102 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



June 



seeks his supply. Aftcu- making iiis pur- 

 cliase, he goes lioine, proud of liis bar- 

 gain, and he feels that now he is on the 

 highway to the "land flowing with milk 

 and honey :" but he soon finds that lu; 

 is like the man "who leaped at stars and 

 fastened in tlic miid." His bees are 

 void of vigorous, vital forces and tiiey 

 become an easy prey to the larvai of the 

 miller. If he transfers them to a new 

 hive he has the same patched-up comb 

 and worn-out bees, which will be to him 

 only a bill of expense. 



As he Hoiinders along in tiiis way, 



our latitude, where old King Frost holds 

 dominion half the year, we need thick 

 walls and double windows. For out- 

 door wintering the walls of a good hive 

 should be of well-seasoned pine, 1>2 

 inches thick. Such walls are better 

 than chalT. In case of moisture within, 

 they dry out quickly, while chafT walls, 

 when once becoming wet, retain the 

 moisture. In our climate, when old, 

 stern winter tightens his grip, the' sun 

 delays his coming, the trees crack, the 

 nails snap, and Jack Frost, everywhere 

 busy, assails the hive by night, enters 

 its vacant corners and drapes them with 

 the frosts of death, all the winter suns 

 combined cannot dislodge the enemy. 

 The chaff walls, when once captured, 

 are his protection and defense. Such is 

 my observation in Maine. 



Another good feature in a hive, for 

 the North, is to have it constructed of 

 such dimensions as to hold the bees in 

 close proximity to their stores. In long, 

 shoal frames bees often starve, in pro- 

 tracted cold weather when there is 

 plenty of honey in remote cold ends and 

 corners of the hive. 



In this respect the Kidder frame is 

 superior to tlie Laugstroth, beijig 

 shorter and deeper. If bees are win- 

 tered in the cellar almost any thickness 

 of walls, or any dimensions of frames 

 and hives will do good service. 

 Brunswick. iNIaine. 



REV. ('HAS. M. HEIlllING. 



with hardly a pound of honey for his 

 trouble, he calls it ''iiard luck,"' until 

 finally his bees hibernate; in the sleep of 

 death. The troul)le is in his bees. They 

 lack blood. The Italians are a well 

 tried race; and these, crossed with 

 several other kinds, nuike the best of 

 workers. 



TIIK HIVK 



The beehive is the home and work 

 .shop of a very numerous family. Houses 

 and homes are of endless variety, made 

 to suit the climate. A slight affair may 

 answer for the sunny South ; but for 



THE ITALIAN AND BLACK BROOD. 



Some Comments on Dickel and 

 His Theory. 



BY F. GKKINElt. '" 



THERE is another feature connected 

 with the New York bee disease or 

 black brood which ought to be 

 t)ri)ught out. 



It has been obscu'ved by Prof. Benton 

 aiui the foul-brood inspectors of our 

 State that the Italian bee riisists the 

 disease when the native bee succumbs. 

 This difference between the two races 



