Nov. 1, 1906 



915 



American Ttee Journal 



upper Story, and they will be finished up in 

 grand style. 



I am glad for Mr. Gathright's suggestions 

 in regard to getting cells started and finished 

 up by the same bees, by removing the upper 

 story, bees and all, to a new stand, and after 

 cells are started, setting the upper story back. 

 I shall give it a trial another year. It seems, 

 however, I had read practically the same plan 

 given by Mr. G., of getting the same bees to 

 start and finish up the cells, but I can't say 

 where, or what bee-paper it was in. 



The Fall Honey-Flow a Failure. 



Our full honey-flow, that we usually have 

 from brooraweed in this locality, is a com- 

 plete failure, owing to. a 4-weeks' drouth, 

 with high north winds. This makes us feel 

 pretty blue after such a hard year for bees, 

 and the prospects so bright for a fall crop a 

 short while back. And I wish to say to all 

 our Texas readers where this drouth prevails 

 (I am pleased to say it is not general over the 

 State) , to look well to the amount of stores 

 your bees have, or they will starve before 

 spring; for with the failure of broomweedto 

 yield a winter's supply for the bees, our last 

 hope goes for 19015 for booey. 



Little Surplus from Sumac. 



The honey-flow from the 6umac was also 

 light, and of short duration. Strong colonies 

 did not get over 30 pounds of surplus to the 

 colony. Horsemint and wild marigold failed 

 to yield in this locality. These are two of 

 the best honey-plants in Texas, but are not 

 reliable for honey in this locality. 



Time of Yielding of Some Texas 

 Honet-Plants. 



We fiod from living here more than lfi 

 years, and watching closely the various 

 honey-plants of this locality, that the mes- 

 quite will yield a surplus about every other 

 year. The horsemint and wild marigold will 

 yield about once in 5 years. Then we have a 

 little blue flower (I know no name for) that 

 grows on the while, chalky hills of this part 

 of Texas, and yields a surplus about once in 

 3 years. Our surest and best honey-plant for 

 this locality is the sumac. It blooms in Au- 

 gust, and never fails to yield a surplus when 

 we have any rain to speak of. Then comes 

 broomweed in September, October, and No- 

 vember, which yields a surplus about every 

 other year. All failed to yield the present 

 year but sumac, and it was light, as stated. 



It is said by some of our Texa6 apiarists 

 that buffalo clover — "blue bonnet" — (our 

 Texas State flower) was a honey-yielder, but 

 after having watched it closely for years I 

 have never been able to discover that bees got 

 anything from it but pollen. L. B. Smith. 



Rescue, Tex. 



Yes, Mr. Smith, the honey crop in 

 general over the entire State has been 

 short ; however, fall rains have pre- 

 vailed in most parts of Texas, and 

 broomweed — Gutherezia texana — has 

 been giving the bees plenty to do this 

 fall. The broomweed is still in bloom, 

 the pastures being one sheet of golden 

 yellow. Cold nights and cool, windy 

 days have interfered with the bees 

 somewhat, but there are yet many 

 warm days when the bees are very 

 busy. Some of my bees have stored a 

 good deal of surplus from this plant, 

 for this time of the year — about an 

 average of 20 pounds to the colony. 

 The honey is a golden yellow, and has 

 a somewhat strong taste — a little bit- 

 ter, and hence not a suitable honey for 

 market. We are using it for home 

 table use, however, for which it is yet 

 passable for the average per.- on. 



Horsemint, Monarda, of several spe- 

 cies in Texas, yields well in some sea- 

 sons — those that have been preceded 

 by plenty of fall rains the previous 

 year, so the horsemint could come up. 



From my own observations, and what 

 I could learn of other reliable sources, 

 it is necessary for horsemint to come 

 up the fall before if it should yield 

 honey the following May. If it comes 

 up in the spring of the year it does not 

 yield ; and I have watched such in 

 pastures where it was 3 feet high, and 

 so thick I could hardly walk through, 

 yet not a bee was at work on it during 

 the entire time of bloom. 



The wild marigold, Gailardia pul- 

 chella, yields a dark, golden honey of 

 heavy body. It has a nice taste and 

 aroma of its own ; and of the sumacs 

 of the genus k'hus, we have several 

 species yielding a light-colored honey 

 in large quantities in the fall. You 

 did not mention cotton, which I 

 thought was a useful honey-yielder in 

 your section — north central Texas. 



The small blue flower growing on 

 the chalky hills, I suppose is Verbena 

 zliuta, blue vervain. Bees are found 

 very busy on it in some seasons. 



I would like to call attention to the 

 importance of a bee-keeper knowing 

 the honey-yielding plants that sur- 

 round the locality where his bees are 

 kept. To be able to know when they 

 bloom, and in what kind of season, 

 will help much toward his success. It 

 will also help much toward preparing 

 for the honey-flows. 



Getting Rid of Laying Workers 



In a recent communication from 

 Grant Anderson, he says this, among 

 other things : 



" I see that many do not know how to get 

 rid of laying workers. I have an easy way 

 that seldom fails. Just hunt up an old queen 

 that has done her duty for some time. Take 

 her quietly and lift out a comb containing the 

 brood of the laying workers, bees and all. 

 (Use no smoke.) Let the old queen crawl on- 

 to the brood, set the comb back, and your job 

 is done. After a few days you can introduce 

 a young queen, removing the old one at the 

 same time. 



" A young queen becomes excited when put 

 in a strange colony, thus causing her own 

 destruction. An old queen keeps cool and 

 does not arouse the suspicions of the bee6." 



The Apiarist, of Waco, Tex., is now 

 edited and published by John Bradley, 

 its former publisher, Dr. C. S. Phillips, 

 having discontinued editing the paper, 

 on account of engaging in other 

 business which takes all of his time 

 We hope that Mr. Bradley will be fully 

 able to carry out his intentions of 

 making The Apiarist a creditable pa- 

 per for Southern bee-keepers. 



Our 



m„k 



'Bee -Keeping 



^^^^■■■■■^^H 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Bee-Keeping for Husband and Wife 



A writer in Deutsche Bienenzucht 

 says that bee-keeping in which both 

 husband and wife are interested is well 

 calculated to strengthen the love of 

 home and hearth. 



Cellars for Wintering Bees 



What kind of a cellar is best to keep bees 

 in? I have 2 — one is cemented on all sides, 

 ceiling and floor; the other is under the liv- 

 ing room, but has an earth floor, and is quite 

 rough in general. The north cellar, which is 

 the better one, gets down to the freezing 

 point in very cold weather. I have never 

 kept bees in it, but now I have so many I 

 would like to put them in there for the sake 

 of more room. Mrs. J. C. Plumb. 



Milton, Wis., Oct. 16. 



The best cellar in which to keep bees 

 is one that is dark, with constantly 

 pure air, and a temperature varying as 

 little as possible, at about 45 degrees. 

 That seems very simple, and is easily 

 said, but not so easily secured, and all 

 are not agreed as to the best means to 

 be taken. 



The general opinion seems to be that 

 a cement floor is best, especially if the 



cellar-bottom be of clay. Yet some, 

 who have tried both kinds, prefer the 

 earth floor. The main part of our 

 house is 33x31 feet, with a cellar under 

 the whole of it, divided into 3 rooms. 

 In one of these rooms was put a cement 

 floor, purposely for the bees. But they 

 didn't winter as well as they did with 

 the earth floor ; and the earth floor 

 was one of the clayeiest kind of clay. 

 Yet it will not do to be too positive 

 that the cement floor was in any way 

 at fault ; some other factor may have 

 played a part. 



Having the cellar dark is easy ; con- 

 stantly pure air is another matter. 

 Some have no provision for ventila- 

 tion ; some make no provision for air 

 coming in, but provide for the outgo 

 of foul air ; and some provide for an 

 intake of fresh air as well as an outlet 

 of foul air. Much, no doubt, depends 

 upon conditions. With plenty of open- 

 ings, by way of cracks in the cellar 

 wall, there may be no need for any 

 other intake of fresh air ; and perhaps 

 the same may be said with a loose, 

 sandy cellar floor. Otherwise some 

 kind of provision should be made for 

 the introduction of fresh air ; perhaps 

 a pipe from the upper part of the wall 



