

37th Year. 



CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 15, 1897. 



No. 15. 



View of Mr. C. W. McKown's Apiary. 



Mr. McKown beKan the bee-business In 1878, in a small 

 way, by buying a few colonies in box-hives, and past through 

 about the usual experience of others in getting them home and 

 transferring them to movable-frame hives. In moving them 

 home the combs broke down in two of the hives, and daubed 

 and drowned the bees. Then in transferring there were more 

 failures, as a natural consequence with a beginner. His only 

 help was Prof. Cook's " Manual of the Apiary," and the 

 American Bee Journal. After transferring, he secured some 

 Italian queens, and had the first and only yellow bees in his 

 vicinity at that time. 



Winter losses were heavy, and as he had to winter them 

 on the summer stands, he changed all into double-walled hives. 

 Since then (for 12 years) winter losses have been very light. 

 For four years profit and loss were about equally divided, but 



Wax Moth and Worms in Comb Honey. 



BY 6. M. DOOLITTLE. 



One of our oldest and largest comb honey producers writes 

 me thus : 



Please give us through the columns of the American Bee 

 Journal the best method of keeping comb honey from worms, 

 or the larvae of the wax-moth ; how to destroy such as may be 

 in it when taken from the hive, etc. By doing this you will 



Apiary of Mr. V. W. McKown, of Knox Co., Ills. 



in the spring of 1882 he had 60 colonies, and that summer 

 secured 10, 17.J pounds of honey, and sold it for an average 

 of 13 cents, having hired only .SIS worth of help. Since 

 then it has been smooth sailing with him and the bees. He 

 has had as many as 24:0 colonies at a time, but aims to winter 

 but 100. 



The apiary is in the center of the village, with a street on 

 two sides within a few feet of the outside hives, yet he has 

 never had any trouble with travelers, thieves or neighbors. 

 His production Is about ofie-third comb and two-thirds ex- 

 tracted, and he depends upon the home market, just like every 

 wise bee-keeper does, when he possibly can do so. 



give us something which will be appreciated by the largest 

 number of bee-keepers. I know you have before given your 

 method of keeping moth-worms out of comb honey, but that 

 was for comparatively small lots; and, besides, the methods 

 which have proven elBcient should be given again and again, 

 so as to keep them before the people, and especially that those 

 new in the business may find what they want," 



I had not thought it necessary to write further on the sub- 

 ject of "worms in comb honey," but from the above, and sev- 

 eral letters which have come to me of late, of like import, per- 

 haps it may be well to speak of this matter again, prefacing it 

 a little to show how we were led to the present ways of keep- 

 ing comb honey. 



Years ago, when I first commenced to keep bees, nearly 

 every one who then kept them, stored their honey in the cellar. 



