THE AMERICAN BEE JOUKNAL. 



63 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER, IHGO- 



t^Want of room for long articles constrain- 

 ed us to divide several communications received 

 from correspondents last month-reserving a 

 portion for our next issue. 



Though we give four pages extra this month. 

 several articles intended for this number, have 

 to be held over until next month. 



The Long Economic Hive described by the 

 Rev. Mr. Truesdell in a former number of the 

 Bek JocRNAL, and again referred to by him in 

 the present, seems to be substantially a more 

 convenient form of the Dzierzou twin hive- 

 that is, a hive that may be used, at pleasure, for 

 the rau/J.plicaliou of stock and the storage of 

 honey ; or, with due alternation, as a nucleus 

 hive for rearing queens, or supplying queen 

 cells continuously. 



We have received from Mr. H. M. Thomas, 

 of Brooklln, Canada, the sample ot alsike clover 

 grown by him, and referred to in an article on 

 a preceding page. The stulks are six feet seven 

 inches long, with numerous and well developed 

 heads or blossoms. 



Hay made of this clover is readily eaten by 

 cattle, and bees find abundant and long contin- 

 ued pasturage on the blossoms. The plant is a 

 native of Sweden, and is probably best adapted 

 to a northern climate, though it has been suc- 

 cessfully cultivated in some parts of Virginia. 

 It is not a hybrid, as English agricultural and 

 botanical writers are in the habif;of miscall- 

 ing it. 



We have deposited the sample sent to us in 

 the Agricultural Department at Washington, 

 trusting that we may some day receive, from 

 some of our United States' farmers, samples of 

 home-grown alsike, at least equal to this from 

 Canada. 



S3f"If two nucleus hives or weak colonies 

 have been standing adjoining one another, 

 there is no difficulty in uniting them. In the 

 evening prior to the intended operation, remove 

 the older, less fertile, or least valuable of the 

 queeng, and feed each colony liberally with 

 •agar synip or diluted honey, scented with pep. 



permint or grated nutmeg. Next morning 

 transfer from each nucleus to a larger hive all 

 the combs containing honey, eggs, and brood, 

 with the iulheriug bi^es— placing the combs 

 with eggs and larvae or sealed brood side by 

 side. When all have been transferred, replace 

 the honey- board and cap, and set the hive on 

 the stand, midway between the places previous- 

 ly occupied by the nuclei. Puffin a little smoke 

 if any disposition to be quarrelsome is mani- 

 fested. On the third day, if the bees are' quiet 

 and seem reconciled, the queen may be released 

 from confinement. 



If the nuclei or colonies intended to be uni- 

 ted have been standing some distance apart, 

 unite them as above described, close the en- 

 trance of the new hive with a piece of wire 

 gauze to confine the bees, and place it in a cel- 

 lar or cool dark chainber until the evening of 

 the following day. Bring it out a little while 

 before dusk, set it where it is intended to remain 

 permanently, and allow the bees to fly. After 

 dark, when they have become settled, close 

 them in again and return them to the cellar, 

 until next evening. Then bring them out and 

 allow them to fly. Most of the older bees will 

 by this time have noted their new location and 

 adhere to it. The younger will remain of 

 course. 



|^°It is now thought by some of the most 

 observant scientific apiarians in Germany, that 

 fertile workers occur only in hives containing 

 bees that were still in the larvae state while 

 queen raising was in progress in the colony. It 

 is not supposed that all workers bred in such 

 conditions become capable of laying eggs ; but 

 that all that do become so qualified, must have 

 been reared in such circumstances. 



It^"A second swarm issuing from a hive in 

 which teetiyig or piping has been heard on only 

 one evening previous, will usually be very dis- 

 contented and restless for -a time after being 

 hived, and may possibly decamp, though it have 

 only one queen. But if teeting was heard on 

 three or four evenings, before the swarm issues, 

 it usually settles down quietly, and speedily 

 despatches any supernumerary queens it may 

 contain. By lapse of time the first emerged 

 young queen has become familarized to and 

 been accepted by the bees, which then adhere 

 to her very unanimously, and reject all others. 



