©orvespondciicc* 



For the American Bee Journal. 



A Young Man's Experience. 



My information in apiculture began with 

 the winter of 1876, when I began perusing 

 " Quinby's Mysteries of Bee-keeping ;" and 

 purchased 10 colonies of hybrids "in box- 

 hives. I transferred them in the latter part 

 of April, 1877, to the Langstroth and Quinby 

 hives, but 3 of them had dwindled. In 

 June, I received 3 more in place of them. — 

 On May 26, 1 divided one of the strongest, 

 so as to obtain queen cells and queens for 

 other colonies wlien I divided them. In 10 

 days afterwards, I took out 10 queen cells, 

 leaving 1, out of the 16 started 9 days before. 

 Four of the cells were used in "dividing, 

 while 6 were put into nuclei hives. I also 

 made colonies by taking 2 frames with some 

 brood, and putting them into an empty hive 

 and introducing a queen cell or queen.— 

 Sometimes I had to strengthen them with a 

 frame of brood. Keeping reserved frames 

 in nuclei hives, during the season, I found 

 profitable. Colonies were also made in 

 August, when buckwheat was yielding 

 bountifully, and did well. 



As I was working at home, for father, I 

 intended not to let a colony swarm natu- 

 rally ; but on the 30th, of August, as I was 

 extracting, I found a double handful swarm 

 on the cross-bar that holds the boards 

 which covers the bee hives ; and, not expect- 

 ing a swarm at that time of the season, I 

 brushed them off ; but they flew back to 

 their place again. I went on extracting, 

 but a few minutes after, they appeared like 

 a swarm in the air, and soon settled on the 

 board that shaded the hives ; then I tried to 

 catch the queen ; she flew up in the air and 

 back to the bees several times before I 

 could cage her. Only 1 drone accompanied 

 the swarm. I put the little swarm into an 

 empty hive with a couple of frames of 

 brood and bees, and gave them a good 

 smoking when uniting them, giving them 

 a frame of brood every few days, until their 

 hive was full. They became one of my 

 strongest. 



I got some comb foundation, which I 

 liked very much. I tacked a strip of paste- 

 board with the edge of the comb foundation 

 to the under side of the upper bar in the 

 frame. In putting surplus boxes and sec- 

 tions for surplus honey, I discarded the 

 honey board, believing they will work 

 faster, and go up into the boxes sooner 

 when it is removed. I also learned that 

 taking a section of comb and putting it 

 between empty sections will make bees go 

 up immediately. 



We got but very little honey from fruit 

 blossoms. White clover commenced to 

 bloom June 10, but there is not much of it 

 in this vicinity. Basswood bloomed the 

 2lst of July, lasting only about a week.— 

 The bees were busy on it while it lasted.— 

 Just as the basswood season ended, buck- 

 wheat began, and lasted 5 weeks, yielding 

 abundantly. It was from buckwheat that I 

 got most of the honey this season. I 



extracted all the honey in the beginning of 

 the buckwheat season, so they wintered ou 

 it. I got in all, of extracted honey, 377 lbs. 

 7 oz ; with comb honey I was not very suc- 

 cessful ; but few would work in sections ; 

 from my best colony I got 72 Bbs. and 13 oz. 

 In all I got of comb honey was 138 lbs. and 

 14 oz. I think I could get 300 or 400 fts. 

 more of buckwheat honey, had 1 time to 

 extract it. 



I commenced this season with 8 colonies, 

 most of them in Langstroth hives ; next 

 season they will all be transferred to the 

 Langstroth hive. There are but few bee- 

 keepers here, only one in this vicinity who 

 applies science to apiculture. To "Lang- 

 stroth, on the Honey Bee," and the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal I am indebted for many 

 valuable hints in apiculture. Long may the 

 Journal wave ! T. Dustrude. 



Avon, Wis. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bright Wax Sheets. 



Dear Editor. In the same mail with 

 this letter, I send you a sample of sheets of 

 wax. Some of it is pressed in a pair of 

 rude plaster dies, by myself. This wax is 

 quite different from the foundation on the 

 market, being harder, not so easily melted, 

 lighter in color and not having so mucli 

 odor. It is made exclusively from white 

 clover, being melted from caps that are 

 shaved off in extracting. It does not get 

 brittle by chewing ; it does not stretch in 

 cool weather, and in moderately thick 

 sheets, the size of the sample, has stood the 

 hot weather with very little sagging. It 

 can be pressed in beautiful sheets for the 

 section boxes, almost as thin as paper ; and 

 such sheets my bees have thinned out, in a 

 number of cases, until the difference be- 

 tween that and natural comb is imper- 

 ceptible. 



I would like some information as to the 

 qualities of wax from different parts of the 

 country. Is it well known that the fat of 

 animals varies in quality with the kinds of 

 food ? I suppose it is similar with the wax 

 secreted by the honey bee. 



I have tried several methods of strength- 

 ening foundation, to prevent sagging in 

 warm weather. The most feasible appears 

 to be to insert waxed threads, or narrow 

 ribbons of strong, thin paper between thin 

 sheets of wax, and then run through the 

 machine. The sheets that I pressed in flat 

 dies adheres well, and the bees draw out 

 the cells without cutting out the paper.— 

 Possibly threads might be worked in by the 

 roller machines, by simply laying them 

 upon the sheet of wax before running 

 through. 



I have one beautiful straight sheet of 

 comb, in which are 4 thin strips of wood, to 

 which the foundation was fastened. The 

 strips of wood were put upright in a Lang- 

 strotli frame, about 4 inches apart, and the 

 foundation lapped on them and fastened 

 with a little melted wax. It came within 

 half an inch of the bottom bar, the strips 

 resting upon the bottom. There could be 

 no sagging in this case, and the comb was 



