and lost; and we must return tlieni to tlie 

 depository and wait again for a fair day to 

 repeat tlie operation. 



1 am of tlie opinion that when they have 

 had a good tlight they should be returned to 

 the depository and remain ^intil all the 

 Cdrllef varieties of ivilloiv and soft majAe 

 (ire out of hloom. The maple blossoms 

 last but about 10 or 12 days, and, one year 

 with another, the bees do not work on an 

 average to exceed three days on them, and 

 but little, if any longer, on the willows; 

 and, during all this time, they are dwin- 

 dling away like an incurable, consumptive, 

 liuman body. The number of owners of 

 honey or pollen is but a trifle, compari- 

 tively, still it would be of great value as a 

 stimulent— but it also stimulates the old 

 bees to the lields, to their destruction on 

 chilly days. Is this necessary? No! — 

 Stimulate them within doors with honey, 

 syrup, rye or other tlour. 



But how are we to ikeep those that are 

 wintered on their summer stands from 

 going to the fields for the willows and soft 

 maples? Suppose we construct a sort of 

 a park for them to liy in, in confinement, 

 after they have had a good purifying llight 

 in the open air. The machine, cage or park, 

 might be constructed, say 2 feet square, 

 more or less, perhaps not nnich less, and 

 thus: The top and bottom of tight boards, 

 the four corners of light posts, an inch 

 square; the sides and ends covered with 

 mosquito netting, and an opening in one 

 siile to admit the ingress and egress of the 

 bees; also a hole or trap door, by which to 

 introduce feed— to stimulate. This door 

 may be through the top or bottom. Con- 

 nect the machine to the front of the hive, or 

 rather the box in which the hive is enclos- 

 ed, and fasten so tight that a bee cannot 

 escape; place the honey and flour near the 

 entrance, for stinnilation or food, let the 

 machine be fastened by some simple con- 

 trivance, that it can be attached or removed 

 readily, at pleasure. 



This apparatus can cost but a nominal 

 sum. Any person that has mechanism 

 enough to handle bees c^an make and attach 

 it when necessary. The netting costs but 

 little. 



Again, would it not be advantageous to 

 ])lace it upon the hive prior to the time of 

 tlieir purifying llight, in the event of there 

 l)eing snow on the ground, as many fall 

 upon it and are chilled and lost? J^et them 

 have their flight within this apparatus; I 

 think such a flight in confinement will 

 answer the purj)ose. Mr. II. E. Bidwell, of 

 South Haven, Michigan, gave 80 swarms 

 such a flight several times in the winter of 

 1874-.5, by placing as many as 16 swarms at 

 a time in a cold frame, 12 by (5 feet, with 

 but 15 or 20 inchei^ space above the hive. It 

 may be said, that when there is no snow, 

 the mouth of the hive may be closed with 

 wire cloth; after they have had a good 

 flight, there is uuich danger of their becom- 

 ing uneasy, also of their dragging their 

 dead to the entrance, closing it up and 

 beiug smothered. 



I have not had an opportunity to try this 

 cage, but shall immediately, and believe it 

 will work. MoosH AsiiEL. 



Wayne, Mich., Feb. 1, 187S. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



An Amusing Incident. 



Fkiend Newman.— Having met with an 

 accident in the shape of a saw-log, which 

 saw fit to run over my legs, thereby confin- 

 ing me to the house, and liaving no bee man 

 to visit with, I thought of the American" 

 Bee Jouknal, and concluded to tell you 

 liow, during the swarming season, last 

 year, 1877, 1 saved one swarm of bees by 

 losing another. I think it would puzzle the 

 best of us to think how it could be done,, 

 and still it was a very simple thing to hap- 

 pen, though not intended. 



I had a large swarm come out and settle 

 upon a tall, leaning, white-wood tree over 

 my apiary. The tree was so tall and the 

 bees so far up that I did not dare try to get 

 them by going up after them, for fear the 

 tree might In^eak by my weight upon it. So 

 I had to let them be. They staid all day and 

 all night, and the next morning I was pro- 

 voked to see them still clustered there, 

 knowing I should have other swarms out 

 and that they would be sure to go for that 

 cluster. Soon I sa.w a swarm pouring out 

 of a hive, I ran to the hive and watched for 

 the queen and as soon as she showed her- 

 self, I caught her. Then 1 looked for the 

 bees, and saw them piling on to the cluster 

 on the tree, and it was a large one, too. I 

 put the queen in a cage and put her down 

 by the hive, then went to cutting out the 

 queen cells, as I was going to put the queen 

 back as soon as the bees got all settled. I 

 did not want to have them swarm out 

 again. In a few minutes, the bees came 

 piling back, and not only the swarm that 

 left there, but the swarm that had stayed 

 on the tree all night. So I had a surplus 

 queen and saved one swarm by losing 

 another, or rather, I saved them both. 



A. C. Balch. 



Kalamazoo, Mich., Jan. 23, 1878. 



From the Rural Sun. 



Artificial Swarming. 



" What is the l)est plan or method of arti- 

 ficial swarming?" 



To come as near filling the condition of 

 natural swarming as possible is undoubted- 

 ly the best. Now we will examine the con- 

 ditions of natural swarming. Just before 

 swarming the colony is very populous, but 

 does not contain bees enough for two 

 swarms, as many would suppose, but 

 enough for one swarm and enough left to 

 care for the brood in the old hive. The hive 

 is generally well filled with cond), brood and 

 honey. There are from twenty to thirty 

 thousand young bees (brood) in different 

 stages of development from the eggs in a 

 good colony just before swarming. The 

 colony, also, has a good fertile queen. This 

 is the condition of the colony just before 

 swarming, with young bees continually 

 hatching. After the swarm has issued, we 

 find the old hive as follows: All the comb 

 and brood is still left in the old hive ; also, 

 all the honey, except what the swarm could 

 carry with it, and a very few bees left in the 

 hive, just enough to nurse the brood and 



