THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



179 



[For the Americau Bee Journal.] 



A few Facts at Variance with generally 

 accepted Theories. 



■ In reviewing tlie past season's operations in 

 mj^ apiary, I find noted a lew facts that came 

 under my observation, which not only seem to 

 be at variance with my past experience, but also 

 with the teachings of some of our scribes and 

 bept authorities. 



My first swarm, a very large one, issued on 

 the 2d of June, at 9 o'clock A. M. It was my 

 intention to make an artificial swarm the next 

 day, but they were a little too fast for me. I 

 soon had them in a hive with two frames, con- 

 taining short sheets of comb. The next day at 

 2 o'clock p. M., they left and settled again.' I 

 found that they had made some new comb, and 

 concluded that they left the hive for want of 

 more ventilation, as it was a very warm day 

 So after preparing the Iiive for thorough ventila- 

 tion, I put them back into it. The next day 

 thereafter, about noon, they left the hive ao-ain 

 and made straight for the woods, in a ''' bee 

 Hue." I soon run myself out of 'breath, and 

 gave up the chase. Again examining the hive I 

 lound the combs full of eggs. 



The first thing that was unusual about this 

 was swarming so early in the morning as 9 



clock. Most authorities say swarms need not 

 be looked for only between 11 o'clock a. m , 

 and 3 o'clock p. m. ; and I never knew one be- 

 lore to come out before 11 o'clock. But this was 

 not the only one that came out so early last 

 season. ■^ 



Again, it was rather remarkable that a swarm 

 should leave a hive, containing combs and honey 

 alt^r the queen had commenced depositing etro-s' 



1 do not think the hive could have had anything 

 to do with it, for the next swarm that issued was 

 put into It and set in the same place, and went to 

 work all right. 



Later in the season, when the honey harvest 

 was abundant, I made an artificial swarm, by 

 removing the old hive, putting a new one in its 

 place, ^Mth two frames half full of combs with 

 brood and honey from a third hive, and brushin'^ 

 off a good many young bees from the combs of 

 the old hive in front of the new. I gave them a 

 young fertile queen from a nucleus. The queen 

 was soon laying, and both swarms doing well 

 JNow what was strange about this was, that 

 when the hive teas only about half full of combs, a 

 large swurm came out, leaving but few bees in t'lie 

 hive, with several queen-cells complete. I re- 

 moved the queen-cells and returned the swarm 

 and all went well. ' 



I would here state that my bees (all Italians) 

 this season, had the swarming propensity to an 

 alarming extent, greatly to the detriment of 

 their honey-storing propensity. After more than 

 doubling the number of my colonies, I felt satis- 

 fied with the increase, and wished to keep them 

 storing honey, but they were differently inclined 

 and most of my artificial and first swarms, and 

 even second swarms, sent out new swarms 



This brings me to another fact at variance 

 with some of our orthodox teachers. We are 

 taught that young queens will scarcely lay in 



drone combs. Now, last season, every youn"- 

 queen in my apiary laid drone eggs, and the 

 bees reared drones in all the available drone 

 combs m their hives, of which, when not r*-- 

 moyed, there was considerable. I would state 

 Uiat forage was very abundant in September and 

 October, which stimulated the queens to breed- 

 iiig very extensively ; and the bees did not kill 

 off their drones— some of which were seen flyin- 

 as late as the middle of NovemLer. All the 

 hives, both early and late swarms, were well 

 prepared with bees and stores, to go into winter 

 qu-^rters Thaddeus S.mith. 



Felee Island. 



Bees in Yucatan. 



I find the following paragraph in Norman's 

 Kambles in luratan, in describing a hacienda 

 near Uxmal. Who can tell us more of the bees 

 of Central America and Mexico ? The ancient 

 Aztecs had honey when first visited by the 

 Spaniards. ^ S 



" There are a large number of Indians attached 

 to this hacienda, who appear well ; and so does 

 everything connected with it. Different from 

 many others, this establishment has an air of 

 comfort and prosperity, much to the credit cf 

 those who supervise its concerns. It has its six 

 hundred bee-hives, which are made of hollow 

 logs, cut into lengths of two feet each. They 

 are well arranged under sheds erected for the 

 purpose— opened monthly, and the honey ex- 

 tracted. They do not yield so much honey, or 

 of so good a quality, neither are the bees as lively 

 as those of the north. Their bees have no sting. 

 Great attention is paid to the preservation of the 

 wax, which is almost a staple in the country, so 

 much is consumed in religious exercises." 



dt^" These bees are MeUponas, and might per- 

 haps be cultivated in Florida, but all atte'mpts to 

 introduce them north have hitherto failed. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Alsike Clover. 



Mr. Editor :— I think you do not say enough 

 in praise of Alsike cl.^ver. I have three acres 

 from which I saved the seed this vear, yielding 

 twenty-five bushels, which I sold" for five hun- 

 dred dollars as soon as it was threshed. It yields 

 from two to three tons, per acre, of as nice htiy as 

 ever was put in my barn. I ditched a meadoAV 

 a year ago last fall, where nothing grew but 

 swale grass, and of poor quality. I turned the 

 sod over between the ditches, and in the fore 

 part of June sowed it to Alsike clover, without 

 manure; aiid the result was as stout a piece of 

 clover as ever was seen in this section— the admi- 

 ration of all who saw it. My cows fed on it t,ill 

 snow fell, which was on the 1st of December. 

 I should state that the land flows at every flash 

 of rain fall. 



The Alsike clover keeps in bloom four weeks. 

 My bees gathered honey from it that length of 

 time, and did finely. A. W. Titus, 



Wilmington, Del. 



