THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



213 



[For tho American Beo Journal.] 



Remarks and Suggestions. 



As there arc mauy correspondents, cntcrtain- 

 inpc various views anil proposing dilTerent 

 schemes of management, some practical and 

 sonic experimental, I suppose one must let 

 his ignorance be known in order to Icaru some- 

 thing. 



I iiave kept bees for the last fifty-five years, 

 in fact from bojdiood till now. I early obser- 

 ved th-U there was a difference in black bees. 

 One kind was more vicious, being smaller than 

 tiie otiier. The other is larger with rings 

 on their bodies, and more docile. I removed to 

 Ohio in 1833. Here I found the same races. 

 The small kind was more apt to desert when 

 swarming, ana go to the woods. When kept 

 for a length of time, the first swarms took to the 

 Avoods ; tlie others staid better. 



I live within thirty rods of timber on both 

 sides. T always sell bees when any want to 

 buy. I have always let them swarm, until I ob- 

 tained the Langstroth hive. I used to be op- 

 posed to all patent hives, as I had one that I 

 could get thirt3'-five to forty pounds of honey 

 from, when honey was to be had. 



Now, for the theory of old hives. I always 

 turned up my old-fashioned hives in the apiary, 

 and cut all the drone combs away ; and the 

 bees a'most invariably built worker combs in 

 their stead. Thus I got what honey the drones 

 would have required for their rearing, and 

 saved what thej^ would eat Avhile living, which 

 in some hives is almost all the workers can 

 gather in breeding time — leaving none for the 

 owners. I did not put boxes in, but let the bees 

 go up in the chambers. Instead of lying out, 

 they would fill the chambers while preparing 

 to swarm, and were thus kept busy ; and I ob- 

 tained some good honey before the swarm is- 

 sued. Sometimes I used smoke to drive up the 

 bees the second day after swarming, and in- 

 serted a royal cell for another hive. By driving 

 the bees up and fastening the cell witli a brass 

 pin to a comb, they would swarm on the second 

 day after the young queen was hatched, if the 

 hive was crowded. Sometimes the old queen 

 would get at the cell, and kill the j'oung queen 

 therein. If the old one is about ready to go, she 

 will leave before the young queen hatches. 

 When the young one emerges from the cell, she 

 will destroy those the workers were rearing. 

 In that case there will be no second swarm. 



There is very little, if any, useful practice 

 with old fashioned hives, but to drive out the 

 bees into an empty hive and set it on the same 

 stand ; then take the hive of brood and remove 

 some strong hive when the workers arc chiefly 

 out, and they will rear queens and swarm 

 sooner than if left as they were. But this had 

 better be done by practised hands. I have cut 

 out queen cells and fastened them in hives, the 

 bees of which were lying out heavily, the queen 

 cells being just ready to hatch. When hatched, 

 the bees on the outside went off" in a swarm with 

 the young queen. 



As to patent hives, there are but few that are 

 of any consequence to the public, only to spend 

 money on and waste time. The moveable 



frame combs of Mr. Langstroth is the best for 

 practical use. All being made alike, when an}--- 

 thing occurs in tlie colony it can be remedied. 

 If a queen dies or is lost at any time while 

 drones are about, tiio loss can bo supplied by 

 inserting a frame with brood. But if the queen 

 die or is destroyed late in the fall, the hive had 

 bettar be supplied with one from a colony that 

 has not honey enough to winter, or by uniting 

 the two — thus saving both. All the comb3 

 should l)e carefully preserved for the next sum- 

 mer. They are worth half a swarm, to make 

 artificial swarms with next season. I use Lang- 

 stroth's hives with twelve frames. I think 

 where a man has too many kinds of hives in his 

 apiary, he is not using economy, as he will often 

 have to adjust parts or change some. 



My Langstroth hives hare yielded me more 

 honey than anj^ others. I have about one hun- 

 dred colonies on liand now ; and have received 

 over two hundred and twenty-five dolhirs for hon- 

 ey sold, besides using quite an amount for home 

 purposes. My stocks are mostly Italianized. 

 The Rev. D. Witter obtained tAvo queens of Mr. 

 Langstroth' s last importation, from whicii I 

 have Italianized my apiary. Some have beauti- 

 ful yellow bands, and some are hybrids, though 

 finely banded. I have before referred to a kind 

 of bees of larger size than the little black bees. 

 Some of our bee-men pronounced them Italian 

 hybrids. But there were then no Italians near- 

 er than Mr. Sturtcvant's, in East Cleveland, 

 thirty miles olT. I think the disposition of bees 

 is often in accordance withthat of their keepers. 

 The little black bee has a ])eculiar trait to sting; 

 while my others, and my Italians and hybrids, 

 are alwaj's peaceable. 



I prefer to take frames of brood from one 

 hive and the bees from another, wlien making 

 my artificial .swarms, which does not unduly 

 reduce either stock. Handle bees as little as 

 possible, and with gentleness at all times. If 

 they are respected and not disturbed, mine do 

 not disturb anybody. But my Italians visit 

 some of my neighborj, who arc careless with 

 their hives and honey ; and these then think 

 the Italians are not strictly honest. I think the 

 Italian bees will run out the old kinds in time. 



I wish to ask one question. On making an 

 artificial swarm and failing to obtain a royal 

 cell the first time, another frame of brood was 

 put in, and the bees built a royal cell on the op- 

 posite side of the comb next to the brood. Why 

 was it not reared on the brood comb that was 

 put in last, as the royal cell Avas reared at the 

 last operation ? 



I think the Bee Journal is just the thing tor 

 every one that keeps bees, whether he has few 

 hives or many. J. T. Merriman. 



Burton, Ohio. 



Bees are variously affected by different colors. 

 White blinds tliGin, and black is disagreeable 

 to them. Hence Lhc front of a hive should not 

 be painted white ; and the bee-keeper should 

 not wear a black dress. Hives when ranged iu 

 a row on their stands, iu close proximity to 

 each other, should have at least their fronts 

 painted of different colors. 



