1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



133 



our LErntnfso-x^ 



Late Season in England.— In the Lon- 

 don Journal of BorticuUmt, Mr. Frank 

 Cheshire sa\s : 



Few seasons would show more clearly 

 the advantage of a special calendar t ban 

 the present one. The lateness here is 

 extreme, the temperature low, ami the 

 "weather forecast" not encouraging. 

 In early springs, peach blossoms have 



been open on a south wall of ours on 

 March 1. but now, April -4. the fully 

 swollen buds are yet waiting for a 

 change before expanding. 



Baying Bees. — The Indiana Farmer 



gives this good advice : 



To those who contemplate buying 

 bees we would say do so at once, buy 



now so as to take advantage of the sea- 

 son's work. If you cannot afford to 

 buy full colonies.net good, strong nu- 

 clei, buy them early and they will grow 

 into good colonies during the season. 

 It is best to buy as near home as possi- 

 ble as express charges are very high. 

 Send to responsible dealers and stipu- 

 late that the bees must come early, so 

 as to have advantage of all the increase 

 of the season. 



Feeding Bees in the Spring.— In the 

 Prairie Farmer Mr. L. Harrison gives 

 the following as her advice on this very 

 important subject, at this season of the 

 year : 



Naturalists teacli us that insects dur- 

 ing the larvae state consume more food 

 than they do during the remainder of 

 their life. The queen bee is a wise and 

 prudent mother, and counts the cost of 

 their production, and governs her pro- 

 creative powers according to her in- 

 come. She regulates her laying, not by 

 the sealed stores in the hive, but by the 

 amount brought in daily by her subjects. 



If we wish to have our bees populous, 

 to profit by the early bloom, we must 

 practice some strategy upon the " old 

 lady," by which she is made to believe 

 that the honey flow is continuous and 

 abundant. Some bee-keepers recom- 

 mend candy, of which sugar and flour of 

 some kind are the principal ingredients. 

 The objection to this kind of food is 

 that bees must have water in order to i 

 manipulate it. and in order to procure it , 

 must leave the hive in inclement! 

 weather, and may get chilled and per- 

 ish. Thin uncapped honey is always 

 found in the spring adjacent to the 

 brood, and we should imitate nature as 

 nearly as possible. Warm diluted 

 honey, nearly as thin as it is when 

 brought home from the flowers, and a 

 substitute for pollen, eitherin unbolted 

 flour from wheat, rye or peas, should be 

 supplied them in such a way that they 

 would appropriate it to their use. There 

 are many ways of feeding honey or 

 syrup in vogue"— such as a tumbler cov- 

 ered with muslin and inverted over the 

 cluster, or a fruit can with perforations 

 in the cover. It matters not how, so 

 that the warmth of the hive is retained, 

 and that the bees feed readily from it. 



We have two feeders on some of 

 our hives, one containing thin honey 

 and another with unbolted wheat flour, 

 and although to-day, March 30, is windy 

 with the thermometer at. noon only 2- 

 above freezing in the shade, the bees 

 are rolling and tumbling in the flour, 

 and working it into little balls upon 

 their legs. In some localities it is an 

 advantage to feed flour, in sheltered 

 nooks in the open air. but here it is 

 different. The overflow from the river 

 draws the frost from the roots of the 

 elms and willows so that they are in 

 bloom almost as soon as it is warm 

 enough for bees to fly. 



Flenty of sealed honey should be in 

 the hive during the spring as a safe- 

 guard against starvation— a sort of life- 

 boat or contingent fund, to be drawn 

 upon during an emergency, such as a 

 cold storm. 



Early Drones.— My 20 colonies of bees, 

 put in the cellar Nov. 18, were taken 



out a few days ago. li; living, and one 

 of those much reduced, being in the 

 cellar 117 days, in Laugstrolh frame 

 hives, without division boards or cush- 

 ions, and the same as they stood in the 

 apiary in summer. This is the best re- 

 sult in wintering bees that I can hear of 

 iu this county. |;. lost ill out of 2!. cel- 

 lar wintering : P. 13, all he had; anil I 

 other bee keepers, having 82 colonies, 

 lost all, mostly of dysentery. I have 

 taken no pains to gather in formation as 

 to the extent of the mortality of bees in 

 this county, but what I hear is truly dis- 

 couraging. Please tell me in the" Bee 

 Journal why one of my colonies has 

 plenty of drones flying, and the drones 

 are associating with the other colonies ; 

 some colonies are killing them, while 

 others are not molesting them. This 

 colony had an Italian queen introduced 

 last September, purchased from I. S. 

 Crowfoot, of Wisconsin. 



II. I. 15r.ii IIENER. 

 Decorah, Iowa, April 11, 1881. 



[The queen is either an old one or 

 physically deformed, so as to make of 

 her what is termed a " drone-laying '" 

 queen, and in either case should be su- 

 perseded. — Ed.] 



All Gone.— On Nov. 12 I put 100 colo- 

 nies in a cave. They had plenty of 

 honey, all are dead but one ; I packed 

 in witli chaff and corn fodder and they 

 are all dead but one ; leaving me 2 col- 

 onies out of 110. Mr. Brown had 200 

 colonies in a cave and all are dead but 

 •5. Mr. Brown and I have put our bees 

 in caves for 8 successive winters and 

 have had success till this winter. Mr. 

 AVard had 22 colonies in the cellar ; all 

 are dead. Mr. Wilson had 2.5 colonies 

 in a dry cellar with plenty of honey, 

 and all are dead. Mr. McAllister and 

 Mrs. Kendall had 4 each in cellars and 

 all have died. Mr. Cole had 9 left out 

 of 14. There are others in this county 

 but I have not heard from them yet. I 

 am well pleased with the Weekly Bee 

 Journal and would not do without it. 

 A. F. McKenrich. 



Camanche, Iowa, April 11, 1881. 



who do not take a bee paper are 

 the heaviest losers in bees. My bees 

 were wintered at the Lake View Apiary, 



belonging to Mr. R. Squier, where there 



were 60 colonies anil all came out alive. 

 I did not think at first that I should 

 like the Weekly as well as the .Monthly. 

 but since we have the news fresh every 

 week I like it much better. I await its 

 coming as that of an old friend. It is 

 just what we who are engaged in hee- 

 Clllture need. Success to the Weekly 



Bee Journal. J. <;. A. Wallace. 



Brighton, Ontario. April 9, 1881. 



Will "Hogs Destroy Swoel Clover .'— 

 Royal jelly is young brood in the white 

 state. In 1855 or 1856 I saw legs and 



I breasts plainly in it in a colony prepar- 

 ing to swarm which had no" time to 

 properly cut it up line. I am satisfied 

 that Rev. Mr. Mahin is right about bees 



J and grapes. Birds are the main cause 

 of damage to grapes. Will hogs destroy 



I sweet clover roots, if they are "running 



I where they can get at them V 



LOUIS IIOFSTATTEU. 



Louisville, Ky., April 1, 1881. 



[We do not know; but imagine that 

 there is little about the tough, fibrous 

 roots that even a hog would care to eat 

 unless closely pastured upon it, and 

 then would root it up only to keep busy. 

 —Ed.] 



Colonies (Jnod and Strong.— I put 10 



colonies in the cellar last fall and al- 

 though they have had but one flight 

 since October until March 5, they have 

 come out good, and strong in numbers, 

 but some a little short of stores. About 

 bee-keepers around here report % to 

 1 e dead. I like the Bee Journal very 

 much. Samuel Sanderson. 



Elmira, Out., April 18. 1881. 



Bees in Good Condition. — I had last 

 fall 18 good colonies, and have 18 left 

 now, all in good condition. They were 

 wintered on the summer stands. ' I am 

 confident lean winter bees as safe as 

 other stock. S. II. Hutchinson. 



Mechanic Falls, Maine, April 10, 1881. 



Lost 3 out of <!<> Colonies. — At least 65 

 per cent, of the bees in this locality I 

 think are dead ; quite a number having 

 a few colonies hist fall have Install; 

 others having 20 to 40 colonies have 

 only 2 or 3 lefi. Of the few of our most 

 successful bee-keepers are Messrs. 

 Hoffman, losing 35 out of 120 ; Drake. 

 10 out of 4". ; Clement, OOout of 100. and 

 Gans, 50 out of 100. Bees are wintered 

 here mostly in cellars. I put 00 colonies 

 on the 5th of Nov. in a bee house, lined 

 and tilled with a foot of sawdust, and 

 up to the present have lost only 3 colo- 

 nies. I have all Italians, except one 

 colony of ( lyprians. I cannot do with- 

 out the Bee Journal. 



A. M. Wolcott. 



Monroe, Wis., April IS, 1SS1. 



Safely Wintered.— After a confine- 

 ment of 160 days my bees are in excel- 

 lent condition, considering the severe 

 winter they have passed through, being 

 the most severe we have had for 20 

 years. Last fall I had 32 colonies, all 

 natives but one colony of hybrids. 1 

 prepared 13 of them with chaff cushions 

 on top in Langstroth hives. The rest 

 were box hives. They were put in the 

 cellar Nov. 30, and brought out April 9, 

 all in a thriving condition with tic ex- 

 ception of 4 colonies which I shall have 

 to feed for a short time as they were 

 late swarms. Many have lost heavily iu 

 this section. I find that all my neigh- 

 bor bee-keepers and box hive men 



Expects a Fair Crop of Honey. — My 



400 colonies were put into cellars early 

 last November, and are there still, 

 mostly in good condition. If the 

 weather is sufficiently warm so that 

 they can be taken out soon, my loss 

 will not exceed 10 percent. I attribute 

 my success mostly to the excellent con- 

 dition my bees were in last fall, and 

 to the cellars in which they were win- 

 tered. There are a few others here that 

 can give reports equally good, but not 

 many. There were perhaps 3,000 colo- 

 nies in this county last fall, and from 

 all accounts there will be less than 1,000 

 left this spring. The loss is something 

 unprecedented here. Nearly all our 

 small bee-keepers have lost all they had. 

 I have spoken with a number that had 

 from 25 to 100 colonies, and their loss is 

 fully 75 per cent. Farmers generally 

 have lost all. owing to the insufficient 

 care given them. Possibly the problem 

 how to winter bees successfully will be 

 solved by the experience of this winter: 

 if so, the loss will not be wholly without 

 a gain. Appearances here are that the 

 yield of honey will be fair in spite of 

 the greatly reduced number of laborers. 

 White clover and basswood, our chief 

 honey sources, are very promising. 

 Jefferson, Wis. George Grimm. 



Fresh Air in Cellars Necessary. — The 



bees in my cellar, described ' in the 

 Journal, page 25, came through with- 

 out the loss of a single colony, and all 

 are in excellent condition. Another 

 cellar that was not as well ventilated, 

 and that had no stone floor did not win- 

 ter as well, one died and several were 

 weak. This proves to my satisfaction 

 that fresh air and plenty of it is what 

 bees want to winter well. I shall pre- 

 pare all my cellars like the one described 

 in the Journal before another winter. 

 The thermometer in this did not vary 3 

 all winter. E. A. Thomas. 



Coleraine, Mass., April 10. 1881. 



Bees All Rig-lit. — I took my bees from 

 the cellar on April Hi, after 5 months' 

 confinement, and from 41 colonies and 3 

 nuclei I have saved 38. all strong except 

 2 that are queenless, which I shall dou- 

 ble up with 2 that are rather weak. I 

 am cleaning them up and feeding them 

 granulated sugar and rye-flour. Bees 

 | are scarce in this vicinity; many bee- 

 i keepers have lost all. I wish the Jour- 

 nal great success. T. Lasiiiirook. 

 Waverly, Iowa, April IS. 1881. 



Loss from 80 to 10(1 Per Cent.— Fully 



;; of the bees iii this country which 

 could fly last fall will never do so any 



more, and as a consequence beeswax 

 will be cheap. The old fogy bee-keepers 

 who knew so much lasl fall have now 

 very little to say about bees. I heard 

 one say a lew days ago that he thought 

 that the honey had soured in the hives 

 and killed the bees. I think he was a 

 little sour on the bee question, too. I 

 have lost about mi per cent, of mine, 

 others report a loss of 23 out of 25. some 

 100 per cent., and one of the most noted 

 bee-keepers has lost ion out of 138 (he is 



reported to have gathered and sold ten 

 tons of honey from his bees last fall), so 

 you see that he understood the busi- 

 ness, but did not save his bees. Those 

 that I saved had dry goods boxes 

 turned upside down over the hives, and 

 were packed between with straw in ad- 

 dition to the chaff in the hives. Scien- 

 tific bee-keeping will stand a better 

 chance now. for most of the box hive 

 men have given up the business. Bees 

 about here will have better care here- 

 after I hope. With renewed interest in 

 bee-culture, I wish the Bee Journal 

 success. Geo. M. Lawrence. 



Warsaw, N. Y., April IS, 1881. 



Good Prospects.— Bees gathered the 

 first pollen this season on the 14th inst., 

 from the elm. Brood rearing is pro- 

 gressing nicely. The white clover is 

 green and growing. It is thick, and we 

 have good prospects for a good honey 

 season. J. P. Mooue. 



Morgan, Ky., April 19,1881. 



Button Willow.— I send you some cut- 

 tings of a shrub that beats anything for 

 pollen for bees that I ever saw. If stuck 

 in some damp ground they will grow 

 just like willow-cuttings. Please give 

 name. Spring is one month behind 

 time. D. A. Pike. 



SnuVthsburg, Md., April 18, 1881. 



[The shrub is commonly known as 

 button willow, and belongs to the num- 

 erous willow family. It grows quite 

 plentiful in the Central and Western 

 States, and is worthy of cultivation as 

 well for its beauty as its enormous pol- 

 len yield.— Ed.] 



Mortality of Bees in Iowa.— I put 60 



colonies in the cellar last fall, and have 

 to-day taken out and examined them ; 

 there are only 25 alive, and some of them 

 very weak. "In this locality there is not 

 over 1 oolony in 10 left; some have lost 

 all. I understand that Mr. W. II. Fur- 

 man has only 7 or S left out of 60 ; an- 

 other man lost 40. all he had. This is a 

 poor prospect for supply dealers. I like 

 the Weekly Bee Journal very much. 

 Tnos. B. Quinlan. 

 Cedar Rapids, Iowa. April 15, 1881. 



Bees in Good Condition. — I com- 

 menced the last season with s colonies, 

 now I have 9 in good condition (having 

 sold one I have only s to commence the 

 season with.) My bees gathered some 

 pollen this afternoon, the first this sea- 

 son. Jos. II. Fisher. 



Napoleon, O., April 18, 1881. 



Wintered Well.— After 20 weeks con- 

 finement in the cellar I have taken my 

 bees out. and find 5 dead out of 146. I 

 put the hives close together in tiers, one 

 above another. 2x3 scantling between. 

 My bees are as strong and healthy as I 

 ever knew them to be in the spring. I 

 like the Weekly very much. 



A. Jennings. 



Medusa, N. Y., April IS, 1881. 



Overstocked With Bees.— Last fall I 

 reduced my colonies about 40, leaving 

 75, which wintered without loss. My 

 greatest trouble is to prevent increase. 

 As there is no sale for bees here I am 

 certainly overstocked. C. Weeks. 



Clifton, Tenn., April 7, 1881. 



Lost None. — I put my 114 colonies in 

 the cellar last November and took them 

 out March 2S. A few had the dysentery 

 but I have lost none yet. I took them 

 out a little too soon for it has been cold 

 ever since, but they are doing well. Few 

 bees are left here. O. C. Blanchard. 



Ironton, Wis.. April 20. 1881. 



