base. We have also tried the flat bot- 

 toms with the wire rolled in. As this 

 foundation has the wire incorporated in 

 it when made, could we fasten it as se- 

 curely to the top and bottom bars, as 

 we are able to do in the wired frames, 

 we certainly should have no objection 

 to the Hat bases, as our bees change 

 the base to its natural shape in draw- 

 ing out the cells. 



We have fastened this foundation to 

 the top bar by braiding small strips of 

 wood against it, by shaving off a por- 

 tion of the wax and gluing the wires ; 

 also in other ways; we have fastened it at 

 the bottom bar by splitting the bar, pass- 

 ing the foundation between the parts 

 and braiding together. This is almost 

 as much work as wiring frames, and 

 we rind that some of the combs have 

 bulged a little. There is certainly one 

 point in favor of the flat-bottomed foun- 

 dation. As it can be made very thin, 

 we can have more comb built from a 

 pound, if we wish the bees to furnish 

 the additional wax. 



Let all bee-keepers report their ex- 

 periments in the bee papers, and we 

 shall continue to advance in the science 

 and be mutually benefitted. 



Quincy, Mass., June, 1879. 



Bees Deserting their Hives. 



W. H. SEDGWICK. 



The reason why a natural swarm of bees 

 issues in the honey season is that the parent 

 hive becomes crowded with bees, brood and 

 honey, and the instinct of the queen or 

 mother bee causes her to prepare for em i 



grating by depositing drone eggs, and the 

 ees construct queen cells, so the mother 

 colony may be provided with a new young 

 queen; and when everything is just right, 

 and if the flowers are secreting honey, and 

 the weather is fair, then the old queen leads 

 off a swarm from the original colony, from 

 which, if it is properly hived, the bee-mas- 

 ter has one more colony to add to his apiary 

 —however, if the weather is unpleasant, 

 and the blossoms yield an insufficient sup- 

 ply of honey, they often change their mind, 

 tear down the queen cells and refuse to 

 swarm at all. " Who will say that bees do 

 not manifest wisdom ? What prudent man 

 would emigrate with a family if famine 

 were plainly indicated, when by staying at 

 home he would have a present abundance?" 

 The multiplication of colonies by swarm- 

 ing, both guards the bees against the possi- 

 bility of extinction and makes its labors in 

 the highest degree useful to man. Now 

 this is the natural method, and the only 

 condition under which the honey bee will 

 throw out a swarm. There are other cir- 

 cumstances, however, when bees do swarm 

 out and leave their hives in unnatural sea- 

 sons of the year, but under certain condi- 

 tions perfectly understood to any one who 

 has given this fascinating pursuit of bee- 



culture the proper study. In queen-rearing 

 the bee-keeper is very liable, to lose his 

 swarm, when the young queen issues to 

 meet the drone, if he has not supplied the 

 young colony raising the queen with un- 

 sealed brood ; when the queen leaves on 

 her wedding trip the entire colony will fol- 

 low her, and more than likely be lost, leav- 

 ing the combs deserted and hive as quiet as 

 the grave. 



The bee-moth, mice and cockroaches will 

 often cause the colony to desert their home. 

 Poverty and the loss of a queen is a fre- 

 quent cause for bees to swarm out ; often 

 they force their way into another colony, 

 return to their present hive, or cluster on 

 some neighboring bush, and as they have 

 under these circumstances grown desperate, 

 they frequently leave for parts unknown 

 and certain destruction. Bees that have an 

 abundance of honey sometimes desert their 

 hives for want of pollen, or bee-bread as it 

 is called. Bees cannot rear brood without 

 this pollen, the little pellets of yellow they 

 carry home on their legs, during the honey 

 season, and save for future use. 



Now this case of a swarm of bees being 

 found as you report, no doubt arises from 

 some discontented disposition arising from 

 some deficiency or disagreeable feature be- 

 longing to the interior of the hive, and the 

 most common cause is the want of food. 

 Bees will desert their hives both in fall and 

 spring for this cause alone. The veteran 

 bee-master, Mr. Quinby, in his "Mysteries 

 of the Honey Bee," says '• bees will some- 

 times entirely desert their hives when desti- 

 tute, especially if they have but little brood. 

 In these cases they issue precisely as a 

 swarm." This swarm on Mrs. Elliott's 

 farm could not possibly, at this season of 

 the year nave any brood whatever, so 1 con- 

 clude that the cause of this swarm being 

 found as stated, was owing to the fact that 

 they were starving— had no honey ; and be- 

 coming desperate, seem to have had a presen- 

 timent that they must perish if they re- 

 mained, and instead of awaiting the sure 

 approach of famine they sallied forth to see 

 if they could not better their condition. 



"Anywhere, anywhere 

 Out of the world." 



Langstroth says, in his excellent work 

 on the "Hive and Honey Bee": "I have 

 known a starving colony to leave their hive 

 on a spring-like day of December."— Ex- 

 change. 



From the Prairie Farmer. 



Making Bee -Hives. 



MRS. L. I1AKRISON. 



"Can you give any plain, simple directions 

 for making bee-hives ? Should there be a 

 window in one side, with a slide over it 

 which can be removed occasionally? Please 

 answer through your valuable paper. 

 Le Roy, 111., June 9. W. O." 



Most any one can make a box to hold 

 frames, but we doubt very much whether 

 such hives pay. A fanner does not build 

 his own house, or make his plows or boots, 

 and why should he construct hives for his 



