278 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



haps to an extent that would onl}^ 

 prove a stimulant to excessive 

 breeding at an untimely season of 

 the year and we may well inquire 

 whether Ave can aftbrd to be at 

 much expense to effect that result. 

 I have secured a surplus tlie present 

 season of 6,000 lbs. of comb honey 

 , from 300 colonies ; and I calculate 

 that, if the honey flow from which 

 this was obtained had been spread 

 over the entire season, I should 

 have had not only no surplus but 

 that my bees from the continual 

 incitement to breeding would have 

 been in greater need of stores than 

 they now are. So I reason that a 

 honey flow, after basswood is past, 

 that "merely conduces to an in- 

 creased spread of brood, is not very 

 desirable. After colonies once be- 

 come strong in the spring I believe 

 that the greatest profit is to be 

 found in the flow of nectar that 

 comes in floods even though for 

 limited periods. Certain it is that 

 in this way only can we get the 

 finest honey and avoid the rearing 

 of unprofitably large numbers of 

 bees. 



There is certainly much food for 

 thought in the various questions 

 which arise touching the subject 

 upon which beekeepers would do 

 well to ponder. 



It is to be observed that I have 

 written nothing against the raising 

 of plants that are profitable for 

 other purposes than honey, and that 

 I have not been considering the 

 interests of those who make it their 

 business to produce not honey but 

 bees. 



Lctpeer^ Mich. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



TROUBLE WITH THE BEES. 



Mrs. H. Hills. 



If this number of the Apicul- 

 TUKiST does not please all who read 

 it they must be hard to satisfy. 

 Show it to your friends and explain 

 the advantage to those who be- 

 come regular subscribers. 



Mephisto says he is sick and 

 tired of seeing my nonsense in the 

 Api, and he believes the other 

 readers are, also ; I merely referred 

 him to lieadquarters, with his com- 

 plaints. There is a pouring rain 

 this morning, and as I can do noth- 

 ing towards worrying the bees, 

 shall proceed to worry the "keep- 

 ers." 



One thing puzzles me greatly : we 

 have had abundance of fall bloom, 

 since the copious rains, following 

 the protracted drought, and the 

 bees have seemed to work well, al- 

 though the weather has been cool. 

 To my surprise, on opening tlie 

 hives, colony after colony was 

 found, almost absoluteh'^ destitute 

 of stores. When, finally, I opened 

 one, in which, not one single cell 

 of honey could be found, the sight 

 fairly made me shudder. If I 

 should allow a colony of bees to 

 starve, I should be so sick of my- 

 self, that I should want to hide 

 away from sight forever. Never 

 before, have 1 seen empty hives in 

 my apiary ; and never l)efore, have 

 I seen such quantities of brood 

 reared in the fall. If plenty of 

 young bees is a prime factor in 

 successful wintering, certainly they 

 have secured this point. 



Another thing : I have never seen 

 bees so full}' set on robbing, as 

 this season. I have never been 

 troubled with attempts at robbing 

 before, to amount to anything ; 

 but while trying to double up col- 

 onies this fall, have often fancied 

 there was danger. Have also, this 

 fall, received the first complaints 

 from grocery-men as to annoj'ance 

 caused by bees. One day, a bee- 

 keeper from just across the village, 

 a very good triend of mine, came, 

 in all haste, to inquire if my bees 

 were fighting. Finding all quiet, 



