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removed the cover (I thought it was 

 too cold before to look after them 

 much), and I found that 4 colonies had 

 given up entirely, and 5 more that still 

 had life, which, with some warm honey 

 poured over them, soon started them 

 on the buzz again. This was on May 

 27. I soon got about three gallons of 

 food read}-, and decided that it was 

 not too cold and wet to see if my bees 

 were about to starve, for they had al- 

 ways been pretty good to me. I found, 

 on investigation, about 25 colonies get> 

 ting pretty short of stores, and now 

 every day or two I am dishing them 

 up a good square meal. It is still rain- 

 ing now (Monday morning), and I shall 

 have to continue to feed, or the number 

 will increase. Bees have not been 

 able to be out for more than two hours 

 in over two weeks ; before this they 

 were doing so well, and I began to 

 have visions of swarms. I think that 

 we will have a good season, as this wet 

 time will make white clover in abun- 

 dance. I am located in the fruit-belt 

 of Michigan. Peaclies and plums are 

 not injured by frost, and the trees are 

 very full. 



ticipation of an early and bountiful 

 honej' harvest ; but our warmest hopes 

 received a severe chill, when on May 

 22 a series of frosty nights, inter- 

 changed with cold rains, set in, and 

 have continued up to the present time ; 

 since which bees have done nothing, 

 being confined to the hive the most of 

 the time. The fruit crop is ruined, or 

 at least greatly injured by the frost ; 

 white clover blossoms have all disap- 

 peared, and vegetation is at a stand- 

 still. I do not know whether the bees 

 are hibernating, or generating, or 

 meditating what to do. We shall think 

 it a boon if the clouds depart soon, so 

 that the sun can once more shine 

 through. 



Simple Swarming Device. — J. 



B. Wilcox, of Manistee, Mich., de- 

 scribes a very simple swarming device 

 as follows : 



Take a piece of board about 2 inches 

 wide, of the desired length, and a dish- 

 pan with large wire ears ; cut a notch 

 in the end of the board, or pole, so 

 that the wire on tlie ear of the pan will 

 just go through the space between the 

 two. With the pan on the pole, hold 

 it just under the cluster, and give the 

 limb a shake, then take the pan down 

 quickly, and pour the bees in front of 

 the hive. If tliis does not get the 

 queen, it should be repeated. 



Good Prospect for Bassivood. 



— Green R. Shirer, Greene, Iowa, on 



June 2, 1889, says : 



Bees have not done much for the 

 past two weeks, on account of cold 

 weather — wind from the north, with 

 frost last Friday morning. White 

 clover is just beginning to bloom. 

 Basswood will be very full of Ijloom. 



May 19. As I had not hives enough 

 for all, I put 2 swarms into one hive, 

 and sold 2 swarms for $10. That 

 leaves me l(i new swarms yet. I have 

 taken out 20 pounds of honey, and 

 there are 50 lbs. more to take out, but 

 as I am very busy with strawberries, I 

 will not take it out for 2 or 3 weeks 

 yet. Bees are doing finely, and I 

 think that Washington Territory will 

 be a great bee-country ; I am satisfied 

 that it will pay here. I have been 

 waiting for three years to tell what I 

 think of bee-keeping here, and I can- 

 not help thinking that I am right about 

 it. I worked with bees in Illinois for 

 20 years. ■ You will hear from me 

 again in the fall, with a big crop of 

 honey from the 5 colonies that I started 

 with, for I am pretty sure that I will 

 have a good report. I sold all the 

 honey I had, at home, at 20 cents per 

 pound, and I could sell more at pres- 

 ent, but I am too busy to take it out 

 of the hives. 



Unfavorable Wcallier. — Joshua 

 Bull, Seymour, Wis., on June 1, 1889, 

 writes : 



The early part of the spring was 

 very encouraging for bee-keepers in 

 this vicinity. March was remarkably 

 flne for that season of the year, in tliis 

 latitude. April was, on the whole, 

 quite favorable, and the forepart of 

 May was exquisitely flne — all that even 

 the most fastidious could expect or de- 

 sire. Fruit-bloom commenced on May 

 4, and continued up to about the mid- 

 dle of the month, with the weather 

 warm and fine ; the bees were just 

 booming, and the strong colonies per- 

 sisted in building queen-cells, and pre- 

 paring to swarm. White clover blos- 

 soms began to appear on May 15, and 

 were quite numerous by May 20 ; our 

 expectations were running high in an- 



Heavy Frosts — Feeding Bees. 



— Rev. Stephen Roese, Maiden Rock, 

 Wis., on June 1, 1889, writes : 



The heavy frosts every night for the 

 past week or so have greatly damaged 

 our spring bee-pasture. Bees are 

 idling about, and feel much inclined 

 to robbing. It is hardly safe to open 

 a hive. All the colonies are getting 

 quite strong, in spite of the cold and 

 backward weather, and some new 

 swarms have been hived by bee-keep- 

 ers residing in the river bottoms, 

 where willows were plentiful. All 

 sorts of tender crops are frozen down 

 to the ground, such as potatoes, toma- 

 toes and corn. Small grain crops look 

 yellow and thin on account of the dry 

 weather. I have been feeding my bees 

 up to now, and will have to continue 

 in order to keep up breeding. Our 

 hope for a good honey season is not 

 entirely blasted, as the white clover 

 and basswood honey is still to be 

 looked for in the near future. 



Results of Swarming, etc — • 



John Boerstler, Vashon Island, Wash. 

 Ter., on May 31, 1889, writes : 



As my bees are through swarming, 

 I will give the number of new swarms 

 that I received this spring from 5 col- 

 onies, viz : No. 3 swarmed on April 

 19, 22 and 26 ; No. 2, on May 1 ; No. 7, 

 May 8, 16 and 22 ; No. 4, on May 10, 

 14, 17 and 20 ; No. 5, on May 14 and 

 26 ; No. 4, on May 18 ; and No. 7, on 



How to Know Pures Drones. 



— Ira N. Lyman, St. Peter, Nebr., says : 



1. I would like to know if there are 

 any points about an Italian drone by 

 which a person can tell a thorough- 

 bred drone. 2. My drones are of a 

 yellowish color on the lower part of 

 the abdomen, the rings are dark next 

 to the body, and there is a narrow 3'el- 

 low stripe at the rear of the broad, dark 

 band. The yellow stripe is not a 

 bright yellow, as in the workers. 3. 

 I would like to know if the yellow part 

 of the abdomen, next to the bodj', is 

 counted as one band on the three- 

 banded workers in the Italian race of 

 bees. 4. How long, generally, is it 

 after the drones make their appear- 

 ance, . before the bees swarm, if all 

 tilings are fair for bees, and the 

 weather is good ? 



[1. No ; you must judge them by the 

 workers. 



2. The drones vary in color in dif- 

 ferent colonies. 



3. Yes ; count the yellow part next 

 to the thorax. 



4. Swarming is generally indicated 

 bv the J'oung queen being read}- to 

 emerge — not by the drones. — Ed.] 



Convention Notice. 



CS^ The International Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will meet in the court-house, at Brantford, Ont., 

 Canada, on December 4, 5, and 6, 18Hy. AH bee- 

 keepers are Invited to attend, and State and District 

 bee-keepers' societies are requested to appoint del- 

 egates to the convention. Full particulars of the 

 nieetinK will be given In due lime. Anyone desirous 

 of becoming ameraber, and receiving the last Annu- 

 al Report bound, may do so by forwarding 11,00 to 

 the Secretary. — R. F. HOLTBHMANN, Sec. Brant- 

 ford, Ont., Canada. 



