1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



233 



(From American Bee Journal.) 



SEVERAL BEE NOTES AND SUG- 

 GESTIONS 



BY MRS. L. C. AXTELL. 



Bees Quiet in Spring. — It seems 

 to ine the more quiet that bees can be 

 kept in the spring the better it is for 

 them. 



Feeding for Pollen, — We used to 

 feed our bees bushels of ground oats, 

 rye and corn meal; also flour, but have 

 come to the conclusion that it is an in- 

 jury to them, as they get plenty of 

 natural pollen from the maple and 

 willow trees in all weather fit for bees 

 to fly. 



Retards the "Set." — M o v i n g 

 chickens even from one pen or house 

 to another in the spring retards their 

 wanting to sit. 



Wintering Blacks vs. Italians. 

 — The old black bees in their box- 

 hives winter even better than our fine 

 pure Italians on the old, let-alone 

 principle. But the Italians, if cared 

 for in moveable frame hives,and prop- 

 erly protected, go far ahead of the 

 blacks. 



Proper Care for Bees .-Any race 

 of bees properly cared for will do 

 much better for their owner than if 

 left alone to shift for themselves; but 

 unless a person understands bees, he 

 would better not handle them much. 

 Even on the let-alone principle bees 

 pay their owners full for all money 

 invested in them. 



putting on Supers. — If colonies 

 are strong, supers may be put on some 

 weeks before the main honey harvest. 

 Last year we had about 100 hives in 

 one corner of the apiary that I over- 

 looked, and supposed I had put supers 

 on until one threw off a swarm. 'J'hen 



I hastened and put supers on all, but 

 every one swarmed, and had the 

 swarming-fever the worst kind. They 

 gave but little surplus, compared with 

 those I put on supers a month or two 

 weeks earlier. 



Shading and Ventilation Hives, 

 — Bees out in the sun, with no tree to 

 shade them, should be protected by a 

 shadeboard aud a large entrance in 

 front. If in a hive that can be opened 

 at a side, a larger entrance may be 

 given by opening at the side. But 

 when swarming, and the queen is 

 dipt, it bothers much to have the 

 bees pouring out at both the front and 

 side of the hive, and the queen is 

 oftener lost. 



Selling Honey Near Home. — It 

 pays to sell more of our honey near 

 home, direct to consumers. It should 

 be graded, too. The very whitest and 

 prettiest should be sold for a cent or 

 more than the medium, and the rough 

 and dark should be cheaper. It is not 

 fair to hold it all at one price. We 

 should let a poor person have our nice 

 honey at the same price as the rich 

 and fashionable, and not try to put 

 the dark, rough honey on any one who 

 did not choose it. 



Warren Co., 111. 



(From Pacific Bee Journal). 



REMOVING COMB HONEY FROM 

 THE HIVE. 



BY A. B. MELLEN. 



After the bees have made a really 

 fine article of comb honey, it is often 

 materially injured by the inexper- 

 ienced bee-keeper in removing it from 

 the hive and packing it in the ship- 

 ping cases. The first move in taking 

 off honey is generally to smoke the 



