lost two stands with the worms. I think 

 they were queenless, and the millers got in 

 and soon used them up. E. Pickup. 



Bureau Co., 111. 



f\)r the American Bee Journal. 



Natural vs. Unscientific Bee Culture. 



Having some ideas upon this subject, dif- 

 ferent from any I have seen advocated, I 

 give them to the public, through the Jour- 

 nal. 



Effects certainly follow causes in all de- 

 partments of nature. In bee keeping we 

 see the effects of departure from their 

 natural laws, in this ; that where a few bees 

 are kept exclusively in a neighborhood in 

 the old way, not mixed with bees kept in 

 large quantities in movable frame hives, 

 they winter well on their summer stands, 

 without dysentery, or serious loss. But we 

 have seen reports in the last few years, of 

 apiarians starting with a few swarms which 

 have done well for a few years, and after 

 getting a quantity they have almost all died 

 of dysentery and other ailments. 



Why ? not because of a large quantity in 

 one place, except as they are affected by in- 

 and-in-breeding, and improper ventilation. 

 Not that the honey is ditterent from what it 

 used to be ; not because of cold winters, for 

 they have been kept from the first settling 

 of the country, without great loss in win- 

 tering until lately : but because of the loss 

 of vitality caused by unscientific bee cul- 

 ture. They are " doctored to death," as 

 Langstroth, (for whom I have the greatest 

 respect) says. How " doctored to death ?" 

 First, by dividing, or artificial swarming, 

 which, as now practiced, causes the bees to 

 raise a queen from a larvae, thereby making 

 a queen but little better than a worker, 

 which they never do when raising queens 

 for natural swarming, always taking an egg. 

 This I deem the greatest cause of their de- 

 terioration. 



Second, in and in breeding. 



Third, want of ventilation in wintering. 

 I will explain my views upon these subjects 

 in future articles. 



S. S. Butler, M. D. 



Santa Clara Co., Cal., Nov. 1st, 1876. 



Note.— Just received a pamphlet from A. 

 H. Hart, which I find embodies some of the 

 same ideas in regard to queen raising. 



S. S. B. 



