THE AMERICA!^ APICULTURIST. 



157 



The wax-moth. 



I believe it is possible to extenniiuite 

 this pest of tiie apiary. No old coinhs 

 sliould l)e allowed to become tlie brood- 

 inj; nest of these insects. Clean up and 

 melt all old worthless pieces before hot 

 weather conies on. Keep those combs 

 that are to bo used asain in a cool place, 

 wliere the temperature does not reach a 

 point hijili enou.irh to hatch the eggs, and 

 my word for it, there will be no millers to 

 propagate that species of insects. Combs 

 can be kept in a dry, cool cellar, and will 

 not mould. 



The wax-moth is not a native of this 

 country, he is a foreigner, and like the 

 chinamen, should be made to go. 



Infuse new blood into the apiary. 



I am one of those who believe in infusing 

 new blood into the apiary each year. This 

 can be done by purciiasing a few queens 

 and replacing the oldest in the yard, and 

 should be done j^early, whether the new 

 blood is needed or not. Onr strain of 

 hardy Italians would give vigor to any 

 apiary. Try them. 



I am prepared to ship queens by return 

 mail, at the following low rates: One 

 queen §1. Two, $175. Three, $2.25. 

 Purity and safe arrival guaranteed. If 

 anyone gets a queen that is in any way 

 unsatisfactory, all such will be replaced bj^ 

 return mail. We are bountl that every 

 one who deals with the Apicultuuist 

 shall get the full value for their money, 

 and that everything shall be satisfactory 

 in all respects. All money sent here will 

 be returned on demand. 



Black bees vs. Italians. 

 It was Mr. Langstrotii who first discov- 

 ered that it w'as more ditficult to dis- 

 lodge Italian bees from a comb than it 

 is black ones. I find this the case, and 

 when I have occasion to shake Italian 

 bees from the combs, I always think of 

 Mr. Langstroth. The black bees covering 

 a frame can all be shaken ofi" with one 

 sudden jar, while it is almost impossible 

 to dislodge all the Italian bees from a 

 frame of brood. This feature is an advan- 

 tage in some cases, and at other times it 

 is a disadvantage. I often have occasion 

 to remove all the bees from the comt)s and 

 always am obliged to use a small broom 

 to get about half the Italians ofi". This, 

 of course, requires considerable time. 



Spring dwindling. 



The cause of spring dwindling does not 

 seem to be well understood. Why it is 

 that sonie of the most prosperous and 

 hardy colonies the year previous will 

 dwindle in numbers after passing through 

 the winter, apparently in good condition, 

 may not ever be known. Is it for the 

 want of pollen in the spring to furnish the 

 bees vitality? This seems reasonable, yet 

 it is not quite satisfactory. 



One of the best colonies in the Bay 

 State apiary, in 1887, came through the 

 winter in fine condition and with al)Outas 

 nniny bees as it had the fall previous. The 

 bees did not seem to have any inclination 

 or desire to take a fiiglit at any time, yet 

 this colony having a queen reared under 

 the swarming impulse (which some peo- 

 ple claim are the best) dwindled down to 

 half a pint of bees, and did not commence 

 brood-rearing until a frame of brood was 

 given them from another colony. That 

 weak colony is now one of the best in the 

 yard. The fault was not in the queen; 

 had it been she never would have brought 

 the colony up, even with the aid of the 

 frame of brood given them. I do not be- 

 lieve there is a person in the world who 

 can correctly state why this colony failed 

 to come up without help. 



Owing to the failure of this colony sev- 

 eral experiments have suggested them- 

 selves to me which will be tested another 

 year, and, if possible, experiments will be 

 tried, looking to a prevention of spring 

 dwindling. If successful, the results will 

 be given in the Apiculturist. 



Of course it is understood why a colony 

 dwindles that was not in good condition 

 the fall before, or one that has an inferior 

 queen. But why a healthy colony, one 

 strong in the spring, should dwindle, is a 

 matter that needs investigation. If pol- 

 len Avill furnish the needed vitality, of 

 course that can be easily supplied. 



"Two beauties." 



Glatitonbury, Conn. 

 Mr. Alley : Herewith find $2. Please 

 send us two more queens. The two re- 

 ceived are beauties. T. H. L. Talcott. 



Introducing queens. 

 Those who receive queens from the Bay 

 State Apiary can use the cage the queen is 

 shipped in as an introduciuii' cage, all the 

 change that need be made is to turn 

 part of the wire back that covers the food, 

 and the bees of the colony to which the 

 queen is introduced will soon remove the 

 food and release her. Of course, the cage 

 must be placed where the bees can get at 

 it easily. The best way to do is to take 

 out a frame and insert the cage in one cor- 

 ner at the bottom. One great point in 

 introducing is in having the bees perfectly 

 quiet when they first meet the queen. 

 This is the secret of success. 



