THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



233 



this valuable queeu last spring produced 

 drones, though the eggs were deposited in 

 worker cells; but now, and during the last 

 two months of suninuT, her eggs are, and 

 have been, all right. How is this to be ac- 

 counted for ? My own opinion is the fol- 

 lowing : When I first made the discovery 

 that so many of her eggs produced drones, 

 I concluded — though much to my grief — 

 that my queen was getting to be an old 

 queen. But now as she shows no signs of 

 old age, but has all the energy and prolitic- 

 ncss of a young queen, I am driven to an- 

 other opinion, namely: That in the spring 

 the queen's body was so small that when 

 she was in the act of depositing her eggs 

 in the worker cells, her body was not suf- 

 ficiently compressed for the eggs to receive 

 their vivifying influence from the sperma- 

 theca; but when the queen was more liber- 

 ally fed, and her body became large, the 

 compression was cft'ected, so that the eggs 

 deposited in worker cells produced work- 

 ers. Is my theory correct ? If not, who 

 will explain the ditficulty? 



Wishing the American Bee Journal 

 great success, 



I am, yours respectfully, 



Bruce, Out. J. Aderson. 



>~»^^ * «- 



For the American Bee Journal. 



What Killed thelBees. 



In looking over the reports of the bee dis- 

 ease, I am reminded of the story of two 

 men meeting before an Inn. One on each 

 side of the sign. One said it was black, 

 and the other stoutly affirming it was white. 

 After disputing over it a while they chang- 

 ed places, when lo ! and behold they were 

 both right, for one side was painted white 

 and the other black. 



Both cold and poor-honey may kill the 

 bees. I will give you my reasons of the 

 way it is done. Bees in their various tribes 

 are the only things that live on sweets. All 

 animals die in a short time when fed upon 

 it exclusively. A dog fed on it will die in 

 20 days. Scientific analysis has shown that 

 sugar is neither mineral, nor vegtable, but 

 that it holds a medium ground easily chang- 

 ed into either, which when thus changed 

 becomes food for vegetable, or animal life. 

 The bee in digestion changes it to vegetable, 

 while a little water causes fermentation, 

 which changes it back to mineral, making 

 it only food for plant life. Now, it is ho7i- 

 ey not vinegar, that is food for bees. 

 Since, honey, or syrup, so readily unite 

 with water, causing it to sour, it can be 

 easily seen why dampness in the hive is 

 so fatal. 



I come now to consider the cause of 

 dampness in the hive. 1. A hive left out 

 will remain dry so long as all dampness 



forms into ice. But carry it into the cellar 

 in this condition, and the ice will melt, 

 producing dampness that will prove fatal,, 

 while if it had been left out .so ventilated as 

 to carry off the Avater as it melted it would 

 be dry and safe. 



2. Close toi) frames, retain the moisture 

 (in the cellar.) 



3. Open top frames, closed below, retain 

 the moisture. 



4. A hole in the top with lower ventila- 

 tion creating a draft, causes them to eat so- 

 much, as to pass it in a liquid form, arising 

 in part from the dampness and stench 

 arising from the dead bees at the bottom . 

 Hence it will be seen that the difference in 

 the frame makes it necessary to make a 

 change in ventilation to keep it dry. Hence 

 the difference in the various reports. Honey 

 gathered late, thin and watery, will sour. 



This is the other side of the sign. Good 

 honey kept dry and warm tcill winter befs ■ 

 every time. But vinegar will not. Cold is 

 the prime cause, with improper ventilation 

 of producing dampness, which united with 

 the honey or sugar syrup producing the 

 mischief. 



It remains now to determine how to win- 

 ter bees so that tliev shall have good food, 

 be kept warm and dry. Heie I will simply, 

 suggest that the open top frame, covered 

 with a quilt, thin enough to let the damp- 

 ness escape, thick enough to stop a draft 

 with lower ventilation, with the frames 

 raised several inches from the bottom board, 

 in a dry cellar, kept so by a tin pipe connect- 

 ing the bottom of the cellar with the stove 

 pipe, would be in fair condition to winter 

 if it was warm enough. I have known 

 bees to winter in 72-3 buried 3i feet under 

 ground, packed in straw, below, at i\\esides. 

 and top, so that the straw absorbed the 

 moisture, while eveiy body's bees died 

 through the county. They were box hives . 

 set upon coi'n cobs, that is raised about one 

 inch from the bottom board. Two three 

 inch ventilating tubes, this secured dryness 

 and warmth. It is no small study to learn 

 how to ventilate so as to keep the bees dry 

 under all circumstances in all kinds of hives. . 

 Dr. C. M. JosLiN. 



Bee or Wasp Stings.— Spread over the 

 part stung, a plaster of salad oil and common 

 salt ; if oil be not at hand, the salt may be mois- 

 tened with water or vinegar. Another rem- 

 edy is to keep the part constantly moistened 

 with a rag dipped in sal-volatile and cold wa- 

 ter, as strong as can be borne without raising 

 the skin. Another antidote is everywhere 

 available, for it is nothing more than common 

 soil applied to the wound. This remedy has 

 often been tested with complete success, and. 

 can be implicitly relied upon. The soil should 

 be wet before being applied.— JVew Facts. 



