^ST 



THE AMEKICAN BEE JOUKJSAIi. 



find that in almost every case she is well 

 received. I go in about half an hour to 

 see that all is right. I now kill my old 

 queen and leave them queenless for a few 

 hours, or all night and let them find out 

 that they are queenless, and then exchange 

 places ; shuting in the bees of the old col- 

 ony, and opening it at intervals of half an 

 hour or longer, according to how fast they 

 they leave for their old home. It takes 

 several days to get all the bees back. This 

 seems slow, but I have found it a safe 

 plan. 



My bees have been doing well till after 

 linden harvest was over ; but since that 

 time they have not done a great deal. It 

 seems as though tliey had come to a dead 

 stop, for they don't increase in numbers, nor 

 do they lay up stores. I am ghid to learn 

 that the two Journals are consolidated, 

 for it does one good to hear from old 

 friends now and then. Fked Beculy. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Report from Bruce, Canada. 



Last winter was very mild in the county 

 of Bruce; and Cdnsequently the bees came 

 out from their winter quarters in a very 

 good condition. The spring, however, was 

 very unfavorable. The days were clear, 

 but the winds were cold and frosty; so that 

 a large number of strong and healtliy colo- 

 nies dwindled down to mere handfuUs. To 

 bee-keepers the summer appeared long in 

 coming; but when it really did come, it 

 was most favorable for bees — could not be 

 more so. From the beginning of May to the 

 present — the end of August — the bees had 

 but very few lost days. Blossoms of all 

 kinds were abundant, and honey was 

 brought in most copiously. Let me give 

 you the yield of one Italian hive as a speci- 

 men, which was in a good condition on the 

 1st of May, but not extra. From it, I took 

 three swarms, or divisions; 50i pounds of 

 box honey; and 82 pounds of extracted 

 honey — making in all 132^ pounds of honey, 

 and three hives. The parent stock, with 

 the three young hives, now weigh an aver- 

 . age of forty pounds each, which thev are 

 to have for winter supply. Of course some 

 of this weight consists of bee-bread; but 

 were I to extract all the honey they now 

 have, as some on your s de are in the habit 

 of doing, this hive, which is situated 44^ de- 

 grees north latitude, would be among the 

 wonders of the day. One thing, however, 

 in favor of the youug swarms, must be told: 

 They had but little comb to make, as this 

 was furnished them. 



I see from the Jt)UKNAi> that bee-keepers 

 arc agreed respecting the cause of dysente- 

 ry among bees in winter. My humble 

 opinion is that undue excitement produces 

 this disease among bees that have been 



long confined. Bees are very sensitive, and 

 easily excited. Too much heat; too much 

 cold; dampness, or scarcity of food will ex- 

 cite them. I never yet met the disease in 

 a hive which was freed from all these 

 things; and it is difficult to winter a num- 

 ber of hives in the same building, or apart- 

 ment, so as to be fi'eed from them. For 

 one hive may be too warm, and another 

 beside it too cold; because the one contains 

 nearly twice as many bees as the other. 

 Two hives may have the same weight in 

 the fall, and during the months of confine- 

 ment the one may not consume half of its 

 food, while the other may die of starvation; 

 because some bees consume more food than 

 others; and because the temperature in one 

 hive may differ from that of another; and 

 bees consume food according to the degree 

 of temperature in the hive. Again, food 

 may be in the hive, and the bees may per- 

 ish from want, or by attempting to reach 

 it. The food must be near the cluster, or 

 the bees will get excited while selecting an- 

 other place in the hive where they can reach 

 the food; and during such excitement, or 

 any excitement arising from any cause, 

 dysentery is produced, and the most of the 

 bees, if not all of them, perish. 



My difliculties are connected not with the 

 wintering of bees, but spring. Though my 

 bees are generally confined for about five 

 months, yet I bring them out strong and in 

 good condition; but they are not long out 

 when they become reduced, unknown to 

 me and in spite of me. The colonies that 

 have brood pretty well advanced during 

 their confinement, do well in spring, if 

 their queens should not die, a misfortune 

 which very frequently meets me, and for 

 which I can give no reason. In winding 

 up my thoughts on tliese important points, 

 for the time being, let me place my diffi- 

 culties on record, and in the form of 

 queries which may meet the eye of some 

 who may be both able and willing to an- 

 swer them through the Ameucan Bee Jour- 

 nal. 



1st. Would it be wise, or safe to excite 

 a colony which would be very still during 

 its winter confinement, by feeding it, so as 

 to cause breeding to be commenced two or 

 three weeks before it would be taken to its 

 summer stand ? 



2d. What causes so many young, and 

 apparently healthy, queens to die in the 

 spring ? 



3d. I have now a queen from an im- 

 ported mother, two years old, which five 

 times her own size of gold w ould not pur- 

 chase; because she is the most prolific 

 queen I ever saw. Her progeny are most 

 beautiful in their appearance and form, ex- 

 traordinary workers, and of a good dispo- 

 sition as ever I had; and all her queen 

 daughters are in color and form like her- 

 self. Very near the half of the eggs laid by 



