268 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



STATES FOR HIVES. 



To keep a convenient record of the in- 

 ternal atfairs, I hang a slate on every hive. 

 I save an immense amount of work and 

 uncertainity by it. A considerable history 

 of each colony can thus be kept from date 

 to date without much trouble. 



PORTABLE SHADE COVERS. 



I make convenient, portable shade covers 

 for my bees by naihng ceiling to cross- 

 strips, similar to common batten doors. 

 Take small nails, burn and clinch them and 

 you will have a good cover .3x4 ft. for 25 cts. 

 To keep the light thing to its place on the 

 hive, so as not to change the appearance of 

 the surroundings to the bees and confuse 

 them, I drive a stake into the ground near 

 the hive and bore a hole into the shade 

 cover and slip the latter down over the 

 former. It is the best way I have ever 

 found to shade bees. I like it better than 

 tree shade, because you can remove it and 

 give the hive the sun when you wish, by 

 simply lifting it otf. 



RENEWING COMBS. 



A colony of bees should be allowed to re- 

 new at least half of their combs every year. 

 To do this in the best way give the first 

 swarm half of the combs, alternating them 

 with empty frames. Then give the old 

 hive a young fertile queen and alternate her 

 combs with empty frames likewise. In 

 this way you will get mostly worker comb, 

 and all of it nice and straight. Of course 

 all apiarists who give attention to their 

 business keep fertile queens on hand to 

 supply colonies that need them on demand. 



Chilicothe, Mo. J. W. Greene. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Straws. 



Basswood is giving down, never more 

 abundantly; 240 colonies to relieve of their 

 superfluous stores. Must say a few words 

 about 



COMB FOUNDATION. 



I have a fine lot of pure bright yellow, 

 the first pure I have ever had. This is bet- 

 ter than yellow wax and seresin; yellow 

 wax and seresin is better than pure white 

 (bleached) wax; bleached wax is better 

 than wax and parafflne. Bees will struggle 

 with all of the above; perhaps practically 

 successful with the pure j^ellow wax, as far 

 as boxes are concerned, for guides. But 

 how about brood comb-foundation? Well, 

 all who cannot get straight combs can call 

 it to the rescue as guides, 4 or .5 cells deep. 

 How about full frames of it? Well, put it 

 in as straight as a board, and it warps when 

 the heat oi the hive comes to bear upon it. 

 A swarm will fill a set of frames quicker 

 without it, and bees will build drone cells 

 upon it when they clioose. I have a preci- 

 ous sample to prove to the optics this latter 

 assertion. Finally, to have all cells started 

 before any are a fourth finished, is un- 

 natural, and all cells made thus will be 

 ovate and probably turn out bees that get 

 through the fence like the greyhound hogs, 

 by turning up sidewise. So far, not an egg 

 in any comb foundation. 



But reader, the above is only my first trial 

 of pure beeswax. Others do better, and 

 perhaps I shall before the Journal, comes 

 to us again. I will report. 



CHEAP SUPPLIES. 



A pair of boots may be worth .$(5 and 

 bought for $d; a pair may be wortii $12, and 

 bought for 5?12; a pair may be worth .50 cts-, 

 and sold at the low price of $1. I once 

 bought some good queens at fl each. I 

 may buy some more of them. I may pay 

 Mr. Dadant ^7 or .^10, or whatever he asks, 

 for an imported one. All may give satis- 

 faction. But nothing less than about $2 to 

 $2.50, first cost, invested in a complete bee- 

 hive will do me. 



Mr. A. I. Root, of Ohio, says that a man 

 in Missouri is carried away with his section 

 frame, while Ileddon rejects it. The last 

 part of this is true; probably the first part 

 is also true. My advice to the man in Mo. 

 is, " if a feather will tickle him, preserve 

 the said goose quil." I have that sample 

 frame, just like the one the Mo. man has. 

 This one is worth more than $1 to me, or 

 more thaii the other 999. Just like it, be- 

 cause it and the future are going to prove 

 til at I was right, and the Mo. man and Mr. 

 E-oot were wrong, I think. If I have no 

 occasion to reject this frame, Mr. Root will 

 have no occasion to ever improve it. Let 

 us wait and see if bee-keepers demand such 

 improvements. If they do, will it be crimi- 

 nal for me to be first, or among the first to 

 bolt? 



In regard to Italian lis. black bees, I am 

 coming to some satisfactory standpoint in 

 the matter. I find more difference between 

 the value of different strains of blood, in 

 either race, than between the two races. 

 When we compare the virtues of the best 

 strains of both races, the strain of Italians I 

 now have are the bees I shall keep in the 

 future. If a man is favored with a choice 

 stock of black bees, the bright Italians — 

 such as I have had till this season and part 

 of last— will fall to give satisfaction. On 

 the other hand, if he has such black bees as 

 5 stocks I handled lately, most any Italians 

 will please him. To me, this accounts for 

 honest difference of opinion. 



James Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich., July 12, 1877. 



California Honey Interests. 



BEAD BEFORE THE LOS ANGELES ASSOCI- 

 ATION. 



In nearly all new countries the imports 

 exceed the exports. The croakers claim 

 that Southern California will for years to 

 come consume more in value than is pro- 

 duced, and it may seem to be a correct con- 

 clusion, if we are to judge from the produc- 

 tions of this present season. Last year we 

 had a surplus of honey in this section — the 

 sage belt— of about 2,.500,00O lbs. of the finest 

 honey ever thrown on any market. This 

 was regarded by some as an unfortunate 

 thing and an over-production that could not 

 be disposed of without sacrifice; but by a 

 little well-directed effort a great part of this 

 surplus has gone to the different countries 

 in Europe, and as far as I can learn, those 

 who exported it have made good profits by 

 the experiment. San Francisco has made 

 her share of profits out of this industry, 

 while it could have been managed with 

 much less expense if our own trading 

 people would have created these new mar- 

 kets. 



This is an industry in which all classes 



