Vol XXXIV. 



JULY U J906. 



No 13 



It may comfort a good many who are in 

 the same boat, to know that bees are doing 

 nothing here. Clover, clover, everywhere 

 in full bloom, but nothing doing. 



C. W. Dayton is the first man, I think, 

 to give a plan whereby a dozen swarms in a 

 bunch can be automatically returned to their 

 own hives, page 812. Looks feasible, too. 



Two to twelve bait sections are advised 

 in the first super, page 797. In this locality, 

 generally only one is used, and does good 

 work. But if we had them, more would be 

 better. 



"Lightning never strikes twice in the 

 same place. ' ' If that saying is true my shop 

 is safe, for lightning splintered it pretty 

 well the other day, although nothing burn- 

 ed. Plenty insurance. 



Shortened top-bars are objected to be- 

 cause of lack of finger-room for handling. 

 No trouble here. The shortened ends of the 

 Miller frames are IJ wide, giving plenty of 

 chance for two fingers under, and thumb on 

 top. 



Recently I was much puzzled on receipt 

 of a package without name or accompanying 

 letter. Looked as if it might hold sheet 

 music, but too large. Receipt of American 

 Bee-keeper explained it. It's A.. C. Miller's 

 latest. Heavy enameled cloth, with a 



unique fastening device something like a 

 lady's corset, for protecting a hive or super, 

 black side out for hive in winter, and white 

 side for super in summer. 



Bees seem, after all, to use poor judg- 

 ment in storing pollen. Allen Latham re- 

 ports in American Bee-keeper that several 

 colonies were without laying queens the last 

 ten days in May, and for a few days in 

 June, when pollen was coming in most free- 

 ly, and says, ' ' When those young queens 

 started in to lay, early in June, there was 

 scarcely a brood-comb which was not 75 per 

 cent filled with pollen." 



C. W. Dayton says, American Bee-keep- 

 er, "The size of the first swarm is varied 

 a great deal by the amount of reverence the 

 bees possess for their old queen— a good one 

 more and a poor one less, almost down to 

 nothing. This is governed by her age, and 

 ability to lay eggs for the future prosperity 

 of the new home. ' ' That's a new one. Will 

 those who have natural swarms tell us how 

 much there is in it? 



Allen Latham is always disturbing set- 

 tled convictions. He says in American Bee- 

 keeper that, last June, clover yielded just 

 enough to keep the bees trj^ing to get it, 

 and adds, ' ' Under such conditions, as every 

 one knows, a big load of pollen goes with 

 every small load of nectar." If every one 

 knows that, no one ever told it before ; and 

 I always believed, and still have a sneaking 

 belief, Allen, that at such times there isn't 

 more than one load of pollen to each four or 

 five of nectar. 



J. E. Crane, p. 816, says that, where top- 

 bars are supported by tin rabbets, or rests, 

 he finds with many the space back of the 

 metal so filled with propolis as to make them 

 a nuisance. Same here. The little troughs 



