196 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



should be glad to know what their observa- 

 tions are on the subject. Honey dew is not the 

 right name for the substance which I have tried 

 to describe. I always see dew as clear as dis- 

 tilled water, and should just as soon expect to 

 find a salt deic as a honey dew. 



Remedy for Bee-Stings. 



I have found the following to be the best rem- 

 edy that I have ever tried. First, extract the 

 sting ; then wash the part with cold water, rub- 

 bing it well for half a minute ; then rub with a 

 dry towel for half a minute more, then apply 

 about one-fourth of a teaspoonful of spirits of 

 camphor, and rub for another half minute. 



Morris Smith. 



New Salem, Ohio. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



In a private letter received from Mr. J. H. 

 Thomas, he says — " I am much pleased with 

 the Bee Journal. Would not do without it 

 for three times its cost. I feel inclined to with- 

 draw my correspondence from other papers, and 

 write more for the Journal, &c, &c." "My 

 sentiments exactly." Good. Don't let that in- 

 clination die out. We all ought to feel a pride 

 in our own institutions, and if all of our old 

 bee-keepers of large practical experience will 

 contribute something of their views and expe- 

 rience to the columns of the Journal it will 

 become still more interesting. Now, what shall 

 we do to bring out Mr. Quinby, Mr. Lang- 

 stroth, Mr. Baldridge, Mr. Marvin, Mr. Alley, 

 Mr. Cary, Mrs. Tupper, and a host of others ? 

 Here, gentlemen and ladies, I will give you a 

 very polite invitation to contribute some of 

 your experience in bee-keeping for the Bee 

 Journal ; and if you do not accept the invita- 

 tion, I do not know but I shall send Gallup 

 after you with a sharp stick, to challenge you 

 to open an ink fight on the bee question. I will 

 freely give up my space in the Journal to more 

 experienced pens. 



E. Gallup. 



Osage, Iowa. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Red Clover and Italian Bees. 



Numerous articles have already been written 

 on the subject — some writers contending that 

 Italian bees gather honey plentifully from this 

 plant, and others maintaining the contrary. Pos- 

 sibly I may be able to submit some observations 

 that will conduce to an elucidation of this seem- 

 ing puzzle. 



Red clover belongs to an order of plants 

 yielding honey only in peculiarly favorable 

 states of weather. Even the other clovers do 

 not at all times secrete honey when in bloom. 

 Hence when the largest fields of red clover are 

 in blossom, but the blossoms do not secrete 

 honey, it is of course impossible for the bees to 

 gather any therefrom. But whenever the wea- 



ther is favorable to the secretion of honey, and 

 the nectaries of the blossom are filled therewith, 

 these will be visited by the bees — not indeed 

 by the Italians alone, but by the black bees 

 also, though the latter will be the smaller num- 

 ber. On the other hand, when honey is not 

 secreted in the blossoms, we shall not only see 

 no bees upon them, but also no humble bees, no 

 butterflies or other other honey-loving insects. 

 Last spring the white clover in this neighbor- 

 hood was not visited by bees before the 20th of 

 June, simply because till then the blossoms 

 contained no nectar. The same was found to 

 be the case with Swedish clover, in several 

 places last summer. 



I will also notice a striking instance of Ital- 

 ian versus black bees. Last summer I had a 

 field of late buckwheat close to my apiary, 

 which yielded honey plentifully for some time. 

 Though I had then only a few stocks of black 

 bees remaining, the great majority of the bees 

 visiting the buckwheat were blacks — the Italians 

 finding at that time ample and more acceptable 

 pasturage elsewhere, though at a greater dis- 

 tance. Whether this was red clover or some 

 other blooming plant, \ am unable to say ; but 

 know that they very speedily refilled the emp- 

 tied combs returned to them. Buckwheat, too, 

 belongs to an order of plants, yielding honey 

 plentifully only at favorable times and on favor- 

 ble soils — furnishing as far as I am aware, the 

 largest supplies only on sandy soils. The ouly 

 blossom which here yields honey on every kind 

 of soil and season, is that of the Liuden tree, 

 though the quantity varies in different years. 



In conclusion, I remark that our bees are 

 wintering well here, being apparently healthy, 

 and gratifying expectations of good results next 

 summer. Hitherto the weather has been mild 

 and fine. 



W. Wolf. 



Jefferson, Wis., Feb. 1. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Extraordinary Swarming. 



Mr. Editor : — Please oblige a subscriber by 

 inserting in the Journal the following account 

 of natural swarming that surpasses anything I 

 have heard of in this country. 



Last spring I had a hive of black bees, which 

 produced an increase of fifteen swarms in the 

 following way. The old stock swarmed May 

 4th, 10th, 18th, and 20th. These swarms were 

 put in hives full of comb. The first or prime 

 one sent off four swarms in May and June. 

 These were hived and did well. The one that 

 came off May 10th swarmed twice in June ; the 

 one that came off May 18th sent out two swarms; 

 the one of May 20th one swarm. The old 

 stock again swarmed twice in August, and gave 

 me fifty pounds of honey. Twelve of these 

 swarms stored honey enough to winter. 



George Strickland. 



Dayton, N. Y. 



Unless they are hurt, provoked, or affronted, 

 bees seldom make use of their stings. 



