DECEMBER 1, 1914 



943 



be able to winter more than two or three 

 colonies. 1 have just been looking over the 

 bees, and in only one hive did I find a sign 

 of any brood, and that was in only one side 

 of one comb. Most of the unhatched bees, 

 1 find, died just about as they were ready to 

 emerge from the cells. I have seen mature 

 bees dead before the entrance, but still not 

 many more, j^erhaps, than would die ordi- 

 I'.arily from a healthy colony. I have a 

 neighbor in town who has found the same 

 trouble. 



There is a large amount of apiDlebutter 

 made, and a good deal of fruit canned and 

 preserved, in this country. Some think the 

 destruction of bees is due to their sucking 

 the juices from decaying fruit thrown out 

 from these places. 



I live in a railroad town, and the general 

 shops of the road are located about three- 

 quarters of a mile from my bees. Perhaps 

 some kind of poison from these yards or 

 from the smoke makes the trouble. My 

 neighbor has three colonies about a mile out 

 of town that are not affected. 



Princeton, W. Va. 



[It is possible that the juice from partly 

 decayed apples may be responsible for the 

 trouble; but we should be more inclined to 

 think that the bees have been poisoned. All 

 the facts presented point that way strongly. 



!s it not possible that some one of the 

 number engaged in making applebutter or 

 cider may have put out something to kill 

 off the bees? If this had been done by even 

 a single person^it would account for all 

 that has haiDpened. Syrup poisoned with 

 a strong solution of any of the arsenites 

 Avould very quickly kill off all the bees in 

 an apiary. We do not like to suggest that 

 any one would do this; but we do not know 

 how else to account for this unless there 

 were some poisonous gases from some in- 

 dustrial works that were killing off the bees, 

 the same as has occurred in Denver. Tliis 

 is hardly probable, however. 



Here is another possible explanation, and 

 it has occurred at one of our outyards in 

 the swamps : The bees might have been 

 gathering nectar at a distance of three or 

 four miles. These long flights during un- 

 favorable weather would prevent many bees 

 from getting back, and thus cause a rapid 

 decimation of the colony. It would also 

 cause large numbers of bees to be worn out 

 — so much so that their presence would not 

 be tolerated in the hive. When bees fly a 

 long distance through shrubbery or under- 

 brush, their wings will be worn out prema- 

 turely. We suggest that you examine the 

 bees carefully to see whether their wing?, 

 are frayed out. — Ed.] 



CEOWNED WITH BEES 



BY B. F. SCHMIDT 



On the 5th of July 

 of last year I was ta- 

 king honey from the 

 bees; and while busy 

 at work brushing them 

 from the extracting 

 combs a little swarm 

 came out. Before it 

 had settled, a photog- 

 rapher came along; 

 and by the time he got 

 ready I had the swarm 

 on my hat. I went 

 back to the hive where 

 T Avas worldng, and 

 then the photographer 

 took the picture shown 

 herewith. 



The wheelbarrow as 

 arranged in the picture 

 Avith an empty super 

 receives the combs of 

 honey after the bees 

 are brushed off, and 

 then is Avheeled to the honey-house 



B. F. Scliinidt with bees not in ]iis Ijonnet Iml on liis hat. 



N. Buena Vista, la. 



