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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



April 12, 1906 



species of Ilex or Youpon following it early in and continu- 

 ing throughout January. " Agherita," or triple-leafed bar- 

 berry, came in before either of the foregoing had ceased 

 blooming, and continued through February and March. 

 Fruit-bloom in galore, and the wild dewberry, or a common 

 blackberry-vine, bloomed in profusion for nearly three 

 months, and is still in bloom at this writing. The willows 

 and water-elms, box-elders, the pecan-nut and walnut-trees 

 along the streams with the cotton woods and hackberry- trees, 

 have all been yielding their share of pollen and some nectar. 

 The oaks are just thinking it's their time to come out, too. 

 Redbud, or Judas-tree, has been in full bloom for several 

 weeks, and several cultivated shrubs also. Our State 

 flower — the Texas blue-bonnet, or blue-lupine — is now in 

 full bloom, and the bees are bringing in loads of brightest 

 red pollen from these beautiful blooms. A large number of 

 other trees, shrubs and plants are going to come out in a 

 short time. 



The bees are generally in good condition, especially 

 where sufficient stores were left for them last fall. Several 

 apiaries I have seen where the colonies were running short 

 early in spring. There is quite a difference in these colo- 

 nies, and those that were not held back in breeding on ac- 

 count of lack of stores. 



As I have been buying bees in various sections this 

 winter and early spring, I have had occasion to examine 

 the brood-nests of many colonies. Brood-rearing was going 

 on in December, and in some yards strong colonies had as 

 many as 8 combs of brood in January. In two yards visited 

 in February it was not uncommon to find brood (sealed) in 

 the upper stories, and new drones were plentiful. I have 

 been rearing queens since two months ago. 



The prospects in most parts of the South are quite 

 favorable for a good season, although it is too early to know 

 yet. It is somewhat dry in some localities, and some good 

 rains are needed. Dry weather, however, is much more 

 preferred in March and April, as the mesquite-tree — our 

 main source — comes into bloom, and rain injures it very 

 easily. It yields better in a dry season also, provided a 

 good season is in the ground from the fall and winter rains, 

 as these trees live upon the sap stored up in their trunks. 

 Consequently rain now, and followed by dry weather during 

 our mesquite yield, is to be wished for. 



The Order of the Brood-Nest 



If we examine a regular brood- nest in spring we shall 

 observe that it has a globular form, or nearly so, altered 

 only by outside influences. Around this brood of all ages 

 we see cells filled with pollen, forming a shell, as it were, 

 about the brood, and outside of this pollen-shell the honey 

 is stored. This arrangement is maintained under all cir- 

 cumstances as long as possible, and is according to the 

 nature of the bees. The brood-nest, with the queen in it, is 

 the all-attracting magnet. All the food gathered outside 

 by the field-bees is stored as near as possible to the brood- 

 nest. 



As the pollen is the. material from which the body of 

 the bee is built up, and as it is the material most needed for 

 nourishing the brood, it is placed next to the brood, where 

 the young bees, which are the nurses, can always take it ; 

 and this is of much importance for the development of the 

 colony. If pollen is far away from the brood-nest, quite 

 often it is not used at all, and the bees are bound to remove 

 it afterward when it is spoiled and unfit for consumption. 

 If the bee-keeper knows the purpose and importance of this 

 order he will not destroy it to the disadvantage of the bees 

 and of his own success. Nevertheless, some hives are con- 

 structed in such a way that this order can not be preserved. 

 With small frames the growing brood-nest crowds out the 

 honey and the pollen from the center combs, and some bee- 

 keepers think they have gained thereby a great advantage, 

 while, in fact, a part of the brood, at least, is not sufficiently 

 nourished for want of pollen, and on the ends of the brood- 

 nest the pollen accumulates in cells which would be used 

 for brood. This pollen in the outside combs means so much 

 vitality and energy robbed from the coming generation of 

 bees. 



This order gives some hints as to the surplus arrange- 

 ments. If a colony of bees could expand the combs in 

 every direction the honey would be stored around the brood- 

 nest, and the bee-keeper would have to take the honey from 

 all four sides and from the top. For practical purposes we 

 put the supers on top ; and to force the honey into them we 

 have to squeeze the brood-nest from the other sides. If all 

 the honey gathered should go into the supers, the brood- 



chamber would have to be of such a size that every cell 

 would be occupied with brood. That this is an arrange- 

 ment quite contrary to the nature of the bees, the bees 

 themselves show apparently. In such a small brood-cham- 

 ber they rather diminish the brood, but store some honey in 

 it, nevertheless. The smart bee-keeper then says, "My 

 queens do not lay more than so and so much," and contracts 

 the brood-nest still more. The small brood-chambers have 

 the disadvantage that the colonies will not develop to such 

 a strength as they would in large brood-chambers. On the 

 other hand, we know that the bees are slow in commencing 

 work in the supers if they have already stored some honey 

 in the brood-chamber. The comb-honey producer chooses, 

 of two evils, the lesser one. For this reason I invented my 

 method of comb-honey production, by which this dilemma 

 is avoided, and which I described in Gleanings 6 years ago. 

 Cibolo, Tex. L. Stachelhausen. 



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Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont. 



" Had It In for Him "— Hershiser Bottom-Board 



The Afterthinker has " snuffed " (page 33), the Buffalo 

 bottom-board man has " sniffed " (page 73), the " Southern 

 Beedomite " has challenged (page 140), and "Betwixt & 

 Between " has issued warning notes of caution. 



Wonder if it isn't time for the " Frozen Canuck " to 

 thaw out a bit and eat some of them. " Betwixt & Be- 

 tween " would do for breakfast if ye editor had not so sooth- 

 ingly patted the bear on the head (page 180). The South- 

 erner's kindly smile has rendered him invulnerable, and the 

 Afterthinker has already brought in the soup (page 214), so 

 we shall proceed to dine on a 



Hershiser Bottom-Board— (See page 73). 



Yes, I see many advantages in the Hershiser bottom- 

 board, and see what a long article we got from Mr. H. by 

 picking holes in it. But no matter how highly I esteem 

 any implement or method, I can never say with Mr. H., " It 

 presents to me not a single disadvantage." The Pettit sys- 

 tem of ventilating with wedges between hive and bottom- 

 board, and openings at top of super certainly has wedges 

 which are " extra parts," but it does not have a bulky box un- 

 der the hive. In my system of tiering up Hike the hives near 

 the ground, so that I can work comfortably over the top of 

 a 3-story or 4-story extracting-hive. I understand that the 

 Hershiser bottom-board is a " stand" as well, but rather too 

 expensive to rest flat on the damp ground. The Holter- 

 mann portico is equally useful in checking robbing, and 

 has the further advantage of holding a storm-door in spring. 



In the cellar the Hershiser bottom-board has the marked 

 disadvantage of taking up enough extra room to cut 

 out about one hive in every pile. As regards confining 

 bees to the hive in the cellar, I recognize a point of differ- 

 ence which may, or may not, bear on the case. Mine were 

 confined to the portico with " wedged " entrance, but no 

 other opening to allow a possible current of air across the 

 bottom-board, and the space underneath the combs is 

 greater in the Hershiser hive than in mine. Whether these 

 factors would alter the result is worth testing. 



Where mine were thus confined with portico screens, 

 there were always some bees on the screen trying to get 

 out, and making enough noise to be heard all over the cel- 

 lar. I did not say they all wanted to go out, because some 

 had asked that privilege; but "the school " was so quiet 

 otherwise that such a request from a few disturbed the 

 thoughts of the others. They were cot like Mr. Hershiser's 

 "school children " — " so accustomed to humming and buzz- 

 ing that such sounds have ceased to irritate them." 



To be sure, where bees are reported to be successfully 

 wintered under machine shops ; in cellars where the tem- 

 perature runs away up or away down ; in above-ground re- 

 positories, and other places quite unorthodox, one must 

 broaden one's views on the requirements of good wintering. 

 But it seems to me a great many of us are too easily satis- 

 fied, and it might pay to buy, dig or rent a cellar where the 



