245 



Maddened Bees— Robbing. 



Mrs. L. Harrison, of Peoria, 111., 

 gives in the Prairie Farmer the follow- 

 ing incident as her Easter morning ex- 

 perience with her bees : 



On returning from church on Easter 

 morning, we were met at the gate by 

 infuriated bees, who did their very best 

 to plant their stings. As we and the 

 bees are generally on good terms, we 

 were surprised at their behavior, and 

 inferred that something had aroused 

 their anger in our absence. On inves- 

 tigating, we ascertained that a hive 

 where frames of honey had been stored 

 had an imperfect cover, and that the 

 bees were doing a " land office business" 

 in robbing. We drove out the robbers, 

 put on a good cover, and placed a 

 smoker in full blast on the hive. 



Kerosene oil is our "sovereign reme- 

 dy "for robbing. When bees are pry- 

 ing into every crack and crevice of a 

 hive, bent on plunder, we rub all their 

 points of attack with a cloth saturated 

 with kerosene. It is amusing to see 

 how soon these marauders are con- 

 verted into law-abiding subjects. " Pre- 

 vention is better than cure," and great 

 •care should be exercised, that no in- 

 ducements are offered to excite them to 

 this species of warfare. Hives where 

 bees have died should be shut up close- 

 ly, and no honey exposed in any way, 

 shape or form. Our opportune discov- 

 ery at Easter prevented our apiary be- 

 ing demoralized. If they had been 

 permitted to carry off the honey thus 

 found, when it was finished, they would 

 have tried to rob the weaker colonies, 

 and stung every person and thing with- 

 in reach. Sometimes when we are cut- 

 ting out drone brood, if the bees get at 

 the milky fluid it excites them to sting. 



A good smoker is an absolutely essen- 

 tial implement in every apiary. Had 

 Mrs. Harrison not had such at hand, 

 she would have had trouble, and the 

 loss of several queens and colonies may 

 have been the result. We can do our 

 readers no greater favor than to say — 

 get a smoker, and always have it ready 

 for use, in case of need. 



i^A correspondent asks : " Must 

 bees have water in the cellar when they 

 •commence to raise brood in the spring ? 

 What is the best way to feed bees flour 

 in the cellar ? Where shall I put it V " 

 We answer : History proves that water 



is not a necessity ; some have thought 

 it might prove advantageous, but many 

 of our most learned apiarists think not. 

 Flour is not fed in confinement, but 

 after the bees are out, and on the wing. 

 It is then spread out in flat dishes or on 

 boards, in the sun and out of the wind. 

 It is of no use after natural pollen ap- 

 pears. 



" Quinsy's New Bee Keeping." — 

 This is the title of the revised edition 

 of "Quinby's Mysteries of Bee-Keep- 

 ing." It is thirteen years since the late 

 Mr. Quinby's work was published, and 

 the many new inventions were there- 

 fore untouched in it, hence the necessity 

 for re-writing. This has been admira- 

 bly done by Mr. L. C. Boot, his son-in- 

 law and former partner, who was, 

 therefore, the better able to give the 

 truest interpretation to Mr. Quinby's 

 views of the improved methods of bee 

 culture, to which he devoted the last 

 few years of his useful life. Mr. L. C. 

 Boot has fully sustained Mr. Quinby's 

 reputation as a vigorous writer, and 

 being a cultured apiarist, has added to 

 the original work all that was omitted — 

 bringing it down to the present time, 

 in the matter of improvements, present- 

 ing the reader with a clear and concise 

 statement of his views on all the api- 

 cultural questions of the day. 



It contains a memorial of Mr. Quinby, 

 written by his friend, Capt. J. E. Heth- 

 erington, of Cherry Valley, !N\ Y., in 

 which he pays handsome tribute to the 

 memory of the late distinguished apia- 

 rist and author. 



It is finely illustrated and printed, 

 and is published at $1.50, by Orange 

 Judd Co., ISTew York, and may be ob- 

 tained at this office. 



|3P On p. 195 of Bee Journal for May, 

 in article on " Buckwheat." " $1.00 to him," 

 should read "$1.00 per colony to him." As 

 it appears in the article, it is indefinite. 

 Please correct. A. J. Cook. 



WW The Annual Autumn Bee and Honey 

 Show of Denmark will be held at Copenha- 

 gen, September 17th and 18th, 1879. 



