470 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



cover that also, and enough higher so 

 that chaff could be put on top of the 

 super.) I also put a Hill's "device " (of 

 my own make) on top of the frames, 

 and then a chaff cushion on that ; then 

 put on the super cover, and filled space 

 between the packed box and hive and on 

 top of the super with chaff. I then put 

 a tight, iron-covered top on the box, 

 leaving an entrance of about % inch by 

 5 inches. Before closing up the hive 

 with the two queens in it, I took out a 

 frame that was entirely empty, and in 

 its place put the full sealed comb I had 

 taken out of the other hive, and then 

 they had, I judged, 25 pounds of stores, 

 while the other hive was full of honey 

 and lots of bees. 



On Jan. 5th it was quite warm, and 

 the strongest colony was out in large 

 numbers, having a good flight. The 

 other one with the two queens was 

 quiet. I looked in the entrance and saw 

 a good many dead bees on the bottom 

 inside, so I took a stick and poked them 

 out, and also a lot of dark, yellow mealy 

 stuff that lay on the bottom-board. It 

 did not start any bees out, so I took off 

 the iron cover, and took out the chaff off 

 the super, and uncovered the super and 

 put my ear down ; I could hear the bees 

 inside buzzing quite lively, so I con- 

 cluded all was right, and I closed it up 

 again. By that time a few began to 

 come out at the entrance, but soon went 

 back. The chaff in the box was as dry 

 as when put in. 



On Jan. 21st I raked out some more 

 dead bees, and raked out a dead queen. 

 There was also lots more of that mealy 

 stuff, so I concluded the the old queen 

 had^died of old age, or else one of them 

 had been killed, or perhaps they were 

 all dying off. 



January 22nd was a warm day again, 

 and the strong colony was out flying 

 again, and was taking out their dead 

 bees, but the other one was still quiet, 

 and plenty of dead isees on the bottom- 

 board ; but in the afternoon quite a few 

 came out and were flying about, so I 

 don't know why they don't come out like 

 the best colony, unless they are so weak. 

 I don't like to disturb them for fear of 

 making them worse. 



My neighbor, only a few rods distant 

 (as I am in town) has 3 colonies on the 

 same stands as in summer, with nothing 

 but an empty box over them, and they 

 are out on all warm days in great num- 

 bers, while mine are all quiet. I did not 

 know but it was because they felt the 

 sun through their thin walls sooner 

 than my packed ones. But perhaps 

 mine do not get out as much as they 



should. If some one will give me any 

 advice about it, I shall be glad, as I am 

 only a beginner, and realize that I can 

 profit a great deal from the experience 

 of others. 

 De Witt, Nebr. 



CXTTTXXXZX»T»TXTTXXXXXXXX^ 



Do not write anything for pubiication 



on the same sheet of paper witn business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



^Aj^Ai 



Sell Your Honey at Home. 



For bee-keepers who have but a small 

 amount of honey for sale, it is far cheaper 

 for them to sell it at home than to buy 

 shipping crates, etc., and pay heavy 

 freight charges, as is usually the case with 

 small lots of anything. And to create a 

 demand for honey, the people must be edu- 

 cated enough to know what honey is. 



Deer Plain, Ills. F. X. Arnold. 



How Far Bees Fly, Etc. 



On page 45, in reply to "Bee-Hunter's" 

 query, I would say that I have hunted bees 

 more or less for the last 40 years, and I 

 have known them to fly six miles in the 

 white clover season. When Italians were 

 first introduced into this section, they went 

 that distance into an adjoining town to a 

 certain ridge where the white clover blos- 

 somed very heavily. There was no other 

 Italians anywhere near, that we knew of. 

 We lined them straight for that apiary, and 

 carried them far enough to know that they 

 went there. It was our first introduction 

 to yellow-banded bees. 



In the Bee Journal for Dec. 33, 1893, 

 there is an article from the pen of Wm. F. 

 Clarke, criticising the reply of James Hed- 

 don to a question on the improvement of 

 bee-periodicals, viz. : " First, most and all 

 the time, wipe out the curse of filling our 

 bee-periodicals with the writings of apicul- 

 tural literarians. and replace it with the 

 honest reports and opinions of honey -pro- 

 ducers who make bee-keeping pay." 



My opinion of Mr. Heddon's answer is, 

 that it was the best answer given to that 

 query. Of what earthly use is an article on 

 bee-keeping if it is not given by some one 

 who knows from experience wliat he writes 

 — something practical, that will benefit 

 some bee-keeper that has not had such ex- 

 perience ? While, on the other band, one of 



