1900 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



189 



ing eleven. The frames of brood 

 removed are alternated with frames of 

 sections in the surplus tray, which is 

 placed upon the hive over the brood 

 chamber. Between each frame of brood 

 and sections I use my novelty separator, 

 and as soon as the bees begin work in 

 tlie sections I shake all bees from the 

 frames of brood and give the brood to 

 colonies that need it; but if the colony 

 is too strong I take brood and adhering 

 bees and form nuclei with them. In 

 this way swarming is prevented; I have 

 no swarms at all. 

 South Wales, N.Y. 



NOTES FROM THE KEYSTONE 

 STATE. 



M. F. REEVE. 

 THE APRICOT FOR EARLY POLLEN. 



There is a Russian apricot tree just 

 alongside of my little collection of bees 

 at Rutledge. It bloomed profusely early 

 last spring, long before any other fruit 

 trees, and afforded a source of pollen 

 and nectar for the brood even as early 

 as the willows and gooseberries, it seem- 

 ed to me. The tree was tilled almost at 

 daylight with the musical hum of the 

 host of bees, and up to nightfall they 

 were buzzing among the branches. The 

 effect in the setting of the fruit was, of 

 course, in proportion, but insect pests 

 damaged the crop. I desisted from 

 spraying on account of the possible 

 injury to the workers, which might re- 

 sort to the tree, for moisture even after 

 the fruit had "set," although their 

 supply generally comes from a run 

 about a block away. I would advise the 

 planting of the Russian apricot in local- 

 ities where early pollen is deficient. 



ALARMED OVER FOUL BROOD. 



There was considerable alarm among 

 the members of the Philadelphia Bee- 

 keepers' Association at the July " out- 

 ing" at an apiary at Collingdale, when 

 it became noised about that " black 

 brood" had made its appearance in at 

 least two apiaries in suburban Phila- 



delphia, and fears were expressed that 

 the disease had also gained, a foothold 

 among the colonies of the host. The 

 discovery was made subsequently, how- 

 ever, that the supposed dead brood was 

 very lively and hatched out. all right, ?o 

 the owner demonstrated by exhibiting 

 some of the '•hatching" cells several 

 days later on. It appeared in the dis- 

 cussion at the " outing" that the infec- 

 tion had come from bees purchased from 

 an infected colony of something like 200 

 hives in the suburbs of Philadelphia. 

 There was a disposition manifested in 

 certain directions to keep the "foul 

 brood " matter quiet, a step which some 

 of the others regarded as a mistake. 



The host gave a demonstration of 

 queen-rearing by the Alley improved 

 system, which was appreciated by those 

 who saw it. 



Rutledge, Pa. 



PREPARATION FOR WINTER. 



REV. C. M. HERRING. 



During the warm days in autumn 

 every colony of bees that lacks stores for 

 wintering should be fed on syrup made 

 of the best of sugar, four pounds to one 

 quart of water brought to a boil. Win- 

 tering in a barn chamber or closed-up 

 out-house is not best, for it affords no 

 let-up on warm days. 



It is much better to have the hives 

 outdoors if they are protected, where a 

 warm change in the weather will give 

 the bees an opportunity to change the 

 locality of their cluster nearer to their 

 stores. 



It is the let-up in the weather that 

 makes the difference, without which, as 

 in a cold, tight building, the bees unable 

 to move out from the cluster by reason 

 of the cold, to get at their stores, will 

 starve while there is plenty of food in 

 the cold, remote parts of the hive. 



In the cellar it is not so when kept at 

 a temperature of about 38 degrees. If 

 the cellar is dry, well ventilated and 

 (lark, it is the best place for the bees 



