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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Apr. 29, 



zation of an apiary is the sine qua non of progress, as far as 

 bees are concerned. Some bee-keepers claim the palm of 

 superiority for the Carniolan, or for the Cyprian ; but we can- 

 not agree to this. The Carniolan is a black bee, and the fact 

 that a cross between it and our common bee cannot be readily 

 detected is an insuperable objection to them. The Cyprian is 

 too cross for anybody. 



To improve our stock we must improve the breeders. We 

 must select the father and the mother. In bees, selecting the 

 father seems an impossibility ; but we can make use of our 

 control of the apiary to at least decrease the number of drones 

 in the hives that we do not want, and increase them in those 

 of our selection. This is done readily by removing the drone- 

 comb from the inferior colonies, and placing enough for a 

 good supply of drones, in some of our best colonies. The selec- 

 tion of the mother is much more easy. Naturally the best 

 colonies will swarm and rear good queens by the law of the 

 survival of the fittest ; but our best colonies are also our best 

 honey-producers, and if we want both bees and honey, we 

 must resort to artificial breeding of queens, and division. 



It seems to me that in the above words I have outlined 

 enough for a three days' discussion, and will now ask the 

 members to do the rest. C. P. Dadant. 



Mr. Black — There has not been a crop of honey in my 

 neighborhood for five years, and in such a case it did not mat- 

 ter what one did, he would get no honey. During that time 

 all the flowers seemed to be a failure — did not secrete any 

 honey. My stock has run down to two or three colonies. I 

 would like to know why it is that some years one or two of 

 the colonies do all the increasing for the apiary, aud the 

 others diminish more than they increase. And some of the 

 bees that are the poorest honey-gatherers, and have the least 

 honey to protect, will follow me a mile to get to sting me. 



Mr. Becker— Shall we offer a premium on bees that will 

 follow a man a mile to sting him 7 I think we ought to en- 

 courage a stock of bees that are docile. 



Mr. Black — I think my bees that are the most gentle 

 gather the most honey. 



Mr. Chaney — I think the committee ought to encourage 

 premiums on none but Italians. About all the bees in our 

 part of the State that have survived the poor years have been 

 Italians, or crost with the same. 



The following resolution presented by Mr. Black, was 

 adopted : 



Resolved, By the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 that we ask that House Bill 192, entitled " An Act to provide 

 against the adulteration of food and drugs, and the manufac- 

 ture and sale of either food or drugs from imperfectly developt 

 or damaged materials as standard articles," be enacted into a 

 law; believing that the enactment will be for the best interest 

 of the State. 



It was voted that the Secretary be authorized to present 

 a copy of this resolution to the member who offered the Bill, 

 and to the chairman of the committees before whom it may 

 come. 



Mr. Chaney read a letter from a friend in Missouri, who 

 wanted to know what killed his bees. He had fed them quite 

 late in the fall, and they died in the winter with plenty of 

 honey in their hives. 



Mr. Robbins — I think that fall feeding is in danger of 

 stimulating the queen to laying that is sure to cause a bad 

 result. 



Mr. Becker — 1 think the man named in the letter killed 

 his bees by feeding. The feeding caused the bees to scatter 

 to get the honey as they wanted it for use, and gather in small 

 groups, and in this condition the cold caught and killed them. 



Mr. Black — I have had loss of bees that were late fed, 

 and I think it was because the honey was not properly cured, 

 (Concluded next week.) 



A Picw Binder for holding a year's numbers of the 

 American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every 

 subscriber who sends us 20 cents. It is called "The Wood 

 Binder," is patented, and is an entirely new and very simple 

 arrangement. Pull printed directions accompany each Binder. 

 Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee 

 Journal as fast as they are received. They are Invaluable for 

 reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to 

 get it yearly. 



« » » 



The BIcISToy Foul Brood Xreatment is 



iglven In Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Its Natural 

 History and Rational "Treatment." It is the latest publication 

 on the subject, and should be in the hands of every ijee-keeper. 

 Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year 

 —both for $1.10. 



CONDUCTED BY 



UR. O. O. MILLER, MARETiGO. ILL. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller dlrect.1 



Mating and Laj'tng of Voung Queens. 



How soon after a swarm issues will the young queen left 

 in the old colony be mated and laying ? P. K. 



Answer. — Somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 to 18 

 days. Sometimes the Issuing of the prime swarm is delayed 

 by bad weather, and in that case the time may be consider- 

 ably shortened. It may also be a good deal lengthened in case 

 the swarm issues with no queen-cell present, or with those but 

 slightly advanced. 



Dead Bees in Combs, Etc. 



1. In looking over my bees to-day, I found one colony 

 that had a good many dead bees in two combs. The bees 

 crawled into the combs and died, and are still there. Now 

 will the bees take out those dead ones ? The colony is quite 

 strong in bees now, and they are just beginning to fly some 

 every day now. They have plenty of stores. 



2. I should think I took out one quart of dead bees. What 

 do you think made so many die in that colony, and not any of 

 any account in the other near it? They were all in chaff 

 hives on the summer stands. Concord, N. H. 



Answers. — 1. A good colony of bees will make sure work 

 of cleaning all dead bees out of combs. If, however, you have 

 a comb full of dead bees that happens not to be in care of the 

 bees, you may be able to have the dead bees cleaned out by 

 leaving the comb where mice can get to it, only see that they 

 don't carry their work too far and tear down the comb. If 

 kept in a place very dry, the bees may largely be shaken out 

 of the cells. 



2. There is nothing alarming in the case. One colony 

 may show more dead bees than another because having more 

 old bees. One queen may stop laying earlier than another, 

 thus making a larger proportion of old bees. Sometimes you'll 

 find twice as many dead bees in one hive as another, when the 

 real loss in each has been the same. For some reason one 

 colony has cleaned out all the dead bees, and the other has 

 left them mostly lying on the floor of the hive. 



Wants to Prevent Swarming;. 



I have 23 colonies. Previously they have been at my 

 father's, but I wish to take care of them myself this year. I 

 would like to keep them from swarming, and have not time or 

 strength to look them over enough to keep the queen-cells cut 

 off; audi can only keep about 25 colonies, as I have not 

 room for more than that at a convenient distance from the 

 house. 



1. Will it do to give them plenty of super room, put on 

 zinc honey-boards, and fasten strips of queen-excluding zinc 

 over the entrance, until after the swarming season is over? 



2. In case the laying queen was killed how long would I 

 have to leave the zinc off the entrance for the new queen to 

 fly ? And how long would it defer brood-rearing ? 



3. How often would I have to examine the brood-frames 

 In order to tell whether the fertile or a young queen is left ? 



I would consider it a favor if you will answer these ques- 

 tions direct to me Instead of through the Bee Journal, as I 

 wish to know at your earliest conveuience. 



Olmsted Co., Minn. 



Answers.— One of the discomforts of my life is to get a 

 letter with a postage stamp in It. Whenever I get one of that 

 kind I know it contains questions about bees, with a request 

 to send the answers by private letter. And It is simply im- 

 possible for me to comply, altho it may look to the sender that 

 I am very unaccommodating. If I should answer one I should 



