■Marcli, 1909. 



American Hee Journal 



.u, then mash them with their paws and 

 a: ihem by the thousand. 



Whether they are attracted by the honey 

 which may be within the bee's body, or that 

 the insect itself is food enough for them, 1 

 do no: know. Perhaps both, for in summer 

 and fall the skunk lives principally on crickets. 

 Go into any old pasture-lot on a hill, and 

 you may find thousands of stones which have 

 recently been overturned. This is done by 

 skunks in pursuit of the crickets which are 

 hidden under the stones. 



If one of these miscreants is living on your 

 l>ees. as I recently discovered they were on 

 mine. March is a good month to discover and 

 stop the depredation. Whenever there comes 

 ?. tracking snow, it is easy to follow their 

 tracks to the den, at the mouth of which a 

 small steel-trap will soon end the trouble. 



If no such snow appears, a close inspection 

 of the entrances of the hives may disclose the 

 sera tell marks, and traps set right there will 

 soon arrest the thief. 



These visits have been so frequent among 

 my hives, that I suspect such work may be 

 going on entirely unnoticed in very many 

 apiaries, and I sound this note of warning, 

 for I am convinced that many a good, strong 

 colony may be' entirely ruined during the 

 spring months, and the real cause never be 

 known. Is.\-\c F. Tillinchast. 



Factorvville, Pa. 



Honey Scarce — Carrying Pollen 



Here honey is scarcer, hardly any on the 

 market, and almost none in the hives. The 

 price on chunk honey is 16 cents. This is a 

 bright, clear honey which never candies. It is 

 sourwood honey. 



It is February 22, and bees are carrying in 

 pollen as fast as 1 can count. This is very 

 unusual for this State, as it generally is win- 

 ter at this date. My bees will come out weak 

 in numbers, and but little honey. But I am 

 looking to the future with a smiling face. 



Geo. F. JonE$. 



Elkin, N. C. 



Bloated Bees. 



In answer tn an inquiry on page 46, about 

 bloated bees, I will say that I had 2 colonies 

 with this disease last December. I watched 

 these colonies for 3 days, and found every 

 day more bees coming out to die. I cured the 

 bees in 24 hours by feeding diluted icarm 

 honey in entrance-feeders. The brood in the 

 hives was healthy and the queens laying. 



The end of November and December I fed 

 my bees about 23 gallons of old sorghum 

 molasses, at the rate of one gallon of molasses 

 to 3 gallons of water. None but these 2 colo- 

 nies got sick, and all reared plenty of brood, 

 and are in fine shape today. 



Seguin, Tex., Feb. 24. Henry Breuner. 



this that will injure it, as clover can't stand 

 being smothered with ice, especially seedlings. 



It is my opinion that white clover seed that 

 sprouted last fall will produce good blooms 

 full of nectar, if the season's conditions are 

 right, but the layers from last year's plants are 

 more vigorous bloomers, whether from one, 

 2 or 3 year old plants. I believe that the 

 plants die naturally, only after bearing a 

 seed crop. Then the root dies and the branch- 

 es take root and go to work on their own 

 hook, and may send out other runners or 

 branches for the next season, thus increasing 

 year after year. 



I find that my 14 colonies are all right up 

 to date. They are outside and with little 

 protection, as I could not get enough leaves 

 to pack them as I usually do. They are mak- 

 ing long flights today, and get quite a little 

 sap from broken limbs of the hard or sugar 

 maple trees. They are nearly as busy as on 

 a May day. 



I am also wintering 14 colonies for a friend, 

 and tliey are all in fine condition. I hope to 

 bring them all through the winter safely. 

 We are having rather an unusual winter, so 

 that the bees have had several fliglits. I ex- 

 amined several colonies today, and they are 

 quite heavy, so much so that I will not have 

 to feed any before April. 



E. E. Kennicott. 



Crlenview, 111., Feb. 21. 



Will Try Bees in Tennessee. 



I came to this State about a month ago, 

 and I find that the people down here still 

 keep bees in the old-time way, but by the 

 weight of the hives this must be a good coun- 

 try for the bees. I have engaged 40 prime 

 swarms to commence business with, so^ you 

 see that I will soon be on top again 'with 

 bees. Having kept bees in old Indiana on a 

 large scale, and having made it pay, I think 

 I can do it here. Anyway, I am going to try 

 it, and 1 f it pays 1 certainly shall let the 

 "Old Reliable" know about it. 



The weather here is rather cold, chilly and 

 damp at present, and I certainly feel the cold 

 worse than I did in old Indiana. 



Julius II.\ppEt.. 



Chattanooga, Tenn., Feb. 8. 



Wants to Produce the Best. 



I smarted 5 years ago with 2 colonies and 

 have 1 00 now. From 60 colonies last year 

 I got 6,400 pounds of extracted and 1,500 

 pounds of comb honey, and increased to 100 

 colonies. I have sold most of my extracted 

 for 125^ cents per pound, and comb at 15 

 cents, to the consumer. Most of my comb 

 honey has been sold to the groceryman at 

 $3 per case. My aim is to have the best 

 honey that this territory will produce, and 1 

 don't have any trouble in disposing of it. 



I read all 3 of our valuable bee-papers, and 

 get much valuable information from them. 

 C. S. Caldwell. 



Evanston, 111., Jan. 7. 



Good Honey Crop in 1908. 



The honey crop of 1908 was good. From 

 6 colonies, spring count, I took 960 pounds 

 of extracted honey, and 50 pounds of comb 

 honey — total loio pounds. I sold the ex- 

 tracted to my customers here at home at 10 

 cents a pound, they furnishing the recepta- 

 cles. It was sold before the approach of 

 cold weather. Bees are wintering fine so 

 far on tlie summer stands in 10- frame hives. 

 That makes 20 frames to the colony almost 

 full of honey. 



I have kept bees since 1880, and find it a 

 very profitable side-issue to farming. 



J. H. Uphaus. 



Greentown, Ind., March i . 



White Clover and Bees All Right. 



I have just been out investigating the white 

 clover prospect for the coming season, and I 

 find it very good, both from the seed and lay- 

 ers. The layers are fully as strong as last 

 ^••*r, aUhouKa we niay^have an ice-storm after 



Bees in a Church. 



This is one of the most pleasant churches 

 the writer has ever served. Several of the 

 members and others here keep bees, and this 

 seems to be a good place for them. For 2 

 years a colony has made its home in the walls 

 of the church, just above the pulpit. So 

 while the "drippings" of the sanctuary have 

 not been visible before last fall, we succeeded 

 in taking about 100 iiounds of very nice honey 

 from the colony of bees in the church. 



My 4 colonies which I moved from Dur- 

 ham. Iowa, have been wintering nicely, and 

 are very strong. Their hives were full of 

 the nicest kind of honey last fall. I think 

 that bees have been wintering quite well in 

 this locality. (Rev.) J. W. StinE. 



Tiffin, Iowa, March 3. 



Report for Last Season. 



Last year was a somewhat hard one on 

 the average bee-keeper here. I began with 

 1 7 colonies in the spring, lost 2 by spring 

 dwindling. I had 7 swarms in May and 

 June. All died from starvation, owing to con- 

 tinual floods and general wet, then a long 

 drouth. About August 2 came a good rain, 

 and oh, how smart-weed (heartsease) and 

 Spanish-needle did bloom ! I got 1 9 swarms, 

 most of w^hich built up well, and all are alive 

 so far. One swarm I caught August 10. 

 It not only built up on 8 Langstroth frames, 

 but gave i8 pounds of surplus honey — a thing 

 I had never before seen. I had only shallow 

 extracting frames, but did not extract. I sold 

 it as chunk honey, as the demand was greater 

 than the supply. I took off and sold about 

 1.400 pounds, and have about 150 pounds left. 

 Bees are in good shape. 



(Dr.) J. T. Blank. 

 Elk City, Kans., Feb. 26. 



honey either. Honey needs to be reduced a 

 little with warm water. The space between 

 the holes will prevent the bees from drown- 

 ing — not a bee will drown. I have made 4 

 or 5 feeders that hold a quart, and have been 

 feeding my bees all winter, that had but very 

 little honey. Some days it would be pretty 

 cold for them. By making the honey warm 

 they would come up in clusters and work the 

 honey down into the combs below. I see by 

 feeding this way that some of the colonies 

 commenced breeding the first of February. 

 Seville, N. C, Feb. 22. M. D. Taylor. 



A Cheap Bee-Feeder. 



Here is a new way to make a bee- feeder, 

 and just as good as any of the high-priced 

 bee-feeders. You can make it yourself by tak- 

 ing a scantling of any kind of wood, 2>y2'^iy2 

 inches, and 6 inches long, or any length you 

 want, by boring 2 rows of i i4-inch holes 3 

 inches deep, and place it on top of the brood- 

 nest, with honey or syrup. The bees will 

 come up and carry it down into tlie cluster 

 in a hurry. Make the syrup warm, or the 



Develops the Home Honey-Trade. 



In 1908 I started out with 25 colonies, 

 spring count. I increased to 47 colonies, se- 

 cured 1000 pounds of fine clover and bass- 

 wood honev, which sold for $3.60 per case ot 

 24 sections'. Some of it went to Chicago, but 

 it was principally sold at home. I could not 

 supply the demand. I grade my honey, put it 

 up in nice shape, and it goes off with a 

 rush. I don't have to peddle it, as my cus- 

 tomers come and get it by the case. ,1 ^"^'"sli 

 an attractive case to keep it in. When the 

 case is emptv it is returned and another order 

 taken, so you s^e I have a snap m the honey- 

 business. This honey-business was built up 

 bv good management and fair dealing with my 

 customers. No other will pay the Progressive 

 bee-keeper. I live in the suburbs, of the vil- 

 lage I have near neighbors, but I sweeten 

 them up with honey every year, so, I have no 

 complaint— "no kick coming.' So in time of 

 peace prepare for war. 



I make and use the American hi^e 15 

 inches square, 12 inches ^"gh, brood -frames 

 i^!4xiiK, 9 frames to the hive. For big 

 coloni^s'^^I use 2 hives. 1 make everything 

 except the sections. I do this work in the 

 Wer-tme, and I enjoy.it. I have tried 

 other hives, but this one is the best for this 

 locality for comb honey. F. McBride. 



:Mc(Tuffy, Oliio, March 1. 



Northern Michigan Convention. 



The Northern Michigan l-ee-Keepers; Asso- 

 ciation will met at Traverse City, Mich., April 

 7 and 8 1909. A morning, afternoon and 

 even^ne session will be held the first day of 

 The meeting and a morning and afternoon ses- 

 sion the second day. 



Traverse City is the center of a fine bee- 



enthusiastic meeting .s an''C-pated. Do no^ 

 ^i X ^i.i^ n^ei.ht.s%o"|o\.o.g 



"'The^'win be premiums ofEerejl for the 

 beJt .0 pounds of both comb and extracted 

 honev, also on best s PO"nds of bce.wpx. 



Tf'vou have never attended a convention, 

 come IZ .0 this meeting, and get acquam d 

 with your neighbor bee-keeper. It >f a "Otf" 

 fac that if a man (or woman, "ther) at 

 tends one convention, there .s ™ "^^'e n 

 •getting t.,em to attend mo^e^ afTer aS|"g 

 ''°" '?tterenieet^ngs Isn't this convincing 

 ^vfdence'o'i the "terlfng worth of conventions 



?rnt O NelsonT Chas. Irish, Miss A. H. 



JJi^lt :rtrdcuar.!;rlh|-'- furnishing their 

 parlors free for our convention ,^^^^.^^^„, 

 Remus, Micli. '-• 



The Successful "Philo System." 



, .^-'-wn-rhar-'wiirviefd'-a \Z. ^liv^mi':inVl 

 ^TofirbesfJes' rn'Uho >s JviUing to ,.ve h.s 

 h. ='rhilo°'l%.- of P^g'-essL Poultry 



'" ^-^' ''lJ{lry7LT:r'il' h^ 1- ouT- 

 eEin?5^!r.X?7r?'a| = 

 can put into practice successfully. The tact 



