190 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June 15, 



Head before N. W. Wla. and K. Minn. Convention. 



Wintering Bees Successfully. 



W.M. LOSSTNG. 



The wintering of bees seems to be 

 tin' iill-i]ii|Mirt:int question, and how 

 they can be wintered the must success- 

 full) . My experience teaches me that 

 each colony should contain a young, 

 prolific queen— Italians preferred. If 

 you have any queens more than - years 

 old, remove them about the 1st of Sep- 

 tember, and introduce young queens m 

 their places, which will furnish plenty 

 of young bees to stand the winter. 

 Each colony should have not less than 

 30 lbs. of ripe honey at the commence- 

 ment of winter. Cut a half-inch hole 

 through the center of each comb for 

 the bees to pass through. From No- 

 vember 1st to 15th, remove all the 

 honey-boards and in their places spread 

 quilts made of 2 thicknesses of cotton 

 flannel. Now your bees are ready for 

 the cellar, which should be put in order. 



To prepare the cellar, remove all 

 pickles, vinegar, soap barrels, etc., then 

 lay a tier of dry bricks on the bottom 

 to lake up all the' moisture ; now build 

 lacks to hold your hives, so that you can 

 examine any one hive without disturb- 

 ing the rest. Last, but not least, have 

 two 4-inch pipes, one to run from the 

 cellar to the chimney, or stovepipe, the 

 other to run from the cellar to the out- 

 side. Each pipe should have a damper 

 in it, that you may regulate the tem- 

 perature as desired. Hang your ther- 

 mometer in the cellar, and keep as 

 uear 40 as possible. Now, carry your 

 bees and place them in the racks care- 

 fully, and the work is done. 



If, during the winter they become 

 noisy, give them a little more fresh air, 

 which can be none by turning the dam- 

 pers. If very warm weather, open the 

 outside door during the evening until 

 they quiet down again. Remove all 

 dead bees from the bottom-boards, 

 which can be done with a wire bent a 

 little at one end ; do not leave them in 

 the cellar to decay and get mashed un- 

 der your feet. Keep the cellar clean, 

 dry, perfectly dark and well ventilated. 

 By complying with the above, 1 have no 

 doubt but success will be your reward. 



Read before the N. B. Convention <N. Y.i, and the 

 s. W. Wis. Convention. 



Profits of Bee-Keeping— Prize Essay. 



GEO. w. HOUSE, 



"How can we make the apiary the 

 most profitable?" How to make the 

 apiary profitable can be answered by 

 many ; but how can we make the apiary 

 the most profitable is the desired object, 



and the goal to which all aspire. With 

 all the experience and teachings of our 

 leaders in apiculture, such as Quinbv, 

 Langstroth and others, we yet find diffi- 

 culties to encounter. They have opened 

 up many new ideas, have given us 

 light in many dark places, settled 

 doubts, and added muck to our present 

 success. Italy has furnished us a su- 

 perior race of bees : America, the mov- 

 able frame hive, extractor, comb-foun- 

 dation and many other useful applian- 

 ces. l>ut with all our knowledge, ex- 

 perience and Implements, we have not 

 yet i cached that desired haven — "uni- 

 form success and profit." During the 

 past '-!() years we have accomplished a 

 great deal, but our knowledge of api- 

 culture is not perfect, and we have 

 much vet to learn. 



Who can say, in view of what is pass- 

 ing before us in every direction, what 



the unattainable may bey But how 



can we secure the largest net profit 

 from our investment is the desidera- 

 tum of our essay . 



To do justice to our topic would re- 

 quire much time and space, as il em- 

 braces the whole season's work ; m fact, 

 everything pertaining to labor ami ex- 

 pense attendant to the science of api- 

 culture. But as prizes are offered tor 

 essays on other important subjects, I 

 presume it was intended that our theme 



should cover the management of the 

 apiary from spring until fall. 



First, then, we must lose sight of the 

 debtor side of our expense account, and 

 in doing this, we must exercise good 

 judgment. In famishing our necessary 

 supplies and implements, we should en- 

 deavor to lessen our expenses wherever 

 an opportunity is offered, remembering 

 that a dollar saved is a dollar earned. 

 For fear this saving might be carried to 

 extremes, the successful apiarist should 

 remember that in some instances an 

 outlay of a few extra dollars in some 

 particular direction, he may add largely 

 to the profits of the season's labor. If 

 we can increase the value of our pro- 

 ducts by ex-pending a small amount, or 

 if we can secure a larger yield of honey 

 with a little extra time or money, we 

 should not be backward in taking ad- 

 vantage of the situation. In complying 

 with these requirements, no tixed rule 

 can be given to govern us. We should 

 strive to have our products in the neat- 

 est and best shape of any on the mar- 

 kets ; and by a close observation of the 

 demands, together with a little study, 

 we can keep the lead. Apiarists that 

 keep fully up to the times, are the ones 

 who realize the most money from their 

 products. In connection with this part 

 of our essay concerning expense, I 

 would recommend that some action be 

 taken by this association, whereby we 

 would be enabled to purchase our nec- 

 essary supplies at a large discount, and 

 be of mutual benefit to the members. 

 This can be accomplished by appoint- 

 ing a committee, whose duty shall be to 

 take orders from the members for glass, 

 nails, boxes, crates, comb foundation 

 and the various other supplies. To 

 open correspondence with the manu- 

 facturers and send the orders to the 

 lowest bidders. 



We will now take up the manage- 

 ment of the apiary from the time the 

 bees get the first natural pollen. At 

 this season of the year, we find some 

 colonies strong— others in fair condi- 

 tion, and some in poor condition. Some 

 will want feeding, others room for 

 brood-rearing, while more will need to 

 be strengthened in numbers, and per- 

 haps a few are in various other condi- 

 tions. Those colonies that have insuffi- 

 cient stores, can be supplied from those 

 having an abundance. Others that are 

 weak in numbers can be made strong 

 by giving frames of brood from the 

 strongest colonies, and inserting in 

 their place frames of foundation or 

 empty comb. Then there are numerous 

 other manipulations of the hive that re- 

 quire immediate and skillful treatment, 

 which time and space will not allow of 

 our giving in this paper. Furthermore, 

 there is no one system of management 

 that can be given for the various condi- 

 tions of the hive. Circumstances and 

 locality alter cases, therefore the apiar- 

 ist is forced, to some extent, to exercise 

 his own skill and judgment. We should 

 aim to have our colonies strong in num- 

 bers, and as near alike as possible, by 

 the 1st of June for this locality. By 

 this time the boxes should be in place, 

 if working for comb honey, or if work- 

 ing for extracted honey the surplus ar- 

 rangement should be in position. In 

 fact, everything should be in readiness 

 to secure the How of honey for the fol- 

 lowing 6 or 7 weeks. From past exper- 

 ience, I believe the apiary should be 

 worked for both comb and extracted 

 honey, to make our pursuit the most 



profitable. Every bee-keeper is aware 



that some colonies will store honey in 

 the boxes, while others can hardly be 

 forced to commence work in the boxes, 

 conditions being equal. Hence it will 

 be seen that some colonies will be most 

 profitable when managed for comb 

 honey, while others would give the larg- 

 est returns with the extractor. 



Ilcre again, many manipulations of 

 the hive are required that space will 

 not permit giving. The whole may be 

 summed up in these few words: See 

 that the bees and queen have plenty of 

 room at all times during the flow of 

 honey. But you say we are now in the 

 midst of the swarming season ; what 

 amount of increase is desirable ? If 

 more bees are desired, or if the apiarist 

 is so situated that he can readily dis- 

 pose of his increase at a fair price, I 

 would advise taking 1 colony from each 

 old one that is sufficiently strong dur- 



ing the month of June, and the first few 

 days in July. This swarming should 

 be done artificially. If second swarms 

 should issue, put them into any other 

 hive that is queenless. and you will be 

 surprised to see how they push the work 

 in the surplus boxes. If we have all 

 the bees we care for. I would advise as 

 little increase as possible. The most 

 practical, and, I might say, the most 

 prolitable mode of increase for those in 

 such circumstances, would be as fol- 

 lows : 



Form nuclei by taking frames of 

 brood and bees from your strongest col- 

 onies, putting them in new or empty 

 hives, contracted by division boards. 

 When they have a laying queen, they 

 may be built up to the desired strength 

 by removing the division boards and 

 giving frames of brood, drawn again 

 from our strongest colonies. Frames 

 of foundation should be inserted in the 

 place of the frames of brood, thus taken 

 out. By this mode, we not only have a 

 laying queen in all our colonies at all 

 times, but we secure a rational increase, 

 and prevent nearly all desire of swarm- 

 ing. Our strongest colonies are thus 

 given more room for the queen, and in 

 a few days the new swarm will be 

 among our strongest and best surplus 

 honey colonies. 



It is estimated that everything about 

 the apiary, should be so arranged or 

 constructed as to admit of quick work- 

 ing, etc. The hives, and everything 

 pertaining thereto, should be of one 

 size, that each and every piece may be 

 interchanged with other hives when de- 

 sired. 



Head before N. W. Wis. and E. Minn. Convention. 



The Progress of Bee-Keeping. 



L. II. I'AMMEL, JR. 



Every age marks its scientific pro- 

 gress. In one a Michael Angelo has 

 been produced, in another a Shakspeare, 

 in another a Huberand a Reaumur. It 

 was Michael Angelo who studied to get 

 the loftiest position that could be at- 

 tained in Greek and Roman sculpture ; 

 to Shakspeare we owe those noble and 

 passionate thoughts to be found every- 

 where in his works, and still more his 

 works are the foundation of all that 

 which is noble and eccentric in the Eng- 

 lish language; we owe much to Huber, 

 the blind naturalist, for many valuable 

 discoveries which he made in bee-keep- 

 ing, as we also do to Reaumur, the in- 

 ventor of the thermometer. Progress 

 is, therefore, not confined to one age or 

 a single class of individuals, but spreads 

 its banners far and wide, where luxury, 

 pride and ambition reign, or where some 

 renowned hero, his country's pride, falls 

 a helpless victim of immortal renown. 

 It was thus in the ajje of Ciesar, that 

 Brutus and Socrates displayed their elo- 

 quent thoughts on science, art and 

 politics, while Homer and Virgil were 

 engaged in studying the natural history 

 of the bee, and to them we owe the ear- 

 liest tradition of anything relating to 

 its nature. In this age literature as well 

 as art had attained a high degree of per- 

 fection, while all the industrial pursuits 

 of man were yet in their infancy. The 

 bees were hived in the trunks of trees. 

 and the peasant followed the rude 

 wooilen plow. Virgil could say some- 

 thing poetically of the bee, but of its 

 natural history he was entirely igno- 

 rant. He should be excused, however, 

 as it was a fault of the times. 



During the middle ages, when all 

 Europe was in a tumult, nothing was 

 done to develop the science of bee-keep- 

 ing, as where the foundation had been 

 laid (mostly Italy and Greece) bloodshed 

 and terror reigned. This vast field of 

 science laid idle until Iluber thoroughly 

 investigated each particular, and gave 

 the world the benefit of his discoveries. 

 Thus, it was Huber who first assumed 

 that the queen could produce male eggs 

 without the proper fecundation, ami 

 that the queen was fecundated in the 

 air, where a drone could meet her. But 

 the movable frame hive was an impos- 

 sibility with him. for after repeated 

 trials he failed to make one that would 

 work satisfactorily. It was Dr. Dzierzon 

 who perfected what Huber had so long 

 planned out, and from that time until 

 to-day bee-keeping has been regarded 

 as a science. Scholars have studied its 



wonderful mathematical skill, and the 

 naturalist has found much in the bee 

 that is valuable for cultivation and pre- 

 servation. Old notions have passed 

 away. It used to be quite common to 

 hear oli I bee-keepers say that "bees froze 

 up solid in winter." which did not hurt 

 them, and in which condition they re- 

 quired but little honey. Now the nat- 

 uralist, as well as the bee-keeper, knows 

 that the bee is B tender little creature, 

 and deserves just as much care as he 

 does himself. If, therefore, he wants to 

 reap B harvest from his pets, he must 

 aim to keep his bees in the best condi- 

 tions of life. 



If Homer and Virgil were to arise 

 from their sweet and quiet repose, they 

 would be no more astonished to see the 

 mighty engine with its unequalled 

 power, that can make accurately the 

 most delicate things with ease that no 

 human hand or eye can excel, than to 

 see one of our modern apiaries, where 

 the movable frame is used; where 

 queens are reared and comb foundation 

 is utilized. Wax, as we all know, is a 

 production of the bee. thrown off ap- 

 parently at will in little scales from 

 the segments of the bee's body. A few- 

 years ago the most prudent bee-keepers 

 thought it an impossibility for the queen 

 to be fertilized under confinement; to- 

 day he knows she can be thus fertilized 

 to great advantage. 



The bee being the most intelligent 

 of the insect creation, and so industrious 

 and frugal in its work, it is no wonder 

 that man has from times very remote 

 until the present day.. studied its natural 

 history and peculiarities, and revered 

 its noble use. Men of great learning 

 and skill may aim to trace its origin or 

 study its natural history, something of 

 that noble insect will ever remain a mys- 

 tery to mankind. 



LaCrosse, Wis. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Western Michigan Convention. 



A meeting for the purpose of organ- 

 izing a Bee-Keeper's Association for 

 Western Michigan, was held at Berlin, 

 May 2(ith. 



The convention being called to order, 

 proceeded at once to organize, with the 

 following results : The name, "West- 

 ern Michigan Bee Keepers' Associa- 

 tion," was chosen ; then a constitution 

 and by-laws were adopted ; 18 became 

 members, H of whom wire ladies; and 

 the following officers elected: Presi- 

 dent, Win. II. Walker. Berlin ; Vice 

 President. T. M. Cobb. ( Hand Rapids ; 

 Secretary. Win. M. S. Dodge, Coopers- 

 ville; Treasurer. Mrs. C. S. Dodge, 

 Coopersville. 



After some other business was dis- 

 posed of, the members indulged in a 

 little friendly discussion, to the enjoy- 

 ment and profit of all. 



It was decided to hold the first an- 

 nual meeting at Berlin, Ottawa Co.. in 

 Huntley's Hull, Thursday. ( let. 27. 1881. 



Bee-keepers of Western Michigan are 

 cordially invited to participate. 



Around this nucleus we hope to Bee 

 gather, in time, one of the best district 

 Bee-Keepers' Associations in the State. 



Wm. II. Walker, Pres. 

 W.m. M. s. Dodge, Sec. and Treas. 



Honey and Beeswax Market. 



HCVKHS' QUOTATIONS. 



CHICAGO. 

 HONEY Themarketla plentifully supplied with 

 boney. and salee are alow al weak.eaay prices, vuo- 

 tableat I5O180. for atrtotly choice white oomDlnl 



andS lb.DOXes; nt [0Q12C. I"r common dark-colored 

 find broken Iota. Kxtracti'il, 7 l u ''i 

 BKESWAX.-CholCe yellow. »i3f; dark. l.i@17. 



NEW VOKK. 



iio.N'KV. iii>*t white eomb honey, small neat 



packages, UQI7C.; rlnrk Hi" 1'-' ; larue boxes 2e. less.— 

 White extracted, '.'.< lll<\ ; dark. 7 08c. 

 BEKSW AX. -Prime quality. 2U. 'i.e. 



CINCINNATI. 



HONEY. The market for extracted clover honey 



t!*(.'i.oil, at HtSloc. Comb honey 1m of (.low sale at 16c. 

 for the best. 



bebswaz iseasc, C.F. MOTH. 



SAN KKANCISCO. 



HONEY— Moat •■! tin' iii. n. -y now in market both 



in tirsi anil second hands, has be Ither withdrawn 



hi placed at a limit above cnrrenl rates. Tint, action 

 la confirmatory of the unfavorable prospects here- 

 tofore referred to. We QUotewblte comb, i-hmc.; 

 dark to aoi dj 919110. Extracted, choice to extra 

 white. SKasVo.; dark and candled, 4(yi")Hc. 



BEESWAX-2h*22c.. as to color. 



Stkarni. A Smith. 123 Front Street. 



San Francisco. Cal.. May 21, 18M1. 



