THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



89 



[From the (London) Gardener's Chronicle.] 



Dark Honey.— Honey Dew. 



I have taken off some honey comb in two 

 supers, of a particularly dark color ; the honey 

 being nearly as black as ink, and having a pecu- 

 liar taste. I am inclined to attribute this to 

 honey dew, which was very abundant about a 

 fortnight previously ; and which being deposi- 

 ted principally on the lime tree leaves, that had 

 become thoroughly ingrained with soot, was 

 the cause of the very dark color of the honey 

 ttored in the supers. 



I may add that several of my apiarian neigh- 

 bors have had to complain of the same peculiar- 

 ity in the color and taste of their honey taken 

 at the same period. 



On the 22d ult., however, we had a heavy 

 thunder storm, since which the bees have been 

 very busy, collecting large quantities of honey. 

 One hive increased in weight to the extent of 5 

 lbs. 10 oz. in the course of twenty -four hours. 

 Tliis supply, I have no doubt, was obtained 

 chiefly from honey dew on the sycamore trees ; 

 aud I am pleased to observe that it is of a bright 

 pale yellow color — a great contrast to that pre- 

 viously obtained. We have usually prided our- 

 selves on the beautiful pale, almost transparent, 

 color of our honey ; and were both astonished 

 and disappointed on discovering the quality and 

 appearance of that taken by us this year. 



D. D. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Honey Substitute. 



Would not the candy, made as recommended 

 by Mr. Langstroth in his book on '■'■The Hive 

 and the Honey-Bee" page 272 of third edition, 

 answer the desired purpose? He says the Rev. 

 Mr. Weigel, of Silesia, recommends plain sugar- 

 candy as a substitute for liquid honey. Four 

 pounds of candy will, it is said, sustain a colony 

 having scarcely any winter stores, if they are 

 supplied with water. 



To make the candy for bee-feed, add water to 

 the sugar, and clarify the syrup with eggs. Put 

 about a teaspoonful of cream of tartar totwenty 

 pounds of sugar, and boil until the water is suf- 

 ficiently evaporated. To know when it is done, 

 dip your finger first into cold water, and then 

 into the syrup. If what adheres is brittle when 

 chewed, it is boiled enough. Pour it into shal- 

 low pans, slightly greased, and when cold, break 

 it into pieces of suitable size. After boiling, 

 balm or any other flavor agreeable to bees, may 

 be put into the syrup. 



To supply the water with the least trouble to 

 yourself and bees, provide bee-feeders, made as 

 described by me in the July and September num- 

 bers of the Bee Journal. If those having bees 

 will read Mr. Langstroth's book carefully, and 

 make one of the bee. feeders, he will see that he 

 has the means of safely and cheaply wintering 

 his bees. J. M. Price. 



Buffalo Grove, Iowa. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Cure for Bee Stings. 



On the 12th of July, my youngest son, twelve 

 years of age, was stung by a honey-bee on the 

 side of the neck, just below the ear. In about, 

 five minutes, the ears, lips, hands, lace, feet, 

 and, in fact, every portion of his body, swelled 

 up like a puff, all turning purple, and he com- 

 plained of excessive pain about the heart. I im- 

 mediately put him in a wet sheet pack, and he 

 was relieved at once, got up iu thirty minutes, 

 and went to church. I presume that a cold- 

 water bath would have answered as well. 



I saw in the papers a case that occurred in 

 Missouri of a man being stung by four or five 

 bees, sitting down on the door-step, and dying 

 in forty minutes. Here is another case. In the 

 next county east of me, a man was stung by a 

 single bee on the side of the neck, and died in 

 forty minutes. 



The peculiarities of my son's case were these: 

 He is, and always has been, perfectly healthy; 

 but the weither was extremely hot, the ther- 

 mometer being up to 110° Fahrenheit in the 

 shade. It was during this extremely hot weather 

 that the other two cases mentioned occurred. 



In consequenoe of those two cases, quite a 

 number of bee-keepers have got rid of their bees, 

 and gone out of the business in disgust. But I 

 think they are a little too fast. Who would 

 think of not using a horse because some one had 

 died in consequence of being kicked? Or who 

 would refuse to use milk or butter because some 

 one had been gored to death by a cow? 



For fear that some may not understand my 

 remedy, I will explain. Have about three quilts 

 or comfortables spread on a bed. Then wet a 

 sheet in cold water, wring it, and spread it on 

 the former. Next wet another sheet, and wring 

 out the water that it will not drip. Spread this 

 on the first sheet. Now strip the patient to the 

 skin, lay him on the wet sheets on his back, and 

 fold them about him so that they will touch 

 every part of his body except the face. Fold up 

 the quilts or comfortables about him in the same 

 manner, and put wet cloths on the face and fore- 

 head. Let him lie there for thirty minutes, and 

 he will be all right. A bath might answer as 

 well, but sheets are almost always at hand. Any 

 person who understands the water-cure knows 

 what effect the wet sheets have, and also knows 

 that it is almost instantaneous. 



Elisha Gallup. 



Osage, Iowa. 



The Septuagint has the following eulogiumon 

 the honey-bee, Proverbs vi, 8, which is not 

 found in the Hebrew Scriptures: "Go to the 

 bee, and learn how diligent she is, and what a 

 noble work she produces; Avhose labors kings 

 and private men use for their health. She is 

 desired and honored by all, and though weak 

 in strength, yet, since she values wisdom, she 

 prevails." — Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. 



Bees dislike the smell of crabs and lobsters. 



