6T6 



THU JCMERICSlf BEE JOl^RNSlEr. 



Xwo Bee-Periodicals have very 

 stronRly condemned the sending of "Bees 

 by the Pound " through the mails, viz : 

 Gleanings and the Apiculturist. The latter 

 says: 



By the time Brother Pratt gets his petition 

 in requestinK the Posi master General to 

 permit such a thing, other petitions vf ill be 

 sent in strongly protesting against it. I 

 will do my best to upset and defeat it. 



The reason given for this opposition is, 

 that though Messrs. Pratt and Doolittle may 

 be careful enough to pack such bees so that 

 they may go safely, many vpill be so care- 

 less in this particular, that some employes 

 of the Postal Department will get stung, 

 and as a result, all queens, and bees, too, 

 will be excluded from the mails. 



This " point is well taken," and we hope 

 tlie matter will be dropped ot 07icc. 



To present petitions and counter petitions 

 on this matter— all from bee-keepers— would 

 be very detrimental to our interest as a body. 

 Whenever we want anything like that, the 

 matter should come with the general en- 

 dorsement of the cralt. The "argument" 

 might bring up points that would not be to 

 the advantage of the pursuit. 



Besides, the points to be gained are so very 

 insignificant— only a few dimes would be 

 saved ftny way, and it would accommodate 

 only a very few individuals. 



lir. Root sells more " bees by the pound " 

 than any one else, and he is opposed to the 

 use of the mails for sending them out. Our 

 advice, therefore, is to let the matter drop, 

 for it is an infringement of the law as it 

 stands, and we ought not to risk any right 

 we DOW have, by asking for others of a 

 doubtful nature, which are not generally 

 desired. 



IVe Propose to all who subscribe now 

 fortSOO, to gii^e them all the rest of the 

 numbers ot this year free- so the sooner 

 they subscribe, the more they will get for 

 their money. 



Now, in order to pay our friends to work 

 for our JouENALS, we have gotten up 

 special editions of Mr. Doolittle's " Scientific 

 Queen-Kearing," (with Appendix), and Dr. 

 Miller's " Tear Among the Bees," bound 

 with nice paper covers, and will present a 

 copy of either book to any one who will 

 send us two new subscribers for either of 

 our JouKNALS (the Bee Jouenal, weekly, 

 or the Home Jouknal, monthly). 



These editions are not for sale, but are 

 gotten up specially for premiums for getting 

 new subscribers. They are nicely printed, 

 and will be sent free of postage, as pay for 

 work to be done for our Journals. Clubs 

 need not be located at one post-office, and 

 may contain one " Bee Journal " and one 

 "Home Journal" to the same or different 

 addresses ; or both may be for either Jouk- 

 nal, as may be desired. Dickens or 

 Waverley may be obtained for each sub- 

 scriber in this club as offered on the last 

 page of this Journal. 



Sn'bscriljers who do not receive this paper 

 promptly, will please notify U8 at once. 



Keeping the Bees in the Hive, 

 "IVhen Cellaring Them. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query G63.— What is the best plan to keep 

 the bees in, while moving them into the cel- 

 lar? I Hod If I put wire-screen over the en- 

 trance, it makes the bees cross ; and when I 

 get them in, and arranged, and begin to re- 

 move the wire, they rush out, ready for a 

 fuss.-C. W. 



A handful of earth, or sawdust, or a 

 wet rag. — R. L. Taylor. 



Place a wet cloth over the entrance, 

 as Dr. Miller advises iu his excellent 

 book. — A. J. Cook. 



Move them carefull3% when cool or 

 cold, and, if possible, after dark. — A. 

 B. Mason 



Put them on a spring wheelbarrow, 

 and move them so carefully that they 

 do not know that they have been dis- 

 turbed.— G. M. Doolittle. 



Put them ill during a cool time, 

 handle them carefully, and leave the 

 entrances open. — Eugene Secor. 



Close the entrance with old cloths, 

 or rags, and at night after the bees be- 

 come quiet, remove the cloths quietly. 

 — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Wait until a cold snap makes them 

 quiet. You can then get them put to 

 sleep before they wake up !— J. M. 

 Shuck. 



Do not remove the wire-cloth from 

 the entrance until the bees quiet down 

 —say at night— J. P. H. Brown. 



Take them iu on a cold daj'. Have 

 the cellar dark, and use a little smoke, 

 if necessary. Use a lantern when light 

 is needed. — Dadant & Son. 



When moving bees about my apiary, 

 I simply put a block of wood against 

 the entrance, and leave it there until 

 the bees get quiet. — G. W. Demaree. 



Have the cellar dark ; put a pine 

 strip over the entrance, and give no 

 jars when carrying. Remove the strip 

 when permanently located.— J. M. 

 Hambaugh. 



If the weather is cool, and the hives 

 are handled carefully, thej' do not 

 need to be confined. If wire-screens 

 are used, leave them on until the bees 

 become perfectly quiet. — M. Mahin. 



I find that a piece of board laid over 

 over the entrance is the best thing that 

 I can use. Leave it on for a short 

 time, until thej' become (|uiet, and you 

 will have no trouble. — H. D. Cutting. 



I do not shut them in, but take them 

 when they are quiet, and then do not 

 stir them up. If I want to shut any 

 in, I lay at the entrance a rag or cloth 



dripping wet. When this is taken away, 

 in the cellar, they do not rush out, as 

 when fastened in by anything dry. 

 Have the cloth very wet. — C. C. 

 Miller. 



Carry the bees in when it is a little 

 cool, or after dark. I never put anj'- 

 thing over the entrances, and they do 

 not come out, unless roughly handled. 

 — G. L. Tinker. 



The best plan to keep the bees in 

 the hive while carrying them into the 

 cellar, is to carry them quietly, not 

 striking them against anything, nor 

 jarring them in any way. Do not try ' 

 to confine them within the hive with 

 wire-screen, nor anj'thing of the kind. 

 — Mahala B. Chaddock. 



Stop up the entrance with a wad of 

 grass, and do not open them for a few 

 hours after they are carried in. wlieu 

 they will quiet down, and the grass 

 can be easih' removed. — C.H.Dibbern. 



Put your bees in the cellar when the 

 temperature is such that they are the 

 quietest. Lift the hives carefully so as 

 not to jar them. I once put nearly 40 

 colonies in the bee-house, and only 

 two or three ever had the least sus- 

 picion that they had been removed — I 

 did it so quietly. The bee-house floor 

 was covered with sawdust. The 

 shelves which the hives were placed 

 on, also had a two-inch layer of saw- 

 dust. It takes nerve and muscle to do 

 it, but it pays. — James Heddon. 



I have a }-inch stick, just the length 

 of the entrance, which is used for this 

 purpose. When wishing to imprison 

 the little " rebels," I step up to the 

 front of the hive, and with a faint show 

 of smoke, drive iu the outside guards, 

 the entrance-blocks are then removed, 

 and this J-inch stick quickly slipped in 

 their place. This holds them securely, 

 and can be taken away without caus- 

 ing a single bee to leave the hive. It 

 is far better for this purpose than wire. 

 But, if the bees were to be confined to 

 the hive for auy length of time, some 

 arrangement for ventilation should be 

 made. — Will M. Barnum. 



If the bees are taken into the cellar 

 after the weather becomes cold, they 

 will need nothing to keep them in. If 

 such is deemed necessary, however, a 

 ve7-y wet cloth put over the entrance 

 will not only keep them in, but it will 

 have a soothing effect when it is re- 

 moved. It is better than sawdust, 

 wire-cloth or grass. — The Editor. 



Send Us tlie I^amcs of bee-keepers 

 in your neighborhood who should take and 

 read the American Bee Journal, and we 

 will send them a sample copy. In this way 

 we may obtain many regular subscribers, 

 for thousands have never seen a copy, or 

 even know of its existence. This is one 

 way to help the cause along. 



