1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



435 



other than those previously followed. While I do not believe 

 at all that the members meant to vote this way — for I do not 

 believe that they understood they were voting except against 

 amalgamation — yet with the vote in view I think it is prob- 

 able that the Manager has no right to prosecute in other 

 directions. In this case I believe that we should at once vote 

 to give him that right, and not only that, but direct him to 

 proceed at once to fight adulteration. 



As I have already stated, it is not wise or best in my opin- 

 ion to keep two organizations alloat. The amount of business 

 on hand will justify no such course. It is just as patent, I 

 think, that the Old Union will not live if it does not broaden 

 its field of work. It seems to me with its old-time prestige it 

 can do better work than can any new organization, if it is 

 willing to put its shoulder to the wheel with all of its old-time 

 energy. For this reason, I, as one of the officers of the Old 

 Union, am led to urge with all the power I am possest of, that 

 the Old Union proceed at once to fight this horrible enemy of 

 the bee-keepers — the adulteration of our honey. 



As I have said before, we have a splendid place right here 

 In California to commence the fight. The old Manager is on 

 the ground. The public sentiment is ready for the fight. I 

 believe it is a stupendous blunder that any impediment stands 

 In the way of immediate action. 



Los Angeles Co., Calif., June 6. 



Starved Brood — How to Prevent It. 



BY WM. m'EVOV. 



In many localities the bees get but very little houey after 

 fruit-bloom is over until the clover begins to yield, and when 

 the weather has been rather unfavorable at that time the bees 

 in many colonies will use up all the unsealed honey at such 

 times in feeding the larva;, and when that is gone the bees iu 

 some colonies will not uncap the old sealed honey fast enough 

 to keep pace with the amount of larva; on hand that requires 

 feeding just then. Soon after that, dead brood in all stages 

 will be found, which died for the want of being fed. Uncap- 

 ping some of the sealed stores, in the evenings, or feeding at 

 such times so as to furnish the bees with plenty of xmsealcd 

 honey in the brood-nest, will put things so in order that no 

 dead brood will be seen in such colonies after that. 



There is a great difference in the bees from some queens. 

 Some are good feeders of larva; at all times, while others are 

 very poor, except in times of honey-flows. In the honey sea- 

 son, do away with all queens whose bees are not good feeders 

 of larvse, and put in young ones from colonies that are, or 

 send to some good queen-rearer for some. Where the combs 

 have much dead brood of this kind, place them above the 

 queen-excluders until the most of the brood is hatcht ; by 

 doing that the bees will clean this kind of dead brood out be- 

 fore they store honey in the cells. 



But in all cases where the combs are poor and very old, 

 make wax of these as soon as the brood is hatcht out of them. 



The combs of decayed brood, which I recently received in 

 paper boxes that came from Dakota and Minnesota, had no 

 foul brood in them, altho the resemblance was very strong. 



Ontario, Canada, June 30. 



^ 



Some Bee-Keepiug Errors Corrected. 



Br C. B. BANK8T0N. 



It is indeed easy for man to sit in his office and imagine 

 things about bees, and write his imagination for the books 

 and papers. But actual experience Is what the novice needs, 

 as much or more than he does book-learning. In every pur- 

 suit there is a class who has a special slight with the pen. 

 These fellows do a great deal of good and a great deal of 



harm. While they do not teach us much about the real truth 

 of the secrets hid beneath the hive-cover, we learn to theorize 

 from reading their long-winded articles. I regret to say that 

 there is a great deal taught about bees in the books and 

 periodicals which is not akin to the truth. Many of the bee- 

 keepers who know the most write the least. 



When a lie becomes popular it is all the harder for the 

 truth to suppress it. I will mention a few things which have 

 been going the rounds, and which I very much desire to have 

 set right. I will not mention any writer's name, but simply 

 refer to the thing said. 



LAVING QUEENS FIGHTING. 



Whoever saw laying queens fight? I never did. This 

 coming from one of our best writers was easily believed by the 

 inexperienced. I had not kept bees six months before I 

 learned that laying queens would fight to a finish as soon as 

 the opportunity is presented. One man had a fine Italian 

 queen killed just from the conclusion he had drawn from 

 reading this statement. 



MEETING OF THE QUEEN AND DRONE. 



The queen and drone meet in the air; in falling to the 

 ground the male organ is twisted in two, and the drone and 

 queen are thus separated. This is imagination. Here is the 

 truth: They meet in the air and fall to the ground; the 

 queen gnaws the organ in two, and returns to the hive. 



REARING QUEENS FROM TWO TO THREE DAYS' LARV/E. 



Good queens can be reared from two to three days' larvie. 

 This is imagination. Experience says that good queens can 

 be reared from two to ten hour old larvas. 



QUEENLE8SNESS, NOT WEB-WORMS. 



" The web-worms destroyed several colonies for me dur- 

 ing the season." Imagination. Experience : I lost several 

 colonies from queenlessness and starvation. 



THREE BANDED WORKER-BEES. 



A 5-bauded queen mated to a black drone will produce 

 3-banded workers. Straight imagination. Truth : The 

 workers will be at least one-third black. 



QUEENS PASSING THROUGH BEE-ZINC. 



A virgin queen can go through a space 5/32 of an inch. 

 As soon as laying, she cannot pass. Imagination. Truth : A 

 laying queen can pass through any space that she could when 

 a virgin. Impregnation does not enlarge any part of her ex- 

 cept the abdomen. And space which will admit the thorax is 

 sufficiently large for the whole queen to pass through. 



PURE DRONES FROM .MISMATED QUEEN. 



A mismated queen will produce pure drones, as to the 

 mother's stock. Imagination. Truth: Italian queens mated 

 to black drones will produce some black drones, which is suf- 

 ficient proof that they too get some of the black blood of the 

 father. 



HARD TO CHANGE OLD IDEAS. 



If men would write their experience instead of what they 

 imagine, and the knowledge they glean from the reading of 

 books, the errors of our fathers would soon be corrected. 

 When ideas are once stampt on a man's brains it is a very 

 difficult matter to get him to even consider anything contra- 

 dictory to them. To illustrate : When I was a boy my oldest 

 brother and I went hunting. He carried the gun, and about 

 a mile from home we saw two deer. Brother shot and killed 

 them both. I was very anxious to kill a deer, but never suc- 

 ceeded. 1 began to persuade brother to let us tell the folks at 

 home that I killed one and he killed the other. Agreed. So 

 the lie was manufactured and put into operation. I received 

 more praise than he did, becanse I was the least. From year 

 to year we would tell this ; the idea was finally stampt on my 



