160 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[For the American Boo Journal.] 



Honey Dews. 



While working under a young white oak tree 

 one clay last summer, I heard an unusual hum- 

 ming above, as if produced by a swarm of hees. 



Looking upward, I found that the noise was 

 occasioned by bees, and that the leaves were 

 coated with a sweet varnish, which I immedi- 

 ately concluded to be honey dew. Having read 

 Quinby's theory as to these dews being the ex- 

 udation from a species of plant louse, I climbed 

 the tree, to see if I could rind any evidence in 

 favor of his conclusions. 



The under leaves were all covered with the 

 dew, but had no sign of insects; but when I 

 reached the top I found no dew, but on the un- 

 der side of the leaves were a number of green 

 and white insects, varying in size from that of a 

 musquito to so small as to be scarcely visible. 

 I further noticed that where the leaves were very 

 close together, there was but little if any dew ; 

 but where they were fully exposed to the sun, 

 the species appeared to make no difference, all 

 being covered alike. 



C. E. Thorne. 



Selma, Ohio. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bees. 



As it is sometime since we wrote anything in 

 the interest of beekeepers, for the Bee Jour- 

 nal, we hope you will, if compatible with their 

 interest, give publicity to the following items 

 about bees : 



The winter so far with us, has been one of 

 moderate severity upon bees; the weather being 

 of such a character as to prevent them from 

 leading the hives to discharge their faeces, while 

 it was warm and temperate enough to allow 

 them to change their position among the combs. 

 Nine-tenths of the bees in this locality (except- 

 ing Italians) are ill provided with honey, for 

 the winter, the past summer having been the 

 most unpropitious for honey we have expe- 

 rienced for years. The continued cloudy and 

 rainy Aveather during the fruit blossoms pre- 

 vented the bees from getting a supply of honey 

 nt a time when it was so necessary to the pro- 

 duction of brood, and so completely disconcerted 

 their arrangements for swarming, that they 

 scarcely recovered from it the whole summer. 

 The consequence is that only the very strongest 

 of black colonies, and such as were fed in the 

 tall, will survive the winter. Our stock being 

 mostly Italian, are better provided for, and we 

 expect to take the most of them through. 



We have hitherto had considerable difficulty 

 in getting our stock pure, as many of the queens 

 we purchased from venders to breed from, were 

 tainted with black blood. True the progeny of 

 some of them were characterised by three yellow 

 bands, but the third band was so imperfect, or 

 indistinct, as scarcely to be seen; while the ap- 

 pearance of the abdomen from those bands to its 



point, differed very little from that of the black 

 bee. 



We received a queen bee last summer from 

 Mr. A. Grey, of Reily, Butler Co., Ohio, which 

 we believe would have been a prize, had we been 

 so fortunate as to save her. But we lost her in 

 introducing her in the second hive. We were 

 lucky enough, however, to succeed in raising 

 three queens from her, two of which, we be- 

 lieve mated with Italian drones. At least we 

 hope so. 



JLJut of all the queens in our possession, the 

 one we esteem most highly is one Ave received 

 from Mr. Adam Grimm, of Jefferson, Wis., 

 which was selected by him for us, in considera- 

 tion of our pajing him one dollar in addition to 

 the published price, for the extra selection. 

 This queen produces the brightest and prettiest 

 progeny Ave ever saw, and we would not take 

 one hundred dollars and do without her. I de- 

 sire to return my thanks to Mr. Grimm for so 

 valuable and handsome a queen, and hope that 

 he will be so kind as to favor me, next summer, 

 with another of the same sort. 



As long articles are tedious to both publisher 

 and readers, I will close the present remarks 

 With the promise to give the Bee Journal and 

 its readers, hereafter, a synopsis of my expe- 

 rience in the art of feeding and wintering bees. 

 John L. McLean. 



Richmond, Ohio. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Straw Movable Comb Hives. 



Referring to the notice of the straw n:ovable 

 comb hive in the August number of the Bee 

 Journal, allow me to say that I would have 

 given detailed directions for making, had I not 

 feared that, without a model, such directions 

 would be of little service. Even with a hive 

 before him, a new beginner, not accustomed to 

 Avork in straw, would probably find difficulty 

 in making one. Will not Mr. Van Slyke, who 

 is acquainted with the hive and its construction, 

 gi\-e some account of its adaptation ? 



It is the perfect Langstroth hive, only substi- 

 tuting rye straw as the material in place of 

 Avood. If bee-keepers desire to make a trial of 

 it, I will deliver a working model at the Ex- 

 press office here, directed to any address, on re- 

 ceipt of five dollars ; the hive to be of full 

 size, containing nine frames, and to be accom- 

 panied with full instructions. By clubbing and 

 ordering a hive, the cost to each member will 

 not be much. If a hive, Avith frames of special 

 dimensions be desired, the length and depth of 

 frame should be stated when oideriug. 



What Mr. Davis desires from me he will find 

 in the Patent Office Report for 1865; the claim 

 in vol. 1, and the diagram in vol. 2, No. 47, 109. 



W. Henchen. 

 Bloomington Ferry, Minn. 



Healthy bees preserve their hives free fiom 

 filth, and are ready always to defend them 

 against every enemy that approaches. 



