234 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



finely, hives full of honey, besides what we 

 have taken out. White clover covers the 

 ground all around us, and with small 

 patches of catnip and one little patch of 

 rape, gives the bees plenty to do, though 

 just now it is too cool lor them to do much. 



"Beeasticus" : I am sorry you do not give 

 your right name, for I think an article ten- 

 fold more interesting if we can know who 

 the writer is. 



Friend Heddon: I agree with you as re- 

 gards this trying to get every man, woman, 

 and child to keep bees. Why in the world 

 don't you keep bees? Such big profits we 

 make. Well, let us make them and keep it 

 to ourselves, or only tell it to those who are 

 already in the business and take the' jour- 

 nals, and let the others alone. 



Wm. M. Kellogg. 



Oneida, 111., July 24, 1876. 



[The matter of controlling swarming is a 

 very interesting one, especially for those 

 who wish to obtain honey in the comb. Do 

 you work for comb - honej'^ or extracted, 

 friend Kellogg? We think it would be 

 much easier to keep down the swarming 

 impulse if the extractor is freely used. The 

 important problem with some is to keep the 

 bees from swarming while working in 

 boxes. Many cases are reported of Italians 

 swarming without starting any queen cells. 

 Is a wet season best for honey? If we re- 

 member rightly, Quinby says the best seas- 

 on is when a drought is threatened. — Ed.] 



For the American Bee Journal. 



My Bees. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Italian vs. Black Bees. 



This is my third year's experience in bee- 

 keeping at this place. I commenced with 8 

 stocks of Italian bees. I bought 50 stocks 

 of black bees from dilferent parties, Italian- 

 ized about one half the first season. I put 

 on boxes during buckwheat and to my sur- 

 prise the black bees were the first to com- 

 mence in the boxes and gave by far the best 

 yield though the Italians were the strong- 

 est. The next season I put on the boxes 

 early and gave the Italians every advantage 

 but the blacks were the first to commence 

 and kept ahead all the season. 



This season I commenced with 65 stocks, 

 about one half Italians and hybrids. Com- 

 menced boxing during fruit bloom, but the 

 weather was cold and windy; none com- 

 menced in boxes until white clover, June 5. 

 The clover season ended July 5, it was the 

 best I ever knew, while it lasted. My best 

 stock of black bees put up 1.50 lbs. of white 

 honey in 4 lb boxes, while the best Italians 

 put up 120 lbs. Several stocks of blacks 

 went from 100 lbs. to 140 lbs., only one Itali- 

 an reached 100 fts.; yet the stocks were all 

 strong and in good condition in the spring. 

 After this experience I am forced to the 

 conclusion that as box workers the black 

 bees are the best. Where the extractor is 

 used the Italians are all that is claimed for 

 them. I only use the extractor as a neces- 

 sity. Box honey is my hobby. Bees have 

 just connnenced on buckwheat, the pros- 

 pect is good for a fine croj). 



John Vandervort. 



Wyoming' Co., Pa., Aug. 15, 1876. 



I went but July 28 and found three more 

 natural swarms had been added. Many of 

 the hives were so crammed with honey that 

 the queen had very little room for eggs. 

 On my previous visit I had run out of 

 frames, and had left some of the new 

 swarms with hives only half filled with 

 frames as they were so weak that I thought 

 they would need no more for a couple of 

 weeks, but in this I was mistaken, and in 

 some of them combs were built from the 

 quilt. My object was to take just as little 

 from the bees as possible, for I was more 

 anxious to leave tiiem strong than to get 

 honey. I had ordered some hive material 

 from Oatman & Sons with some misgivings 

 as to whether it would be just exactly right, 

 but I could not have asked for greater ex- 

 actness, so I filled all up with frames where 

 needed, extracted some of the combs, took 

 others from the strong and gave to the 

 weak, and started 11 more new colonies 

 which made the total number 84. Where I 

 took full frames from a hive I gave in their 

 place in most cases frames of foundation. 



I find it works best not to have the foun- 

 dation come very near the bottom bar. It 

 might do in tolerably cool weather or in a 

 weak colony but in a strong colony the bees 

 will commence work on the whole surface 

 of the foundation, and the weight of so 

 many bees when the weather is hot enough 

 to soften the wax, makes it stretch and 

 double over on the bottom bar. Perhaps a 

 depth of 6 inches gives the most satisfactory 

 results, but in that case the bees will ada 

 some drone comb in some of the frames. 

 About a quarter of an inch space at the side 

 seems to work well. I would suggest to 

 those who have many frames to fill with 

 foundation, to have the melted wax, or wax 

 and rosin, in something like a kerosene can, 

 so that the constant dipping of the tea 

 spoon may be avoided, and the little spout 

 of the can may be easily directed where the 

 melted material shall trickle along the edge 

 of the foundation. It is quite important 

 that the edge which is cemented to the 

 frame shall be cut perfectly true to make 

 quick and easy work. If the foundation is 

 to be used for brood comb rosin and wax 

 may be used for cement; but if for comb 

 honey, wax alone nuist be used or care be 

 taken, in cutting out, that none of the ce- 

 ment be on the comb. B. Lunderer. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Can Bees Hear? 



Mr. Editor:— My manipulations with 

 bees for this season are nearly over; and as 

 I promised to experiment further in answer 

 to the above (juestion, I will now, with your 

 permission, give the result of my experi- 

 ments: 



Sound is transmitted by wave-motion 

 throiigh the air; the intenser tlu> sound, the 

 more powerful the wave, so that by their 

 increased force objects with which they 

 conu' in contract are brought into a tremor, 

 and are even broken by their force. 



Sound always produces a tremor or jar. 

 The finer the structure of the organ for the 

 reception of sound the slighter the sound 

 may be to be detected by that organ. No 



