214 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



Their old comb coulained some pollen, but not 

 a large amount; much less, I think, than is 

 common -with good colonics in the mouth of 

 February. I gave them no flour or meal. 



This colony was not diseased when trans- 

 ferred, a scarcity of stores being the only ob- 

 stacle in their way. When they were clustered 

 quietly in their hive at night, I could find per- 

 haps the usual ciuantity of excrement dischnrged 

 on the wire-cloth and walls of their portico. I 

 feci very conlident that, had they been troubled 

 with dysentery, they Avould have done just as 

 tiic}^ did in health with regard to discharging 

 tlieir excremenr, and would have been restored 

 to perfect health, if similarly treaied and taken 

 in hand before their numbers Avere too much 

 reduced to admit of their keeping up the requi- 

 site amount of heat to sustain animal life dur- 

 ing the late and consequently cold hours of the 

 night, when ihe tire was allowed to burn down. 



This, Mr. Editor, I think in part answers the 

 question above quoted, and perhaps may be of 

 some value to new beginners, if made known 

 to them, enabling them to save a starving col- 

 ony, and convert it into a valuable one The 

 colony referred to is now one of my best stocks. 

 At any rate, I was willing to introduce to them 

 last tall, for safe-keeping during the winter, a 

 splendid Italian queen just obtained from Mr. 

 Langstroth. 



This morning they are in good condition, 

 and I could sell them for twenty dollars. I am 

 quite sure it did not cost me one-fifth of that 

 sum to save them through the winter. But 

 when we take from the above the price of the 

 Italian queen, it leaves still a good black col- j 

 ony, in a movable comb-hive, worth twice what j 

 it cost me to keep them over the winter. I am 

 well satisfied that I can save nine colonies out 

 of every ten, by managing them as I did the 

 one here spoken of, allowing their condition to 

 be perilous, either from dysentery or from want 

 of sufHcient stores. They will soon begin to do 

 well, if put into a dry clean hive with their 

 comlb and brood, and fed on healthy s3-rup. 



I see that sorghum or sorgho, as he calls it, 

 is mentioned by a correspondent of the Bee 

 Journal and Gazette as a bee-feed. I find him 

 also starting with a colony of bees badly dis- 

 eased, doing, as he declares, his best to clean 

 their combs and restore them. I feel very con- 

 fident that he is likely to have just such trouble 

 as long as he feeds this putrid and worthless 

 syrup, which I am slow to believe fit either for 

 man or beast, unless it be differently manufac- 

 tured from what it is at present, if this con- 

 tains anything of interest, Mr. Editor, you are 

 at liberty to publish it. 



Godfrey Bohker. 



Alexandria, Ind., March 18, 1867. 



P. S. — If question No. 3 is not answered in 

 the ne.xt number of the Journal, I shall prob- 

 ably try to answer it. G. B. 



Man takes 7m suff'ering for that of huinanity, 

 as the bees take tlie droppings of their bee- 

 stand, wlien the sun already shines out again 

 for rain, and stay in-doors. — Jean Paul. 



For the American Bee Journal and Gazette. 



Escape of Queens. 



Repeated instances have been reported where 

 valuable Italian queens have made their escape 

 when the transport-hive for the purpose of 

 transferring them to their intended new quar- 

 ters was opened. As such an occurrence must 

 be anuojiug and mortitying to the operator, it 

 may be well to submit a few suggestions by 

 which the loss may be guarded against. 



Where the queen is in a small box, and ac- 

 companied by a small number of workers onl}% 

 it should be opened in a room with closed win- 

 dows, the c^ueen seized and confined in a cage. 

 Here, if she should chance to slip through the 

 operator's fingers, she would merely fly to the 

 window, and could there be recovered and se- 

 cured. 



But where a larger number of bees — a small 

 swarm, for instance— accompanies the queen, 

 and it is inconvenient to make the transfer in- 

 doors, it may be safely effected in the open air, 

 if the lly-hole be opened, and the bees •allowed 

 to issue. As soon as they become settled, the 

 top can be removed, and the entire mass of bees 

 transferred to their new home, without danger 

 that the qeeen will desert. They may be either 

 shaken from the combs, or brushed out Avith a 

 feather if adhering to the sides or top of the 

 box. Still, the operation should not be under- 

 taken in the near neighborhood of other hives, 

 at a time when the bees are flying, as trouble- 

 some and damaging interference might thereby 

 be induced. 



A remote or more isolated spot somewhere 

 in the garden should be chosen; and if the 

 queen then take wing and fly away, she will be 

 sure to return and rejoin her colony if it be left 

 in that position till the bees manifest uneasiness 

 at her absence, unless meantime she shall be 

 hastily "gobbled up" by some insect-loving 

 bird that chances to espy her. 



Wherever at all practicable, therefore, I ad- 

 vise operating in a room with closed windoAVs, 

 Avhatever be the size of the transport-hive or the 

 number of the accompanying bees. When cer- 

 tain that the queen has been secured or trans- 

 ferred, the AViudoAV should be opened, and the 

 ucAV hive placed before it. Tlie old stragglers 

 Avill quickly join the colony; and the young- 

 bees, not yet Avell able to flj% should be col- 

 lected and placed at the entrance, Avhere they 

 Avill be kindly received. 



Usually Italian bees are sent to the purchaser 

 in miniature box-hives, Avith one or two small 

 movable combs; and there can consequently be 

 no difficulty in securing the queen, if the pre- 

 caution be taken to operate in doors Avith closed 

 windows. Inexperienced persons should never 

 neglect to do so, and it is only for such as they 

 that these admonitions are intended. There 

 are other and subsequent risks Avhich those 

 must unavoidably encounter w^ho desire to 

 Italianize their apiaries. But the chief matter 

 of all is, to be sure that they have an Italian 

 queen securely housed to begin Avith. 



O. P. 

 April, 18()7. 



