AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



689 



out queen-cells would be of no use to 

 me — it means too much work. 



Some years aRO 1 received a letter 

 from some one, stating he had a method 

 to prevent swarming ; he was getting a 

 few to test it, and upon their recom- 

 mendation he would sell the secret ; 

 would I promise not to tell his method ? 

 I wrote back saying, " Yes, under two 

 conditions — it must not be something I 

 knew of already, and it must have noth- 

 ing to do with cutting out queen-cells." 

 He answered that swarming was not 

 prevented by cutting out queen-cells. I 

 answered, "All right; send the method." 



Finally I had a letter saying part of 

 the plan was removing queen-cells, so I 

 refused to try the plan. 



It is wonderful, however, to note the 

 effect of shade and ventilation to prevent 

 swarming. The work must, however, 

 be done regularly, and without fail. I 

 may say the Ontario Agricultural and 

 Experimental Union is undertaking the 

 testing of Mr. Pratt's latest self-hiver, 

 and I should like to hear reports from 

 those who test it this season. 



Brantford, Ont. 



A Question About the I^angdoii 

 ]\[on-SAvarining; Deviec. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY JNO. M. DAVIS. 



I am greatly interested in this device, 

 as described in the Bee Jouenal for 

 May 18th, and I think it will prove to 

 be an important invention, provided the 

 continual loss of bees through the es- 

 cape, with no possible chance for the 

 young bees or brood to be supplied with 

 water, will not cause a serious loss to 

 the colony. It is a well established fact 

 that bees rearing brood consume large 

 quantities of water daily. Can they be 

 deprived of this without loss ? 



I bought a few colonies of bees in box- 

 hives too late to transfer conveniently, 

 and in order to have them store honey in 

 frames I have been " jumping " them as 

 fast as they show a working-force, so as 

 to strengthen colonies in Langstroth 

 hives. I find that for a few days the 

 "jumped" colonies take water eagerly, 

 showing very clearly that they need it 

 when deprived of the working-force. 



To be sure, we could water them when 

 using the Langdon device, except in out- 

 appiaries, just where it would be most 

 valuable. 



Please give us light on this point. 



Spring Hill, Tenn. 



Why Do Some Suft'er from Bee- 

 Stings and Others Xot t 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY EMM DEE. 



" Well, I'd like to know " why some 

 people suffer so much from bee-stings, 

 and others are scarcely affected ? Now, 

 how do you account for such difference ? 



Pretty hard to tell, but as I've given 

 the matter considerable attention, I may 

 state what I believe, and let you judge 

 for yourself. 



You see everybody is differently con- 

 stituted, in mind, body, and its various 

 functions, as you, of course, well know. 

 Your face, general form, voice and 

 physical activity is unlike that of any 

 other person. The system, doctors say, 

 is constantly undergoing changes of 

 waste and repair. The waste is dis- 

 posed by excretions of various parts of 

 the general economy, the lungs, kidneys 

 and skin doing a larger part of this im- 

 portant work. 



Well, now, this waste product — we'll 

 say of your skin, when perspiring — is 

 unlike that of any other person. There 

 is a peculiar odor to it not possessed by 

 any other individual. It is by your scent 

 that your dog is able to track your foot- 

 steps at long distance, or through a 

 crowd. The odor may be pleasant or 

 otherwise, according to natural causes 

 uo one can change. If unpleasant, it by 

 no means argues that the person is un- 

 clean ; the most scrupulous neatness 

 could not change this odor inherent in 

 the sweat-glands. 



Not long since I asked a good old 

 "uncle," a negro of irreproachable 

 habits, why it was that the odor from 

 their bodies was so — so — rank ! " Well, 

 sah, don't know 'bout dat, sah, but I 

 reckons 'taint no stronger in we black 

 folks den the smell of white people is to 

 us !" 



Then, too, the exhalations from our 

 bodies, like our voices and temper, may 

 be soothing or irritating, and it is to 

 this peculiarity I attribute the friendli- 

 ness or enmity of bees. If, when they 

 come in contact with you, the odor ema- 

 nating from your body is soothing to 

 them, they will linger on your skin or 

 clothing in contentment, but if your 

 secretions are irritating, they at once 

 become vicious, and a hasty retreat is 

 your safest course. 



From childhood I have been interested 

 In bees (with no present claim to ex- 

 tended knowledge concerning them), 

 and have observed their peculiarities 



