189'; 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



237 



of the bees in front of the hive I ^vii^h 

 them to occupy, aud carrying the rest 

 to the hive I wish them in also. Now 

 let one of the queens run in with one 

 part and the other with the other, the 

 whole thing being done without any 

 worry or uncertainty, as was always 

 the case where the queens had their 

 wings. In this way it is no more 

 trouble to manage several swarms 

 where they come out together than it 

 is to hive them if they come out single, 

 while we are complete masters of the 

 situation, I consider the clipping of 

 the queens wings one of the improve- 

 ments of the age, scarcely second to 

 any of the many others made within 

 the past half a century. 

 Borodin<), N. Y. 



Ventilation, Shading Boards, 

 Etc. 



BY CHAS. H. THIES. 



) I have just had a little experience 

 ill combs melting down, and while I 

 /should have known better than to 

 meet with such results, I was careless 

 enough to allow it to occur. In 

 Southern Illinois the heat is not usu- 

 ally so great as to melt our combs of 

 honey in the hive, but on certain oc- 

 casions they will. melt. I often, in 

 forming nuclei, close the entrance to 

 keep the bees all in the hive until late 

 in the evening, Avhen the entrances 

 are opened and the bees are allowed 

 to Hy out. Now I find that this is all 

 right with old tough combs, and when 

 the weather is not too hot. But in hot 

 weather and with new combs, look 

 out. Not more than two hours after 

 a number of nuclei had been formed, 

 containing new comb pretty well filled 

 with honey, 1 noticed honey running 



out at the entrance, and upon exam- 

 ining I found that combs, honey and 

 bees were all in one mass. This is very 

 disagreeable, so look out and don't 

 make the same mistake. These nuclei 

 were not out in the sun, but were in 

 the shade. For that reason I did not 

 expert to meet with such results. All 

 my hives that are exposed to the rays 

 of the sun any portion of the day are 

 covered with shading boards, which 

 are raised an inch or two from the top 

 of hive cover. This is not only of 

 benefit to the bees, but to the bee 

 keeper as well, as I find Avhen thus 

 pi'otected they do not cluster on out 

 side of the hive to such an extent, 

 but remain out in the field at work. 

 Bees have been booming and are still 

 doing well. We have just had a nice 

 rain, which will extend the honey flow 

 some. White clover here has produced 

 or secreted more nectar this spring 

 than in several years past, and should 

 we have as good a fall flow, we will be 

 able to call this one of the good old 

 years in Southern Illinois. 



Go-Operation Between Bees 

 and Blossoms. 



BY BESSIE L. PUTNAM. 



"Scarce less the cleft-born wild flower seems 



to enjoy 

 Existence, than the winged plunderer 

 That sucks its sweets." — Bryant. 



To this the poet might have added 

 that between bees and blossoms there 

 is oftiraes a mutual admiration, an 

 inter-dependence; and a severing of 

 their alliance would result disastrously 

 to both. 



The culminating point in a plant's 

 glory is reached in the perfection of 

 its seed. This can never be attained 

 unless pollen has been transferred 



