136 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Dec, 



[For the American Bee Joura;il.] 



Eeport of a Beginner. 



^lu. Editor : — As I am a beginner in bee-cul- 

 ture and this is my first communication to your 

 miK-li esteemed Journal, you must excuse brevity 

 or lenoth, whichever it may turn out to be. 



In the spring of 1864, I purchased three stocks 

 of bees iu oums, made of hollow logs, having not 

 even a hole iu the top for ventilation, let alone 

 for the bees to work tlirough into surplus boxes. 

 Well, I had some other common hives made, 

 with caps, and used them with varying success 

 until the spring of 1869, at which time I had 

 still only three stands of bees. I had been try- 

 ing all the time to increase the number, and 

 with but little success, and got no surplus honey 

 from them. In the spring of 1869, I obtained 

 some movable frame hives, believing that I 

 could make them a success ; at least I could get 

 at and be revenged on these pests, the bee-moths, 

 that had robbed me of my expected luxury. 

 Well, I split my old gums open, and removed 

 their best combs and the brood, in May, to my 

 movable frames. From one of the stocks thus 

 transferred, I took 128 pounds of surplus honey. 

 From the other two I took from 40 to 50 pounds 

 surplus. The one from which I took 128 pounds 

 swarmed once ; the others cast three swarms 

 each. 



]\Iy bees wintered out on their summer stands, 

 with only their hives to protect them from cold 

 and storms. Tlie spring of 1870 found me with 

 ten stocks, two of which had no queens, but only 

 fertile workers, according to book theory. In 

 one of these I could find nothing that looked 

 like a queen, and into it I inserted queen cells 

 three diflerent times. They were each time de- 

 stroyed, and I finally lost the stock. In the 

 others I inserted young brood, but they would 

 start no ([ueen cells. At last I took a good fer- 

 tile queen from one of my other stocks and put 

 her in this hive. But before putting her in, I 

 took out all the combs and bees, as I was de- 

 termined to destroy everything that looked sus- 

 piciously fertile. AVell, I found a nearly wingless 

 queen. I killed her, put my very fertile queen 

 among the bees, and let her thus creep into the 

 hive. But, alas ! she was killed by the little 

 wretches, and dragged out before next morning. 

 They then went to work and raised a queen from 

 a sheet of brood which I had put in. 



Up to the middle of June bees did well here. 

 Since then the black bees have not gathered as 

 much as they consumed. I have only one Ital- 

 ian stock. It has gathered honey all the season. 

 But my bees are almost destitute of pollen. I 

 have some stocks that have none. I am giving 

 them rye flour. Will they live on it ; or can I 

 give them anything better? 



A. T. Bishop. 

 Le Roy, III. 



The quality of honey varies exceedingly, some 

 being dark and often bitter and disagreeable ; 

 while occasionally, Avhen gathered from poison- 

 ous flowers, it is very noxious to the human 

 system. 



[For the .\merican Bee Journal.] 



Foul Brool, 



I have lost two hives by this disease in two 

 years. They were both the lightest colored 

 Italian queens that I had at the time. In one 

 the disease was first noticed on the 10th of 

 August, 1869. About one-half of the dead lar- 

 va3 were in uu'^apped cells. In the other, it was 

 found on the 31st of August, 1870. The dead 

 larva) were all in capped cells. About three- 

 fourths of the brood dead. No uncommon smell 

 was noticed. 



I had opened the latter hive oftener than 

 others, because it was less crowded with bees. 

 I had seen a few dead larvaj in the fore part of 

 July, but they were soon removed. The colony 

 gained thirty-one pounds on basswood blossoms, 

 in July. 



They had no chance to catch the disease. The 

 last bees I got was a hive from Mr. Quinby iu 

 May, 1868, which lived two years, and died 1st 

 of ]\Iarch last, of starvation, with a large swarm 

 and no honey. There are no other bees within 

 fifty miles on the main land. This is an island, 

 and the cool air from Lake Michigan might ac- 

 count for less smell than in other places. 



There were a few dead bees in capped cells, 

 with perforated covers, in September, in three of 

 my four hives. One of them had cleaned all out 

 by the 12th of October, and two had a few re- 

 maining on the 81st of October, when I put them 

 in the cellar. They were all crowded with bees 

 and had plenty of honey. On the 27th of Sep- 

 tember I took eighty-five (8."")) pounds of honey 

 from thiee hives, leaving them forty to fifty 

 pounds each. 



I think the first of June next, if they are dis- 

 eased, I can put them in emjjty hives and save 

 the swarms ; or when they swarm I will not give 

 them a comb from an old hive, as I have usually 

 done. 



My four hives gained one hundred and thirty 

 (100) pounds from September Hth to the 24th, or 

 thirty-three pounds each. It is the first time in 

 three years that they gained any after 1st of 

 August. 



Henry D. Miner. 



WasMiigton Ilnrhor, Wis^., Nov. 1, 1870. 



[For the American Bee .Tournal.] 



Introducing Queens— A Suggestion. 



Mr. Editor : — From various causes I am not 

 much heard from, and mainly because the abler 

 part of the fraternity are furnishing us with 

 topics and discussions which give to my mind 

 ample food to digest and experiment in what 

 little time I can devote to it now ; though I ex- 

 pect, if I am spared, to give my full attention to 

 the work next season. 



I will venture to submit an idea in regard to 

 introducing queens successfully, under all cir- 

 cumstances. There has been much snid on the 

 subject, and many methods proposed, yet Ave 

 find all of them failing at times. Now all these 

 methods may bo and perhaps are good, if they 



