THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



213 



With us, this weed is called "stick-tight." 

 It is a great nuisauce, if it does produce 

 honey. 



Dear Editor: — My husband has a few 

 stands of black bees which we manage on 

 the old fogy plan, and I often have to hive 

 them when he is absent. I like bees (al- 

 though they sting me sometimes), so my 

 husband has olfered to give the bees to me, 

 if I will care for them and study bee-keep- 

 ing. A friend handed me the February 

 number of your Journal to read, I am well 

 pleased with it, and think it is just what I 

 want. 



It is a question, with the people in this 

 country, as to whether bees do as well on a 

 fruit farm. Some think they do better on 

 account of so much peach and apple bloom ; 

 others think that eating so much ripe fruit 

 is against them. Will you please give me 

 your opinion about it? We have a large 

 peach and apple orchard, some pears, 

 grapes and strawberries. 



Mrs. D. Shelton. 



A fruit farm is one of the best places for 

 bees. The bloom in the Spring just when 

 they need the stimulus must counterbalance 

 all injury from ripe fruit, of which none 

 complain ; we have never had any trouble 

 though always keeping bees near orchards. 



Dear Editor : — Enclosed please find a 

 specimen of bees that are dying from a 

 disease that is unknown in this vicinity ; I 

 cannot find any bee-keepers in this part of 

 the country that know anything about it. 

 It resembles the nit of a louse as much as 

 anything. Whether it is a gum that they 

 gather, or get on their feet, or a louse, or 

 something else I cannot tell. Did you or 

 any of your readers ever hear of such a 

 pest. A great many bees are destroyed by 

 it in this locality. This season has been 

 uncommonly dry, and that may be the 

 cause. I have 14 swarms in the Kidder 

 compound frame hive, and every swarm is 

 enfested. All they do is to fight and carry 

 off the diseased bee. AVm. H. Page. 



Branch Co., Mich. 



We have never seen anything of the 

 kind. If any one has noticed or heard of 

 it, that can give any reasonable explana- 

 tion, let us hear. 



Dear Friend -.-Our only colony swarmed 

 15th of May ; we had intended to divide 

 them in a few days. The new swarm was 

 very large and filled their empty hive with 

 comb, brood and honey. In about two 

 weeks, we then put a large honey box on 

 the top (King's patent hive) which was also 



nearly filled in about ten days, wlien tlioy 

 made a feint at swarming ; came out, 

 making a great noise, fiew around, most of 

 them lighting on a tree near by, but soon 

 left and all went back to their old hive 

 again. 



Question. AVhy did they do so, and 

 what should we have done with them i' 

 The next morning we divided them, as re- 

 commended in the April Journal, only as 

 we could not find the queen and there was 

 no queen cell started, we put four frames 

 of brood and honey into the empty hive, 

 instead of two ; moving the old hive to a 

 new stand, which they soon refilled, but on 

 examining it the other day, I found the 

 new combs had no brood or eggs in them ; 

 nothing but honey. 



Question. Is that a proof that they have 

 no queen ? 



The other hive of that division is build- 

 ing up very slowly. I put young brood in 

 it that they might rear themselves a queen. 

 The hive that the swarm came out of. May 

 15th, we divided about two weeks after- 

 wards, fearing they would swarm again. 

 The hive left on the old stand is about 

 built up, but the one we moved away is 

 quite weak, and I think queenless. We 

 have added young brood and empty queen 

 cells. It looks as if a queen had hatched. 

 How shall we strengthen it ? 



What shall we do to keep the bees from 

 building crooked combs ? We have waxed 

 the frames, but for all that they will run 

 them together. Do you know of anything 

 that will prevent swelling from bee stings '/ 

 I do not mind the hurt but I dislike the 

 swelling, particularly when it blinds me for 

 days. Beulaii E. Betts. 



To question first, we answer that when 

 they swarmed and then went back, the 

 queen for some reason could not fly. From 

 your account of what followed, we judge that 

 she was lost in the grass or in some other 

 way, and that when you divided and found 

 no queen, there was none there ! Both 

 parts therefore had to rear a queen. 



As honey was being gathered fast, then, 

 they would store a great deal before they 

 had a young queen ready to lay, and there- 

 fore the combs would be full. We think 

 by this time you can easily tell if they have 

 fertile queens. 



Strengthen the weak one by giving it a 

 frame of brood, ready to hatch from one 

 of the others. 



To have combs straight it is necessary to 

 pay attention to the hives that are building 

 comb. Direct the bees a little by turning 

 any piece round that inclines to be crooked. 



