1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



course m rearing your own queens 

 you should have a good queen to 

 breed from. You should not only 

 consider the color and mai kings of a 

 breeding queen, but gentleness, pro- 

 lificness, and longivity, etc. fn con- 

 clusion of this question, will r^ny the 

 best way usually is to get untested 

 queens and introduce them Im your 50 

 full colonies. 



2d. What is the cheapest way to do 

 so and when ? The cheapest way sure- 

 ly would be to buy a good breeder 

 and rear your 50 queens, i e., if your 

 time will permit, and you have the 

 necessary experience, knowledge and 

 surroundings. As to the timeof Ital- 

 anizing I would say in the spring 

 when the heavy flow begins, but be- 

 fore honey is coming in, in earnest. 

 Any season of the year will do when 

 it is w^arm enough to handle bees, but 

 it is always best when a little honey 

 is coming in, as then they will be 

 most easily and successfully intro- 

 duced. 



3d, Are Italians any better than 

 hybrids for comb honey ? No, or at 

 least usually not. I think hybrid 

 bees give comb honey a nicer finish 

 than do Italians, if any difference, but 

 there are other things to be consider- 

 ed. Italians are able to get honey 

 where blacks and often hybrids are 

 unable to get at it. Italians are usu- 

 ally more industrious, and always 

 more quiet and gentle in handling, I 

 believe it would be safe to say that 

 two Italian colonies can be worked or 

 handled while you handle one hybrid 

 colony, or at least I know I can, and 

 often would prefer to handle three 

 Italian to one hybrid colony. This 

 will be a saving in time, and should 

 be considered if time is money. Last, 



but least, they are a nice looking bee. 

 Give me Italians every time for honey 

 and for working with. If I have fail- 

 ed in answering your questions to the 

 point, will try again if so requested. 

 Steeleville, JIL 



Some off the Rocks upon 



which my Bee-crafft 



was Wrecked. 



BY MRS. L. HARRISON. 



In the early days of my bee keeping 

 I eagerly read all papers from bee- 

 keepers who described their ways of 

 performing work in the apiary. I was 

 determined to " get there," and 

 thought that if I followed in the foot- 

 steps of those who were there I would 

 untiraately reach the goal. Many of 

 these writers were so well versed in 

 bee lore, that they could not compre- 

 hend, that many of their readers knew 

 comparatively nothing about bees, 

 and were not explicit enough in their 

 modus operandi. A friend told me 

 how to make soap with lime, and when 

 I attempted it, the lesult was neither 

 soap nor whitewash : when I told her 

 of my failure, she said "you didn't 

 do it right, you should have done so 

 and so," If she had given directions, 

 "so and so" at first, I would not have 

 failed, and so it has been with bees. 



SPREADING BROOD. 



One very cold winter made havoc 

 with our apiary. There was ouly a 

 remnant 6f bees left, and it was our 

 thought day and night how to in- 

 crease their number so as to occupy 

 our tenantless hives. Mr. Doolittle 

 had given directions about spreading 

 brood, eo I put on my spectacles, and 

 took the Bee Journal into the apiary, 

 laid it open upon a hive, and weight- 

 ed do\\'n so it would not blow shut, 



