328 



Tmm MM'ERic»ft mmm j©timifai*. 



drones " in due time ;" but they have 

 somehow got ahead of me. I would 

 like to catch about 5,000 of them, if I 

 could. I thought to have only pure 

 Italian drones. But a neighbor of 

 mine has about 50 hives of blacks and 

 hybrids, and takes no thought of 

 drones. So I have concluded to give 

 up the batttle for the time being, for 

 an apiary of pure yellow bees. M)- 

 young queens stand a very poor chance 

 this season. The air, on warm, sunny 

 days, is full of black drones. 



llees and Fruit-Bloom. 



In regard to bees and fruit-pollen, I 

 would like to say this : Bees have, no 

 doubt, much to do with the fertiliza- 

 tion of fruit-bloom ; but \ cannot be- 

 lieve that success or failure dejiends 

 altogether upon bees, or other insects. 

 Of course when it rains, or is too cool 

 for bees to work, the pollen of the 

 fruit>blossonis is not carried from 

 flower to flower, and mixed, as it is 

 when the weather is just right. But 

 the fact is, if it all depended upon the 

 woi'k of the various insects, we would 

 never see much fruit, " rain or shine ;" 

 for, when the blossoms are wet, and 

 the weather damp, the pollen is damp 

 also, and, hence, the wind cannot waft 

 it about. This, nioie than the work of 

 the hone)--bee, accounts for the scarcity 

 of fruit when blooming occurs during 

 damp and rainy weather. 



JVIovins: Bees— Wliite CloTcr. 



Last year I moved my bees Ave 

 times — once by rail, and four times by 

 wagon. I did not lose one colony, 

 though they were moved on a common 

 truck-wagun, over a rough, stonj' road, 

 and taken by freight to Kansas, when 

 they were very heavy with honey. Of 

 course the much moving did not do 

 them any good ; but I mention it to 

 show that moving, like anything else 

 in bee-manipulation, can be done suc- 

 cessfully and safely, if done in the 

 right way. 



I have 20 colonies and 4 new 

 swarms. All came through the winter 

 nicely. They had brood in March, and 

 plenty of drones in April. 



White clover promises a rich lioney 

 harvest, if it does not rain too much ! 

 It is just coming into bloom here, but, 

 as yet, it contains no nectar. The 

 weather is too cool, and I fear the 

 rains will be too frequent for an abun- 

 dant yield from white clover here in 

 Douglass county, Kans. I consider it 

 rather unfortunate, than otherwise, 

 that while clover comes into bloom so 

 early, before the sun gives heat enough 

 to secrete nectar in the flowers. June 

 is, no doubt, the best time in this 

 latitude. 



Lawrence, Kans., May 12, 1889. 



WINTERING. 



Maple §ii&ar for Bees- 

 Bloom Honey. 



-Pear- 



Wrltten for the A.merlcan Bee Journal 



BY O. L. HERSHISEK. 



Bees have wintered better in this 

 locality than for several j'cars past. 

 All colonies that had half a chance 

 have come through in fine condition. 

 My observation has been, that colonies 

 deeply covered with snow-drifts, and 

 those well shaded, have wintered the 

 best, and are more vigorous now than 

 those that have been exposed to sun- 

 light. I contemplate taking a few 

 colonies to some well sheltered place 

 in the woods to pass the next winter, 

 hy way of experiment. 



Feeding Maple Susrar to Uees. 



There are many good wa3'S of feed- 

 ing bees, some adapted to one season 

 of the year, and other methods to other 

 seasons. Having occasion to feed a 

 few colonies this spring, I tried maple 

 sugar, and though I do not say that it 

 is the best food, and the best waj^ of 

 feeding, I am confident that it is good, 

 and the best I have tried. It is as 

 follows : 



Take a thin cake of the desired 

 amount of sugar, raise the cloth cover- 

 ing the bees, and place the cake over 

 the cluster. It is but a moment's work, 

 and practically no heat is lost. The 

 bees will store it slowly, and thus stim- 

 ulate the queen to lay. Enough ma}' 

 be given at one time to last the season 

 during which it is desired to feed. 

 Maple sugar can be bought in quantit}- 

 in the Buft'alo markets for from 7 to 9 

 cents per pound. No objection can be 

 urged against maple sugar ou the 

 score of economj'. 



Honey I'rom I*ear-Blooni, etc. 



The spring was favorable for brood- 

 rearing up to April 26, after which 

 followed a week of cold, rainy weather, 

 during which the Ijees consumed much 

 honey in feeding young bees. A few 

 of the colonies starved during this 

 week of inclement weather, but now, 

 how great the change ! Bees are work- 

 ing with as much vigor as I ever saw 

 them in the best honey-flow. Pear 

 and hard-maple trees began bloom- 

 ing on May 7, in this locality, and 

 from this source some of ray strongest 

 colonies are storing several pounds of 

 honey per day, while the weakest ai'e 

 making more than a living. 



I never saw honey so plentiful in 

 pear bloom. It glistens like dew-drops, 

 as has been often observed in bass- 

 wood bloom, and is very white and of a 

 delicate flavor. The flow of nectar 

 from pear bloom is constant. The con- 



tented hum of the bee is heard in the 

 pear orchards from sunrise to sunset. 

 Apple trees will bloom in a few days. 



Before the week of cold weather, 

 referred to before, a few of the strong- 

 est colonies began preparations for 

 swarming. One colonj' had a queen- 

 cell with a larva ready to cap, and sev- 

 eral hundred capped drones. The 

 drones are now on the wing, but the 

 bees postponed the swarming, and de- 

 stroyed the j'oung queen-larva. 



Big Tree Corners, N. Y., May 9,1889. 



LANaSTROTH 



On " Tlie Hive and Honcy-Bee," 

 as Revised by Badants. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Br G. W. DEMAREE. 



I have had in my possession this 

 great contriliution to modern bee- 

 keeping for two months or more, and 

 notwithstanding I have been more than 

 usually pressed for time, owing to 

 business matters, etc., I have not neg- 

 lected to examine with some thorough- 

 ness this fascinating work on bee- 

 culture. 



" The Hive and Honey-Bee," by Rev. 

 L. L. Langstroth, is a pioneer work in 

 modern bee-keeping, and has done 

 more for the cause than all else be- 

 sides ; and now to have it thoroughly 

 revised and brought up to the front, 

 cannot fail to give a new impetus to 

 practical bee-culture. 



It woidd be impracticable for me to 

 undertake to more than mention a few 

 features of the revised work, and these 

 must be of a practical nature. 



Contraction, Patent-Hives, etc. 



The majority of the bee-keeping 

 fraternity are of an enthusiastic tem- 

 perament, and therefore prone to ex- 

 tremes. Brood-chamber contraction, 

 patent bee-hives, and a multiplicity of 

 bee-gear have been carried beyond 

 healthy limits, and the conservative 

 stand taken by the 

 standard work, on 

 timely, and backed 

 experience. 



On page 173, the revisers " caution " 

 beginners against being trapped by 

 " patent hives." It required some 

 sacrifice and moral courage to speak 

 out on this subject just now, no doubt, 

 but we honor the man, or men, who 

 have principles and dare to maintain 

 them. Who knows how much hard- 

 earned raonej- and vexatious disap- 

 pointment will be saved to beginners 

 in bee-culture, by this timely warning ; 

 as the voice of warning in this direc- 

 tion has been smothered and drowned 



reviewers of this 



these subjects, is 



up by practical 



