168 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 



ed and arranged by American authors 

 and republished by Dodd, Mead & 

 Company under the title "The Chil- 

 dren's Life of the Bee." The book 

 naturally retains all of the fine artis- 

 tic writings of the original author and 

 has been so arranged as to make it 

 of interest to the child who is desir- 

 ous of learning the history of the 

 bee. 



Even in its present form the book 

 could hardly be called a primer in 

 beekeeping, since much of the artistic 

 value of Maeterlinck's original work 

 would be lost if it were to be trans- 

 formed into a child's book entirely. 



The book, however, has sufficient 

 value to be recommended. It is also 

 illustrated with several excellent col- 

 ored plates. 



The price of the book is $2, and it 

 may be purchased of the publishers, 

 Dodd, Mead & Company, of New York 

 City, or from the American Bee Jour- 

 nal. 



Wiring Frames 



My method of wiring frames, while 

 slow, and possibly not adapted to 

 commercial honey production, will 

 guarantee certainly maximum 



amount of worker comb with mini- 

 mum stretching. 



The frame is first wired in the regu- 

 lar way, and the sheet of foundation 

 inserted, taking care to have the 

 wires in the opposite side of the foun- 

 dation from the V wedge. The wires 

 are now imbedded in the foundation 

 without inserting the V wedge. 



Next, four wires, just as long as the 

 frame is deep, are placed vertically in 

 the frame equal distance apart, and 

 fastened to the top bar, together with 

 the foundation, by the V wedge. Then 

 these four wires are imbedded in the 

 foundation, making a perfect job, 

 with wires running both ways and no 

 sagging. OSCAR McFARLAND, 



Louisiana, Mo. 



Bees Send Owner to College 



Bees and honey are helping to pay 

 the way of several students through 

 the Minnesota College of Agricul- 

 ture. Edmund M. Daggit, a junior, 

 proprietor of Bonnie Oaks Apiaries, 

 near Chippewa Falls, Wis., has 110 

 colonies of bees which were built up 

 from 56 colonies last summer. In ad- 

 dition to the increase in bees he re- 

 ceived, he says, about 4,500 pounds of 

 honey, his net profits for the year 

 1919 from these two sources being be- 

 tween $1,100 and $1,200. He also sold 

 2,400 pounds of honey which he car- 

 ried over from the year before. 



The year 1914 is likely always to be 

 a significant year in the chronology 

 of Mr. Daggit. Early that year he 

 bought his first colonies of bees. 

 Then in the fall he started in the 

 central School of Agriculture at Uni- 

 versity Farm, his bees by that time 

 having increased to five colonies. So 

 it will be seen that he got into busi- 

 ness and into school about the same 

 time. 



"I took all of the bee courses," he 

 says, "that I could get at University 

 Farm under Professors Jager and 



France. I increased my colonies to 

 15 in 1915 and sold $50 worth of honey 

 that year. In 1916 I had 39 colonies 

 and $150 worth of honey. I thought 

 I was going strong in 1917 with 80 

 colonies and with $350 worth of honey 

 until winter came on and I lost many 

 of the bees during the cold winter, 

 but 1918 found me with 72 colonies 

 and a honey flow which brought me 

 $800. A few of the colonies which I 

 picked up to replace my losses were 

 bought from my neighbors during the 

 swarming season. 



''I intend to increase to 800 colonies 

 this year, in three yards. I produce 

 extracted honey almost exclusively 

 because more colonies can be man- 

 aged and more conveniently under 

 this system." 



Bees and Spray Poison 



Hearing reports of loss of bees 

 from spraying in the Yakima Valley, 

 I am wondering whether there is not 

 some other cause. Before fruit trees 

 blossomed last year I sold three colo- 

 nies to Dufur Orchard Company, 

 which owns 4,000 acres of bearing 

 apple trees. They practice clean cul- 

 tivation. There was no water within 

 two miles from where the bees were 

 placed in the middle of that big or- 

 chard. Lime-sulphur spray was be- 

 ing applied all around me when I 

 placed the bees in the orchard. I put 

 two empty supers en each hive and 

 left two more for use if needed. When 

 I went back in September the bees 

 had the two supers filled with honey 

 and were in fine condition, with hive- 

 bodies full of brood. There was no 

 apparent effect of spraying there. 



Some complain of poison from the 

 cover crop of alfalfa. Last summer 

 I took care of M. A. Moody's bees, 

 located in an orchard where alfalfa is 

 raised as a cover crop and where the 

 trees are sprayed with lime-sulphur 

 and with arsenate of lead. In the fall 

 I removed 600 pounds of honey from 

 a few colonies. Some had filled five 

 supers. There was no sign of poison- 

 ing. 



I have an apiary of 100 colonies 

 among the orchards and rented out 76 

 colonies in orchards where they are 

 continually spraying. I have been 

 keeping bees for thirty years and 

 have not seen any bad eflfect from 

 spraying. I would like to hear from 

 other localities on this question of 

 bees poisoned by spray. 



Oregon. JOHN PASHEK. 



Feeders and Feeding 



I am only a beginner with 26 colo- 

 nies, but the following experiment in 

 feeding may be of interest to those of 

 wider experience. I tried feeding in 

 an old syrup evaporator, diluted 

 honey placed where all the bees could 

 get it. This resulted in the loss of a 

 good many bees, so I tried another 

 plan. Empty combs are used as con- 

 tainers and are filled by holding the 

 top bar at an angle of about 45 de- 

 grees. The diluted honey is poured 

 into the cells along the upper edge, 

 gradually moving along until one side 

 is filled, and then the comb \i turned 

 over. This can be done without 



waste, as what runs oflf can be caught 

 in the next one. When the comb is 

 filled it is placed in the hive of the 

 colony to be fed. It should be given 

 when the bees are quiet, to avoid 

 robbing. If anyone knows a simpler, 

 cheaper or handier method, I would 

 like to hear of it. 



EZRA WIGGINS, 

 Jackson, Ala. 



A Texas Association 



The beekeepers of Matagorda and 

 Wharton Counties, Texas, met on 

 March 25, at Bay City, and, with the 

 help of C. S. Rude, Assistant Ento- 

 mologist, organized a local associa- 

 tion of beekeepers. W. H. Moses is 

 President, R. C. King Vice President, 

 and J. D. Yancey Secretary. For in- 

 formation, write to W. H. Moses, 

 Lane City, Texas. 



Boys Want Apiary Positions 



Prof. B. F. Kindig, of the Michigan 

 Agricultural College, writes us that 

 several graduates of the course in 

 beekeeping at East Lansing are look- 

 ing for positions either in inspection 

 work or with commercial beekeepers. 

 Those interested will do well to com- 

 municate with Professor Kindig. 



Wants Black Bees 



At the Kansas State Agricultural 

 College a series of colored plates are 

 being made showing the different 

 races of bees. In order that the 

 plates be true to life it is necessary 

 to have pure stock from which to 

 make the pictures. Just now Dr. J. 

 H. Merrill is looking for specimens of 

 the German, or black bee. Queens, 

 drones and workers are wanted. 

 While black bees are common in most 

 localities, there are few places where 

 they are to be found unmixed with 

 other races. Anyone who can supply 

 the pure black bees should write to 

 Dr. Merrill at the college at Manhat- 

 tan. 



Another New York Meeting 



Chemung Co., New York beekeepers 

 met at Farm Bureau Hall on March 6, 

 with President A. J. Tobey presiding. 

 Loss of bees from spray poison, im- 

 portance of ample stores for brood- 

 rearing and the Ithaca short course 

 were among the subjects discussed. 

 Prices on supplies were quoted by 

 various firms. 



From Wisconsin 



The beekeepers' Chautauqua held 

 in Wisconsin last year was so suc- 

 cessful that Professor Wilson an- 

 nounces a similar one again this year, 

 to be held August 15 to 21, at Madi- 

 son. 



The beekeepers of that State have 

 a department in "Wisconsin Horticul- 

 ture," which is edited by Professor 

 Wilson, bringing to them the latest 

 news of Wisconsin beekeeping. 



Plenty of Ventilation 



Here is a story that I know to be 

 true. A man by the name of Peterson 

 kept quite a number of bees in box 

 hives, probably 40 colonies. They 

 were close to the house and were 



