355 



thing for winter stores. When seasons 

 are bad, if the cost of a million bees 

 not wanted were saved in honey, it 

 would be well for us. The question of 

 over-stocking has, I think, not been 

 sufficiently discussed since Mr. Hazen 

 stopped writing. 



I have 75 colonies, and very many of 

 them fill a 2-story, 10-frame Langstroth 

 hive. They have been largely kept 

 from swarming by giving room, and 

 right here it will be well to say that 

 one of the advantages of tiering up, 

 lies in the added room for a larger 

 force of workers. 



I use the wide frame and 6 sections 

 and hanging separators on, say half 

 my hives, and never fail to get bees to 

 work in the sections by lifting up some 

 of the lower combs. 



Having used straw mats, oil cloth 

 and oiled sheeting, and wood mats I 

 find nothing so good as common floor 

 matting — rush matting. Cut it just the 

 size and have it stitched on the sewing 

 machine or bound on the two edges to 

 prevent raveling, and it will be greatly 

 liked. Bees do not cut it and gum it 

 up like cloth, at least, this is my expe- 

 rience for a few weeks. 



Charlottesville, Va., June 16, 1879. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Experience with Large Hives, Etc. 



J. H. M'CALL. 



I am in receipt of the May and June 

 numbers of the Bee Journal, and 

 think it invaluable to the bee-raiser ; 

 am well pleased with it. I notice an 

 article in your June number from John 

 Rooker, giving his experince with large 

 hives. The suggestions and experience 

 is so near that of my own, that I give 

 my experience on the same line to those 

 who are interested in the best hive, 

 that they may think it over. 



I use what we call here the " State- 

 Rights " hive. The side-pieces are 22x 

 30 in., 1)4 thick, with 10 in. bench, viz: 

 10 in. for brood and 10 for honey frames. 

 There is at the bottom of brood cham- 

 ber a slide plank, which fits in a groove 

 loosely, and can be tightened or loos- 

 ened at will ; it can be drawn out and 

 the droppings cleaned away as often as 

 is necessary. The brood chamber has 

 no frames ; sticks are fastened in it 

 with screws, which cross the chamber 

 in both directions. The honey cham- 

 ber, which is separated by a strong 

 piece of plank with 2-in. auger holes 

 through it into each apartment of the 

 honey chamber, is divided by a cross- 

 plank into two divisions, each one con- 

 taining 12 frames for honey. 



We put the bees in the brood cham- 

 ber, and close the holes into the honey 

 chamber until they fill the former, and. 

 then let them into one honey chamber at 

 a time till both are filled. I never bother 

 the brood chambers ; I find that when 

 they have them full they are generally 

 strong and can contend with the moth, 

 the only trouble we have here with our 

 bees. We have no trouble in getting 

 them through the winter, as we know 

 that if we do not take from them too 

 heavily they will come through. I find 

 that a good colony put into the brood 

 chamber will fill it in about 5 weeks. 

 They do not swarm so frequently in 

 this hive, and turn out better and 

 larger colonies. I am better pleased 

 with this hive than any I have tried. 

 It is free for any to try who may feel so 

 disposed. 



Quitman, Ga., June 12, 1879. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bee Enemies in Texas. 



W. M'CRACKEN. 



In the last number of the Jour- 

 nal inquiries are made in regard to the 

 bee enemies. They are quite numer- 

 ous here. Several species of the spider 

 attack the bees early in the morning 

 and in the evening; also several species 

 of the ant disturb the bees day and 

 night by carrying the eggs and brood 

 out, while others carry out pollen and 

 honey. The worst kind of the latter 

 species is a very small black ant. The 

 bees cannot catch or destroy them ; 

 they carry out the eggs as fast as they 

 are deposited in the cells, and will 

 break up a colony in a few days. There 

 is another kind of ant as destructive 

 as the black ant ; in fact, more so, from 

 the fact that their work is done so 

 quickly ; but they are fortunately not 

 so numerous as the other. This kind is 

 a long, slender, transparent ant of a 

 light brown tint ; they are nearly the 

 length of a worker bee ; their eyes are 

 black and very bright, and they are the 

 fleetest of all the ant species. They cut 

 the combs and feed upon the honey, 

 and mutilate the bees by biting off their 

 legs. From 50 to 100 of these ants will 

 drive out a colony of bees within two 

 hours from the time of their entrance. 

 They are not numerous only in the 

 wooded districts. 



The bee moth or miller is very num- 

 erous and destructive. The horned 

 lizard, chameleon and two other species 

 of lizards, and toads feast upon bees. 

 Several kinds of birds eat bees when 

 there is a scarcity of other food. But 

 of all bee enemies the above-mentioned 



