180 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



had struck the drum of the ear ? I have 

 heard it stated that a gun fired at an ab- 

 sconding swarm will bring them down. 

 Is it the sound or concussion that produces 

 this result ? I merely throw out these sug- 

 gestions for him to think over, hoping he 

 will continue his experiments and give 

 us the result. Argus. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



HiTing Swarms. 



In large apiaries, and where natural 

 swarming is practiced, every bee-keeper 

 knows how important it is to get swarms 

 hived as quickly as possible, to prevent 

 several swarms from going into one mass. 



I practice as follows : All my swarms 

 are caught in a peach basket on the end 

 of a pole. Take a basket and bore the 

 bottom full of inch holes, and cut away 

 quite a good portion of the staves, so as 

 to make it as open as possible; stick the 

 inside full all around on the staves with 

 small strips of comb, a small leather 

 strap, six or seven inches long, put through 

 the bottom of basket and nailed on the 

 inside, with a small harness snap on the 

 other end of strap. Then fasten to the 

 end of pole, a ring, snap into the ring 

 and your basket hangs in the form of a 

 bell. Take a light pole, with hook on the 

 end, and you have all that is required. 



We suppose your hives are already just 

 where you want them to stand, ready to 

 receive the swarm, some brood combs 

 having been put in the hive. Now then, 

 this hive has a cover to cap after the 

 fashion of a band-box. Just as soon as a 

 swarm is on the wing and they have se- 

 lected an alighting place, take the basket in 

 one handjhook in the other,and when about 

 a quart has settled to the tree, shake with 

 hook and put basket in the spot. Just as 

 soon as the bees begin to gather on the 

 basket, lower the basket down about one 

 foot or so, and keep the branch shaking 

 with the hook, and in less than five min- 

 utes you have them all on the basket. 

 Now carry to hive, and one jerk will drop 

 them on top of the frames. Put on the 

 cover and your swarm is hived and out of 

 the way, and not a score of bees will take 

 wing after they are put in. Towards 

 evening you must put them in whatever 

 shape you want them. If for a honey 

 stock, fill them up with combs and brood, 

 and put on boxes. 



This will be found much more expe- 

 ditious than the other way of shaking 

 them down in the front of the hive. 

 We have practiced this for quite a num- 

 ber of years, and could not get along now 

 with the old way. 



On page 67, 'March No., first column, 

 near the bottom, is an error. It reads 

 " Hive ten or fifteen swarms in August." 

 It should read, '■'■ Hcvoe ten or fifteen 

 swarms," &c. 



To clean glass that has been used in 

 boxes and is daubed with propolis; put 

 the glass into a tub and cover each layer 

 of glass with unleached wood-ashes; fill 

 tub with soft water ; let stand twenty. four 

 hours, and it will wash as easy as new 

 glass. J. Butler. 



Jackson, Mich., March 16, 1876. 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 Bee Notes from North Carolina. 



We have had in February and March 

 a heavy fall of " honey dew " on the pines, 

 made by a plant louse about this size 

 when grown, O, which turns into a fly of 



this length , very much like we see 



winged ants, only black and a little 

 smaller. Some of my stocks are so heavy 

 from it, as to encroach on the breeding 

 space. 



The honey is white as white clover honey, 

 of a good flavor, and seemingly as true a 

 honey as that gathered from the blossoms. 

 Cold weather does not seem to afi"ect the in- 

 sects, as during its continuance we had ice 

 freeze in small vessels two inches thick, 

 and next day when the sun came out they 

 were as lively as ever, and the bees buz- 

 zing as thick as usual. 



Have you ever seen any " sourwood 

 honey ?" It's far nicer than white clover, 

 and of a more delicate flavor, yielding a 

 comb that is so fragile it's difficult to 

 separate it in the mouth from honey. Our 

 principle crop is of this, and but for the 

 fact that I have a home demand for all I 

 can make, would have sent a lot North on 

 trial. Apiculture as a profession has 

 been attempted in this state often, but has 

 never yet proven a success. It cannot be 

 on account of want of honey plants, for 

 we have every essential for success. 

 There is all along this mountain slope a 

 continual succession of bloom from froit 

 to frost. 



During the summer we have the sour- 

 wood, commencing about June 15th, and 

 lasting till August 10th, when buckwheat 

 commences, to be succeeded by the " iron- 

 weed " or "tanglefoot" which lasts long 

 after frost. • 



Summer before last, I knew of two 

 Italian stocks that increased to ten; all 

 filled American hives, with a surplus from 

 six of much honey. All wintered well, 

 and wei'e in the hands of a plain farmer 

 who had never seen a Quinly or Langs- 

 troth until mine was borrowed. 



My success for three years has been 

 uniformly all I could desire, barring a few 

 mistakes the first winter. 



No difliculty in wintering here, and 

 have never heard of a case of foul brood. 

 Have Italians entirely, with the exception 

 of what black bees I may buy, but always 

 Italianize as fast as possible. The 

 hybrids work as well for me as the Ital- 

 ians, but as there are no bees except wild 



