^ A A. 



1 ^|BPEM|llfe 



(Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter) 

 Published Weekly at gl.OO a Year by Ceorge IV. York Si, Co., 3»4 Uearborn St. 



QBOROB W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL,, NOVEMBER 23, 1905 



VoL XLV— No. 47 



The American Bek Journal is absolutely an independent publication, and not 

 connected with any bee-supply business whatsoever. It stands entirely upon 

 its merits as an educative force in the field of bee-keeping, and as a medium 

 for legitimate advertisers in apicultural or other lines. It is the oldest, and 

 only weekly, journal of its kind in America. Its publishers believe that it 

 deserves 1o be in the hands of every would-be progressive successful bee- 

 keeper in the land. It is in its 4Sth year, and to-day is acknowledged to be 

 better in every way than at any time during its long and honorable history. 



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(Sbttortal Ticks ^ (Eommcnts 



Disposing of the Honey Crop 



This is an old subject, but it never will wear 

 out nor become thread-bare. It is always in- 

 teresting to the beekeeper who has harvested 

 a good crop of honey, but who has difficulty 

 in turning it into cash or a profit. 



Now, suppose those who have succeeded in 

 realizing good returns on their honey just 

 write us all about it, and we will publish it 

 for the good of all. You need not name the 

 exact place where you sold your honey, but 

 just tell in detail /low you did it. No one 

 wants to " give away " the location of his best 

 "flshing-hole" nor his " diamond-tield," but 

 he can tell horn he discovered them — the road 

 that led to them. That would not harm him 

 nor lessen his trade, and would be a great 

 help to others who are stumbling along in the 

 dark toward success. 



December Climate of Chicago 



We notice that some Southern bee-keepers 

 seem to fear coming to the National conven- 

 tion in Chicago, Dec. 19, 20 and 21, lest the 

 weather be so cold. We have not kcown it 

 to be very cold here before Christmas. We 

 are sure that no one need to stay away on 

 account of the cold, tor the hall where the 

 convention is to be held is a warm one; also 

 the Revere House is a very comfortable place 

 in which to sleep. 



Some Northern people didn't care to go to 

 San Antonio on account of the extreme heat 

 that might be found there, though such a 

 thing would not keep us away any more than 

 would extreme cold. Last February, at the 

 Wisconsin convention in Madison, it was 

 about 20 degrees below zero; at the National 

 convention in Los Angeles, in 1903, it was 100 



degrees nbuve zero. That's only a difference 

 of 120 degrees in extremes. And we stood 

 both all right. 



But let no one remain away from the Chi- 

 cago convention on account of the cold. 

 There will be plenty of coal here at that time, 

 as there is now, so that should it be a little 

 cooler than usual no one need be uncomfort- 

 able. 



The advice for those coming to Chicago at 

 any time is the same as that given to tourists 

 going to Colorado or California, viz. : Take 

 extra wraps along as the weather is liable to 

 be changeable. Be prepared for whatever 



comes. 



♦ 



Control of Swarming 



Bee-keepers of the younger generation prob- 

 ably do not realize what a thorough revolu- 

 tion has taken place in one respect within the 

 last half century or less. Formerly the num- 

 ber of swarms was considered the thing with 

 which to gauge the failure or success of the 

 season. " Last year was a poor year — hardly 

 a Bwarm ; this year has been fine — lots of 

 swarms." All that has changed, until now 

 the thing most eagerly sought by a large num- 

 ber, if not the great majority, is some method 

 by which swarming may be prevented, or at 

 least controlled. 



What is best for one may not be best for 

 another, but the practical bee-keeper is always 

 on the lookout for something better, and any 

 plan that has actually been put to the test by 

 some practical bee-keeper is eagerly scanned. 

 So here is another plan, given in the Bee- 

 Keepers' Review by another very practical 

 man, R. C. Aikin: 



" 1 know of one or two methods that are 

 practical. Unqueening will surely control; 



but, some seasons, and in some localities, 

 such as have a second or later flow, it dam- 

 ages the crop from the late flow too seriously. 

 The best plan I know of is to give biy room at 

 all times outside (lie flow, and if you have con- 

 ditions that cause" swarming before the flow 

 comes, take away brood, or, in some other 

 way, keep the conditions such that swarming 

 wili not occur, and then when the flow arrives 

 shake out and mass the bees as swarms, hiv- 

 ing on starters. This way makes our swarms 

 when we are ready, and, what is also of equal 

 importance, w/ien the flow is ready. When you 

 have ' swarmed ' the bees, have queens for 

 such increase as you may make, that not any 

 one is left queenless, and the oldest and poor- 

 est queens would best be left with the swarm 

 on the old stand. Put the old hive on a new 

 stand, and let it have a vigorous queen that 

 will fill her hive with brood while there is not 

 enough fielders to clog the combs with honey ; 

 this will insure a rousing colony tor a later 

 flow, if there is one. So handled, there is no 

 question about results, if there is the nectar 

 to be gathered ; you master the swarming so 

 that you can go when jou please, and it will 

 get the honey if it is to be had." 



Bees and Grapes Again 



We have received the following from Mr. 

 S. T. Crim, of Dawson, 111. : 



Editor York ;— I enclose a clipping from 

 the Illinois State Journal, published in 

 Springfield, HI. It makes me feel sad to 

 think that the honey-bees have to bear the 

 blame for something they did not do. 



I have had a little experience in this. My 

 grapes were all "chawed" up and mashed — 

 the finest bunches — and the bees would swarm 

 on the vine and sucli the juice. I am satis- 

 fied that it is the little night-owls, or some 

 other night-birds, that do the damage to 

 grapes. 



I find that the honey-bee has a great many 

 enemies. I met an old lady on our streets a 

 week or two ago who told me that my bees 

 were eating up her peaches. 1 told her I was 

 sorry for it. She said the bees ate a hole in a 

 large peach and tilled up the hole with honey. 

 I thought she ought not to complain, for she 

 then surely had peaches and honey, which is 

 said to be good for cramping colic I 



The next thing we hear will be that the 

 bees are destroying the potato crop. 



Now, how are we going to defend the honey- 

 bees when some one wilfully lies about them I 



October 23. S. T. Cbim. 



The clipping to which Mr. Crim refers reads 



as follows : 



Bees In.iure GBArss. 



Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 15.— Bees are to 

 blame for a small yield of grapes in this State. 

 It has been found that over one-third of the 

 grape crop has been destroyed by the honey- 

 makers. Bunches of grapes which were un- 



