property. Bees have wintered poorly in 

 tliis section the past winter; many have lost 

 all, especially those kept out of doors. The 

 weather now, March 11, is quite warm, but 

 windy. My bees that were inside are 

 still there. A large per cent out of doors in 

 chaff hives are dead. I saw some bees with 

 pollen on their legs yesterday. 



F. W. Chapman. 



Louisiana, February 27, 1879. 

 In the Journal for February, M. S. Baker 

 speaks of a sun evaporator for thickening 

 extracted honey. What is a sun evaporator, 

 and what is the probable cost of one ? 1 

 will run 125 colonies for extracted honey this 

 season. Mr. Doolittle's criticism in the Jan- 

 uary number has set me thinking. My bees 

 will have plenty of comb to build this year, 

 and I want it to be worker. Do not natural 

 swarms always build worker comb at first ; 

 if so, will it not answer as well to remove 

 the combs from some strong colony 

 (strengthening some weak colony), and put 

 in their place empty frames ? Will they not 

 then build worker comb ? 



Louisianian. 



[The process as used in California is de- 

 scribed thus: "Upon receiving the extracted 

 honey they place it in large settlingtanksof 

 3000 pounds capacity, and this, securely 

 covered, is left exposed to the rays of the 

 sun for a day or so. By this process all im- 

 purities are eliminated, rising to the surface, 

 and the pure honey is drawn off at the 

 bottom." 



Large natural swarms are apt to build con- 

 siderable drone comb ; more especially so, if 

 honey is coming in rapidly. Small first- 

 swarms and second swarms build the truest 

 worker comb, and the most of it; and a 

 colony with a young queen builds much 

 worker comb. These facts may be taken 

 advantage of by the skillful apiarist, in get- 

 ting worker built instead of drone.— Ed.] 



Freeman, Mo., Feb. 17, 1879. 

 The last season was not a very success- 

 ful one, though I got 7000 lbs. of comb and 

 extracted honey early in the season. After 

 that they stored but little till after July, and 

 that was dark. I put 180 colonies into win- 

 ter quarters and lost only one. I filled the 

 caps with flax straw and packed the same 

 around the hives, giving ventilation through 

 the honey board. My hives are in rows 6 

 feet apart ; I drove 4 stakes into the ground 

 around each hive leaving the tops level with 

 the cap. I then put boards between the 

 hives and stakes and packed with the straw 

 from the ground up, covering the top with 

 boards to lead the water off, leaving the 

 entrance open. When snow is on the 

 ground I slip wire-cloth between the 

 entrance blocks and the hive to keep them 

 from getting out in the snow. I think win- 

 tering thus is better than any other for the 

 following reasons : The work can be done 

 early, at odd times, not interfering with 



other business. It prevents the scent of 

 honey escaping, to attract robber bees. 

 They can have a fly at any time desired, 

 during the winter. It dispenses with the 

 trouble of carrying hives into the cellar or 

 bee house. During cold spring days they 

 are kept warm, preventing the destruction 

 of brood, and hence keeping the colony 

 strong. After thus prepared they need no 

 more care till spring, except to remove the 

 wire-cloth when it is desired to give them a 

 flight ; and lastly they may be fed for stimu- 

 lating in the spring without fear of results. 

 I clean the hive of all rubbish, and clear such 

 away from the vicinity of each hive before 

 they store any honey. Paul. Dunken. 



Macon, III., March 15, 1879. 

 How long will it take to Italianize a colo- 

 ny of bees with a nucleus, a full hive, or a 

 queen alone ? Which is best ? How can it 

 be done ? How long before swarming time 

 would such have to be done to insure pure 

 drones ? F. J. Stich. 



[By introducing an Italian queen, th e colo- 

 ny will become Italian as soon as the old 

 bees die off— which in the height of the sea- 

 son, will be in from 6 weeks to two months. 

 Probably the best way is to purchase a pure 

 queen and introduce her. For the best way 

 consult your Manual, or refer to page 206 of 

 the Bee Journal for last June. A queen 

 should be introduced as early as possible in 

 order to secure pure drones— though it may 

 be difficult to get a queen early enough to 

 secure such.— Ed.] 



Henry Co., Ohio, March 18, 1879. 

 Dysentery has killed more than three- 

 fourths of the bees in this and adjoining 

 .counties. I think it was caused by late 

 blooming plants on our moist, recently- 

 cleared lands, secreting thin honey which 

 our bees gathered too late in the season to 

 properly ripen for wintering. 



Daniel Kepler. 



Milan, March 17, 1879. 

 My bees have wintered well. I built a 

 bee house last summer, filled in the walls 

 with sawdust, a foot thick, and had the 

 same over head. I ventilated both at the 

 top and bottom. The floor I made with 

 hydraulic cement on dry sand, well packed; 

 it is as smooth and hard as marble ; no 

 moisture can come from below. I have a 

 shop in one end for hive making. 



Samuel Fish. 



Appleton, Wis., March 12, 1879. 

 From present appearances many colonies 

 of bees will be minus this spring in North- 

 ern Wisconsin, mostly caused by negligence. 

 Many will be lost, I think, by taking too 

 much honey from the brood-chamber early, 

 leaving the bees to gather stores of unripe 

 honey to winter on, and in many cases a 

 deficiency. I have about 130 colonies in my 

 bee-house; they seem to be doing well; I did 

 not extract from the brood-chamber. 



A. H. Hart. 



