THE AMERICAN BEE JOI i;.\\L. 



tliese trees grow luxuricntly. As the result 

 of expericucc, Mr. Uttley commeiuls to the 

 tree-phi liters! in Nebniskii : bhick wahuit, 

 soft iiiiiple, box-eUler, pophir, cottonwood. 

 honey U)eust, butternut, American and Eu- 

 ropean hirehes and all evergreens, lie has 

 experimented with most kinds of trees ; and 

 his conclusion is that these are the best for 

 the settler to plant — and to plant in the 

 Spring. N. A. E. 



For (he Aiiu'rifuii Koc Journul. 



Novice's Answer. 



31k. EuiTon : — We should like to make a 

 mild protest against the position in which 

 our excellent correspondent, Mr. Gallup, 

 places Novice in his article on page 1G4. 

 We believe that we should go to work to 

 rear queens in just about the same way that 

 Mr. G. would, and cannot think that our 

 readers have understood us as ever having 

 advocated queen-rearing in the manner he 

 mentions. That many who rear queens for 

 sale, do. 'Tis needless for us to refer to 

 where we have narrated on these pages our 

 experiments in rearing queens with old bees 

 and small clusters, and how they laid eggs 

 only a week or two, A:c., for our readers 

 certainly remember. Please, Mr. Gallup, 

 be a little more neighborly. Although we 

 agree perfectly on queen-rearing, we fear 

 we do not quite agree on hives. 



As a great deal has been said about the 

 Gallup hive as described on page 1:33, we 

 would like to add our opinion, but it is cer- 

 tainly respectfully tendered, and given in 

 all candor. As to the length of the hive we 

 have nothing further to add than what we 

 liave said heretofore, but we cannot help 

 feeling doubtful about the double casing, 

 and air space; on the same page, mention 

 is made of disastrous losses where double- 

 cased hives were used, and our friend fed 

 on sugar syrup too. Also, the case of Mr. 

 EUvood, mentioned by Quinby, who lost 

 bees by dysentery when fed on syrup, was 

 in double-cased hives, or at least something 

 to the same eflect ; and without going far- 

 ther, we will only mention that our neigh- 

 bors, Shaw ifc Son., put a good colony last 

 fall in a hive or box v\'ith double walls, 

 filled with sawdust on top, bottom and 

 sides, and the walls were eigJtt inches thick; 

 they died with dysentery in its worst form 

 very early in the Avinter. Double-walled 

 liives have been advocated, patented, tried, 

 and abandoned, by bee-keepers the world 

 over from the veriest novice up to both 

 Laugstrotli and Quinby for years past, but 

 yet Mr. G's. plan may be a little ditrerent 

 and it is well not to be too hasty. A colony 

 that can cover 2G combs in February, cer- 

 tainly should be able to keep warm, inde- 

 pendent of any aid from the sun in occa- 

 iionly warming up the sides; but Mr. G. 



also mentions wintering a weak colony 

 thus : Wiis this simply because bees fre- 

 (luently wintered well almost any way, or 

 was it on account of tlie double-walls V 

 Please Mr. (i. tell us how these hives came 

 through the si)ring. AVe cannot under- 

 stand how it is, tiiat the long hives only 

 build worker comb with friend (iallup, 

 when they build drone-comb almost every 

 time with us, ]\Iedina bee-keepers, as in fact 

 they do from all accounts we receive of 

 them. One of the best bee-keepers in our 

 country who uses the Gallup frames and 

 has followed faithfully Mr. G's. excellent 

 articles from the commencement — uses di- 

 vision boards constantly and would not 

 give it up "no how;" but he cannot yet 

 make comb in large colonies, and he has 

 bees and brood on 20 or more Gallup frames 

 in the long hives at this present time. Now 

 although we have had our say, it may still 

 be that the " New Idea Gallup llive" will 

 cure all the troubles in wintering which we 

 most sincerely hope maybe the case, for if 

 somebody dont help, we really fear we 

 shall forever be only a Novice. 



P. S. We may be mistaken in saying 

 that Quinby has abandoned double-walls 

 for out-door wintering, if so we are sorry — 

 no, we mean we beg pardon. While we 

 think of it, does any one know that the 

 Quinby hive without boxes is a veritable 

 "New Idea," and although 'twas given to 

 the public years ago, no one has ever even 

 said "thank you." 



If any one should find that glass for the 

 outer walls of the hive secured all advantage 

 from the sun and the dead air space too, 

 remember we inserted it several years ago, 

 but never tried it, like lotsof other "blamed 

 good ideas that our head is always 'chuck' 

 full of." (Xir 10 colonies are now 31 and 

 are bringing in basswood honey at an un- 

 precedented- rate. We have actually got 

 almost a barrel on this 7th of July, 1874. 



For the American Bee Jonrnal. 



Ants and Cockroaches. 



In my correspondence and the bee 

 journals there is much complaint against 

 ants in bee hives, while there is nothing 

 said of cockroaches. I have ants enough 

 in my apiary ; but the cockroaches are ten 

 times as troublesome. The ant does not 

 steal honey out of the hive, nor trouble the 

 bees to my knowledge, but the cockroaches 

 do both. All the ants want is a warm and 

 dry place, for a nest on top of the honej' 

 board where they can enjoy the warmth of 

 the bees below, and this is but a portion of 

 the year, from 3Iay to October, while the 

 cockroaches are present the year round. 

 When you go to open a stand with an ants' 

 nest on the honey board, it is no small job 

 to brush them oil', and when you raise the 

 board a great many get inside and w^orry 



