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807 



Now, the queerest part of the mat- 

 ter to me, was, that after the two 

 swarms had been gone away some 

 weeks, I discovered robliers at work ; 

 and, on having the hives lifted and 

 examined, I found them in full pos- 

 session of the hive, with every inch of 

 comb stored with honey, but no queen, 

 and only about a pint of bees. 



What brought about this state of 

 affairs? Did they rear no (jueen, or 

 was she lost on her wedding trip ? Or, 

 not meeting the admirers she sought, 

 returned home and died of single 

 misery ? These are the facts in the 

 case, without guess work. 



If any of the older heads can ex- 

 plain, I am open to conviction, The 

 other four colonies cast no swarms this 

 year, and are strong to-day. 



Leavenworth. Kas.. Nov. 10, 1890. 



BOX HIVES. 



my Melliod of Hancllin;; Black 

 Bees in Box-Ilives. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY A. N. DRAPER. 



As mj- favorite way of handling a 

 box-hive of black bees differs from any 

 I have ever read of, I will describe it. 

 Before the white clover begins to yield 

 heavily, I drum all the bees out of the 

 box-hive, and either hive them on 

 comb-foundation, empty comb, or 

 select five or six combs of brood from 

 as many other colonies, and mix with 

 the empty combs, and place them 

 on the stand where the box-hive stood. 



Then I take the box-hive to a stand 

 occupied by a good, strong nucleus, 

 with a young queen just beginning 

 to lay, or, having tilled the nucleus 

 combs with eggs. The box-hive is to 

 occupy the place of the nucleus. Put 

 the queen at the entrance of the box- 

 hive, and shake about a pint of bees 

 off from one of the combs to run in 

 with her. Place the nucleus on a 

 new stand, and the next day let a 

 just-hatched queen from the nursery 

 run on to the combs of the nucleus 

 from above. You will be surprised to 

 see how quickly the box-hive will 

 become filled with bees. 



If it is increase that is vvanted, this 

 can be repeated sevenal times in a 

 season, especially if there is a plenty 

 of empty comb, or full sheets of 

 comb-foundation. 



When the last of October, or first of 

 November comes, and the bees stop 

 breeding, and the brood is all hatched 

 out, I drum the bees out of the box-hive, 

 and drive them on frames of honey 

 gathered by other colonies. Now the 

 honey and wax from the box-hive can 

 be disposed of, as may seem best. 



As no one one pretends to buy box- 

 hives, unless it is to increase his stock, 

 I believe this is the most profitabh; 

 way a box-hive can be managed. 



Upper Alton, 111. 



FOUL BROOD. 



T,lic Caii^e and Cure of that 

 Dire Di§ease. 



From Bulletin 33, Bureau of Industries. 



BY WM. M'EVOY. 



Foul brood is a disease that is caused 

 by the rotting of uncared-for brood. 

 It usually originates in Spring, in 

 weak colonies that have spring- 

 dwindled so badly that they have not 

 bees enough left to cover or care for 

 all the brood ; and if the Spring keeps 

 raw and backward, the bees will 

 crowd together to keep each other 

 warm, leaving the uncared-for brood 

 to die and rot in the cells. The bi'ood 

 covered by the bees, in time hatches, 

 which so increases the force of the col- 

 ony that a wider circle of comb is 

 covered by the bees, taking in the 

 space occupied by the decaying brood. 

 Then the brood that is fed in these 

 cells, where brood lately rotted down, 

 will have to consume their food mixed 

 with the remains of decayed brood ; and 

 that is the real and only cause of foul 

 brood. 



Some will say, that many a time 

 they have put combs with decayed 

 brood, in colonies, and never saw any 

 bad results. Very true; but they do 

 such things in the honey season, and 

 put them in the strongest colonies, 

 where the bees will clean them out at 

 once. If we want our colonies to keep 

 in a healthy state, we must keep all 

 decayed brood out of them. 



Foul brood will be almost a thing of 

 the past when every bee-keeper knows 

 the real cause of it, looks after his 

 bees in the Spring, and sees that the 

 brood is well cared-for in every hive ; 

 and those that are not really strong 

 must be crowded up on a few combs 

 by using division-boards. The young 

 bee destroyed by foul brood first turns 

 yellow ; as it decays further, it be- 

 comes brown, rotten, ropy matter, and 

 many of the capped cells will be 

 sunken a little in the capping, with a 

 small hole in each. The disease is 

 spread by the bees robbing foul brood 

 colonies, and they carry the disease 

 just in proportion to the amount of 

 diseased honey they carry to their own 

 hives. 



In the honey season, when the bees 

 are gathering honey freely, remove 

 the combs and shake the bees into 

 their own hives in the evening, give 

 them comb-foundation starters, and 



let them build comb for four days. In 

 the evening of the fourth day, remove 

 the comb and give them foundation to 

 work out, and the cure will be com- 

 plete. Fill an empty, two-stor3' hive 

 with the combs of foul broo<l that have 

 been removed from two or more dis- 

 eased colonies ; close them up for two 

 days; after that open the entrance, 

 and when most of the .sound brood is 

 hatched, remove those combs and give 

 the bees starters of foundation in a 

 single hive, and let them build combs 

 for four days. Then, in the evening 

 of the fourth day, take out those new 

 combs and give them foundation to 

 work out. 



Let it be remembered, that all these 

 operations should be performed in the 

 honey season, and done in the eve- 

 nings, so that the bees will become 

 settled down before morning. Before 

 extracting from the diseased combs, 

 all the combs that were not sealed. 

 must be cut out of the frames, or some 

 of the decayed brood will be thrown 

 out with the honey. Then, after cut- 

 ting out the unsealed comb, uncap the 

 sealed honey, extract it, and bring it 

 to a boil. All the foul combs, and the 

 new combs that were built in the four 

 days, must be made into wax, and the 

 dross from the wax extractor miist be 

 buried, because what runs out with 

 the wax would not be heated enough 

 to kill the spores ; and if it were 

 thrown out where the bees could get 

 at it. it would start the disease again. 

 When the diseased brood that was 

 placed in the two-story hive is hatched 

 and the bees are given full sheets of 

 foundation, then they should at once 

 be given a queen-cell, ready to hatch 

 out, or a young queen. Then evei'y- 

 thing will be all right. 



Woodburn, Ont. 



CARNIOLANS. 



A Further Reply to Criticisms 

 on their Merits. 



Written Jar the American Bee Journal 

 BY C. J. ROBINSON. 



When I lightly criticised Mr. Shuck's 

 first article on Carniolan bees. I was 

 not aware that he gave professional 

 charts on phrenology ; but in his later 

 article he volunteers to publish one for 

 me, according to "such rules as are 

 laid down by expert phrenologists." 

 Thanks. I know that personal reflect- 

 ions offered by Professor Shuck are 

 complimentary. 



Of course, "hit birds" flutter, and 

 some creatui'es, when severely 

 wounded, rise and attack; though the 

 wound was inflicted for the same 

 reason that the skillful surgeon 

 wound.s — to heal. 



