THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



09- 



The Southern Keutucky Bec-Keepcrs' 

 Society then adjourned, to meet at the 

 residence of Mr. 1>. A. Alexander, near 

 Smith's ^Grovc, Warren county, on the 

 third Wednesday in 3Iay. 



AV. 11. Sanders, Sec. 



I found one of my best swarms dead this 

 morning ; it was smothered or frozen. It 

 was a box hive and eontauied about 7.5 lbs. 

 of honey ; the combs wert' like cakes of ice. 

 The weather is very cold and I fear I shall 

 loose more of them. The Journals came 

 to hand and I find them very interesting. 



Denver, Ind. Aaron Lewis. 



It is strange that bee-keepers are so long 

 in understanding that frozen honey is no 

 better ice for bees to winter on, than frozen 

 water would be. We have seen many 

 colonies in just the state your bees were in 

 — liives full of sealed honey with no space 

 empty for the bees to cluster. The very 

 first cold weather, all the bees that come in 

 contact with the sealed honey die, and thus 

 with every cold day the cluster is diminish- 

 ed until there are not bees enough to keep 

 up any warmth. Even when protected, 

 bees in this situation are not safe from 

 freezing. We repeat what we have often 

 said : " More bees die every winter in Iowa 

 from too much honey, than from tlie want 

 of it. 



I have seen it stated that the Italian bees 

 protect their combs from the moth much 

 better than the common bees do ; and that 

 wiien there is no bee disease prevailing the 

 Italian workers are much longer lived tban 

 black ones. Please inform me whether 

 these two points in their favor are generally 

 conceded by those who have tried them. 

 Allen Weatuerby. 



We are sure that no one who has kept 

 both Italians and black bees, will dispute 

 that the Italians protect tiieir combs from 

 the moth much better than the black bees 

 do. We have never seen an Italian colony 

 injured by the moth while it was in even 

 tolerable condition, while we have seen 

 many black ones ruined by worms. We 

 doubt if Italian workers are any longer 

 lived than black workers, we think they are 

 quite as long, and do more work while they 

 do live ; and if left queenless by accident, 

 an Italian stock will maintain itself longer 

 than a black stock can in like circum- 

 stances. 



Belleville, Canada. Do you think the 

 tulip tree would grow as far north as this 



l)laee. Apples, pears, plums and all kinds 

 of fruit grow very well, white clover is in- 

 digenous, basswood is the ordinary fruit 

 wood, with maiiie and beech. Ihickwheat 

 is an abundant cro]) generally; wild rasp- 

 berry and all small fruits grow well. The 

 tulii) tree is a new ifica, to nu>, and I would 

 like to try one to sec; if it can l)e maih^ to 



grow. Is it more productive of honey than 

 asswood ? L. Wallhridoe. 



We would like to seethe tulip tree tried 

 in your section of country, and are quite 

 sure it will do well. Here they grow fast 

 and, so far, are handy. It is not more pro- 

 ductive of honey than the basswood, but 

 the honey is of very different flavor, and we 

 tl'.ink it remains in bloom longer. If any 

 reader in Canada has tried the tulip tree, 

 let us hear a report as to growth, even if it 

 has not yet bloomed with him. 



I am a beginner, and started last spring 

 with an Italian and a black swarm, i got 

 from these one black swarm and nine good 

 hybrid sAvarms, and I received from 

 all, over 200 lbs. of honey, which sold 

 mostly at 20 cents per ft. I have now about. 

 30 good combs in Langstroth frames. We 

 had a terrible drouth here, I succeeded very 

 well in every operation except introducing 

 queens. Late in the season I ordered two 

 Italian queens from Mr. Dadant, put them 

 in, following Mr. Hamlin's plan ; both died. 

 From eggs tlie bees raised a queen, but it is. 

 doubtful whether she got fertilized or not. 

 Now instead of having two more Italian 

 colonies I lost the queenless one. Now, I 

 intend to move to another place where there 

 are no shade trees at all, so I would like to 

 know what to plant to have shade by the 

 latter part of May. How will hops do '? and 

 how to arrange it, or if it is better to erect a 

 shed ? I shall have to manage from 8 to 12 

 hives. Also, which is the best way to pro- 

 tect combs not in use in winter, as well as 

 in summer ? Gustav Ilisch. 



Hickman, Ky. 



You are unfortunate in getting queens so 

 late, but your experience will help you next 

 season. Try some other way to introduce ; 

 there is no need of loosing queens when 

 putting them in. 



In regard to shade for your hives, another 

 season, we would recommend sunflowers 

 planted like a hedge, south and east of 

 them, as more sure to afford shade the first 

 year. Grapes or hops, if planted this year, 

 will give them shade next. We do not re- 

 commend a shed ; if your hives have deep 

 caps it is not necessary to have any other 

 protection, but we like shade for bee hives, 

 and believe on the whole it is best. 



Riverton, Iowa. We are having very 

 severe weather here. Part of my bees are 

 buried, and a part surrounded by straw. I 

 am afraid I shall loose many, because my 

 stocks were weak in the fall. On the last 

 part of September and first part of October, 

 when it was warm, my bees were busy, but 

 I noticed hundreds of fall flowers in a 



