1873.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



227 



the matter over, concluded that I would go and 

 examine the observing hive again, and sure enough 

 there I found her with indubitable signs of mating 

 with a drone. She was then returned to full stock. 

 Now this was conclusive evidence to me that I was 

 mistaken about her having been impregnated at first 

 flight. 



The March number is at hand, and full of good 

 things as usual. I have examined our bees this week, 

 removing straw from caps, replacing honey-boards, 

 and cleaning out hives. I found four stocks dead 

 and one is queenless. " Shallow frames and single 

 walls " will explain the cause of loss of three colonies, 

 the other, a weak swarm in rickety box, I did not 

 expect to bring over after the thermometer stood six- 

 teen degrees below zero. Of the three above referred 

 to, there was plenty of honey in the hives to bring 

 them over, if it had only been in the riffht place, viz : 

 over the cluster, instead of one side. My article in 

 February number, page 178, had exclusive reference 

 to wintering bees on the summer stand. Several 

 years ago I was of the same opinion as " Novice" on 

 " double walls," but the experience of the past three 

 years leads me to adopt "deep frames and double 

 walls," for out-door wintering ; indeed I have been 

 entirely successful during the past two severe winters 

 only where the above conditions were secured. 



Now if Novice don't skip this article, I would just 

 say, don't send another circular with the "thousand 

 and one" necessary articles, as I received the one 

 you sent me not many days after you read my article, 

 or if, on the other hand, Mr. Editor, you think it 

 best that "every candid and serious bee-keeper" 

 should not read this article, please consign it to the 

 waste basket, thereby favoring me, as well as one who 

 thinks he knows it all. 



J. E. Moore. 

 Rochester, Pa., March 14, 1873. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Good Way to Hive a Swarm of Bees. 



As I have not seen any mode or plan of hiving a 

 swarm of bees, similar to mine, in the journals, will 

 state the way I have done it for three years past, 

 hoping it, will give others (that depend on natural 

 swarming) as much satisfaction as it has me. 



First, the hive should be on the stand where it is 

 to remain, with the front edge raised one-half 

 inch to give the bees a good chance to enter. A 

 piece of wide board, or something similar, should be 

 placed in front of the hive, in such a way as to give 

 the bees no trouble in reaching the hive. Have two 

 or three light poles or sticks, of different lengths, to 

 enable you to reach the place where the bees com- 

 mence to cluster, let it be high or low. I use an old 

 broad brimmed, black wool hat hung on the pole for 

 the bees to cluster on — anything that will answer 

 the purpose will do. 



Now you are ready. Look ! the bees are swarming. 

 Wait until they choose a place to cluster. Soon they 

 are clustering on a limb ; see how fast, they are 

 " going for it." Now hold the hat close to the limb 

 and shake it, (the limb,) and you will soon have the 

 bees on the hat. Now walk off with your bees to 

 the hive, shake off a few in front of it ; they will 

 soon commence to march in, when the rest can be 

 shaken off. If you see another swarm issuing before 



they get quiet, cover them with a sheet to keep the 

 other swarm from uniting with them, unless you 

 want to unite them. I find it easier to make the 

 bees cluster the second time if I am not on hand 

 before they all cluster, than to hive them in the usual 

 way, by dislodging a few bees at first until I get a 

 few on the hat, when the rest can be shaken off the 

 limb. 



There are several advantages in clustering in this 

 way : You can hive them much quicker and easier 

 (unless the limb is cut off, which might injure the 

 tree, if a valuable one) ; there is not so much danger 

 of two or more swarms uniting where many bees are 

 kept ; there is no danger of killing the queen or any 

 bees, and you are not so liable to get stung, which is 

 not very pleasant for any one. 



Phineas Loucks. 



Outagamie, Wis. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bee Stings. 



Our worthy editor of the American Bee Journal* 

 says in a recent issue that he has no faith in the 

 virtue of any remedy for bee stings. In this, as the 

 term is generally used, I coincide with him ; but 

 there is and old maxim in philosophy, and a very 

 true one it is, that if you can remove the cause the 

 effect will cease ; and it follows that if you can 

 remove the poison from a sting you will not be much 

 troubled by_the consequences. This I think you can 

 do. I always advise applying the barrel of a large 

 sized key to the sting and pressing it firmly for a few 

 seconds. You will find, upon withdrawing the key, 

 that a small drop of a clear liquid has issued from 

 the wound. If you would like. to know whether this 

 is poison or not, smell it or taste it and you will 

 soon find out. The key should be applied until no 

 poison follows its application. I would add that, 

 like most physicians, I seldom use my own prescrip- 

 tions. It is only when I get a reminder on the face, 

 and particularly on the forehead, that I think it worth 

 while to use a key, and then it is only on account of 

 the swelling. If I were to get a sting over the eye 

 in the afternoon, I would expect to rise the next 

 morning with one or both eyes closed. By applying 

 the key the swelling is next to nothing. 



Rusticus. 

 Bucks C<j., Pa. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Questions and Answers. 



I bespeak your indulgence while I ask a few 

 questions. I will not, like Mr. Freeman "call Gallup 

 up in particular," but would like to have any one 

 that knows positively answer. 1st. Do (perfect) 

 queens ever kill one another by stinging ? If so, 

 how can I manage them to witness the operation ? 

 2d. Is the little dark spot or speck in the centre of 

 the first yellow band of the Italian workers positive 

 evidence of impurity ? If so, where can the " Simon 

 Pure" be obtained? 3d. How can I manage to 

 extract honey from brood combs, with the larvae but 

 three days old, without extracting also the food 



* It is not the editor of the Journal, but Novice, who expresses 

 this view. We must not be held as endorsing all that we insert 

 in these columns. — Eo, 



