August, 1907. 



American Hee Journal 



entire charge of our yard of 60 colonies at 

 Monroe, and is doing fine. The losses in 

 that yard were light also, but a good many 

 were weakened badly by the adverse condi- 

 tions. However, they must have built up 

 nicely as Amy reports that she has about all 

 the surplus combs on, and will begin to ex- 

 tract this week. 



Amy and her mother are at present occupy- 

 ing our Monroe home, but the mother can 

 not go near the apiary. A bee-sting poisons 

 her so that it is a serious matter. 



We want improved stock in our yards, but 

 it is also a very important and blessed thing 

 to train a son or daughter to be a practical 

 bee-keeper, while yet in their teens. I have 

 now a son and daughter, each of whom are 

 competent to handle an apiary. My son has 

 been away to school and has had many 

 chances to let other things crowd out this 

 work, but it was very pleasant to me to 

 hear him say during the past year that he 

 "loved the bees." Taking into consideration 

 the stings and trying incidents that will oc- 

 cur at times, it is a delicate task to train a 

 boy or girl in such a way that they will be 

 ready, on reaching early manhood or woman- 

 hood, to volunteer the above confession. But 

 I know this: Every father who really loves bee- 

 culture longs to note a like feeling in the heart 

 of his child; and when he does recognize it he 

 values it above all the mere profit that the 

 bees may furnish in dollars and cents. 



I wish that our bee-keepers may have suc- 

 cess with their bees, but more than all, I 

 wish them success with their children. 



Harry Lathrop, 



Crawford Co., Wis., July 20. 



Average Yield from Buckwheat per 

 Acre. 



In this locality, bees. like everything else, 

 are late. I had my first swarm June 29. For 

 the past 2 weeks they have just about got their 

 living, and now that white and alsike clovers 

 are beginning to bloom, I am hoping for some- 

 thing more. Eight colonies out of 52, in my 

 apiary, succumbed to the cold, backward 

 spring. 



That story of M. V. Facey's (page 534) is 

 almost too big to swallow. Seven-hundred- 

 fifty to 800 pounds of honey from an acre of 

 buckwheat nearly equals the amount — in pounds 

 ■ — of seed produced; 900 pounds of seed per 

 acre denotes rather better than an average 

 yield in this locality, which is not so very 

 far from Preston. 



I can swallow about as many "Buckwheat 

 Cakes and Honey" as the next one, but when 

 it comes to "bolting" 800 pounds of honey 

 from an acre of buckwheat, I'll stand aside 

 and let Mr. Facey have the floor. His whole 

 article (which I have read in the "Farmer"), 

 gives an optimistic view of bee-keeping for 

 farmers that the facts hardly substantiate. 

 For the past 10 years, until last season, my 

 bees had not gathered 50 pounds of buck- 

 wheat honey, all told, and there has been 

 plenty of bucjtwheat within reach, too. Per- 

 haps it's the "climate" (?) A. F. Foote. 



Mitchell Co., Iowa, July 3. 



Ten-Frame and Heddon Hives. 



I am 73 years of age, and have kept bees 

 over 40 years with varying success, as a side- 

 line to farming and fruit-growing. I keep 

 my apiary down to about 20 colonies- some- 

 times more and sometimes less — by su;othering 

 them, and extracting honey. Many swarms 

 went to the woods last year, as I was obliged 

 to " keep bach " part of the time, and I 

 could not be at the house watchmg . /or new 

 swarms, and out in the field at work, at lhe 

 same time; consequently I had only 11 colo- 

 nies, mostly Italians, i'n the fall. I lost 4 

 of them in the winter and one queen which 

 wintered proved to be a drone-layer, so I 

 killed her and gave the few bees left in the 

 hive a queen-cell a week ago, leaving 6 good 

 colonies. 



The actions of my bees this season have 

 been on a par with the weather — perfectly 

 idiotic. The first 3 colonies to swarm issued 

 2 times each, returned both times, and swarmed 

 at the end of 10 days, accompanied by young 

 queens. I cut out all the queen-cells but 

 one in each hive. The 4th swarm was led by a 

 well-behaved queen, and clustered. I hived 

 them all right. The 5th swarm I hived twice 

 in 2 days on frames filled with foundation, 

 but they absconded to the woods, not stopping 

 to say good-bye, nor anything else. The 6th 

 colony sent out a swarm yesterday, which 



returned without clustering, and it issued 

 again today and returned each time. It will 

 likely be 10 days now before they issue again^ 

 as they have probably lost their queen. 



I use mostly lo-frame hives, which take the 

 Hoffman frame. I also use the Heddon hive, 

 which is all right until you want to cut out 

 queen-cells ; then I am sure to miss some of 

 them, as they seldom are all built between 

 the cases of shallow frames. To make a sure 

 thing you must take out each frame and ex- 

 amine it separately, which is a nuisance. I 

 much prefer the lo-frame hive on that ac- 

 count. I am thinking of discarding the Hed- 

 don hive as I lose too many afterswarms 

 from it. 



I find the American Bee Journal very inter- 

 esting and instructive, and like it very much. 



Highland, Mich., June 23. Wm. Martin. 



MISCELLANEOUS NEWS ITEMS 



(Continued from page 617) 



Wisconsin State Inspector's Report 



We have received the following from 

 Mr. N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis., 

 who has been Inspector of Apiaries for 

 Wisconsin for lo years, making him the 

 oldest in point of service : 



April and May, 1907, have been con- 

 tinuously cold and wet, keeping the bees 

 in the hives, causing diarrhea in many 

 hives, and brood-rearing stopped. Spring 

 losses will be more than in the winter 

 past. Those that have taken my advice 

 and protected each hive with building 

 paper as soon as taken from cellar have 

 much stronger colonies of bees. When 

 I began this work, 10 years ago, many 



bees several miles away were taking the 

 disease to their hives. 



The crooked combs in hive-bodies, also 

 in sections of comb honey, showed the 

 need of better methods. Many thought 

 that if bees were inspected and disease 

 found among them, I would burn all 

 their bees and hives, also present them 

 a big bill of expenses. 1 was not called 

 for, nor welcome to many apiaries. Sev- 

 eral times I was ordered from the prem- 

 ises, and even threats made if I hesi- 

 tated. In each case, before leaving, I 

 explained my duty, the law, how them- 

 selves to know the several stages of 

 bee-diseases and treatment; saving all 

 hives, bees and wax. But few were pre- 

 pared to save much wax from old combs. 

 Several years I took with me the best 

 wax-press on the market (German wax- 

 press), and helped the bee-keeper save 

 his wax from diseased combs. 



Recently the Hershisher wax-press 

 has come on the market, which saves 

 a greater portion of the wax, and is 

 much cleaner and also safer to render 

 diseased combs, so that this season I 

 take on with me where needed in ren- 

 dering diseased combs, saving the wax 

 worth 30 cents per pound, so the wax 

 pays all expenses of treating colonies. 

 The greater portion of Wisconsin bees 

 are now healthy, better methods of hand- 

 ling are in use, and all are pleased to 

 have me call. 



I have organized several local bee- 

 keepers' associations in Wisconsin for 



Hot-Water Wax-Press 



A, lever 12 feet long: B, half-barrel; C. standard; D, cleated head or follower; E. block bolted 

 to bee-house; F, spout for wax when several pressings are wanted; G. underside of upper 

 head, showing cleats, which should also be in like manner on bottom and inner side of 

 barrel, so liquid wa.x can easily escape to surface; H, plank under barrel to prevent 

 botton of barrel being pressed out. 



apiaries were diseased. But few bee- 

 keepers gave their bees much attention. 

 Scarcely any one knew anything about 

 bee-diseases, and but three in Wiscon- 

 sin had cured diseased bees. Where 

 disease had killed or weakened the colo- 

 nies of bees so that no honey harvest 

 was obtained, it was simply called "bad 

 luck." The bee-keeper saved all the dis- 

 eased combs for future use when swarms 

 increased next year. 



Diseased hives, old combs full of dis- 

 eased honey were left exposed where 



mutual help and cooperation. It has im- 

 proved Wisconsin bee-keeping in those 

 localities greatly. Allow an illustration: 

 In 1906, the St. Croix Valley Associa- 

 tion bought their supplies together, 

 ($4000), thus saving much to each 

 member; and also 7 carloads of honey, 

 (S carloads to one buyer), all cash at 

 car door. They now produce more 

 honey and in much better marketable 

 shape. All are well pleased. 



Methods of Treating Diseased Bees. 

 I have tried many methods of treat- 



