THE AMERICAN APICULTURISl. 



95 



4. The only reply we can make 

 to this question is to say in our 

 opinion the largest and strongest 

 bees will carry the most hone}'. 

 The Syrians and Italians crossed 

 combine these two desirable qual- 

 ities. 



5. The strain of bees just men- 

 tioned. 



6. The standard Langstroth 

 hiA-e is preferred to any we have 

 tested. Last year we sent out 

 circulars for information regarding 

 bees and honey. One of the ques- 

 tions was this : "What style of hive 

 do you use?" Ninety per cent of 

 those who replied said they used 

 the standard L. hive, and also 

 stated that most of their beekeep- 

 ing friends used the same. There 

 are other good hives in use, but 

 none possess so maay valuable and 

 desirable features as the Lang- 

 stroth. In order to make a success 

 of any style of hive, one must learn 

 from experience how to use them. 



BEES ROBBING FROM EACH OTHER. 



Oneonta, N.Y. 

 I am troubled some with bees 

 stealing from each other, please tell 

 us in the "Api" the best remedy 

 for it and oblige, 



R. E. Mervin. 



ANSWER BY OLD BEEKEEPER. 



Contract the entrance to the 

 hives to about t^-o inches, provid- 

 ed the Aveather is not too hot, and 

 no honey is being gathered. In 

 our opinion but little robbing is 

 going on in this apiary or there 

 would be more trouble than his 

 question seems to imply. 



Burnhavi, Maine. 



1. Would it do to sow oats or 

 other grain with Bokhara clover 

 the first year? 



2. Would Bokhara clover or 

 borage do well on burnt land that 

 would be somewhat weedy? 



3. How much borage seed to 

 an acre? 



4. Does borage hold the ground 

 by seed itself? 



5. Is it a bad weed? 



O. A. Dodge. 

 [We will deem it a favor if any 

 one who has had experience in 

 such matters will reply to the above 

 question for the May'^No. — Ed.] 



— Send us questions for answers, 

 and we will get the right person to 

 answer them. 



LETTER BOX. 



A GOOD REPORT FROM A BEGINNER. 



Mosiertown, Pa. 

 The following is my report for 1885. 

 Packed in fall of 1884, five colonies. Lost 

 one, which was packed in leaves, in win- 

 tering. One came through strong; three 

 weak, one very weak— not a quart of bees, 

 would not cover one space between frames. 

 Put in between division boards in the 

 spring and thought if it would build up by 

 fall it would do well. Yet from that (the 

 parent) colony took 47^ pounds comb 

 honey, and had a good swarm, which gave 

 but 15 pounds surplus. Took in all, 277 

 pounds surplus, and have ten good colonies 

 packed out doors in chatf. 1 am but a 

 beginner in the business, but will do my 

 best to succeed. Success to the " Apicultu- 

 rist." Geo. Spitler. 



NO LOSS OF bees UP TO FEB. 8. 



Wardstown, W. Va. 



The weather has been very cold here. 

 Thermometer registered 20° below zero 

 the fourth of this month. 



My bees are wintering well. I have 

 not heard of any losses of bees in this 

 neighborhood yet. C. L. Eakin. 



St. Andrews, Out. 

 editor american aptculturist : 

 Dear Sir: 



The queen you sent me as a premium 

 came to hand last May in splendid condi- 

 tion. I at once placed her upon a frame 

 of sealed brood that was rapidly hatching, 

 and the whole was then placed in a large 

 wire case and inserted with the colony to 

 which I wished to introduce her. In three 

 days she was busy at work laying, and by 

 the end of the week she had quite a nu- 

 cleus. I then removed the frame with the 

 queen and bees, from the cap, and jilaced 

 them in the hive and all was well. In all 



