T'HE; MMERIC'SJ* MMM J&VimMMl^. 



583 



tables, the feet of which may set in 

 basins of water and kerosine oil. Ants 

 are veiy distructive to comb honey, as 

 they will puncture the cappings and 

 destroy its appearance. Extracted 

 honey should not, as yet. be kept in 

 air-tight vessels, as it is still in process 

 of ripening, and if the gas that is pro- 

 duced cannot escape, it will burst the 

 packages ; hence, they should have a 

 small opening at least. 



Extracted honey may be kept to- 

 gether in any quantity if pretty well 

 ripened ; if not, it should be in small 

 quantities. Earthenware and tin are 

 probably the best for keeping extracted 

 honey in, although kegs and barrels 

 can be used, but should first receive a 

 coating of beeswax inside. This can 

 easily be done by pouring into the 

 same melted beeswax, and running it 

 over the surface. 



Larned, Kansas. 



THE UNION. 



Vl'li}- Do \ot More Join the Bee- 

 Keepers' Union i 



WrttUn ior the American Bee Journal 

 BY J. E. POND. 



It has for a long time been a sur- 

 prise to myself that the " Union " does 

 not increase in membership faster 

 than it does. Can it be possible that 

 " bee-keepers " are so selfish that they 

 are (or at least the great majority of 

 them) willing to let the few do the 

 work, while they enjoy the benefits ? 



There is no question but that the 

 Union has done a great work ; and its 

 work in the future will only be cir- 

 cumsci-ibed by the smalluess of its 

 membership. The work done is na- 

 tional ; it strikes at the very root of all 

 troubles that bother us, or dangers 

 that we may fear, and in a way, too, 

 that carries immense weight. Its 

 operations are far reaching ; they ex- 

 tend over the whole continent, and if 

 backed up as they ought to be, will 

 strike terror to the hearts of our an- 

 tagonists. 



Even now, with its small numbers, 

 and infinitesimal treasury, the Union 

 is a power in the land, and has already 

 taught many a would-be enemy that it 

 is not safe to trouble its members ; 

 that it — the Union — stands as a shield 

 and barrier against all assaults that 

 may be made upon its members. Now, 

 brother bee-keejiers, will you not heed 

 the Macedonian cry, and "come over 

 and help us ?" 



We are small in numbers, yet we 

 have so far proved a perfect " wall of 

 defense " to all who have assailed us. 

 If we could only make the increase in 

 numbers that the quality of our work 

 ought to assure, we should, and would, 



not only act as a " shield of defense," 

 but by the force of our members, stand 

 as a perpetual menace to our assail- 

 ants, and drive them from the field bj' 

 sheer force of members, without being 

 obliged to tire a single gun. 



The expense is but small — so small 

 that every bee-keeper can afford it. 

 The advantage gained is iminense. It 

 has so proved in the past, and must so 

 continue in the future. Why not, then, 

 aid in the good work, and send in 

 your names till instead of only a 

 " corporal's guard," we shall have en- 

 rolled on our books an immense army? 



North Attleboro, Mass. 



EXPERIENCE 



With Bees for a Period of 13 

 Years. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY A. C. SANFORD. 



I have been in the bee-business for 

 13 years, starting at first with one 

 colony. My knowledge of bees was at 

 first limited, but being a profound 

 lover of bees, I resolved to know all 

 the mysteries ; so I went to work in 

 earnest. My first and second seasons 

 were not very profitable in dollars and 

 cents, but during this time I was 

 studying and practicing. 



I think that it was the second season 

 that I purchased an Italian queen, and 

 superseded all native stock. During 

 this time my wife used to say, "Now, 

 Albert, what is the use of your fussing 

 so much time away with the bees? You 

 will never make any thing." But the 

 first thing she new, I had a nice lot of 

 honey, and for it $125.00 in cash ; then, 

 of course, she was willing I should 

 spend all the time I wanted to with the 

 bees. 



I have taken the American Bee 

 Journal for a good many years, and 

 like it vei-j' much. I wish every bee- 

 keeper would take at least one good 

 l^aper, and keep themselves posted. 



Since I commenced bee-keeping, I 

 have had as high as 100 colonies. 

 Several winters I lost heavily, and one 

 season I lost all but one colony. I 

 have wintered my bees in an out-door 

 cellar for several seasons, but lost 

 some each time — sometimes half ; the 

 fault was not always with the cellar, 

 for sometimes they were short of 

 stores. Experience is the best teacher. 



Two seasons I placed them in sheds 

 in rows, bridged the entrances, and 

 buried them in clover chaft' and saw- 

 dust. One season I covered them in 

 green sawdust, and let it remain till 

 Slarch ; I then removed it. packed 

 them with dry clover chafl", and the 

 bees came out in very fine conditon. I 

 have not tried that plan since. 



One season I tried wintering my bees 

 out-of-doors without any protection 

 except snow (the previous winter 1 had 

 lost quite heavily in the out-door cel- 

 lar) ; so I concluded to try it once, as 

 I had read about bees being wintered 

 under the snow. 



The bees were extra-well provided 

 with honey, but when the next May 

 came, I had only one colony left, and 

 that a weak one. This was the deai'est 

 part of my experience. The past two 

 seasons I have wintered them under 

 the kitchen, where I have a very good 

 cellar divided in two parts. I have a 

 stove in one part. If the temperature 

 gets too cool, I raise it by making fire 

 in the opposite room. My loss in this 

 place has been slight. I now have 52 

 colonics and 6 nuclei. This has been 

 a pretty fair honey season, and the 

 quality of the honev is very fine. 



Ono, Wis., Aug. 26, 1889. 



LAYING- WORKERS. 



How to Avoid tlie Annoyance 

 of these Pests. 



Written for tlie Some and Farm, 



BY T. E. HANBURY. 



Laying workers,like the moth-worm, 

 are the pests of some bee-keepers. 

 Fortunately, however, for the bee- 

 keeper of the present day, Italian bees 

 have abated the moth-worm nuisance, 

 as they are proof against the latter, 

 but the former has ruined many a fine 

 colony of bees while their keeper, in 

 many instances, was unaware of the 

 cause. 



The invention of the movable-frame 

 by the immortal Langstroth, has been 

 a boon to tliose who delight in keep- 

 ing bees either for pleasure or profit, 

 and hence, now we can examine any 

 colony of bees in a few minutes. On 

 this account the apiarist, if careful and 

 governed by my advice, laying workers 

 will be the rare exception and not the 

 rule. 



When for any cause laying workers 

 have made their appearance, it will be 

 known by the singular appearance of 

 the cells which resemble drone-cells 

 with their protruding caps scattered 

 among the worker-combs. This is be- 

 cause the colony has been destitute of 

 a queen for some time, and some bees 

 (mainly those which were reared in 

 cells contiguous to cells in which 

 queens have been reared) in their 

 great anxiety to rear brood, will com- 

 mence to lay these eggs, but such eggs 

 will only produce drones, as such lay- 

 ing workers have never been fecun- 

 dated by a drone. 



Unless such an order of things is 

 changed, a fine colony of bees will 



