1900 



GIvEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



251 



cede that in other locations tlie comparative 

 results might be just the other way ; and yet 

 if I lived where you do, I am very much in- 

 clined to think I would put my bees up in 

 double-walled hives, precisely as we pack them 

 here. In speaking about bee-cellars it strikes 

 me that Bingham has got at the right idea of 

 having cellars entirely under ground, without 

 windows, and below the influence of frost and 

 freezing. That is the cellar we would build if 

 we built any. — Ed.] 



The crazy dance in which a single bee 

 may often be seen to indulge on the comb, 

 whirling about in a circle and making a trem- 

 ulous motion with its wings, is supposed by a 

 writer in British Bee Journal to be an endeav- 

 or to get rid of pollen dust. I don't know, 

 but I doubt. At times when all the field-bees 

 are bringing in pollen, the dancers seem too 

 few. [It has generally been stated that the 

 " dancers " are the bees that come in with the 

 first load, either of honey or pollen, and that 

 that is the way the first foragers indicate to 

 the hive bees the intelligence of new honey 

 and new pollen. But there are certain young 

 bees that do a good deal of dancing after com- 

 ing home with the first load. The first load ? 

 how do I know it? No absolute evidence, 

 only I surmise it. Early in the season old 

 bees will do considerable dancing as soon as 

 the first pollen comes ; then when both honey 

 and pollen are coming in, young bees only 

 will be dancing ; and so I have guessed that, 

 so far as they were concerned, they believed 

 they were the first to give the important news, 

 but which, to the old foragers, was stale in- 

 formation. — Ed. ] 



You ASK, Mr. Editor, if I know any non- 

 swarming plan practical for every one. If 

 you mean not to have colonies swarm at all, I 

 don't. But I do know a plan for a locality 

 like mine, whereby any one, even with box 

 hives, can prevent all increase and get more 

 honey than by allowing increase. The plan 

 is simply to return every swarm that issues. 

 It would take a lot of hiving, but there would 

 be enough extra surplus to pay for it. [I had 

 supposed that this plan had been almost en- 

 tirely abandoned as unsatisfactory. I came 

 to the conclusion myself that the most un- 

 profitable colonies in an apiary during a 

 lione5--flow were those that tried to swarm 

 and could not, or had made the attempt and 

 were thwarted. To place a swarm right back 

 in the hive from which it came does not seem 

 to satisfy the instinctive longing of the bees 

 for a new home. They sulk, sulk, sulk, day 

 after day. If, however, you mean by the plan 

 that you return the swarm back to the old 

 hive, having taken out the brood-combs and 

 the brood, subst tuting empty combs or 

 frames of foundation, then perhaps it would 

 be all right. But that would be virtually ihe 

 one swarm plan which contempl tes putting 

 the brood and parent colony on another 

 stand. If, however, we can keep away the 

 desire for swarming by giving plenty of room, 

 giving large entrances, and a reasonable 

 amount of shade, then we have a colony that, 

 other things being equal, will produce more 



honey than one that has been operated on 

 the one swarm idea just spoken of. Now, if 

 you l?now of any way by which you can put 

 the swarm back into the old hive, leaving all 

 the conditions just as they were prior to 

 swarming, so there will not be any sulking 

 thereafter, I wish you would tell us how to do 

 it. I do hot say this to imply that you are 

 wrong, but because I desire to get new infor- 

 mation. — Ed.] 



^ICKlJSTGS 



^AXOM OUR NEIGHBORS FIELDS. 2^ 



Robins' anthems fill the air, 

 Bluebirds carol everywhere ; 

 Bees are humming loud their praise 

 O'er the coming of spring days. 



\U 



PROGRESSIVE BEE-KEEPER. 

 Concerning the starting of new bee-journals 

 the American Bee Journal said : 



The IVestern Bee-keeper was the name of a new bee- 

 paper started in tre West a year or so ago. We learn 

 that it has recently turned its subscription list (?) over 

 to the Progressive Bee keeper. We did not announce 

 its advent, as we failed to see wherein it had sufficient 

 merit. It certainly was no credit to the printer's art, 

 and we failed to see where it could be of much advan- 

 tage to anybody — not even to its publisher. This lat- 

 ter opinion has now been verified by its giving up the 

 effort. 



To this Mr. Leahy replies: 



We CO not admire this style of jumping on to some- 

 thing that is dead. Bro. York's further remarks on 

 new hee-papers are more timely, and we recommend 

 them to the careful consideration of those who have in 

 mind the publication of a bee-journal. 



Mr. York's "further remarks" alluded to 

 are these: 



While it is really none of our affair, we can't help 

 feeling sorr\' for the poor misguided people who 

 think there is money to be made in publishing new 

 bee-papers. In about fortv-nine ca.ses out of fifty they 

 have proven to be a delusion and a snare. But we 

 presume we shall see new bee-papers in the future as 

 in the past— with about the usual result. 



Mr. Leahy winds up as follows: 



Don't do it, friends. It will only use up your sur- 

 plus monev, and vou will be glad to get siiiie one to 

 help you 'let go." The Prof^ressive was run at a loss 

 thiee years before we assumed control. We ran it at 

 a loss 'for two or more years ; then two or three years 

 more it barely paid expenses; and now after ample 

 experience we are satisfied that the same money and 

 time invested in almo.st any other legitimate business 

 would pay much better. 



Mr. Leahy repor's good news from all over 

 the country so far as wintering is concerned. 



\h 



BRITISH BEE JOURNAL 

 Concerning birds near an apiary, Mr. G. A. 

 Barnes says: 



I^ast summer we were much plagued here with that 

 agricultural pest, the sparrow, commencing opera- 

 tions on the bees. Thev began in a small way, carry- 

 ing off only dead bees from the ground, but soon they 

 began to take the live ones, flying off with them to 

 their nests on the house roof. This mischief was 

 brought to my notice by.a friend (a game-keeper), 

 who, on passing the hives, had, he told me, seen the 

 sparrows busv on the alighting-board, catching the 



