898 



Oct. 25, 1906 



American Itee Journal 



that tore the cell open. Such cells 

 would then be torn down by the bees, 

 and even such cells I have seen kept 

 well protected and cared for by the 

 surrounding' bees until the queen was 

 actually dead. 



Then I have seen, in a few instances, 

 queen-cells torn open in which queens 

 were well and alive, perhaps saved 

 from being' stung by the outside ma- 

 rauder, by the bees protecting such 

 cells. When a comb containing such 

 an open cell was lifted out the bees 

 kept close to it, trying to protect its 

 inmate. Upon several occasions, when 

 making nuclei, I have seen the queen 

 emerge just as if the cell had not been 

 torn open ; and, in one instance, the 

 inmate of the cell turned and twisted 

 in her enclosure until she succeeded in 

 emerging through the torn opening in 

 the cell's side. These queens lived. 



Experience With Caucasians 



Aside from a queen-rearing yard, we 

 have an apiary of 92 colonies of this 

 strain of bees. We never got founda- 

 tion stock for the spring honey-flow, 

 so we had to establish the yard with 

 the summer and fall flow, but we never 

 established an apiary with such re- 

 sults in the same length of time and 

 with the same supplies. We have put 

 them up for winter in good condition, 

 and took off several pounds of surplus 

 honey ; in every respect the best sec- 

 tion honey we have ever been able to 

 get bees to store. They have proved 

 to be the best super workers, and we 

 believe them to be equal to any strain 

 of bees for storing honey in empty 

 extracting combs. 



We have found but one objection to 

 these bees so far, and that is that they 

 gather more propolis than any other 

 strain of bees. Since the honey-flow 

 stopped they have put the sweet-gum 

 chewers out of business, cleaning the 

 gum-trees for miles around. However, 

 they do not scatter propolis in the in- 

 terior of the hives as other bees do, but 

 deposit it in great wads just on the in- 

 side at the entrance, almost closing it 

 up, and use it sparingly in other parts 

 of the hive. 



The tags can easily be cut loose from 

 the bottom with a knife at the en- 

 trance, and will not interfere with 

 handling frames. 



It may be that these bees are great 

 swarmers, as they are so prolific, but 

 we hardly think so, as they enter su- 

 pers readily. 



The Caucasian bees are the gentlest 

 bees we have ever handled, and behave 

 themselves well on the comb, in the 

 hive, and around the apiary. Their 

 cross with the Italians is spiteful, but 

 with the blacks their temper remains 

 about the same. They are great pol- 

 len-gatherers, stir soon and late, are 

 good home-defenders, great cell-build- 

 ers, and not much given to robbing. 



It is sometimes difficult to distin- 

 guish them from blacks, especially as 

 they fly in and out at the entrance, or 

 a few of them in a place ; but when 

 two covered combs are compared the 

 difference can easily be seen. Besides, 

 they can easily be distinguished by 

 their good behavior. J. J. Wii/der. 

 Crisp Co., Ga., Oct. 16. 



Orus vent ion 

 Proceedings 



Western Illinois Convention 



The Western Illinois Bee-Keepers' 

 Association met in the County Court- 

 room at Galesburg, Sept. 20, 1906, with 

 Pres. J. E. Johnson in the chair. 

 There was a fair attendance. 



The minutes of the last meeting 

 were read and approved, and letters 

 were read from J. Q. Smith and George 

 W. York, giving reasons for their ab- 

 sence and expressing their regrets. 

 Mr. York sent a paper on " Honey — Its 

 Dietetic and Hygienic Values," which 

 was read, and afterward published in 

 full in one of the Galesburg daily 

 newspapers. 



This has been one of the poorest 

 seasons ever known in this part of the 

 State, and every one present reported 

 no surplus honey this season, but some 

 expressed themselves as believing that 

 1907 would be a better year for honey. 



Keeping Empty Brood-Combs in 



Summer. 



Among the several questions dis- 

 cussed was, " How can we best pre- 

 serve empty brood-combs through the 

 summer?" The past has been an ex- 

 ceedingly dry summer, and some bee- 

 keepers who fumigated their combs 

 thoroughly with sulphur, found that 



the dry weather made cracks in cover 

 or hive so that moths got in, and, be- 

 ing so hot and dry the worms hatched 

 out rapidly and destroyed many combs. 

 Mr. Jacob Moore found that moths 

 were never as bad if hives were placed 

 in the honey-house as they were if left 

 on the summer stands. The general 

 verdict was that if combs were thor- 

 oughly fumigated with sulphur, or bi- 

 sulphide of carbon, and then stored in 

 hive-bodies in the honey-house or in 

 some closed house, and hives closed 

 tight, the combs would be safe all 

 summer. 



After some more discussion the con- 

 vention retired to the beautiful Court 

 House lawn, where our wives and 

 daughters spread a bountiful dinner on 

 the grass. Of course, we did full jus- 

 tice to the good things, which included 

 fried chicken and home-grown peaches. 

 When we could eat no more of such 

 things, we were regaled with an abun- 

 dance of delicious ice-cream — the dona- 

 tion of Vice-Pres. Alvah A. Reynolds. 



The ladies had been so generous that 

 there were 2 large baskets full of good 

 things left, which were gathered up 

 and donated to the free kindergarten. 



It was decided that hereafter we hold 

 our meetings annually, in September, 

 and with a lunch-basket picnic. 



E. D. Woods, Sec. 



Our 

 Hee -Keeping 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Mareng 



An Afterswarm of Thought on 

 Women and Bee-Keeping 



The prime swarm issued from the mind of 

 Mrs. Anna Botsford Comstock (in Gleanings), 

 to whom is due a vote of thanks from the bee- 

 keeping sisterhood, for her cheery manner of 

 presenting the subject of " Women and Bees 

 — Why they Should, and Should Not Keep 

 Them." In fact, all women-kind owe her a 

 hearty "Thank you," for the one sentence 

 which reads: "The hard work is really no 

 objection, as most women of whatever class 

 are at it any way." Could she have framed a 

 broader and more sweeping compliment to 

 her 6ex? 



One can easily read between the lines that 

 she is most happily situated in the possession 

 of an appreciative husband— one capable of 

 reciprocation. Mostly, a man is proud of his 



wife's judgment in one thing, at least — the 

 selection of a husband; but it is not always 

 the case that a wife can afford to be conceited 

 over her success in this matter. However, 

 there is nothing to deter those less happily 

 situated from helping themselves, and all the 

 more cause that they should. 



Mrs. Comstock's ready manner of handling 

 every-day happenings pronounces her practi- 

 cal, and at once inspires confidence. She 

 say6, " Any woman who keeps house needs 

 an avocation which shall take her mind and 

 attention completely off her household cares 

 at times. There is something about the daily 

 routine of house-keeping that wears the mind 

 and body full of ruts, even in the case of those 

 who love to do housework better than anything 

 else." Is evidence to substantiate this asser- 

 tion needed? Apply to the health sanito- 

 riums and lunatic asylums. 



"Talk about the servant question I It is 



