May 17, 1906 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



427 



with more or less red, rusty bands around them, and very 

 much smaller than Carniolans." 



Are Caucasian bees like Joseph's coat — of many colors ? 



Not Breeding from the Largest Producing Colonies. 



Some of the most scientific writers on apiculture advise 

 not to breed from the queen whose colony produced the very 

 largest yield of honey, but to breed from those that average 

 a little better each year, claiming the former is only a sport, 

 and not so apt to reproduce those qualities, and also claim- 

 ing the latter more of a fixed type, and thus more apt to re- 

 produce their kind. That sounds reasonable. I confess, 

 though, it's hard for me to keep from breeding from the 

 queen whose colony has produced the largest yield of honey ; 

 other things being favorable, to use such queen. I don't do 

 it, either. 



Moving an Apiary a Short Distance. 



It became necessary for a neighbor to move an apiary 

 of 35 colonies of bees about 100 yards. We selected a cool 

 time when the bees were not flying. We used the usual 

 precautions to prevent the bees returning to the old loca- 

 tion, but more or less bees returned to the old location from 

 every colony but one. Of this one colony every bee stayed 

 just where they were put — not a single bee returned. That 

 co'.ony was smothered ! Good way to keep any of the bees 

 from returning to old location. Can't say, though, that I 

 like it. Who will give us a more practical way of moving 

 bees a short distance, without any returning ? 



Putting Comb Foundation in Frames in Winter. 



Nearly all writers on apiculture advise nailing up hives 

 and frames and putting in the comb foundation in the win- 

 ter and early spring, so as to have everything ready for the 

 bees at a moment's notice when the busy season comes. 

 That's all good advice, except putting in the foundation. 

 I don't know how it is in other States, but in this very 

 changeable Texas climate of ours, foundation has a fashion 

 of warping, twisting, and making very unsatisfactory 

 combs when put in the frames some months before being 

 used. I get the best results by wiring the frames in ad- 

 vance, and putting in the foundation as needed. 



Rescue, Tex. L,. B. Smith. 



When sending me the above for " Southern Beedom," 

 Mr. Smith requested me to use it, criticise and comment on 

 what he said ; and, in fact, he told me to do with it what / 

 pleased. (Not exactly in these words, but it is being taken 

 for granted that this is what was meant.) 



Mr. Smith will send us news items often, and I am glad 

 to know that we shall have such helpers for " Southern 

 Beedom." Right here I once more want to ask some of our 

 other readers to send us news items concerning our indus- 

 try. Send me reports of prospects, etc., so we can form an 

 idea as to what our crop may be. All other bee-news will 

 be appreciated also. 



Now, Mr. Smith, is this matter of early brood-rearing 

 to obtain strong colonies for the first honey-flow not a mat- 

 ter of " locality ?" It is with me, at least. In a few places 

 where some of my apiaries are located, the seasons much 

 like yours prevail; but in others, again, our early April 

 flows require that early brood-rearing be pushed rapidly. A 

 good remedy to check this early breeding was discovered in 

 several apiaries I bought this year. It was simply this : 

 The colonies were "robbed "of their fall crop so closely 

 that they were very short of stores during the spring. Re- 

 sult : Colonies did not breed up, and are not yet (in May) 

 at the swarming point. 



Another way is to keep the colonies in several stories 

 of empty combs, and just enough honey near the brood-nest 

 to prevent them from starving. When the proper time 

 comes, resort to simulative feeding to bring your colonies 

 up strong for the honey-flow. But would this be economical 

 aDd practical ? 



That's a pretty good way to keep bees where you want 

 them to stay when moving them, but how about obtaining 

 a crop of surplus with such bees that will stay where they 

 have been put? 



Many experiments were conducted by the writer while 

 at the Texas Experiment Station, in moving bees. The 

 distances ranged from a few rods to many miles. For short- 

 distance moving, close the entrances early in the morning — 

 preferably with screen wire-cloth in warm weather— and 

 move to the new stands about noon. Smoke the entrances 

 after all have been placed on the stands, and loosen the en- 

 trance-closer a little way, give a few puffs of smoke, and 

 the bees will mark the location. A few may go back, but 



they will return to their hive. Handling the hives roughly 

 while moving will help to cause them to stay when they are 

 released. 



(Dur*Stster 

 BccKeepers 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



=J 



Don't Meddle With the Bees Unnecessarily 



About this time of year there is one thing exceedingly 

 hard to do for the sister who has her first colony of bees in 

 a movable-frame hive. But it must be done if the best suc- 

 cess is to be attained. It is to let the bees entirely alone 

 when no meddling is needed. 



A Michigan Sister's Experience With Bees 



About 35 years ago my father-in-law got some bees in box-hives. 

 He took care of them in this way until 19 years ago, when my husband 

 and I moved upon a new farm. He was tired of taking care of them 

 in that rude manner, without veil or 6moker. I learned what my 

 husband knew about bees, and then I took care of them alone until 

 we had 25 colonies. Since that I have usually hired a woman to Help 

 me through the busy season. Some years I hire a boy that is large 

 enough to lift the heavy supers. My daughter, Daisy, is 17, and she 

 and Harold (21 in the spring) have helped me do the shop-work ever 

 since they were old enough to fold sections or drive nails. 

 Troubles With Bruin in the Apiart. 



I think it was 14 years ago that we had our first out-yard 2 miles 

 north of our home. We kept it there 2 seasons, and an old bear and 

 her family visited the yard several times and destroyed 7 or S colonies 

 during the 2 seasons. Then, one night about 2 o'clock, when my 2 

 brothers were watching from a scaffold in the bee-yard (and one had 

 fallen asleep), the brother that was awake saw an old bear and 6 cubs 

 coming for another meal of honey. He shot the old bear and one cub, 

 killing them with 2 shots, and the other 2 got away. 



Ttie second winter three-quarters of the bees in the out-yard died, 

 and we brought home what were left. 



Nine years ago we started 2 more out-yards. We kept from 5 to 

 75 colonies in them during the winter. We took up one at the end of 

 2 years, as the location did not prove to be a good one. One yard was 

 4 miles north and one 4 miles west. 

 Moving Bees Nights and Letting Them Work in the Daytime. 



Then 7 years ago, we moved 50 colonies to Tustin, over some of 

 the Wiliest roads in Michigan. We put 13 single-walled hives in the 

 box and 13 in chaff hives on a rack on each wagon. We traveled 

 nights and rested daytimes, and let the bees fly from the wagons 

 every day. They had such a small amount of honey that we knew 

 thev would perish on the road if they did not fiy. 



I drove ahead of the teamsters with a horse and buggy, in order 

 to warn them of any dangerous places on the road. 



We sometimes had to drive until 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning 

 before we could find a camping place. ' 



The weather was extremely hot, and we had the hardest rain- 

 storm I ever saw fall while we camped the afternoon of the fourth 

 day It wet us all through, and poured in torrents down over the 

 bees and brood in the single-walled hives. The chaff hives on the top 

 all had on covers. , __- 



A few hives in the boxes worked loose, so that the bees swarmed 

 around the wagons the last two mornings when the teams were towing 

 up the hills, and the bees on the wagon, that was standing still, would 

 be bringing in honey and pollen before the teamsters would return. 



We had our 2 children with us; were 5 nights on the road; 

 traveled 4 nights and put up one night to sleep and dry our wet clothes. 



When we had kept bees 4 years at Tustin, our little boy Harry 

 was born We thought then our work was too much divided, so that 

 fall my husband went up and killed 100 colonies and moved every- 



"°W6 r^ow have 200 colonies in winter quarters. We killed 100 col- 

 onies last fall and stored the honey for building-up purposes The 

 bees are in 3 yards 3 and 4 miles, respectively, from our home-yard. 



Our 2 out-yards produced more comb honey than the home yard^ 

 We do not watch any of them in swarming time. For the past, 

 years my children have helped in the yards when we were dividing and 

 hiving My husband usually farms while I keep bees, although he 

 can do his part in the bee-yard when he is needed. The part he likes 

 the best is drawing home the honey and helping to upend the honey- 

 money .' My little 3-year-old Harry is also a bee-keeper He does all 

 the work he can around the shop-and bothers the rest of the time. 



I think Mr Frey has done one thing with bees that few have ever 

 accomplished. Three years ago last June he went to the Marion yard, 

 4 miles west, to get 2 loads of bees for the purpose of starting an out- 

 yard at Sand Lake, 9 miles east of our home. ...:,. „„ M . 



It was a dark night; and when 3 miles on the road, as they were 



