188 



THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



Beekeepers ar& getting sleepy. Can't 

 some one of the readers of the Api 

 write an article that will awake them? 

 Who will try it? What is wanted is 

 a big bomb dropped right down among 

 the beekeepers ; so charged that when 

 it explodes, the noise will be heard as 

 far west ao California, and with force 

 enough in the east, to break window 

 glass, in Nova Scotia. 



If something isn't done pretty soon, 

 .the beekeeping community will not 

 arouse in season to reap the honey har- 

 vest of 1893. 



We have had the Punic bee question ; 

 the Api has sent out a warning note ; 

 yet beekeepers sleep right along as 

 though nothing has happened. Who 

 will fire the first gun? 



Nearly all who write to the Api 

 want to know when we shall make 

 public our new way of rearing queens. 

 It will be given b}' and by. We want 

 to illustrate and so describe the sys- 

 tem that all will understand it. We 

 are waiting to see if some others won't 

 claim it before it is published. Mr. 

 E. L. Pratt is the only person to whom 

 the secret of this new method of rear- 

 ing queens has been confided. 



Those beekeepers living within easy 

 reach of Chicago must be contempla- 

 ting a good time in 1893. If they do 

 not make a good showing of honey and 

 apiarian implements at the Fair, visiting 

 beekeepers will be disappointed. Of 

 course the Fair is too far away from 

 Massachusetts for beekeepers here to 

 think of making any display at all. 



77/.? American Beekeeper says there 

 are not more than half as many colonies 

 of bees in the country as there were one 

 year ago. We found that out as early 

 as July last. All who deal in supplies 

 were made aware of the fact by the light 

 business they had. 



Now that bees are in winter quarters, 

 let them remain so until they commence 

 to carry pollen freely in the spring. 

 It will make little difference what the 

 trouble is with bees in winter, nothing- 

 will be gained by overhauling the 

 combs before the colony is fairly win- 

 tered through. 



The bees should have several cleans- 

 ing flights before they are meddled 

 with for any purpose in the spring. 



Don't undertake to feed a hive of 

 bees in the winter. It is sometimes 

 done successfully, but it proves a fail- 

 ure in DO per cent, of all cases so 

 treated. Thei-e is no practical method, 

 and no feeders by which winter feed- 

 ing can be made a success or practical. 



In some parts of the country it is 

 absolutely necessary to put bees in a 

 cellar, or some such place in order to 

 carry them safely through tlie winter. 

 In localities, where they will winter on 

 the summer stand, it is much better to 

 leave Ihem out. 



It is well enough to advise beekeep- 

 ers to order supplies early, but many 

 who suffered the experience such as 

 a good many did last spring in the loss 

 of bees, will not repeat the operation 

 of ordering supplies in winter. When 

 spring opened, many beekeepers had a 

 lot of old supplies, as well as new 

 ones on hand. 



Now that we have finished the busi- 

 ness of politics, let us settle down to 

 other occupations at once. Commence 

 by subscribing for the Api for 1893. 

 No politics in the Api, and no one 

 will care to read such stuff till next 

 fall. W^e are ready to put your name 

 on the list at any time you say so. 



If you desire to impi'ove the Api, 

 just sit down and tell our readers what 

 you know about bees, and some others 

 will tell you what they know about 

 them. 



