186 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



1873. Average per colony, 16 lbs.; av- 

 erage sales, 25 cents per tt..; average val- 

 ue of honey per colony, $4, (.V frame, i ex- 

 tracted). 



The most box honey taken any year from 

 4\ny one hive, !»8 pounds ; that Avas in 1871, 

 and we are confident that twice that amount 

 could have been secured just as well, but 

 our bees then were all in small hives af- 

 fording poor advantage for supplying them 

 with boxes. This year promises to be a 



; good one for a honey crop, and with our 

 present increase in colonies, (natural and 

 artificial) Ave hope to be able to make a 

 good report for the current year. 



One of the main things in successful bee- 



. keeping is, to keej) all the stocks strong. - If 

 you get very anxious to have colonies in 

 abundance, send for a "bee man" who is 



: the representative of some new-fangled 

 moth-trap, or some other remarkable de- 

 Aice by means of Avhich the bees are 



"happy and glorious 

 0"ur nil the ills of life victorious." 



and have him divide each one of the old 

 stands into four or five new ones, but you 

 will be likely to i>ronounce bee-keeping in 

 Kansas a humbug as your bees "play out" 

 and leave you debating the question in your 

 own mind whether "it is better to be born 

 lucky than rich." 



Artificial division, done in a proper man- 

 ner and at a proper time, is a very good 

 Avay to increase the number of colonies, but 

 . (iuecns or capped queen cells, from strong 



• colonies should be ready to give each di- 

 N vide, and Ave aim to improve the stock at 



the same time, by procuring queen cells 

 ' made in strong colonies and noted for their 

 good traits as honey gatherers, Avhether 

 they be hybrids or Italians. This year Ave 

 have secured a couple of cells from one of 



■ our neighbors, from a colony (and he has 

 several colonies like it) that seems to be a 



■ cross betAveen the Italian and an extra large 

 gray looking bee, which kind Avith him 

 gathers one-third more honey than his oth- 



. er bees. We make new colonies by placing 

 three or four frames containing brood, but 

 no old bees, in an empty hive, first placing 



. the queen cell in one of the center ones, 

 then Ave remoA'e one of the strongest col- 



• onies, six or eight feet away on a straight 

 line Avith the front and facing the same 

 way, then Ave place the ncAv one on its stand. 



' This is best done Avhen honey is abundant 



. and in the middle of the day Avhen there 



are plenty of bees out at Avork, and by 



night there Avill be a strong SAvarm and the 



hive removed not materially injured. 



Thus Ave make a third one from tAvo, or a 

 third one by taking a sheet of brood from 

 each of several diU'ercut hives. As a means 

 of strengthening Aveak colonies a promi- 

 nent bee-keeper suggested the idea to us of 

 V exchanging the queens of the Aveaker ones 



Avith those of the stronger, as Avith him 

 queens not thought to be very good were 

 generally thus rendered more prolific. 



There is considerable diflfereuce of opin- 

 ion in regard to the comparative merits of 

 the Italian and the black bee. We have 

 several of what were said to be the pure 

 Italian, but the queens Avere all short-lived. 

 As for profit in honey we doubt their su- 

 periority over the hybrids. The hybrids 

 seem to be very excellent bees and during a 

 year of scarcity Avill do much better than 

 the blacks. Last year fully demonstrated 

 this fact to us. It seems that almost any 

 kind of a change from long continued in - 

 and-in breeding, is beneficial. 



Kansas. M. A. E. 



A Visit to a Bee-Hive. 



UESCRICED BY THE FAIKY FLYAAVAV. 



'■ How doth the little hiig.y bee 

 Improve each shiuiug hour, 

 And gathering honey day by day. 

 From every opening flower? " 



" How doth she, indeed ? " I said to my- 

 self as I awoke one bright morning. 



The thought Avas suggested by a noisy 

 bee, Avho Avaked me by trying to enter my 

 lily-bell, and I resolved that I would look 

 into the matter. So I Acav out of my lily, 

 and to the nearest hive, to make inquiries. 



Bees are high-spirited and quick-temper- 

 ed persons, I knoAv, but a fairy can make 

 her Avay anywhere. 



The hive was a neat building, pleasantly 

 situated in an orchard. On one side a clo- 

 ver-field, full of perfume, and on the othc r 

 a gay llower-garden. 



At the door of the hive I was met by a 

 number of sentinels, one of whom address- 

 ed me rather sharply, Avith "Who goes 

 there." 



"A friend," I replied, " who wishes to 

 learn something of the Avays of the bees, 

 and how they make honey. 



" Your passport," said she. 



"I never thought of such a thing," sai<l 

 I. 



"Do you intend to go into the honey 

 business yourself '? " asked she. 



"By no means," I replied ; "I am the 

 fairy FlyaAvay, and only Avant information 

 and amusement." 



" I Avill send a messenger to our Queen," 

 said the sentinel. 



The messenger soon returned with the 

 Queen's permission to go entirely through 

 the hive, escorted by one of her own body- 

 guard, excepting into the royal apartment. 



I then entered the doorway, where I was 

 greeted by my guide, Avho gave me her 

 name, Deborah, and ushered me, with a 

 grand fiourish of her Avings, into a Avide 

 gallery passage. 



