{Entered as second-class matter July 30, 1907, at the Post-Offlce at Chicago, 111., under Act of March 3, 1879.) 

 Published Monthly at 75 cents a Year, by George W. York & Co., 118 West Jackson Boulevard. 



GEORGE W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL, MARCH, 1909 



Vol, XLIX— No. 3 



editorial ^ofc 

 and Comments 



v^" 





Most Important Thing for Beginners 



If one is to succeed in bee-keeping 

 it is necessary that he should know 

 something about what items form the 

 most important factors in making for 

 success. Without pasturage for the 

 bees, success is impossible. A good hive 

 is l>etter than a poor one. There are 

 strains of bees that will give double 

 the profit that others will. ."Xnd so one 

 might go on adding to the list. If a 

 number of experienced bee-keepers 

 were each asked to make out such a 

 list, perhaps no two lists would be ex- 

 actly alike. But one thing would most 

 certainly be found in every list. It might 

 be called by different names, "a bee- 

 book," "a text-book," "a book of in- 

 struction about bees," or what-not, but 

 all would mean the same thing. 



Just think what it would mean to a 

 beginner if he should have the advan- 

 tage of asking all the questions he liked 

 of some veteran in bee-keeping. A 

 book of instruction in bee-keeping does 

 more than this. It answers the ques- 

 tions he would be likely to ask, and 

 also many others that he would not 

 think to ask; and yet these latter might 

 be the most important for him to know. 

 To make the best of one's bees, r,ne 

 should have some knowledge of their 

 management before actually undertak- 

 ing the work, so the wise beginner will 

 have a book of instruction before get- 

 ting the bees. 



Unfortunatelv there are many who 

 begin bee-keeping without any book as 

 a guide. Quite a number of those who 

 thus begin find out in some way that 

 there are papers published that treat 

 upon bee-keeping, and subscribe for one 

 or more, whereas a bee-book would be 

 the right thing if both book and paper 

 can not be had. It is to the interest of 



the .\merican Bee Journal to get all the 

 subscribers possible, but truth compels 

 the statement that if a beginner has not 

 money enough for both the book and 

 the paper, the book should by all means 

 have the preference. Although, of 

 course, he ought to have both. 



Even with a single colony, some mis- 

 iake may be made, either by doing the 

 wrong thing or failing to do the right 

 thing, which would have been avoided 

 if a book had been previously studied, 

 and that mistake may cost more than 

 the price of a book. With more years 

 and more colonies the price of the book 

 will be paid many times over. Too 

 much emphasis can hardly be placed 

 upon the importance of a good bee-book 

 to every beginner. 



Size of Bees 



Some time ago not a little was said 

 as to getting bees of larger size, in the 

 hope of getting larger crops of honey. 

 -Some, however, were of the opinion that 

 increased size does not necessarily mean 

 increased crops. Prof. Graf (Prak. 

 Wegweiser) says that, just as it hap- 

 pens among men, that men under size 

 often accomplish the most, so it is 

 among bees. He has been breeding 

 from the best, and it so happens that 

 his best bees arc under the average in 

 size. 



Drone-Comb in Supers 



As a matter of economy, some prac- 

 tice giving shallow starters to swarms 

 instead of full sheets of foundation. 

 Then, to avoid rearing a big lot of 

 drones, all drone-comb built in these 

 brood- frames is used in extracting-su- 

 pcrs. This is considered an advantage, 

 as the larger cells certainly allow a little 



cleaner extracting with the same rate 

 of speed. But as there is always a lack 

 of drone-comb in the brood-chamber, 

 viewed from the stand-point of the bees, 

 they seem to think that this drone-comb 

 should be reserved for the use of the 

 queen ; so it hinders to some extent the 

 storing of honey in extracting-combs. 



There is nothing like testimony from 

 actual experience, and Wm. L. Cooper, 

 in Gleanings, says : 



"I have had considerahle experience along, 

 this line, and my conclusions are against drone- 

 comh as a rule. I have several times under- 

 estimated the amount of foundation needed, 

 and had to start swarms on starters. Result, a 

 lot of drone-combs which I placed above ex- 

 cluders in extracting-supers. As a general 

 thing, bees store in the worker-cells, leaving 

 the drone-cells clean and jjolished, ready for 

 the queen to lay in if she can get at them. 

 If they are crowded they will store in them; 

 and, indeed, they generally start to fill them 

 about as soon as they start capping the work- 

 er-cells. The only exception to this rule, I 

 have noticed, is in the case of a freshly-hived 

 swarm, which will store in drone-comb freely." 



Perhaps those are right who say: "It 

 is nothing short of a piece of extrav- 

 agance to have anything less than full 

 sheets of foundation both in brood- 

 frames and sections." 



Co-operation in Michigan 



Said co-operation is only in the bud 

 vet, but it may bloom and bear fruit. 

 E. B. Tyrrell, in the Bee-Keepers' Re- 

 view, proposes that the Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association become a stock 

 company, organized under the State 

 laws. Stock is to be issued at $io a 

 share, although each meinber is to have 

 the marketing privileges if he pays only 

 his annual fee of $i.oo. .\t Detroit 

 is to be a central depot, with a manager; 

 Directors to meet at the close of the 

 harvest and agree upon the price for 

 honey, to be sent out as advice. Each 

 member is to have control of his own 

 honey, even after it is sent to Detroit. 

 Editor Hutchin.-ion seems to think co- 

 operation might succeed as well in 

 Michigan as in California and Colorado. 

 Success to the Wolverines. 



The "J. G. D. Hive" 



The Rev, J. G. Digges is the editor 

 of the Irish Bee Journal. He is also 

 the author of "Tlie Irish Bee Guide," a 

 book which has called forth the waro 



