478 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



uniformly so, at least in size, than in the 

 human. We know there is slij^ht differ- 

 ence in the traits of all the different 

 species, that is, creatures that have an 

 essential identity of organic structure. 

 These traits have their origin by reason 

 of the external differences, such as 

 climate and circumstances consequent 

 on the difference of the different parts of 

 the globe ; hence, there is not any essen- 

 tially distinct "race of bees" — so all 

 hive bees are pure in species. 



The difference in color is not strictly 

 a difference in type, and as to traits, 

 there is (according to Rev. Mr. Lang- 

 stroth, Frank Benton, and others com- 

 petent to properly compare) but slight 

 difference. Then what sensible occa- 

 sion exists for mooting the questions 

 propounded in the Query ? 



Richford, N. Y. 



[To guard that point, Mr. Robinson 

 should have noticed that we used the 

 word " variety;" and added, " or as some 

 call it — race." The word "variety" is 

 proper, and harmonizes with the views 

 of Mr. Robinson. We used tte word 

 " race " to agree with the Query, but it 

 was under. protest. — Ed.1 



Experience in Dsing a Bee-Escape. 



MARK D. JUDKINf^ 



On page 373 of the American Bee 

 Journal for Sept. 17, 1891, Mr. J. W. 

 Wilcox described his bee-escape. The 

 idea impressed me as being a good one, 

 so I made one out of common lath. It 

 took me perhaps ten minutes, and I put it 

 on a hive on a cold day — it was so cold 

 that the bees were all quiet, and not a 

 bee flying in the yard. 



I put it on late in the afternoon ; the 

 next morning I looked in the super, and, 

 to my surprise, every bee had made its 

 escape to the main hive. 



The beauty of it is, robbers cannot 

 get in, and when it is put on a hives, the 

 bottom being a solid board, it cuts off 

 the warmth from the body of the hive, 

 and the bees decide that there is some- 

 thing wrong somewhere ; as soon as 

 they commence to look around, they see 

 the little window under the bottom of 

 the super, and they all "make for it" 

 pell-mell, and out they go, down tiie 

 front of the hive into the outside en- 

 trance. There is no chance for suffoca- 

 tion, as there is an out-door opening 2 



inches long, and 3^ inch wide ; while 

 with the escape through the top-board 

 in the main hive it takes three or four 

 times as long to clear a super of bees, 

 than it does by the out-door plan. One 

 of my neighbors lost nearly all of a large 

 colony of bees by suffocation — they got 

 the whole thing filled up, and ruined the 

 colony of bees. 



The outside of my bee-escape is cov- 

 ered with wire-cloth, to keep the bees in 

 and the robbers out. It is the " boss." 



Osakis, Minn. 



Experience witli Italian M Black Bees. 



J. J. LAWRENCE. 



I have kept bees for 12 years, and 

 have taken great pains to keep a pure 

 stock of Italians, rearing all queens 

 from a tested Italian. I have had very 

 poor luck in getting queens mated 

 purely. 



There are but few bees of any kind 

 kept within three mifes of me, and I 

 have kept drone-comb carefully cut out 

 of my own hives, but have averaged only 

 two or three queens purely mated out of 

 ten. I think that Italian drones are 

 sadly deficient in the " get up " neces- 

 sary to perpetuate their species. The 

 last three years I have paid more atten- 

 tion to the despised blacks. 



My bees (from 25 to 50 colonies) are 

 kept on a town lot near the edge of 

 town. I find no difference between the 

 Italians and blacks in regard to temper, 

 defending their hives from robbers, rob- 

 bing, or keeping out moths. I keep all 

 my colonies strong, using a large hive 

 (18x18x12 inches, and 18 in. high). 

 The storage is at the sides and on top. 

 I use division-boards, queen-excluders, 

 drone-traps, etc. 



I have no trouble to get blacks and 

 hybrids at work in the surplus apart- 

 ments before swarming. I have had a 

 great deal of trouble to get Italians at 

 work in the surplus before and after 

 swarming. They keep every cell in the 

 brood-chamber filled to the exclusion of 

 the queen. I have found Italians work- 

 ing on red clover, and found blacks in 

 the same field at the same business with- 

 in five minutes. 



I keep my colonies from swarming by 

 raising the hives one or two inches from 

 the bottom-boards, and using shade- 

 boards. I usually get 4 or 5 swarms 

 from 20 colonies. 



I winter my bees in the cellar, with 

 the temperature at 45° to 53^. , I find 



