(Entered at the Post-OfBce at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) 

 Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George AV. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. 



QBORQB W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 24,1906 



VoL XLVI— No, 21 



An Independent Bee=Paper 



The American Bee .Journal is absolutely an independent publica- 

 tion, and neither is it nor its editor connected in any way with any 

 bee-supply business whatsoever. It stands entirely upon its merits 

 as an educative force in the held of bee-keeping, and as a medium 

 for legitimate advertisers in Apicultural or other lines. It is the 

 oldest, and only weekly, journal of its kind in America. Its 

 publishers believe that it deserves to be in the hands of every 

 would-be progressive, successful bee-keeper in the land. It is in 

 its 46th year, and to-day is acknowledged to be better in every 

 way than at any time during its long and honorable history. 



^ 



(gbitonai Hotes 

 anb Comments 



jf 



Retention of Heat in the Brood-Nest Again 



In the interesting article by G. M. Doolittle, page 363, 

 he tells us that when an upper story is put over a colony of 

 bees, the crust of bees prevents the heat from escaping into 

 the upper hive, and that the temperature in this upper hive 

 will vary just in accord with the weather outside. It seems 

 to have occurred to Dr. Miller that it would not be a difficult 

 thing to put the matter to an actual test. He put an empty 

 hive-body over a strong colony, and on the inside of the 

 cover, over this upper story, he fastened a thermometer, 

 and compared its readings with those of another thermome- 

 ter outside, making corrections for the difference in the 

 two thermometers. He thus reports : 



The experiment was made May 7 (a cool day), but early 

 fruit-blossoms were a strong attraction, and as the day 

 advanced bees worked busily in spite of the fact that the 

 temperature never went above 58 degrees. About an hour 

 after the upper story was given in the morning, the tem- 

 perature in the hive was 21 degrees higher than the outside 

 air, which was 47 degrees. 



Observations taken at other hours in the day showed the 

 following results : At 9 : 35 the difference between the tem- 

 perature outside and the temperature inside was 17 degrees ; 

 at 11: 15, 21; at 12 : IS, 22 ; at 1 : 40 p.m., 13 ; and at 5 : 10, 9 

 degrees. It will be noticed that it was warmer in the hive 

 at the first observation than at the second. That may have 

 been because the bees were stirred up before the first obser- 

 vation, and cooled down before the second. 



Plainly there is a conflict of opinion, but not neces- 

 sarily a conflict of facts; as observed by the two men. One 

 fact is that it was warmer in the upper hive than in the 

 open air. The other fact is, that the temperature in the 

 brood-nest was practically constant, that constancy resulted 

 from the supposed fact that the crust of bees prevented the 

 escape of heat, hence there could be no increased heat above 

 as a result from the cluster below. 



The observations of Dr. Miller seem to show that this 



deduction is incorrect, and the reason for the uniformity of 

 temperature in the brood-nest must be sought elsewhere. 

 May it not be from the increased consumption of stores, 

 and the consequently increased production of heat, accord- 

 ing to the exigencies of the case ? In this may also lie the 

 answer to the question that Mr. Doolittle asks, when he 

 asks whether any one can tell why a little cluster can keep 

 up to 92 degrees continuously. It is because they consume 

 more to make the increased heat. A little stove may keep 

 a room warm enough, but it is only by keeping a fiercer fire 

 than would be needed in a larger stove. 



Good Early Brood 



A valued Wisconsin correspondent, in a communication, 

 says this among other things : 



By reports there must have been a heavy loss of bees over a 

 wide area. Mine came out in very good condition. I have a colony 

 with a great grand-daughter of the much-talked-of "$200 queen," 

 which, on examination on April 15, had in the second story 7 frames 

 two-thirds full of larvie and hatching brood. I never saw anything 

 to equal that in my experience before with bees wintered outside, as 

 mine always are. I did not examine the first story. 



Prospects seem good for a crop of white clover. But you know 

 bee-keepers are a hopeful set of fellows, anyhow. 



The sight of 7 frames two-thirds full of brood April 15, 

 especially after so severe a March, must have been enough 

 to make one take notice. The remark that the like had not 

 been experienced before with bees wintered outdoors sounds 

 a little as if it would be less remarkable should such a thing 

 occur with cellared bees. It is nothing very strange if it 

 should be found the general impression that brood-rearing 

 begins earlier in the cellar than outdoors. Certainly it is 

 warmer in the cellar, why should not brood-rearing begin 

 there at an earlier date than in the colder situation ? Yet 

 observation shows the reverse to be the case. Very many, 

 if not most colonies, will be found to have no sealed brood 

 at the time of taking out of the cellar, while it is nothing 

 strange for outdoor bees in the North to start brood-rearing 

 in February, or even in January. 



The explanation may lie in the fact that bees are pretty 

 nearly dormant at a temperature in the neighborhood of 45 

 degrees, while they are roused to activity by a higher or 

 lower temperature. So the severer cold of the outer air, 

 instead of preventing brood-rearing, may be the very thing 

 that starts it. 



Claims of Advertisers and Subscribers 



Mr. Editor:— Can you allow me space to " hold you up to view " 

 to " see yoursels as ithers see ye?'' I consider you publishers do not 

 give subscribers a chance — the advertiser gets it all. Of course, he 

 pays for our paper to a large extent, the same as the whiskey sucker 

 pays for the temperance man's hotel accommodation, and we are 

 willing to let him. 



Suppose there was one of your queen-bee advertisers sending out 

 queens worth double those of your other advertisers; you know you 

 dare not say so if we made enquiries, so we have to go on buying 

 trash, year after year, till we find the right man to deal with. An 

 advertisement that crept into your paper a month ago is responsible; 

 for the above; and on page 251, referring to a new advertiser, you say, 

 "They are all right, as are all others advertising with us. else we 

 would not advertise for them." 



Now, what kind of queen is to be expected from that advertiser 



