1901 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



153 



for some reason, I know not what, I 

 have a distaste for them. I use them 

 after the honey is off the hives, but not 

 before. One ought to have a good smoker, 

 well fired up, before undertaking to 

 remove honey from the hives. Among 

 the almost endless variety of smokers I 

 take nothing but a brass Bingham, and 

 the larger the better. No one could run 

 fast enough to give me one of those fifty- 

 cent affairs. 



Before removing any honey, number 

 every hive (unless it has been previously 

 done) and the supers to correspond, so 

 that a complete memorandum may be 

 taken as each super is emptied and 

 inspected. This is to ascertain the 

 quality of workmanship displayed by 

 each colony, which is quite necessary in 

 order that the best colonies may be se- 

 lected for breeders. 



Pry up the super cover and blow in a 

 few whiffs of smoke. Cover it again 

 with a wet blanket, which should be 

 considerably larger than the top of the 

 hive. Lift up one side of the blanket, 

 and after blowing a good lot of smoke 

 under it, begin flopping it up and down, 

 thus driving the smoke into every pas- 

 sage. After doing this several limes the 

 bees will be found to have beaten a hasty 

 retreat. Now pry the super loose and 

 remove it from the hive, giving it several 

 vigorous shakes, thus shaking out any 

 bees that may be remaining. Generally 

 the super will be pretty well cleared of 

 bees by now. It is best, however, to 

 stack them up in a corner of the apiary 

 as high as you can reach, standing on 

 the ground. There should be a bee- 

 escape at the top and bottom. If left to 

 stand thus for an hour or so, every last 

 bee will leave. 



It is amazing to know that even now 

 there are people who believe that bees 

 can be handled best when it is cool. I 

 have also known people to go so far as 

 to handle them by night. I once knew 

 an old gentleman to get up so early to 

 remove some honey from a hive that he 

 had every good reason to expect the bees 



to be not yet awake, and too sleepy, of 

 course (?) to sting. 



One has to work quite fast in order to 

 drive as many bees as possible out of the 

 supers. When bees have to leave their 

 honey they will always try to carry a 

 full load with them; and they will not 

 hesitate to tear off the beautiful white 

 capping and spoil the appearance of the 

 honey, if allowed to linger in the super. 



It has been quite dry here, but I think 

 our crop will come up to the average. 



Hurricane, Ark. 



The losses and crosses 



Be lessons right severe, 



There's wit there, ye'll get there, 



Ye'll find nae other where. — Burns. 



"An honest confession is good for the 

 soul," and the Hutchinson strain of 

 three-band Italian bees for gentleness 

 and business; and hence I offer untested 

 queens from this superior stock at 75 cts. 

 each, six for $4.00, or !87.50 per dozen,' 

 and Goldens bred from select stock at the 

 sime price. Money order office Warren- 

 ton, N. C. W. H. PRIDGEN, 

 7-2t Creek, Warren Co., N. C. 



Bee-keepers are Careless. 



Albany, July 30. — Commissioner of 

 Agriculture Wieting reports that up to 

 July 20 the four agents inspecting bees 

 under the charge of the Department of 

 Agriculture have examined 416 apiaries, 

 embracing 13,393 colonies. Of this num- 

 ber 239 apiaries were found more or less 

 infected with black or foul brood, and 

 1,834 colonies were condemned to de- 

 struction, or to be treated with such rem- 

 edies as have been found effective. Com- 

 missioner Wieting makes the following 

 statement concerning the work: "Were 

 it not for the carelessness and negligence 

 on the part of so many bee-keepers, the 

 Department would feel that it could 

 soon suppress the prevailing contagious 

 diseases among bees in this State." 



