April, 1909. 



American Hee Journal 



summer or early fall. These things after be- 

 ing turned up by the plow would sting me 

 and the horsis so that 1 can never love them 

 even if I wanted to. Often we had serious 

 accidents as a result of_ those bees stinging 

 horsts that would run otf with the plow and 

 man. There are not many of them here now 

 in the fields since but little red clover is 

 grown, so they hunt breeding-places about 

 buildings, etc. 



The weather here in Virginia has been so 

 warm this winter that trees have budded and 

 even a few fruit-blossoms are out. But today 

 (Feb. 25th), we have a cold, stormy north- 

 easterly wind, that is calculated to remind 

 everybody that old "King Winter" isn't gone 

 yet. Our bees are entirely too forward in 

 their operations. My hives, all of which are 

 double (or a combination of 2 colonies) , are 

 filled with hatched, hatching and sealed brood, 

 and lots of eggs — just about as they should 

 be late in April — and are consuming more 

 than double tlie honey they should consume 

 at this time of the year. \Ve fear too early 

 swarming, with nothing to work on. We 

 rarely ever have to feed our bees, so generally 

 keep a small amount of honey on hand. But 

 this season I don't know just how we will 

 arrange. All depends upon a late spring or 

 an early one. L. L. Brockwell. 



Edlow, Va., Feb. :;5. 



He Wants to Know, You Know. 



I couldn't do \\ ithout the means of getting 

 more knowledge of bees. I have read "A B C 

 and X V Z of Bee Culture." and Dadant's 

 "Langstrolh," and such are good to refer to, 

 but it's the American Bee Journal that helps 

 oni- to be up-to-date, with latest methods and 

 short cuts. Also we get all sides of a ques- 

 tion, and have a chance to put in our own, 

 or if we think we know something. And 

 then, when we have to ask some "green ques- 

 tions," how comforting it is to see some one 

 else asking greener ones yet. 



I looked into my hives at least once a 

 week last summer, and I was ashamed to ask 

 Dr. Miller if disturbing them so much was 

 harmful, supposing, of course, it must be. 

 (But I couldn't help it). And now then, 

 isn't it worth a year's subscription just acci- 

 dentally to learn from Mr. Williams' article 

 on page 53, that Dr. Miller himself does the 

 same thins- I think it is worth more, and so 

 I'm sending you my renewal and enough foi 

 Dr. Miller's "Forty Years Among the Hees," 

 too, and still I'm away ahead. 



I was amused to read about a fellow down 

 South in Kentucky keeping one colony in 

 the house to "see if they wouldn't rear bees 

 in winter," when just a few days before (Feb- 

 ruary 20) I peeked into one of my single- 

 walled hives on the summer st ind. dud found 

 eggs, larvae, and sealed brood, and that away 

 out here where blizzards arc supposed to 

 "hatch" at this lime of year. 



Now, I have an idea, and have studied up a 

 scheme to carry it ouf. In intvoducin;i, let 

 the queen get at the combs and ijy in the 

 cells before the bees get to tier. The idea 

 is that if a queen can get to lay even ;oo 

 or so eggs, the t>ees will be more likely to 

 accept her. I would like to have the cpin- 

 ions of some authorities as to whether there is 

 anything in this idea or not. It seems rea- 

 sonable to me, but it seems as if some one 

 must have tried it long ago, although I have 

 never read nor heard of it. 



Louis Macey. 



North Platte, Nebr., Feb. 27. 



Wiring Frames — A Good Bee-Story. 



As I am interested in bee-keeping I take 

 pleasure in reading the American Bee Jour- 

 nal. I just received the February number, 

 and it is the best of all. I have been keep- 

 ing bees for a number of years, and when 

 I read the American Bee Journal I feel a 

 good deal like a little boy when he gets up in 

 school to recite his first piece. I have both 

 comb and extracted honey. I sell all at re- 

 tail to friends and neighbors, and do not 

 have enough to go around. 



Last year was a poor honey season with us. 

 One bee-keeper saia it was the worst he ever 

 experienced, and he has kept bees 28 years, 

 and has as much as 11 or 12 tons in a season. 



I agree with Mr. Grciner about wiring 

 frames. I wire mine as tight as possible with- 

 out springing them, as Mr. Grciner says a tight 

 wire imbeds much easier than a slack one, 

 and it certainly makes a stiffcr comb to ex- 

 tract. I have a <levice of my own make for 

 wiring frames, that allows no wasting or 

 snarling of wire, and in the same time I can 

 wire more frames. I wish I had the time 

 to describe it to the dear sisters. It might 

 help them to escape a divorce suit; but as I 



am a bachelor bee-keeper, maybe it would not 

 do. 



In regard to the Apiary Beautiful, I must 

 say that I do not admire some of the pictures 

 in the American Bee J ournal. I know of an 

 Lipiary of over 200 colonies that looks like a 

 miniature city. The hives are set low on the 

 ground, and in straight rows that lead up 

 to the honey-house. U he grass is kept cut as 

 smooth as any lawn. When I saw them last 

 fall they were all packed for winter, each one 

 as trim and neat as a cottage in a suburb. 



That story from Sweden Valley, Pa., reads 

 as if there were honey on all sides of it. 



It seems our sister bee-keepers take pleas- 

 ure in the misfortunes of their "Dear Johns." 

 1 hope my brother bee-keepers will excuse me 

 for telling what happened to a "John" of my 

 acquaintance. It was something like this: A 

 stray swarm came along, and "John" hived 

 it in a box of some kind. A day or two after 

 he thought he would move them to a better 

 place, so he picked up the box and started 

 with it. In some way his feet got tangled 

 and down he went, box and all. When he 

 arose, the bees arose with him, and commenced 

 to sting for all they were worth. "John" 

 at once started for tlie barn, and at the same 

 time commenced to shed his apparel, so by 

 the time he reached the barn he hadn't much 

 left in the line of clothes, and what little 

 he did have was tossed out the doors as soon 

 as possible. He then began calling to his 

 wife who was in the house trying to control 

 the peals of laughter that would get the best 

 of her in spite of all she could do. Pretty 

 soon she heard him call, and she went out. 

 There stood John with just his head projecting 

 between the doors. Camly as possible she 

 asked him what he wanted. "Go into the 

 house and get me some clothes, and don't 

 stand there and laugh !" he said. So she 

 went to the house and got John a suit from 

 head to foot. John quickly donned these 

 and got to the house where his wife helped 

 him dress his swollen hands and face. His 

 wife, when telling me about it, said she 

 believes she would have had to laugh if the 

 bees had stung him to death. 



I hope some of these days to become more 

 of a professional bee-keeper, and then I will 

 try to write something more worthy of the 

 American Bee Journal. 



Bachelor Bee-Keeper. 



Good for the Caucasians. 



If bee-keepers wuuld only lay aside all 

 prejudice and use the good common sense the 

 Creator has given them, it would go a long 

 way toward solving some of the most perplex- 

 ing problems the young bee-keeper has to 

 contend with. Selfishness, prejudice, and ig- 

 norance are the three prime factors which tend 

 to keep the amateur bee-keeper at sea; as 

 their writings are so conflicting that the be- 

 ginner is at a loss to know where to draw the 

 line. I notice in the Bee Journal, of not 

 recent date, where a queen-breeder took up 

 the "Big Stick" and gave the Caucasians a 

 good dressing. Yet in the same issue he 

 advertises Italian queens. Can a beginner 

 draw any conclusions from such information? 



On page 313 (1908) in the October num- 

 ber, a writer from Iowa says: "On Septem- 

 ber 10 I introduced a queen. About a week 

 ago I opened the hive and found the entrance 

 slopped with proiiolis," etc. Now let us look 

 at this problem fairly. Could this queen 

 have laid the eggs and reared the brood to 

 have carried this propolis from September 10 

 until the "Old Reliable** went to press in 

 October? Surely such reports are detrimental 

 and altogether misleading. The real truth- 

 seeker must take such reports for what they 

 are worth. I often see where the truth-seek- 

 ers ask about the Caucasians, and always get 

 an answer from some one who, I honestly 

 believe, has had no personal experience. 



For 3 years A have in a small way tested 

 the Caucasians side by side with the much- 

 praised Red Clover (?5 Italians. I purchased 

 5 Caucasian queens. I also had 3 colonies 

 of Italians as above mentioned. But before 

 I go farther I will say that three of the queens 

 were just what the man from whom I bought 

 them claimed they were — simply worthless. 

 Only he "wrote them up" as Caucasians. 

 If they were, they were not the kind sent out 

 by the Agricultural Department at Washing- 

 ton. D. C. They were large workers with 

 distinct yellow bands. The drones were larger 

 than the Italians, with yellow markings also. 

 I will not class them in my report, tor they 

 stored no surplus worth mentioning. The 

 other two queens increased to 5 colonies, which 

 produced 434 jiounds of comb honey, or an 

 average of nearly 88J^ pounds each, or an 

 average, taking spring count, of 217 pounds 

 each. The 3 Italians increased to 8 colonie«;. 



and produced 228 pounds of comb honey, or 

 an average of 28^ pounds, or an average, 

 spring count, of 76 pounds. I take the above 

 from my tabulated account, and it is no guess- 

 work. 



I requeened 6 of the Italian colonies with 

 Caucasian queens. All the Caucasians are on 

 the summer stands with plenty of stores gath- 

 ered by themselves. The two remaining Ital- 

 ian colonies are in the cellar with a good 

 supply of sugar syrup. Those who are actually 

 seeking information concerning this new race 

 of very gentle bees can draw their conclusions 

 from what I say, or possibly use their own 

 good judgment regardless of what any one 

 may say pro or con. As for me, I would 

 rather pay $5 for a good gray Caucasian 

 queen than accept a "Clover" queen as a gift. 

 Why ? Look at my report and "figger" up 

 at 16 2-3 cents per pound. 



J. W. Blakely. 



Morrow Co., Ohio, March i. 



No Spring Flight Yet. 



It is cold here all the time now, so bees 

 have had no spring flight vet. 



Borodino, N. Y. G. M. Doolittle. 



Bees in Strong Condition. 



Bees are still in promising condition, very 

 strong, with a fair amount of brood, and no 

 signs of spring-dwindling so far. 



G. C. Greiner. 



La Salle, N. Y., April 5. 



Wintered Pretty Well. 



Bees have wintered pretty well, but I will 

 have to feed as some will bi sliort of stoie3. 

 The weather is cold and wirdy every day. 

 D. II. GArH:?.i.\:JN. 



Forest City. 111., April J. 



Excellent Prospects for Bees. 



Bees arc in demand, owing to the excellent 

 prospect of an abundant yield of honey. In 

 the valleys where willows, eucalyptus, and 

 pepper are plentiful, bees have been gathering 

 honey all winter. We have had 19 inches of 

 rain, and more is now falling. 



W. B. Thorne. 



Bnrhank. Calif..' March 30. 



Some Heavy Winter Losses of Bees. 



Winter losses in this vicinity are very heavy 

 in the valley of the Platte River, from Denver 

 to 30 miles down stream. Oulside of this ter- 

 ritory the losses are not mucii m <re than or- 

 dinarily, although we have had one of the 

 longest winters on record. 



Fr.\nk R.\uchfuss. 



Denver, Colo., March 31. 



Bees Wintered Well. 



March was mostly a cold, wet month. To- 

 day it is rainy with some snow, as was also 

 ycblerday. Hccs have wintered unusually well. 

 I think I have 2 queenless colonies, but I am 

 exnecting ii ([ueens today or tomorrow. I was 

 quite successful with the Abbott or "lazy 

 man's" plan of introducing Queens last fall. 



Leon, Iowa, April 2. Edwin Bevins. 



z:zxzzzzz2 



An Evergreen Windbreak. 



The Gardner .\urscry Company, Osage Iowa, 

 have been growing Hardy "Blizzard Belt" 

 Kvcrgreens for the past 40 years and have 

 found from experience that they are as easily 

 grown as the most common forest trees. 



The cheapest and best way to get a suc- 

 cessful Kvergreen windbreak is to purchase 

 from 500 to 1000 Hardy "Blizzard Belt'* Ev- 

 ergreens ]i to yj foot tall and plant them out, 

 at proper time in the spring, in a well pre- 

 pared bed in your garden, and let them stay 

 there two years, before planting into perman- 

 ent windbreak (|uarters. Set the trees in a 

 row across tlie bed 3 inches apart in row and 

 rows 6 inches. A bed 4 feet wide and 16 feet 

 long holds 500 trees. 



In the beginning plan nn setting more of 



