THE AMERICA^ BEE JOURNAL. 



53 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Young Queen issuing with First Swarm. 



As I clip the wings of all my young queens, 

 I was much surprised, on returning home one 

 evening this spring, to find that a hybrid stock 

 had cast a strong swarm, which had clustered 

 and had been hived without any trouble, evi- 

 dently having a queen that could fly perfectly. 



The swarm had been put in a swarming box, 

 and on shaking them out into a hive, I found a 

 black virgin queen, very small and active. I 

 then opened the parent hive, and found a queen 

 cell with the cap cut entirely olF, showing that 

 the queen had left it some hours before ; and on 

 the same comb I saw the old Italian queen, with 

 her wings clipped. 



I have never before heard of an instance of a 

 first swarm leaving with a young queen ; and 

 suppose the old queen must have attempted to 

 go, and finding, after the bees were on the 

 wing, that she was unable to tly, returned to 

 the hive ; the young queen having in the mean- 

 time hatched out, left with the swarm. 



D. M. WoRTniNGTON. 



Elkridge, Mo., July 29, 18G8. 



[For the American Bee Journal. ] 



Last week I opened a nucleus in which I had 

 put two Italian queen cells so closely joined as 

 not to be safely separated. I found the queens 

 both hatched, and on the same card ; and while 

 one was trying to hide herself, she attempted to 

 crawl under the other. And, further, while 

 one was finely marked, the other was as black 

 as the blackest. The swarm that the brood was 

 taken from is as handsome a swarm of Italians 

 as there probably is in this State. 



L. C. Fairbanks. 



Appleton, Wis. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Honey Substitute Wanted. 



I would like to inquire through the Journal 

 what is the best substitute for honey to feed 

 bees, to carry them through the winter ; be- 

 cause if we do not have more rain soon the bees 

 will not get honey enough to winter; they have 

 not gathered as much honey as they consumed, 

 only from the 20th of June to about the 5th of 

 July. 



Although the white clover was in full bloom 

 from the 1st of June, the bees did not work 

 much on it before the 20th ; and the weather is 

 so dry now that buckwheat does not yield any 

 honey. But the sweet or Melilot clover has 

 yielded honey through all the dry weather. 

 Unfortunately, I have only about a rod square 

 of it; but on that the bees work from early 

 morn until late in the evening. 



R. R. Murphy. 



Fulton, Ills. 



The worker bees would all rather die of star- 

 vation, than let their queen suffer want. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Another Battle of Bees. 



The Cause in one Instance, and tiie Reme- 

 dy USED FOR TIIE SAME. 



On my arrival home in a time of drouth, and 

 scarcity of forage for bees, I found the doors of 

 the dwelling house closed, and no travelling of 

 man or beast near the apiary. Fifty hives out 

 of three hundred were having a battle, with 

 more hives joining in every minute, of those 

 nearest the scene of action, though setting four 

 feet apart, four inches high. 



The cause of the war was, a swarm had star- 

 ved out and deserted its hive, and attempted to 

 enter another. The odor of the poison from the 

 stinging assailants and the assailed, could be 

 smelled by other hives standing near. The bees 

 of these pitched in for war, and were fast get- 

 ting the whole apiary maddened, when I arri- 

 ved at the scene of action. It took but a few 

 moments to put on a bee-hat and gloves, which 

 are seldom needed except in extreme cases like 

 this. Then using smoke of rotten wood for all 

 the hives at war, I again discarded hat and 

 gloves and inserted the different mints, burnt 

 coffee, onions, whiskey, tobacco, burnt rags, or 

 anything that would change the scent of the 

 hives of robbers. If by any mishap any bees 

 are crushed, or they leave any poison on the 

 hive or on the person or clothes, blow some 

 smoke over the places, as it will disguise the 

 smell of the sting. In case of an attack on man 

 or beast, use smoke, the stronger the better — 

 such as that of burning tar, feathers, rags, or 

 tobacco. For the stings, use strong spirituous 

 liquor, internally and externally. Ammonia is 

 good as a wash. Water is the base of the sol- 

 vents, and is therefore good. 



J. M. Marvin. 



St. Charles, Ills. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Harrison Bee-Feeder. 



On the 25th of of July, I received from Mr. 

 Edward Harrison, a sample of his bee-feeders, 

 with the request to test them with mine. After 

 testing and taking all things into consideration, 

 I cannot say which is the best. 



As a feeder for a starving colony, I do not 

 believe one better than the other. 



But as a feeder to stimulate a colony in the 

 spring or summer — one having plenty of stores 

 in the main hive — his may posssibly be the 

 best. 



As a combined feeder and waterer, the one 

 described by me, in the July number of the 

 American Bee Journal, I prefer. 



In every case those having bees, and wishing 

 to feed or stimulate, will find-the Harrison Bee- 

 Feeder a good one, and as a feeder all that 

 can be desired. Which is really the best, I 

 leave to others and time to decide. 



John M. Price. 



Buffalo Grove, Iowa. 



