240 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



American Bee Joxjrnal for March, 1876, 

 page 69, is that it sometimes happens that 

 there are two queens in the hive; the one 

 remaining caused the death of our queen. 

 We have had in our apiary and at one of 

 our neiglibors a few similar instances, but 

 they are of rare occurrence. 



Ch. Dadant. 



Parasites on Bees. 



The Rural World reports that at the last 

 meeting of the St. Louis Academy of 

 Sciences, Prof. C. V. Kiley, the President, 

 read a communication from G. W. Barnes, 

 of San Diego, Cal., in relation to parasites 

 found upon bees in that State. The para- 

 site was described as the color of a flax seed 

 and easily distinguished by the naked eye. 

 It appears usually under the wing of the 

 bee, and adheres with considerable tenacity. 

 It occasionally crawls all over the bee, and 

 is quite agile in its movements. The bees 

 afllicted with the vermin become agitated 

 and move rapidly over the comb, frequently 

 dying of injuries. The parasites were first 

 noticed there last year, and have again ap- 

 peared this season, giving considerable 

 trouble in large apiaries. Specimens of the 

 insects afflicted accompanied the letter, and 

 Prof. Riley said the parasite was the larva 

 of the blister beetle. It was well known 

 that these larvfe attach themselves to bees 

 and were thus carried into the hive, where 

 they usually left the grown bee and attack- 

 ed the larvpe. Prof. Riley had not before 

 heard that these insects injured the fully 

 developed bees. The information was valu- 

 able, if reliable.— iir/rai New Yorker. 



From the J.os Angeles Herald. 



The Successful Apiarist. 



We often hear of men who, by their labor, 

 courage and coolness, have distinguished 

 themselves in battle, and thereby won the 

 plaudits of their countrymen. Their efforts 

 in life are pronounced a decided success. 

 The agricultural press gives, from time to 

 time, accounts of farmers who, commencing 

 in life with little or no capital, have by 

 economy, perseverence and industry secur- 

 ed for themselves and their posterity broad, 

 fertile acres and beautiful homes. They, 

 too, have been successful. And that there 

 are those who have been emiiu'ntly success- 

 ful in our favorite ]>uisiiit of hee-eulturi' is 

 well attested by accounts previously pub- 

 lished in our journals. The successful oee- 

 keeper, who is he, and what are the rules 

 he adopts as a guidance for his actions? 

 These are the questions we wish to con- 

 sider, and in so doing we shall submit 

 general principles only. In the first place, 

 ne is a person of energy, perseverance and 

 intelligence. He obtains all the informa- 

 tion he can in regard to his pursuit, by read- 

 ing the experience of others and comparing 

 it with ills own. He accepts nothing as a 

 fa(;t until it has been demonstraed by ex- 

 periment to be such, and in giving others 

 advice he relates only what he knows to be 

 relial)le. lie knows'at all times the exact 

 condition of his bees, and does not leave 

 them to take care of themselves. They re- 

 ceive ail needful care and attention, at the 

 proper time. His hives are of a uniform 

 size, and, of course, contain tlie movable 



frames. His bees are not allowed to over- 

 swarm, and thus become a prey for the 

 moth, but are strong in numbers at all times 

 and seasons of the year. To secure this re- 

 sult, he uses the mel-extractor freely, keep- 

 ing the brood combs clear of honey in the 

 working season. He rears his queens from 

 his best and purest stock of Italians, mating 

 them with drones reared from good honey- 

 producing stocks, being careful to avoid "in 

 and in" breeding. His hives, if wintered 

 out of doors, are protected from cold and 

 dampness. And finally, he is an enthusias- 

 tic lover of his little pets, and studies their 

 nature and habits with commendable zeal. 

 Many there are who are about to engage in 

 bee-culture for the sole purpose of making 

 money thereby. And this they expect to do 

 with but little expenditure of time, labor 

 and capital. Let all such persons remember 

 that those who succeed in any busines, are 

 the ones that engage in it from a love of the 

 pursuit, and are willing to devote their best 

 energit^s to it, with a determination to 

 master everj' difficulty, and excel in every 

 undertaking. Hekbert A. Burch. 



From the American Agriculturist for Au§ 



Bee Notes. 



As the honey yield draws to a close, 

 which, in most sections, will be during this 

 month, care must be taken to avoid too 

 many partly filled boxes. Beginners are 

 apt to continue to supply the place of full 

 boxes with empty ones too late in the sea- 

 son. Instead of this, the number of boxes 

 should be diminished, and in some cases 

 those colonies which work in boxes most 

 rapidly, should finish such as are partly 

 filled by those that work less freely. Box 

 honey that has been removed from the 

 hives, and packed away as directed in the 

 July notes, should be examined occasional- 

 ly, and if the moth-worm is found in any, 

 they should be either removed, or the boxes 

 placed in a tight box, and fumigated with 

 brimstone. Such boxes should be placed 

 by themselves for home use, and when 

 honey is taken from them for the table, all 

 places disturbed by the worms can be cut 

 away. A correspondent asks how the 

 worms could get into his' boxes, as he sealed 

 them up tight when taken from the hive. 

 The eggs were deposited in the boxes while 

 on the hive, and sealing up closely aids the 

 l)rogress of the worm, by retaining the heat. 

 Worms are seldtmi found in boxes, except 

 such as contain bee bread. 



In most sections swarms will not issue 

 later than this month. Each swarm should 

 be examined to ascertain if it has a laying 

 queen. Young queens are liable to be lost, 

 when sometimes a swarm has no means of 

 rearing another, and unless another queen 

 is supplietl, or brood from wliieli to rear 

 one is given, the colony will soon be worth- 

 less. 



On page 3.54, of the July No., under the 

 head of "Among the Farmers," your corres- 

 pondent asks a plain, ])ractical (piestion. 

 and justly heads his remarks, " Wasted 

 Sweets." — "Why is it that we have no more 

 bees?" is a ([uestion that claims the atten- 

 tion of every farmer. In attempting to give 

 some of the reasons why so few bees are 

 kept by farmers, I shall dilTer somewhat 

 with your correspondent. If all who have 

 attempted bee-keeping had been success- 



