415 



and apples than I ever noticed before, 

 and the drying scaffolds are literally 

 alive with "them every morning and 

 evening. White clover has dried up, 

 and bees are now at work mostly on 

 buck-bush (Symphoricarpus vulgaris), 

 mustard and a meadow flower, a speci- 

 men of which I enclose, with the re- 

 quest that you give the name in the 

 American Bee Journal. I have used 

 about 40 frames of wired comb founda- 

 tion this season, and am well pleased 

 with it. W. L. French. 



Martinsburg, Mo., July 26, 1880. 



[The specimen enclosed is one of the 

 mint family, and produces considerable 

 honey.— Ed.] 



Shade Trees for Hives.— Hemp seed 

 sown in the fall, and set out 5 feet apart 

 in the spring, will give good shade for 

 hives. Trim them to suit; they will 

 grow 12 feet high if not cut. 



John Boerstlek. 



Monterey, 111., Aug. 10, 1880. 



Good.— From 1 colony in the spring 

 I have obtained 70 lbs. of honey and 1 

 natural swarm. I then divided the pa- 

 rent colony into 3, as it was very strong, 

 making 4 in all, and gave the two new 

 colonies tested Italian queens. Honey 

 is short, but I am feeding them all they 

 will take. Can I succeed in building 

 them all up to good colonies this fall ? 

 A. D. Dilley. 



Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 5, 1880. 



[Yes; if you do not tax them too 

 heavily in comb building. By giving 

 good foundation or clean combs, as fast 

 as they are ready for it, we believe al- 

 most anything is possible in the way of 

 increase, in an ordinary honey season. 

 Certainly a dozen from one. — Ed.] 



Best Season for Many Yenrs. — The 



past season has been one of the best for 

 honey-gathering we have had for many 

 years. The hives were almost empty in 

 the spring, but they soon became so 

 crowded with honey as to obstruct 

 brood-rearing in some instances ; con- 

 sequently, we had but few early swarms. 

 Latterly, however, they have strong ten- 

 dencies toward swarming. Two large 

 swarms have issued during the last few 

 days. Nearly all of them are full of 

 drones, and comb-building is still going 

 on. Why is this? Do the bees expect 

 a tall honey harvest, or have they for- 



f often the" time of year? Black bees 

 ave done but little so far as heard from. 

 I lately received a queen from II. Alley, 

 and after I thought her safely intro- 



duced I raised the cover to see that all 

 was right, when the queen took flight 

 for parts unknown, and, although I left 

 " all things as they were," yet she failed 

 to make her appearance. Many Ken- 

 tuckians will be glad to meet you at the 

 National Convention at Cincinnrti, Sept. 

 29,30. L. JonNSON. 



Walton, Ky., Aug. 20, 1880. 



[The bees are evidently preparing for 

 swarming, notwithstanding the lateness 

 of the season.— Ed.] 



Queries. — 1. Are queens reared at 

 swarming time more liable to lead out 

 swarms than if reared before or after ? 



2. What are queens warranted and 

 tested for— for 3 yellow bands ? 



3. What do bee-keepers mean when 

 they say a " crop" or " half a crop" of 

 honey ? Do they mean as much as the 

 Yankee when he says "A good bit," or 

 "Well, right smart?" Please stick a 

 stake for us somewhere between 25 and 

 150 lbs. II. W. Funk. 



Bloomington, 111. 



[1. No ; as a rule, we are not aware 

 that the queen leads out the swarm. 



2. Queens are warranted and tested 

 to be pure Italians, and to be purely 

 mated ; they are never, that is, "hardly 

 ever," marked with 3 yellow bands. 



3. When a term of years are compared 

 one with another, it is easy to arrive at 

 an average honey yield, or, in bee- 

 keepers' parlance, "crop." This average 

 may be varied by location, race of bees, 

 or other causes ; therefore, we must 

 let the intelligent reader stick the 

 stake where it best suits. — Ed.] 



Bee-Killer.— I send you a bee-killer, 

 caught in the very act of killing a bee. 

 I discovered it on some brambles strug- 

 gling with a bee, and captured both 

 alive. What is it ? Jesse Cook. 



Salem, Iowa, Aug. 16, 1880. 



[ It is Asilus Missowriensis, a two- 

 winged fly of the Asilidm family (see 

 Cook's Manual, page 268). It attacks 

 the bee, taking it away in captivity, and 

 then feeds upon its fluids.— Ed.] 



A Freak.— An Italian queen, intro- 

 duced into a nucleus, left, going into a 

 colony of hybrids, destroying its queen, 

 and in 30 days it was Italianized. There 

 are 400 colonies within 12 miles. 



R. CORBETT. 



Manhattan, Kans., Aug. 16. 18S0. 



