1872.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



209 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Italians in Supers. 



Mr. Editor : — In the November number of 

 the Bee Journal the report of the Michigan Bee- 

 keepers' Convention makes me say that "Italian 

 bees could not be made to work in boxes. This 

 is a great mistake. Thanks to Mr. Grimm for 

 expressing liis doubt in the Janua)'y number of 

 my being the author. I suppose the large 

 amount of box honey made by Italian bees -which 

 he saw at my home apiary a few years ago is his 

 reason for the doubt. 



Any one having the proper knowledge can get 

 more box honey from any Italian bees I have 

 seen yet than from black bees. I can get all the 

 extracted honey taken out of the hive put back 

 again in boxes if desirable. All beekeepers 

 should acquire the knowledge to manage any 

 stock or variety of bees in any condition, so as 

 to have all the different departments of labor 

 carried on with perfect success. If any colony 

 need wax it can be supplied by causing them to 

 secrete it. The cappings of the honey combs, 

 wax standing in the sun partially melted, and 

 melted wax cooled off w th sugar grains, to keep 

 the particles of wax separate, can be used as a 

 substitute in a hurrying time. Of course none 

 but experts will know when it is needed, or how 

 it is used. 



It has yet to be satisfactorily proven by dis- 

 interested apiarians that the light colored, 

 "beautiful, gentle Italian bee that does not 

 sting" will not secrete as much or more wax, or 

 not work in boxes as well as the dark Italians 

 or the black bees. The common reason why 

 some fail to get the Italians to work in boxes as 

 well as the blacks is they work earlier in the 

 spring, later in the fall, and in cool atmosphere, 

 wlien the blacks do not. The nights being cool, 

 and few bees in the hive at the time, they store 

 the honey in the centre of the hive. If the honey 

 is extracted at the right time, or the combs 

 changed with the cold blooded blacks it will 

 benefit these as well as the Italians. The ex- 

 tracted honey will be clear gain. 



Mr. Grimm says on same page : " box honey is 

 most convenient for transportation to market." 

 This i^' certainly not the case in tliis section, as 

 we have to accompany our shipments of box 

 honey and handle with great care to keep it from 

 breakage and stealings. This is not so necessary 

 with extracted. The arctic explorers, or the 

 shippers to cold climates, would surely choose a 

 well cured, good, solid article of extracted 

 honey. All dealers would certainly dispense 

 with boxes and wax if they acquire the knowl- 

 edge, and more especially in tlie tropics. How 

 will it be with boxes with wax combs ? Does it 

 break in the cold? Or does the moth worm 

 hatch out of wax in hot climates ? Saying 

 nothing about packing of boxes of combs for the 

 market, or the rough handling, or the smashing 

 np, or the leaking, or the stealing of the boxes 

 by railroad or boatmen . 



Having sold our honey, and owning no right 

 to sell hives, we have nothing in the bee line to 



sell. Will advertise in the Bee Journal when we 

 do have. 



Correspondents, sending us questions, when 

 the information requested is all on their side, 

 may send stamp, or we may answer only in the 

 Bee Journal. 



J. M. Marvin. 



8t. Charles, Ills. 



[For the Aniericau Bee Journal.] 



The Monarda-punctata. 



Mr. Editor : — You must excuse me for troub- 

 ling you again about that bee plant ihe-monardor- 

 punctata. 



I was out again and gathered about three 

 ounces of the seed, which took me about one- 

 half of a day to gather and rub out. I made 

 more particular inquiries about the plant, this 

 time. 



It blooms the second year. 



Mr. Bailey, who lives in that vicinity, and has 

 kept bees for the last fourteen years, has not lost 

 a swarm in the winter during that time, and at- 

 tributes his success in wintering his bees, mainly 

 to the monarda-punctata. 



He had a swarm come off on the 3d of August, 

 this year, which has filled its hive with coml) and 

 honey from this plant, and is in good condition 

 for wintering. 



Other beekeepers in the vicinity seem to be 

 equally successful. Inclosed find a sample of 

 honey from this plant, kindly presented by Mr. 

 Bailey ; who thinks it is nearly pure, as there 

 were scai cely any other plants in the vicinity 

 from which honey could be obtained. 



This plant produces honey in abundance, and 

 is in bloom from the middle of July until frost 

 comes in the fall. 



Bees in other localities about here (except 

 where there was buckwheat) have not done so 

 well. From the middle of July they seemed to 

 be falling off in weight, and are not as heavy at 

 the present time, as they were in July. I think 

 that accounts for so many stocks dying in winter, 

 except in the district where the monarda abounds. 



I think the name horse-mint will mislead a 

 good many. The horse-mint of this country 

 grows all over the State, even amongst the mo- 

 narda. It grows about three feet high, and bees 

 do not work on it here. It has only one head on 

 each branch. I think this is probably the horse- 

 balm. James McClay. 



Madison, Wis., Oct. 14, 1871. 



The sample of honey from the monarda, 

 accompanying this communication, is a beauti- 

 fully transparent, slightly amber colored, and 

 well-flavored article. The introduction of the 

 plant in suitable soils, would doubtless be advan- 

 tageous to bee-culture, if it yields honey as 

 abundantly as represente^l . We should be pleased 

 to. receive a specimen of the other plant, called 

 horse-mint in that country. — [Ed. 



A Kansas bee tree yielded 300 pounds of 

 honey. 



