188 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Feb., 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Successful Use of the Looking-Glass. 



Mr. Editor :— In the December number of 

 the Bee .Tonrnal I see "The Looking-glass 

 CONCLUDED ;" but will you permit me to give to 

 the readers of the Journal my experience there- 

 with the past season. I had three decamping 

 swarms that left my apiary. I had hived the 

 first in the forenoon, on the day it swarmed ; but, 

 at about four o'clock in the afternoon, it de- 

 camped for parts unknown. It got oft' some dis- 

 tance before I srot i-eady with the looking-glass, 

 but, to my surprise, the third flash of the sun's 

 rays with the looking-glass mode the bees fly 

 round and round, instead of going straightfor- 

 ward as before ; and they irnmediately settled 

 upon a tree. The second swarm came off in the 

 afternoon. It made no halt to settle, but started 

 direct for the timber. I followed it, and brought 

 it down the same way. The third one got nearly 

 half a mile away, flying on the east side of the 

 timber. The sun being in the west we could not 

 use the glass ; but, as soon as we got the sun, 

 three or four flashes settled it also. I have the 

 three swarms thus arrested, and they have all 

 done well. So much saved by taking the 

 American Bee Journal, say at least thirty dollars 

 in one season. 



I tender my thanks to Ignobamus for the 

 publication of the looking-glass theory. But 

 this is not all. There are many other instructive 

 articles in the Journal very useful to bee-keepers. 

 I love the Bee Journal, as it encourages and 

 builds up the bee-keeper. It is as valuable in 

 that respect as a class-meeting is to Christians. 

 I value it much ; it will pay any man to take it, 

 even if he has only one colony. 



My bees did well the forepart of the season ; 

 but the latter part was too dry. I have seventy- 

 six colonics, in good condition, all in Langstroth 

 hives. I will here say, to ray brother bee-keepers, 

 that I live six miles north of the City of Lincoln. 

 Should any of my brothers travel this way I 

 would be pleased to have him call and see me. 

 I entertain bee-keepers free, except they should 

 be engaged in selling the sixth secret of bee- 

 keeping. 



Jos. L. HiLSHER. 



Lincoln, Ills., Dec. 15, 1870. 



[For the American Bee Journal ] 



Pollen from Spanish Needles. 



Mr. Editor :— On page 167 of the Journal for 

 this month I see that, speaking of bees working 

 on Spanish Needles, J. S. McKernan says, '■ I do 

 not think they will touch it." 



Now I wish to inform him that I know they 

 will. "When my bees were about quitting the 

 buckwheat I discovered they were bringing in a 

 considerable quantity of pollen, which was not 

 like that they got from buckwheat. So, about 

 nine o'clock in the morning, I went to the buck- 

 wheat, and not a bee could I see on it ; but I saw 

 a cluster of Spanish Needles in full bloom and 

 the bees on it thick, with the kind of pollen on 



their legs which I had seen them bringing home. 

 I saw the same several times subsequently. 



J, M. Berry. 

 Bloomington, Lid., Jan. 9, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Answer to Puzzle for Young Bee-keepers. 



Mr. Editor : -There is little of anything in 

 the Journal that escapes my gaze I give an 

 answer to the puzzle for young bee-keepers, in the 

 January number, i:)age 164. 



There was 2,400 honey bees in their home, and 

 eight in the hnmliler's home; and two, or the 

 fourth part of the latter, would be equal to the 

 12,000th part of the former. 



3 I 24,000 

 1000 T 8, COO 



"Tjl 



' T I 24,000 



Puzzle No. 2. 



Suppose A. to have a certain number of 

 swarms of bees, B. says to A. give me ten of 

 yours and I will have as many as you. No, says 

 but do you give me ten of yours, and 1 will 



What number 



J. H. H. 



have just as many again as you. 

 had each '? 



Breesport (iV. Y.), Jan. 8, 1871. 



[For the Atiierican Bee Journal.] 



That Puzzle. 



The puzzle for yotmg bee-keepers is a puzzle 

 for old ones also. Fucus does not furnish data 

 enough to draw a solution from. The number of 

 humble bees may be 4, 8. or 12, or any multiple of 

 4, and the number of honey bees may be 12,000, 

 24,000, or 36,000, oranymultipleof 12,000. Thus, 



Suppose the honey bees to be 12,0:00, then one 

 third of that, 4000, is as many thousands as there 

 are of humble bees, or 4 ; and one-fourth of 4 

 is 1, which is the twelve thousandth of 12,0C0, 

 the number of honey bees. And so with 24,000, 

 30,000, 48,000, or any other number which is a 

 multiple of 12,000. A question which may be 

 solved so many ways amounts to nothing. 



H. W. S. 



Cincinnati, Jan. 13, 1871. 



[For the American Bae Journal.] 



Correction. 



At page 159 you make me say I found "up- 

 wards of twenty queen cells." This I should not 

 have thought extraordinary or worthy of remark. 

 I said "upwards of twenty queens,^'' which I 

 thought somewhat rare. 



Tyro. 



Ontario, Canada, January, 1871. 



