102 



THE AMERICAN APlCULTURTST. 



THE WEATHER. 



Hot ! Well, wasn't it hot and hotter 

 for about a week? On June 14, 15 and 

 16, the mercury climbed to about 100° 

 in the shade. Dry and hot. On the 

 17th of June relief came; nearly 50° 

 fall in tlie temperature and plenty of 

 rain. New England has suffered with 

 drought more or less severe nearly all 

 the spring. 



The hay crop will be light. A light 

 hay crop means a light crop of white 

 clover, consequently, a light crop of 

 honey. Bees have done fairly well, 

 notwitlistanding the drought. The rain 

 of to-day and yesterday will probably 

 help the honey crop some. 



QUEEN KEAHING. 



The weather for this branch of bee- 

 keeping has been all that one could de- 

 sire. There was some unfavorable 

 weather in May, but since June came in 

 it has been fine nearly all the time. 



Three hundred queens have been 

 shipped from the Bay State Apiary since 

 May 25. We still liave a few more or- 

 ders ahead which will be filled before 

 this reaches the eye of our customers. 

 Two hundred and seventy nucleus col- 

 onies are now in fine running order. 



Now, if any reader of the Api wants 

 to see the finest queens (either golden 

 Carniolan or golden Italian) just send 

 your order in. Please do not fail to 

 show these queens to your brother bee- 

 keepers afler the queen has been in your 

 hive a week. You will not sell the 

 queens sent you by us for ^5. Just 

 stick a pin in here. If these queens 

 are not as represented, just say that we 

 are bragging too much. You will not say 

 so. 1 he result will be that you will or- 

 der more queens, and your neighbors 

 who see them will also order, too. 



THE SWARMER. 



We must speak of the swarmer. All 

 the reports that have come in are fa- 

 vorable. Not one unflworable report 

 has come to hand up to date. Our ex- 

 perience this season has been this : Oc- 



casionally a queen could not find her 

 way through the tube. This was quick- 

 ly remedied. A hole i^ inches in di- 

 ameter was made with a centre bit di- 

 rectly over the tube in box B, and cov- 

 ered with wire cloth. This let the light 

 in just where it was most needed. Af- 

 ter that, about the first bee that entered 

 box B was the queen, and there was 

 no further trouble. Those who have 

 received the swarmers and found this 

 trouble will take the hint. It was found 

 that the nearer the hive, or decoy-box 

 for catching the swarm was placed to 

 the entrance of the parent hive the bet- 

 ter the swarmer worked. Instead of 

 using a hive for catching the swarm, a 

 box made of any light material is better. 

 We placed a comb in the decoy-box and 

 a day or so before the swarm issued, 

 the bees would commence to work into 

 the box, then when the swarm came 

 ofif they quickly hived themselves. Now 

 in order to bring the boxes A and C 

 nearer the parent hive, other holes were 

 made in the centre of the tops of them. 

 No one is obliged to use the swarmers 

 just as they are received from us. Make 

 any change in them to fit your hives 

 and situation. The idea should not be 

 lost sight of that .the nearer the decoy- 

 box can be placed to the parent colony 

 the better. The swarmer is an assured 

 success. Of this there is not a particle 

 of doubt. 



Here is one testimonial just received : 



Lone Star AriAuy, 

 Thonulale, Texas, June 9, 1891. 

 Friend Alley: Swarming lime is now 

 ovc-r with me iuid I take the pleasure to 

 report to j'ou that tlie Aut. Swaim Hiver 

 is the boss. Tl>e first tin-e I tried it, it 

 didn't work. The hive was a portico 

 hive and I could not adjust riirht. Since 

 then 1 have used it on inves wiihont por- 

 tico to my greatest satisfaction. I deem 

 it the bust swarming device I have ever 

 seen. 



Eesppctfully yours, 

 OrTO J. E. Urban. 



We have plenty others which will ap- 

 pear in later issues of the Apt. Orders 

 for swarmers have come in fronr all 

 quarters. 



Now that the device is an assured 



