THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



9 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



An Anecdote. 



Mil. Editor :— Tf you do not think the fol- 

 lowing-worth publishing, just throw it in the 

 waste paper basket ; I shall not complain. 



About six years ago, last winter, an agent 

 engaged in selling a patent bee hive, came to my 

 house, lie had a model, made and finished off 

 in the best workmanlike style. It was indeed 

 a beautiful thing to look at. He very kindly 

 showed me all its advantages, but none of its 

 disadvantages. He said he had been a practi- 

 cal student of apiarian science for several years; 

 that, after much research and experiment, he 

 had invented the only hive known that was per- 

 fectly adapted to the wauls and habits of bees. 

 TheLangstroth hive, he said, had some reputa- 

 tion, though it was nothing but a humbug. He 

 told me that beeswax was crystallized honey, 

 and how many pounds it took to make a pound 

 of wax ; and that the bees produced it by eating 

 very plentifully of honey. He said a part of 

 the bees worked on the cells as builders, another 

 part labored in working up and preparing the 

 wax as a mason works his mortar, and the other 

 part acted as hod-carriers and delivered it to 

 the builders. He then soared into the higher 

 regions of apiarian science ; said he had otten 

 seen the queen and the drone in the act of cop- 

 ulation ; and could tell whether a queen was 

 fertilized or not, as soon as he looked at her. 

 He then gave me a minute description of the 

 internal organs and 'unctions of the queen, the 

 drone, and the worker l>ee ; and many otkat 

 wonderful things which I do not now recoil* ct. 



I told him I had been keeping a few bees for 

 a number of years, and though I had been try- 

 ing to learn, I had only learned enough to know 

 that there were many things in the internal 

 economy of the bee hive that I did not know 

 anything about. I then asked — how many legs 

 has a bee ? He answered four. How many 

 wings? Two. Very well ; there is one thing 

 more that I wish to know, how does it happen 

 that you know so much about bees, both scien- 

 tifically and practically, and things too which 

 no human eye can see, even with the aid of a 

 microscope, and j r et there are other things 

 plainly visible to the naked eye, which j r ou do 

 not know '? If I can see right a bee has six legs 

 and four wings. This he would not believe or 

 admit, till I procured a few bees and gave him 

 ocular demonstration of the truth of my asser- 

 tion. He then said 1 had a differenl breed of 

 bees from any he had ever seen, and, judging 

 by these numerous legs and wing-, they 

 fie a very superior race; and he thought that 

 in}- superior race of bees and his superior hive 

 would work wonders. Now, said I, my friend, 

 you say that beeswax is crystallized honey. By 

 parity of reasoning you would be bound to ad- 

 mit that tallow is crystallized grass, for every 

 one knows that the ox by feeding plentifully on 

 grass produces (allow. If you can demonstrate 

 to me that tallow is crystallized grass, and tell 

 in how many pounds of grass it "takes to make 

 a pound of tallow, I shall have more confidence 

 in your scientific apiarian knowledge. He de- 

 camped immediately. 



SntiNGFiELD, III. W. Y. Singleton. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



To Supersede Black Queens. 



Anyone who, when trying to Italianize a 

 stock, has had as much trouble to find the black 

 queen as I have had, will be glad if some plan 

 can be devised to avoid this tedious and often 

 fruit less search. 



To those using the movable comb hive, I 

 would suggest the following method. Give two 

 swarms a little tobacco smoke, to alarm them. 

 Then take out the frames from those hives, and 

 brush all the bees back into the hives. Now 

 divide the combs containing honey and brood 

 into three equal parts, and shake all the bees 

 into one hive, giving them one-third of the 

 combs. Place this doubled swarm on a new 

 R'and. Put the rest of the combs, equally 

 divided, into two hives; set them on the 

 old stands; and into each insert an Italian 

 queen cell ; or, as soon as the bees return in 

 sufficient numbers to prevent a queen from 

 leaving, give each hive an Italian queen, tem- 

 porarily eaged. 



The doubled swarm will soon destroy one of 

 the black queens. 



When wishing to increase the number of 

 swarms, I see no reason why this plan will not 

 be safe and effective. 



The bees will be too much alarmed to quar- 

 rel ; but should they be so disposed, a little 

 smoke will subdue them. 



If you are afraid to risk a new and valuable 

 qn-'en, you can let the hives stand till all the 

 eggs are past being converted into queens ; 

 then cut out all the queen cells and your Italian 

 queen will be safe with them. 



If not wishing to increase the number of your 

 swarms, add the bees from a strong hive to 

 those of a weak one, smoking both of them 

 thoroughly in the process. Place the hive from 

 which you have taken the bees, with the combs 

 and brood in it, on the old stand ; and in a few 

 hours you will have a good swarm without a 

 queen, unless you have already introduced one 

 Cor them. The weak swarm will be strength- 

 ened by the young bees which will remain in 

 their new quarters. L. C. Whiting. 



East Saginaw, Mien. 



[For the American Beo Journal.] 



Hunting Wild Bees. 



The following letter from Mr. Gallup, in reply 

 to inquiries about searching for "bee-trees" in 

 forests, has been communicated to us, and will 

 doubtless interest such of our readers as reside 

 in wooded districts, and are not familiar with 

 this kind of " prospecting :" 



Mu. Merrill :— Your letter is at hand, and 

 in answer to your inquiries will say that I have 

 hud some experience in hunting bees. The old 

 saying is that bees always go in a direct line to 

 the tree ; but that is not always so. They do 

 not fly in a straight line against a strong head 

 wind, but tack right, and left, the same' as a ship 

 at sea with a head wind, In your case of find- 



