THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



24$ 



fill for tlie JouKXAL aiul Starbiick's Union 

 bee hive.' 



While I am a greenhorn in bee-culture I 

 must ask a few (luestlons: Do you know 

 anything about Mr. Starbuck, or of his 

 hives? I got the JornxAi, for six months 

 now and not'.a word of ytarbiiek's. 



Please let me know how Langsti'oth's 

 hive is inaile, and how tlie separate boxes 

 are made and placed? 



Wlien is the time and how soon can I 

 shut the drones out? My hive is so con- 

 strneted that I can shut them out at will. 



Wiiichdo you suppose is the best hive in 

 use? There is the Quinby, Langstroth. 

 Standard, American. C.alliip, closed-end 

 Quinby; mine Is the Union bee hive. 



Do yon believe at all in shutting off the 

 drones? I can't get'my bees to work in the 

 separate boxes. What is the cause? 



Thos. ISheneiman. 



[When an artificial colony is made and al- 

 lowed to raise a queen, if it is so made as to 

 be very strong, it will often cast a swarm 

 within 12 to 14 days, precisely as a colony 

 which has swarmed naturally will throw 

 otf a second swarm. 



We know nothing about Mr. Starbuck's 

 hive. 



As soon as your queens are all laying, 

 there is no further need of drones, although 

 drone traps are not generally valued. 



There are different oiiinions about hives. 

 Probably the Langstroth is the most popu- 

 lar. The principle is simply a box contain- 

 ing movable frames, the surplus boxes of any 

 desired size being placed upon the frames. 



Your bees probably do not work .in the 

 boxes because the body of the hive is not 

 yet filled. Tliey ought not to be asked to 

 work sooner in the boxes.— Ed. 



Macomb Co., Mich., July 24, 187(7.— " I 

 started last year with 3 colonies, increased 

 to 9, bought 12 this spring, have incr'teased 

 to 4:6 up to date. Sold last year from tlie 3 

 and tlieir increase 8118 worth of honey; 

 have sold $47 worth this season, and have 

 some .'i?25 on hand and a good store in hives 

 which I shall take out as soon as they com- 

 mence on buckwheat. The season has not 

 been good here this year, too wet, no honey 

 in blossoms now, am in hopes of a good 

 supply of fall honey, think we will get it 

 but may not. Will not give up in despair if 

 I do not. I had an honest picture drawn 

 lip by II. Livingston, of the uncertainties of 

 the business, when he first encouraged me 

 to commence. I know he had no object to 

 advise me wrong, therefore I invested a 

 little money and time for which I have no 

 reason to complain as James Ileddon does. 

 If a beginner should listen to him he would 

 not hold out long. I am sorry to hear one 

 of our Michigan men complain so bitterly 

 of a thing he can so easily quit. I do not 

 think that I complained much worse or more 

 during 15 months imprisonment in the Con- 

 federacy, and I was confined in five differ- 

 ent prisons, among which I name Libby 

 and Andeisonvillc i)risons. I wish Mr. II. 

 would try and brace up and give us one con- 

 soling; word during the next 18 months." 

 Wm. p. Everett. 



Platte Co., Mo., July 1!», 187t;.— "A few 

 words from North-W(^st Missouri may not 

 be out of place. This is my second vear in 

 tlie bee business. I wintered 13 culonies 

 last season and bought on(! this spring. 

 Bees did poorly here early in si)ring; the 

 weather was wet and cold. They got no 

 benefit from fruit blossoms. Wlum black 

 locust came out they did wcdl, raising 

 brood. Since June 2!), I have taken some- 

 thing over I, loo tfjs. of extracted honey, all 

 from linn— basswood. I should have had, I 

 think, a much larger yield had the weather 

 been favorable. It rained nearly half of the 

 time while basswood was in bloom. The 

 honey was white and very nice. Have no 

 trouble to sell extracted honey here. Sold 

 in the little town of Platte City, (500 lbs. 

 Expect to sell all my surplus here in this 

 (Platte) county. Sell at 15 and 1(1 cents per 

 ft. Have not learned Geo. H. Mobley's 

 way of getting box honey yet, but don't 

 have to wait until late in the season and 

 then take dark honey. We take honey all 

 the season through. Have increased my 

 bees to 24 strong colonies and expect a good 

 yield this fall, if the weather is favorable- 

 All the knowledge I have of bees I got from 

 your valuable Amekican Bee Jouknal. 

 I am making up a club for it that I will 

 send in soon." P. H. Boiiabt. 



Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio, July 34, 1876. 

 — "Mr. Editor: As you are aware of my 

 illness for some time past, I take pleasure 

 in informing you that I am improving. At 

 present am able to oversee my bees some- 

 what. I think this is one of the best seasons- 

 I ever witnessed, I am very sorry that I 

 was not able to attentl my, bees and see 

 what profit there could be made from bees 

 here. I had 23 hives last spring. Sold 3, 

 leaving 19; having 35 at present. I have 

 had them kept back, to make as little trouble 

 as possible. Had a good many swarms but 

 still had the most of them j)ut back, having 

 no hives to put them in. My bees are very 

 strong. If 1 was well I could easily double 

 them all yet. I suppose I will get about 

 400 fts. of box honey this fall, while if 1 

 had been able to attend to them, as I wish- 

 ed, I could have had 50 colonies of bees and 

 1,000 fts. of honey by this time. The like 

 of white clover I never saw here before, and 

 the honey is excellent. People think they 

 never ate such honey before. I agree with 

 our Illinois friend in regard to the king 

 bird. I have killed a number of them and 

 making a close examination there was no- 

 thing found in them belonging to a bee but 

 the sting and sometimes the hind legs. It 

 has long been my opinion that they do not 

 eat bees, but suck out the honey; but, eat 

 or not, they kill the bees, so my advice is 

 kill every king bird that conies in your 

 way. I presume that our readers think it 

 strange that I have never made any reply 

 or mentioned anything in regard to the 

 statement concerning me in the May num- 

 ber of The American Bee Journal. 

 The statement referred to is all correct, but 

 I have not heard from one bee-keeper yet, 

 but am still in hopes. I have not been able 

 to work more than four years out of the 

 last ten. These fresh attacks were brought 

 on by hard work, so I concluded to be a 

 bee-keeper the rest of my days, and if I can 

 keep my bees until I get well again I think 

 lean live without hard work. My friends 

 here will take good care of me while I am 



