70 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



stupor. They could crawl but not fly. I 

 can give no cause for it. I noticed it at 

 mid-day, wlien tlie thermometer stood at SO, 

 and on moonlight nights. 



E. Wellixgtox. 



What blossoms were the bees on ? Can 

 any bee-keeper account for this, or has any 

 one noticed the same thing ? 



I think it would be interesting to many 

 readers of the JorRXAi., and particularly 

 so to me, if you will answer the following : 



Is Florida a good State for the honey 

 bee? 



If so, what localities are considered best ? 



At what season do bees swarm there ? 



What are its honey resources ? 



Can you give the address of one of its in- 

 telligent apiarians ? J. B. H. 



Florida is a good State for bees. Reports 

 from bee-keepers there, who are giving at- 

 tention to the business, are very favorable. 



Any location where man can live is good 

 — none have been tried long enough to 

 decide comparative merits. 



Bees swarni from the middle of March to 

 May. 



Honey resources are wild flowers, tulip 

 tree magnolia, various wild shrubs, orange 

 blossoms, etc. 



Mrs. Charlotte Atkinson, Live Oak, Fla. 



I have my bees in good comfortable win- 

 ter quarters, a good bee parlor partitioned 

 olf toom the main cellar of the dwelling 

 house where they are apparently enjoving 

 themselves cherily, with the low huuniiing 

 song of the busy bee, wholly unconscious of 

 the rigors of the elements outside, which are 

 consigning millions of their less fortunate 

 fellows to the cold embraces of eternal 

 death. p. Millee. 



We congratulate all who have their bees 

 housed properly, this terrible winter. We 

 shall hear of many losses when spring comes 

 from those who are wintering on summer 

 stands, without protection. 



When can I transfer my four hives, now 

 in common, rough boxes, into movable 

 frame hives. I know that they have a good- 

 ly store of honey for the winter, and in this 

 climate the bees go out for a little every 

 day, excepting the few days in the year 

 when it is very cold. At present we have 

 still roses, sweet olives, scented violets, &c. 

 in bloom in the gpen garden. I keep my 

 liives under a large plum tree; they have 

 no shed or other shelter. I know there are 

 some worms in the hives, how can I get 

 them out '.' When is the time to buy Italian 

 queens ? Should I need one for eacii hive '.> 

 We are doing very well ; but the water 

 came and drowned all our little place and 

 washed away the labor of years. 



Hermitage Landing. La. L. Lawsox. 



We have great sympathy with them who 

 have seen the labors of years destroyed by 

 floods or insects. AVe send you the Joinj- 

 KAL, being sure that you will find in it 



needful instruction. You have a good place 

 to keep bees ; they need no other shelter 

 than the plum tree. You will find good 

 methods given in the Jourxal by which to 

 transfer your bees into movable comb hives 

 and after you do that, you can aid the bees 

 to keep clear of worms. We think May or 

 June would be 3'our best time to put in 

 Italian queens, — at the North almost any 

 time from INIay to November will do. We 

 hope to hear of your success. 



Voices from among the Hives. 



D. S. MoCallum, Ilornellsville, N. Y., 

 writes :— "My bees have done very well 

 this year. I had 60 swarms in the spring 

 and some of them rather poor. I increased 

 to 100 by natural swarming, and they made 

 5,100 lbs. of box honey, including that not 

 capped. I put them into winter quarters in 

 Nov., and they appear to be doing well." 



B. F. n., Livingston, Ala., writes :— 

 " There are plenty of bees in this section, 

 but they are kept on the old plan — allowed 

 to care for themselves ; and if an annual 

 "robbery" yields 15 to 20 lbs. of honey, the 

 " robber " thinks he is doing well. My first 

 task will be to try transferring to a movable 

 frame hive. Shall undertake it with fear 

 and trembling, and numerous stings, I 

 guess." 



J. W. Duxx, Corpus Christi, Texas, 

 writes : — " Last March I got a hive of Itali- 

 an bees from S. W. Cole ; they were 13 days 

 on the road ; came out in good order, in- 

 creased to five and lost one (run-away) ; the 

 five I have are doing well, plenty of honey 

 and brood. I shall not run mj' bees for 

 honey, as there is a demand for all the bees 

 I can raise at S'iO per hive. I use single- 

 story Langstroth size." 



F. C, Bethlehem, Iowa, writes :— "Bees 

 have done well, when attended to ; mine 

 average 80 lbs. to the swarm, and an in- 

 crease of X during linn. I extracted 1,300 

 lbs. in 8-4 days from 20 stands, in hives con- 

 taining 20 frames, one story, "a la Gallup." I 

 am fiUly convinced the majority are upon 

 their right track on wintering. Put your 

 bees away earlj', or at least do'not let their 

 combs become frozen or damp. Keep them 

 dry and cool. If your depository is dark, 

 dry and frost proof and the bees put in 

 proper sliapc with regard to ventilation, ac- 

 coruiiig to size of swarm, you need not fear 

 bee diseases." 



Mns. M. E. Chaxdt.er, New London, 

 Minn., writes: "There are no Italian bees 

 nearer than :i miles of us, yet out of thirteen 

 (pieens fertilized last summer, four produced 

 hybrids; two of these swarms were very 

 light colored two banded bees; the other 

 two were a mixture of black and one banded 

 hybrids. A friend of ours also had a swarm 

 of hybrids, when there were no Italians near- 

 er than (i miles. lender these circumstances 

 I think it would be well for Italian (pieen 

 breeders to be careful how they warrant 

 their queens, when there are black bees 

 within five or six miles of tiiem, that is, if 

 black drones will go as far from home as the 

 Italian drones." 



