254 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI-. 



bought 13 colouies in frame hives aucl 

 cue box hive colony, July 20th, aud now 

 have 50 colonies in the yard. 



"The 14 colonies purchased July 20th 

 Avere, except two, Italians aud hybrids. 

 During the summer while the blacks were 

 doing almost nothing, the Italians and 

 jiybrids filled up with honey and brood, 

 and, Aug. 12th or 15th, began to swarm. 

 One swarm left the hive, clustered on a 

 tree for a few minutes aud left for parts 

 unknown all before nine o'clock A. M. 

 They were first cross hybrids. 



Having tried a number of bee-sting 

 remedies with little or no effect, I at last 

 found that tobacco soaked in whisky 

 would, if applied immediately, stop the 

 pain in 20 seconds aud in most cases pre- 

 vent swelling. A half-ounce vial half 

 full of tobacco and then filled up with 

 whisky, is handj' to carry in the pocket 

 during the working season. In my case 

 the pain and swelling are worse just in 

 proportion to the length of time elapsing 

 before the remedy is applied. My neigh- 

 bor Mr. Cobb, on the other hand, can 

 take 50 or 100 stings and enjoy the fun, 

 feeling no ill eftccts whatever. 

 Maysville, Ky. AVm. C'. Peluam. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Over-stocking. 



A few more weeks will conclude my 

 84th year ; and my efforts, for my own 

 interests or the interests of others, soon 

 must cease. I wish to state a few facts 

 connected with and relating to the subject 

 heading this article. 



1. There is a very great difference in 

 the amount of honey produced in differ- 

 ent fields in the different sections of our 

 country and in the world, varying from 

 the barren waste to its most productive 

 fields. 



2. Every field from the most barren to 

 the most productive is limited in amount 

 of its productions. 



3. There is a great difference in the 

 .seasons for the production of honey, the 

 same field producing double or treble the 

 amount one season that it will in another. 



4. In swarming liives, tlie increase will 

 be from one to four new colouies per 

 annum. 



5. If we commence with one colony, 

 aud have one new swarm from each 

 colony per annum, the first j^ear we have 

 2 colouies, 1 old and 1 new ; the 2nd 

 year 4 ; Ord year 8 ; 4th year 10 ; and so 

 on to the 10th year 1,224. 



0. If we commence with one and have 

 two new swarms from each old oue an- 

 nually, the increase will he 3, !), 27, 81, 

 and in ten years our stoek will amount to 

 59,149 colonies. 



7. If we have 3 new swarms from each 

 stock the increase will be 4, IC, 64, 250, 

 1024, and in ten years the amount is 1,- 

 048,570. 



8. At four new swarms, as allowed 

 sometimes to be given, both by Quinby 

 and Langstroth, it Avill be annually, 5, 

 25, 125, 025, and in ten years will amount 

 to 9,705,025 colonies of bees. 



0. Somewhere along in these years the 

 figures will get a little above the capacity 

 of the field ; the strongest swarms will 

 give some considerable surplus. The 

 weaker ones will, some of them, be rob- 

 bed in the struggle for life. Some of 

 them will be too weak to resist the moth, 

 aud will succumb ; but with feeding and 

 nursing they almost all get through pret- 

 ty well. 



10. Another spring has a fine opening, 

 an abundant flora, the colonies double 

 their numbers they have increased to 

 double the number, that but just squeez- 

 ed through the preceeding winter, and 

 now they die half, two-thirds, three- 

 fourths, and sometimes all of them. Was 

 the field overstocked ? Oh no ! they say. 



11. Perhaps some of the bees straying 

 over, daubecl up and besmeared the comb. 

 Oh it was the dysentery. Or they might 

 have reached the sides of the hive and 

 frozen to death leaving a little honey at 

 the edges of the comb, and frozen there, 

 leaving that evidence against overstock- 

 ing. 



12. I have never occupied a field where 

 30 colonics were safe to pass through the 

 winter without starvation. Twice in my 

 short experience (having commenced mj" 

 business at three score years of age) I 

 have had almost my whole apiary perish 

 from starvation. 



13. But why should we talk about 

 starvation? An apiary that will give 

 half to two-thirds of the honey produced 

 in the field to the keeper ; should not be 

 reckoned unsatisfactory. 



14. Neither should a bee-keeper be sat- 

 isfied with a hive that cannot be made 

 strictly a swarming hive at the pleasure 

 of the keeper, or changed to a hive capable 

 of receiving surplus honey boxes in most 

 intimate connection with the breeding 

 apartment, of the capacity of 100 lbs., 

 thus giving such room as would form the 

 colony the disposition to swarm. 



14. It is not the principle object to pro- 

 cure bees but honey. AVe should think 

 that the increase at the rate of doubling 

 every year, one new colony from every 

 old one, would give in ten years, in each 

 town six miles square, 1224 hives ; and 

 in 15 years 39,108 hives. But instead of 

 reaching this number, so many would 

 perish from starvation that the business 



