" leading out a swarm, " but a queen is sel- 

 dom among the first that leave, and is often 

 among the very last; so that if she does 

 have anything to do with it, she seems 

 rather to stir them up and drive them out. 



June 27, No 4 swarmed. 1 caught the 

 queen, and put in an empty hive a frame of 

 brood, with the adhering bees from a nucleus 

 that had been queen less 9 days, and the 

 queen was gladly accepted by them. This 

 nive, containing the queen, I placed beside 

 No. 4, and the next day the queen and most 

 of the bees were gone. July 5, I opened 

 No. 4, to cut out the queen cells, and found 

 them destroyed; plenty of young brood and 

 eggs, and the old clii)ped queen back in the 

 hive doing duty. Did this queen give the 

 swarming fever to the little nucleus, which 

 was well shaded, and certainly had no pre- 

 vious inclination to swarm? Why should 

 she be content back in the old hive? 



Dec. 8, 1877. B. LUNDERER. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Failure in Wintering. 



For the benefit of my fellow bee-keepers, 

 I will relate my sad experience of last 

 Winter: 



In the fall, a year ago, I had .53 colonies, 

 nearly all strong. I was very anxious to 

 save them through the winter, as they had 

 rewarded me handsomely for my summer's 

 care, and especially anxious about them as I 

 had lost heavily during the last 7 years. 



In accordance to some writer's directions 

 in The American Bee Journal. I pro- 

 cured lumber and made large boxes — 1 for 

 each hive; large enough to admit4 inches of 

 chopped straw around, under and above the 

 hive. In place of a honey board, I used a 

 quilt. Now for results: 



By the 1st of Jan. nearly all were getting 

 very uneasy, trying to get out of the hives, 

 and exhibiting signs of disease. By the 1st 

 of April, one third of the stock were entirely 

 gone; middle of May, only about one-half 

 were left, and they very weak. Will some 

 one tell nie why they died when I had taken 

 so much pains to save them? 



Spring Management. 



I do not feel like instructing the merest 

 novice about ivintertmi bees, but I may 

 suggest some thing of use to the beginner, 

 in regard to equalizing and building up a lot 

 of weak stocks: 



When spring opens contract the entrances, 

 and make all tight and warm over the bees. 

 Guard all the weak stocks very carefully 

 from the strong ones, and contract their 

 hive room to accommodate the size of the 

 swarm. Take away extra combs, but leave 

 plenty of honey. During cold windy days, 

 discourage them from flying, by shading the 

 entrance of the hives. 



It is necessary that at least one-third of 

 the entire number of stocks should be good 

 and strong. When settled warm weather 

 arrives, (say about the 1st of May, but not 

 before tor this latitude), begin to equalize. 

 Take from the centre of each strong stock 

 two combs of hatching brood,— bees with 

 them, if sure you leave the queen in her own 

 hive, and give one of these combs to each 

 weak stock, placing it in the centre of the 

 cluster. Then make all warm again and 

 wait 10 days, supplying the strong stocks 

 •with good empty worker-combs to replace 



those removed, and keep a record of your 

 operations. 



Always select the oldest or hatching brood 

 to give the weak ones. 



If hives have plenty of honey, I don't 

 think it pays to feed them to stimulate 

 breeding in the spring. 



The above is just what I practice every 

 spring, if I have poor stocks; I find It pays 

 well, though it makes some trouble. 



Freeport, 111. Pkescott Young. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Tin Separators. 



Mr. Heddon, in The Journal tor Oct., 

 writes: "I find Root's method of putting 

 these frames, (sections), within frames, 

 very complicated and troublesome, com- 

 pared to the method I use. " Will Mr. 

 Hedden please explain his method, for the 

 benefit of many who are Inquiring for the 

 best way — the least complicated and trouble- 

 some way? And, if he uses the tin sepa- 

 rators, will he give size of tins, compared 

 with combs to be built, and the manner of 

 readily adjusting them, and changing thena 

 from one case, when filled, to another 

 empty one? 



I suppose our large producers in the East 

 use separators, (certainly Mr. Hethering- 

 ton's fine display at the Centennial— each 

 section comb encased in six pieces of glass, 



LANGSTKOTII FRAME WITH SEPAKATORS, 



could not have been secured with such 

 uniform regularity without them), and per- 

 haps our western producers also; yet, but 

 very little mention is made of them in the 

 bee-papers, and 1 do not remember seeing 

 any illustration of them in The American 

 Bee Journal. 



Common bee-keepers are becomingdissat- 

 isfied with any way as soon as they think 

 there is a better one; and to have heard a 

 little of separators, stimulates inquiry. — 

 Shall they look to The American Bee 

 Journal for illustrations of them? 



In same number. Southard &Ranneygive 

 cut of their case or rack, for sections. The 

 sheet-iron rests, with edges turned up, will 

 undoubtedly work well I have tried com- 

 mon hoop-iron, but it is not stitf enough, 

 and so thin, that in turning up, the bees 

 fasten the two cases together so tightly, 

 that in lifting off the upper one, the tops of 

 sections are torn from the lower ones. — 

 Strips of wood-work are better, but the bees 

 spend too much time in sticking them 

 down. I think they might neglect the edges 

 of metal, as they do the tin corners. Where 

 can ive vrocure such rests? "The rack 

 sits on the frames." Does it also sit on top 

 of hive, closing it bee-tight? If it closes at 

 the bottom, then, by covering the glass, 

 could we not dispense with the super? But 

 then, in tiering up, would it close bee- 

 tight? Hope you will describe some of the 

 manipulations in working them. Will you 

 also instruct us how we may obtain sections 

 at 2 mills each. The ditterence of mills on 

 each one is not much, but $8.00 on every 



