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THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



December 



Bee Notes. 



BY S. M. KEELER. 



Dr. Miller, in Gleanings, page 786, 

 wants to know what is best to use in 

 making inside comers of a feeder 

 water tight. Let him try red lead 

 and linseed oil. It dries quick and 

 hard, is also good to mend your leaky 

 tinware by mixing into a thick paste 

 and it will stand fire and water. 



Charles Norman in his article on 

 "Foul Brood," page 789, Gleanings, 

 gives the size of his frames 23^x23J 

 and calls them small. I wonder what 

 he calls a large frame ? 



G. M. Doolittle is not alone in the 

 bridge comb question. Some would 

 try to make it out a great deal of 

 trouble to an apiarist, but that de- 

 pends on how they look at it. The 

 bees want them and make use of them 

 in going up. Who has not seen the 

 little cone-shaped knobs of wax built 

 up on the bottom of the hive to enable 

 them to reach the bottom bar of the 

 brood frame, and thus save traveling 

 clear to one side so as to go up the 

 side of the hive ? They are almost no 

 trouble at all. Let them alone ; they 

 are much cheaper than "shoe pegs." 



The Clasps worn by wheelmen to 

 save their trousers from being soiled 

 by their wheels may be worn to keep 

 the bees from running up inside your 

 trousers, and thus save some uncom- 

 fortable stings. 



Now is the time to read everything 

 new and old these long evenings and 

 take notes that we may be prepared 

 for our work when the bees fly in the 

 spring. 



are protected with winter cases from 

 piercing winds and freezing storms, 

 which disturb the bees very much 

 more than many degrees below zero. 

 Then with a dry brood nest and pure 

 air to breathe, their condition for win- 

 ter is about as good as it can be. Mr. 

 J. F. Gates says, " Cold never kills a 

 colony of bees," and I think his head 

 is about level on that point. Too 

 much protection I am satisfied has 

 killed lots of bees. Where hives are 

 packed with saw-dust, leaves or hay, 

 the packing is very liable to get wet 

 or gather moisture, and soon is 

 mouldy, rotten and musty, which is 

 enough to kill bees or anything else 

 confined in such a place. 

 Chenango Bridge, N. Y. 





With plenty of good honey bees 

 need not starve, especially if the hives 



Editor American Bee Kkeper. — Dear 

 Sir: F'lease answer the following: questions 

 through the columns of your journal or 

 leave it open for discussion : 



1. What is the best way to Italianize an 

 apiary of 50 coloniees '! 



"J. Whai is the cheapest way to do so and 

 when ? 



3. Are Iiali ns any better than Hybrids 

 for comb honey '/ 



Y.urs Truly. F. J, C. 



[As tlu <|uesti< ii^ are on subjects on which 

 there U on side rable diversity of opinion we 

 prefer lo have our leaders answer them, and 

 shall be glad to receive some short articles 

 on the subject of I talianizing with answers 

 to the qtn stions asked — Eo.] 



W. T. Falcon kr M'f'g Co.— Gents. — 

 We herewith hand you M< ney Order for 

 eleven dollars and seventy cents in payment 

 01 bill of Oct. I:th, IS 4 The goods were 



