^HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



43 



[For the Americau Bee Jourual.] 



Honey Gathering and Bee Tricks. 



Mr. Editok : — My bees are just now (June 

 14th) having a glorious time among the tulip 

 trees and locusts, which are very prevalent here 

 and have bloomed profusely this season. For 

 six successive days, the bees have labored with 

 a determination and zeal without a parallel in 

 the insect creation, keeping up one continuous 

 stream of dozens abreast charming and gladden- 

 ing the soul of him who is destined to reap the 

 fruit of their labor. Why, Mr. Editor, the 

 delights which the period of swarming and 

 hiving, and the accumulation of stores of honey 

 afford the apiarian, are without question among 

 the richest of all his earthly enjoyments. 



My bees are noio prepared to go into winter 

 quarters, with stores amply sufficient for every 

 emergency — the product of one short week ; for 

 they enjoyed only about one half of the fruit 

 tree blossoms, the honey of which was nearly 

 all expended in the production of brood. If I 

 remember correctly, Mr. Langstroth says iu his 

 work, that the tulip tree is the greatest honey- 

 producing tree in the world. But, Mr. Editor, 

 not doubting tlie correctness of this invaluable 

 author, I must say that it must be very good if 

 it surpasses the locust. 



Not to be too tedious on this subject I will 

 mention a trick which one of my colonies tried 

 to play upon me, and which, if it had succeeded, 

 would have been quite a joke truly. The day 

 after it had cast the first afterswarm, I made a 

 draft on it for a young queen, which I secured 

 from a cell that was about mature. This queen 

 was designed for a quenless colony, but was lost 

 in introducing. The fourth day after the first 

 cast I made another draft on it for a cell, intend- 

 ing to introduce the cell this time, for better 

 success. I was just about to insert the cell in its 

 intended iiive, when, accidentally and luckily 

 too, my attention was called to the appearance 

 of a portion of a scale protruding from its apex, 

 resembling part of the capping of a drone or 

 queen cell. -This was a poser, for the cell other- 

 wise, to all appearance, had not parted with its 

 inmate, being waxed over as completely as any 

 cell I ever saw. The appearance of this scale 

 however created suspicion, which caused me to 

 make an examination to satisfy my curiousity, 

 when lo, to my surprise and chagrin I found a 

 dead bee inclosed. Now, Mr. Editor, was the 

 circumstance of this bee being closed up iu the 

 cell purely accidental ; or did the bees, foreseeing 

 my intention to demand another queen cell, and 

 being enraged at my former interference, really 

 think to play a joke on me, by defeating my 

 calculation in this way ? 



By and by, I will favor you with a few inter- 

 resting items connected with the swarmings of 

 this hive, which to me at least are very strange, 

 serving to confirm some principles previously 

 known in the economy of swarming, and sug- 

 gesting others that are new. 



John L. McLean. 



Richmond, Ohio, June 14, 1869. 



[For the American Bee Journal] 



Does it pay to paint Hives. 



It is readily admitted that hives look better 

 and will last longer if painted than if left un- 

 painted. But I would like to know if bees will 

 or can do as well in painted as in unpainted 

 hives. By painted hives I would wish to be 

 understood as referring only to those so painted 

 as to be nearly or quite impervious to moisture. 



Now, wherein is an unpainttd hive superior 

 to a painted one ? Simply in this, that, if prop- 

 erly covered, it will keep the bees drier at all 

 seasons of the year, (and this is of great advan- 

 tage in cold weather), and in cold weather the 

 bees will be kept much warmer. The moisture 

 evaporates through all parts of the hive, keeping 

 the bees dry, quiet and warm, avoiding dysen- 

 tery and an undue consumption of honey. 



1 expect to have corncobs, saw dust, shavings, 

 ashes, and other absorbents thrown into my 

 face, to get out the moisture ; but still I cannot 

 help thinking that hives would keep bees better 

 if unpainted. 



Some of these absorbents may be useful, in 

 keeping the bees warmer by thickening the walls 

 of the hive. But is not the paint usetlil only so 

 far as looks and durability are concerned ; and 

 is it not positively injurious, as retarding the 

 evaporation of moisture ? This is the result of 

 my observation and experience, and I believe 

 the damage is greater by far than the cost of a new 

 hive occasionally. 



I keep my bees on benches in the open field, 

 some are under trees, with a temporary cover 

 for each hive. In the winter I keep them in a 

 part of the house cellar. And having a few un- 

 painted hives all the time, I have found that 

 bees in them keep iu bitter condition. 



I -would like to know the experience of others. 

 J. L. Hubbard. 



"Walpole, N. H. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Alsike Clover Seed. 



Mr. Editor : — I would like to make some in- 

 quiry through the Bek Journal, of its many 

 readers, in regard to the time and mode of sav- 

 ing and cleaning Alsike clover seed. 



I believe it has been pretty thoroughly dis- 

 cussed and is generally believed to be a good 

 honey-yielding jilant, and also very good for 

 hay — equal to red clover, if not better. But as 

 to the mode and time of saving the seed, I do 

 not remember that anything has been said. I 

 would like some of those among the readers of 

 the Journal who have tried it, to give us some 

 information on these points. 



I have been trying for several years to raise 

 this kind of clover, but always failed until this 

 season. I bought seed from different parties 

 who advertised largely ; but when I got it, I 

 found it was all mixed with a great variety of 

 seeds, dust, &c. And I never got any alsike to 

 grow, without having numerous noxious weeds 

 to come up with it. At last I saw a notice in 

 the Bee Journal that Mr. H. M. Thomas, of 



