THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



271 



jar; then by leaning back I could draw 

 the string as'tiglit as I pleased and by roll- 

 ing the jar towards nie I could press the 

 cap on nicely and quickly. 



If I had nothing but the black bees to 

 work with, I would quit the business; it 

 almost makes me mad to open a hive of 

 them and' have all the little cowards run 

 to the bottom of the frames just as if 

 they were crazy. I have one hive that 

 when I examined it for winter, Oct. 1st, 

 I found a nice Italian queen that had been 

 hatched about two weeks and plenty of 

 drones. As she was hatched so late in 

 the season I came to the conclusion slie 

 did not become fertilized, but all of my 

 queens quit laying about that time so I 

 had not the opportunity of knowing for a 

 certainty. I will know what is the mat- 

 ter with them next spring. 



I very seldom use smoke or a veil to 

 work with my bees (unless they get too 

 awfully cross), for the first is a bother and 

 excites the bees too much, and the latter 

 shuts up the road to my mouth. I would 

 rather take a few stings than to do with- 

 out eating honey. I use no remedy and 

 can stand 15 or 20 stings a day tolerably 

 well. When I commenced the business 

 one little sting would swell more than a 

 dozen doses now. I suppose "the hair of 

 the dog is good for the bite." 



Bethany, Ohio. ^V. 8. Boyd. 



For tlie American Bee .Tournal. 



Pure Queens Working in Boxes. 



Messks. Editors : — The JouR^"AL is 

 just received, and in looking over it I find 

 your correspondent from Binghampton, 

 N. Y., complains that he has not succeed- 

 ed in getting his pure yellow Italians to 

 work in boxes. The ditierence in locali- 

 ties may make the diftereuce ; but be that 

 what it may, my experience is just the 

 reverse. I have never had any trouble to 

 get tlie golden beauties into boxes, for the 

 reason that, as lie correctly states, they 

 are prolific and fill their hives with bees, 

 and as soon as mine fill up with bees they 

 go at the boxes with a vim not excelled 

 by the best hybrids, which are certainly 

 good for honey — equal to, but not better, 

 than the pui'e yellow boys. Such queens 

 as he describes would be a very valuable 

 acquisition to any apiarian in anj' State, 

 that rears queens for sale, as such queens 

 are in demand. I would give two good 

 hybrids, and perhaps two more, for such 

 a queen that will duplicate herself every 

 time in lier queen progeny. I have had 

 almost all kinds of queens, and but few 

 such that invariably duplicate themselves 

 in queen progeny. I find it difficult to 



get such queens, and have had imported 

 and homebred of the first order, and yet 

 comparatively few such as he describes, 

 the ditierence, again, probably being in 

 locality. I am satisfied that success in 

 apiculture varies in dift'erent localities ; 

 so, likewise, do the color of queens, etc. 

 Melrose, Pa. K. W. IIaruisun. 



Old Harry's Report. 



Dear Editor — Many bee-keepers have 

 had their say in the journals in regard to 

 wintering;' and their theories are as vari- 

 ous as their pens. Instinct teaches the 

 bees to build comb and fill it with honey; 

 when circumstances place the comb all 

 ready there, instinct teaches them to fill 

 that comb and keep it full. Now by 

 taking advantage of that instinct wc. may 

 empty that comb a thousand times and a 

 thousand times will they fill it; but as 

 cold weather has come I will stop on that 

 train of thought. 



Soon all will be silent around the hive. 

 Don't let that hum be silence forever; 

 don't let the bees perish in the icy grasp 

 of old boreas. They have worked hard 

 for you the past season, charged you 

 nothing and boarded themselves. Their 

 product has added to your purse. Now 

 study their nature, their habits, and their 

 instinct, and aftord them protection ac- 

 cordingly, but as you value their living, 

 dont try to make them conform to some 

 pet theory on ventilation, or some patent 

 clap-trap ("ventilated,") misscalled a bee- 

 hive, or they will be sure to sufler. They 

 require but little air in the winter and that 

 little they want to keep warm for comfort, 

 now, with your ventilator, you are con- 

 tinually drawing the warm air off, that 

 they much need. As it is continually ^be- 

 ing drawn oft", they must be continually 

 heating more, which exhausts them, and 

 they die before they see the warm sun of 

 spring. They die from over work, try- 

 ing to keep warm. But it is all right, 

 their tombs are patented, and the "hard 

 winter" is to blame. Then nature teaches 

 them to plaster up every crack and crevice 

 except their passage-way. They do it in 

 order to save as much warmth as possible. 

 If you interfere with this, they will al- 

 most be sure to die. 



Protect the outside of their home from 

 the cold blast, pelting rain and sleet. 

 Keep their hive dry out side; then let 

 them alone, and they will take care of the 

 inside. Bee-keepers, study the nature and 

 instinct of the bees and coniform your 

 operations to that and they will place 

 you on the royal road to wealth. 



Honor to whom honor is due. We 



