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and raising a row with its inmates. But we 

 had a rain June 22d and another the 28th, so 

 that by July 1st we had some prospects for 

 a short honey season. Corn tassel was in 

 bloom, and in a few days were covered with 

 plant lice, dropping their "honey dew" 

 all over the top leaves, and attracting the 

 bees in " heaps and piles." Cotton came 

 into bloom about the 1st of July, and the 

 bees commenced to gather both honey and 

 pollen very fast, considering the depopula- 

 ted condition of the colonies. I have united 

 my weak colonies, and from 32 I have 25 

 good strong colonies and in good condition. 

 There have been but few swarms this year 

 in this vicinity, none of which did any good. 

 The Italians are in nearly every apiary 

 throughout this country, graded from the 

 lowest to the highest. Let Mrs. A. S. Keys, 

 of Holly, N. Y., try oil of sassafras for bee- 

 stings. It will not cost over 10c. per ouuce, 

 and beats anything I have tried. 



Wm, K. Howard. 



Caddo, C. W., Aug. 25, 1879. 

 In this letter I send you a bug which has 

 bit me several times at night. The spot on 

 my arm where bitten swelled half as large 

 as a hen's egg. Please tell me what kind of 

 a bug it is. Answer through the columns of 

 the Post and Tribune. Mrs. M. A. Helm. 



[This insect is a true bug of the Reduvius 

 family. Usually the insects of this family 

 are content to suck the juices from other 

 insects, which they distroy in great num- 

 bers, and so are our friends. But this one 

 has a less enviable reputation. Even his 

 scientific name has a bloody sound : 

 Conorhinus sanguisuga, Le Cont. It is 

 stated in American Entomologist, vol. 1, p. 

 88, that it insinuates itself into beds, like a 

 near relative, Pirates biguttatus, Sang., 

 which lives on bedbugs, but unlike the 

 latter, sucks human blood at first hand. 

 While taking its meal it fairly "straddles it- 

 self out and seems to enjoy it hugely." 

 Prof. Uhler has received specimens from 

 southern Ohio, with information that its 

 bite causes severe inflammation. The late 

 Dr. Hull was once bitten on the arm by one, 

 and lost the use of this member for three 

 days. The insect is found as far north as 

 central Illinois.— A. J. Cook.] 



San Bernardino, Cal., Sept. 1, 1879. 

 I send a bug to be named through the 

 American Bee Journal. It is a real bed- 

 bug, and stealthily crawls under the bed- 

 clothes and while the sleeper is quiet he 

 fills himself with biood ; but after a few 

 minutes a peculiar burning and disagree- 

 able sensation follows. This year I have 

 found the little red ant killing them. 



Geo. B. Wallace. 



[This bug is % of an inch long and wholly 

 black, if we except the tarsi which are red- 

 dish brown, and the last two joints of the 



antennge, which are cream-colored. It is 

 closely related to the conorhinus sanguisuga 

 in structure, and it seems in habits as well. 

 See, also, answer to Mrs. M. A. Helm.— A. 

 J. Cook.] 



Birmingham, O., Aug. 13, 1879. 

 We went into winter quarters last fall 

 with 45 colonies of bees, about half black 

 and half Italian, and came out in May with 

 18 colonies, 2 only being black. This dem- 

 onstrated to our mind the superiority of the 

 Italian over the common bee. They were 

 all wintered on their summer stands ; 14 in 

 Gallup frames and 31 in Langstroth frames; 

 4 of the 31 were chaff hives, and balance 

 improved Simplicity. The bees in Gallup 

 frames were crowded upon from 5 to 9 

 frames, with division board, and chaff cush- 

 ion on top. Those in the Langstroth frame 

 were put on 5 to 7 frames, with chaff divis- 

 ion board at each side and chaff cushion on 

 top. Of the 14 in Gallup frame only 5 came 

 through alive, and these with but little 

 honey ; while those in the Langstroth frame 

 seemingly had as much honey in the spring 

 as in the fall. This has been a poor season 

 for bees. The dry weather early in the sea- 

 son shortened the white clover yield, and 

 lichen was a failure, so we have only gained 

 the position we held a year ago in number 

 of colonies, and no surplus honey of any 

 amount. Bees seem to be doing fairly now 

 on buckwheat of which we have 6 acres, 

 which, if nothing more, will help to keep up 

 brood rearing and enable them to get in 

 shape for winter. As a practical bee-keep- 

 er's paper we think the Amrrican Bee 

 Journal has no equal. C. A. Graves. 



Climax, Mich.. Aug. 18, 1879. 

 Having for the last 55 years kept bees, and 

 never having contributed anything to the 

 columns of your valuable Bee Journal 

 (which is not excelled by any of the bee 

 publications of the day), 1 thought 1 would 

 drop a few lines giving some of my obser- 

 vations in my experience with bees. Last 

 season I had 2 large swarms issue at the 

 same time, having stopped 4 others at the 

 same time. They started for the woods at 

 once, going across my cornfield. I followed 

 pelting them with all my might for % of 

 a mile, and so disorganized them that they 

 scattered about and finally returned to their 

 old home. I then at once artificially 

 swarmed them with success, and having 

 been called to transfer a hive of bees last 

 June, I found them with a good appearing 

 queen, combs with plenty of brood, nine- 

 tenths of which was drone brood, the re- 

 mainder worker— all intermixed through 

 the worker combs. My opinion is old age. 

 of queen was the cause. Would like to hear 

 the opinion of some of my brother bee- 

 keepers. The past winter with me was a 

 disastrous one, having lost all my bees butl 

 colony— 120 colonies. I bought of James 

 Heddon and others 9 colonies of the dark or 

 leather colored variety of bees, which I 

 believe are the best variety now bred in 

 Michigan. I have increased them to (36 to 

 date. They are still swarming, one being 

 out while I am writing. I have mostly 



