1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



19: 



LONDON JOURNAL OF HORT. 



Capturing Bees that wore lodged in 

 Stone Walls.— Mr. Frank R. Cheshire 

 gives the following incidents, showing 



how colonies in inconvenient places 

 may be dislodged and made to enrich 

 the apiaries of their captors : 



The double wall formed part of an 

 old structure, and through the aperture, 

 the result of decay, the swarm had evi- 

 dently entered, and had utilized, as we 

 afterwards found, an interspace only 

 -I 1 ., inches wide from front to back. A 

 bricklayer was employed to cut out the 

 front bricks, to lay the colony open to 

 view, and this work acted like, the hive- 

 beating in driving, completely quieting 

 the bees, which made no resistance to 

 the removal of their comb. The, brick- 

 layer was not a beekeeper, and so it 

 soon became expedient to remove the 

 bricks myself, lifting out the honey- 

 combs as it was possible to free them. 

 These I found about 3 feet (1 inches deep, 

 and supported at intervals by cross 

 bricks, but unfortunately, as we came 

 upon the brood-combs, the queen re- 

 treated, with the greater number of 

 bees, into the recess beyond reach. All 

 the brood-combs, by cutting, trimming, 

 and fixing into frames, were made 

 ready for the hive, but the inhabitants, 

 except the very young, tlew from them 

 and returned to the wall. The queen 

 was not with us, while nearly all the 

 bees were with her, and quite inacces- 

 sible, unless so much of the wall was to 

 be removed as to endanger its safety. 

 In the dilemma we fixed the frames 

 with their brood-combs as nearly as 

 possible in true position, and in the 

 spot the brood had previously occupied, 

 nailing up over all a large gardener's 

 mat. 



So soon as quietude was restored, the 

 bees, with their queen, returned to feed 

 and warm their young. The next morn- 

 ing the mat was lifted with as little dis- 

 turbance as possible. The insects were 

 discovered closely clustered, putting 

 their plundered house in order. The. 

 hive to receive them stood against the 

 wall just under their old entrance. 

 Frame after frame was lifted down, the 

 queen, in due course, making her de- 

 scent with the rest. The few bees that 

 took wing soon learned the position of 

 their comrades, and the colony was es- 

 tablished in its new quarters with but 

 very little loss, and yielded its owner a 

 fine super at the close of the summer. 

 The main point of interest rests in the 

 manner of capturing the queen by re- 

 storing for a time the combs, to which 

 she will infallibly return, when their 

 second movement is too rapidly and 

 quietly accomplished to give her a 

 chance of eluding us. 



But to our second case. The 3 or 4 

 colonies in the roof of Much Hadam 

 Church, the descendants doubtless of 

 one, had behaved so badly that further 

 forbearance was impossible. A swarm 

 was sent out on the morning of a con- 

 firmation, and, audaciously entering the 

 church window, clustered on the orna- 

 ment not far from the pulpit, and one 

 reckless bee from this cluster commit- 

 ted the sad indiscretion of stinging a 

 bishop. This sealed their doom, and 

 not long after ladders were raised, and 

 your humble servant was peering down 

 between the slates, as the saucy insects 

 were traveling in and out through 4 or 

 5 openings. The master builder in at- 

 tendance came to give directions, but a 

 gust of wind, common to such altitudes, 

 nearly carried away his hat. His rapid 

 movements in preventing this catastro- 

 phe produced a worse, for 5 or 6 bees, 

 which regarded this quickness as a 

 menace, took aim at his uncovered 

 scalp and caused him to retire discom- 

 fitted. A practical breach was soon 

 made, and then pailful after pailful of 

 honey-comb, which at length fairly 

 tilled a large saucer bath, was the first 

 instalment of the booty. The brood- 

 combs followed; but as before, the bees 

 retired and had to be gained by the ex- 



pedient previously explained. While 

 the queen and retinue were returning 

 to their old quarters, so as to make 

 their tiual dislodgement easy, the ex- 

 tractor was set to work upon the comb 

 honey, and soon lio lbs. of splendid 

 honey was freed from wax and pollen. 

 After the final removal of the bees the 

 following morning, the hollow in which 

 this colony had existed for several years 

 was. by my order, tilled with coke pre- 

 viously saturated iii carbolic acid. This 

 last substance emits an odor so disgust- 

 ing to the genus Apis, that no fresh 

 swarm is likely to choose this spot as a 

 dwelling place. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Comb Foundation for Surplus Honey. 

 — Mr. Dougherty, in the Indiana .Far- 

 mer, remarks as follows : 



The merits and demerits of the use 

 of foundation for surplus honey has 

 been under discussion since its first in- 

 troduction, and although at first there 

 was good grounds against its use, with 

 the improvements of the last fewyears, 

 it has become a success, and with one 

 or two exceptions, is used extensively 

 by most of our practical bee-keepers, 

 we have experimented extensively in 

 its use, and do not hesitate to recom- 

 mend it for use in the surplus boxes, 

 not alone a strip in the top of the sec- 

 tion as a starter, but that the sections 

 be filled quite full, giving the bees a 

 good start, insuring straight combs, and 

 in much better shape than where the 

 bees are allowed to build the comb at 

 will. 



$gr A French paper relates that at a 

 village near Florenville (Luxembourg) a 

 gentleman, walking along beside a 

 wood, saw some bees swarming on a 

 straggling branch of an oak tree. He 

 went to fetch a hive, and returned, with 

 a wood-cutter named Guiot, who 

 climbed the tree, and sitting astride of 

 the branch, cut off the extremity of it 

 upon which the swarm hung. An un- 

 expected result followed : instead of 

 falling to the ground, the swarm dis- 

 persed, and, raising like a whirlwind, 

 settled on the head of the unlucky 

 Guiot, who was still sitting on the 

 branch, 45 feet from the ground. The 

 bystanders shuddered. Surely, they 

 thought, he will be seized with giddi- 

 ness, and tortured by a thousand stings, 

 he must fall to the ground. But Guiot 

 called up all his strength of mind, and 

 remained until the swarm had formed 2 

 long wreathes hanging from his tem- 

 ples, and waving as he moved ; then 

 half blinded by the insects, which also 

 covered his face and body, he contrived 

 to descend from his elevated position, 

 taking the greatest care not to irritate 

 this living mantle. When he arrived 

 on terra firma a hive was placed on his 

 shoulder, but 3 hours elapsed before the 

 bees would take possession of their new 

 home. When this happy change was 

 effected the poor wood-cutter's wild de- 

 light testified to the intensity of the 

 anxiety and discomfort he had endured. 



The Season in England.— The editor 

 of the British Bee Journal remarks as 

 follows on the honey season in England: 



If the past month of May has not 

 been all that could be desired, it has, 

 on the whole, been a charming one and 

 a vast improvement on many in pre- 

 ceding years. The usual " break" oc- 

 curred in the middle of it, but did not 

 continue as long as former experiences 

 led us to expect, and, excepting that 

 the nights have been cold, the bees 

 have been doing well. Swarming is 

 late, which perhaps may be accounted 

 for by the excessive labor of the bees 

 in honey gathering, many of our hives 

 being less populous in the third than in 

 the first week, a glut trom the orchards 

 being available before they had made 

 sufficient headway in the brood-nest, 

 and the loss of life by overwork great 

 in proportion. In gardens where no 

 bees are kept there is the usual com- 

 plaint that the early fruits are dropping 

 off, and the frosty nights and blight are 

 blamed as the cause, but the absence 

 of bees is doubtless the true one, while 



others are described as " shy." Our 

 gooseberries hang "like rones of on- 

 ions," I he blossoms having had ample 

 fertilization— a fact well worthy of care- 

 ful attention by those who grow fruit 

 for profit. 



Hee- Keeping in Texas. — The Land 



I u <iist, ,-. lJoerne, Texas, remarks as fol- 

 lows : 



Bee-keeping, from a very small be- 

 ginning, is receiving considerable at- 

 tention in Kendall county. That the 

 business is a profitable one all agree 

 who have given it attention. The re- 

 turns are very large in proportion to 

 the outlay of capital and time; the 

 seasons and wild profusion of honey 

 plants are all that is necessary to insure 

 success to those bee-keepers who are pre- 

 pared by needful industry and intelli- 

 gence to make the most of the busi- 

 ness. As an illustration of what can 

 be done with bees in this country, Mr. 

 Moore, of Llano county, took in one 

 season, from one hive, 230 lbs. of honey, 

 which, at 20 cents per lb., would net $46 

 on an investment of less than $5. 



Extracted vs. Comb Honey.— As to 



which kind is the most profitable to 

 produce, Mr. Dougherty, in the Indiana 

 Farmer, remarks as follows, and at the 

 same time indorses the views of the 

 Bee Journal. He says : 



As to which kind will pay the best de- 

 pends upon how it is to be sold, whole- 

 sale or retail, distance to market, etc. 

 You can produce }£ more, good well 

 ripened extracted, than you can of comb 

 honey, and when you have a good home 

 market, at retail, extracted honey will 

 bring within a few cents as much per 

 pound as comb honey. Where honey 

 has to be shipped long distances, ex- 

 tracted honey will undoubtedly pay the 

 best. The freight is cheaper. The loss 

 from breakage and leakage is much 

 less. Extracted honey is growing in 

 favor rapidly, and in the near future 

 comb honey will be in little demand. 

 In creating a home demand it is well to 

 produce both kinds, and as the trade 

 increases supply that which gives the 

 best satisfaction. In producing ex- 

 tracted honey caution is necessary in 

 not extracting unripe honey and in ex- 

 tracting so much as to rob the bees of 

 necessary stores. Some bee-keepers 

 practice extracting the honey as fast as 

 it is gathered, but honey in this condi- 

 tion lacks the fine flavor that belongs 

 to a good article of extracted honey, 

 and is liable to ferment and sour. None 

 but a thoroughly good article should be 

 produced and placed on the market, as 

 the price will depend upon the quality 

 you otter. You should only produce 

 extracted honey that is equal to the 

 very best article of comb honey. It is 

 but little trouble to secure a crop of 

 honey, when the extractor is judiciously 

 used, during an ordinary honey yield, 

 whereas at times it is almost impossible 

 to make the bees work in the surplus 

 boxes. 



Marketing.— In a short time the honey 

 crop for 1881 will be ready to put upon 

 the market. Particular attention is in- 

 vited to several good articles on the 

 subject of marketing in the most de- 

 sirable and profitable manner, which 

 have lately appeared in the Weekly 

 Bee Journal. The Grange Bulletin 

 remarks that " for small retail pack- 

 ages, tin pails with close-fitting covers 

 are the best. Purchased by the gross 

 or in quantities of 1,000 or more, the 

 price is so inconsiderable that no con- 

 sumer will object to paying what they 

 cost in addition to the price of the 

 honey, for they are so " ' handy to have 

 in the house ' " that not one housewife 

 in a hundred would wish to return the 

 pail." 



l^" Sometimes a noble failure serves 

 the world as faithfully as a distinguished 

 success. — Dryden. 





wjm*: 



The Clovers. — Yes, Syrian is the word, 

 if only for the sake of euphony. 

 "Holy" is too Oriental, and seems half 

 sacrilegious when used in this way. 

 Bees are doing well here, since we had 

 a shower or two. White clover is very 

 abundant, but in front of my window 

 is a meadow of mixed white and red 

 clovers and there are 5 or 6 Italians on 

 the red clover to-day to one bee of any 

 kind upon the others. Lately I visited 

 Mr. Jesse Hidings, of Whitehall, 111., 

 who had a field of mixed red, white, 

 and alsike clovers, and there were 20 

 Italians on the alsike to one on any 

 other bloom. He had also a patch of 

 very thrifty meliiot, sown last year, but 

 it was not yet in bloom. Have killed 

 all my black queens but one ; have 

 bred Italians, and have them laying in- 

 stead of the blacks. ffji. Camai. 



Murrayville, 111., June 6, 1881. 



The Prospects in California. — Some 

 time ago I wrote a letter to the Bee 

 Journal, stating how good the pros- 

 pect was for surplus honey. Now the 

 thing is changed. A month ago some 

 of my neighbors told me that the bees 

 were killing their drones. Having but 

 few drones, I had no surplus and my 

 bees were leaving them alone, but now 

 I observe occasionally a drone being 

 lugged off. Many of my bees have 

 stopped breeding, and commenced 

 again within a few days. Very late 

 frosts have killed what bloom we had, 

 and now the bearbush or hawberry, is 

 commencing to bloom and honey is 

 coming in, and queens laying again. I 

 have obtained but little surplus and 

 very little comb honey, equalizing most 

 of my colonies. I increased from 58 to 

 81 strong colonies, but unless more 

 honey is gathered, I shall have to feed 

 back and rear queens in the fall. Queen- 

 rearing, for the present, is useless, un- 

 less one wants them to starve and get 

 the bees to robbing. All my colonies 

 are full of bees, but they have very lit- 

 tle honey, and only a little brood. One 

 colony had a good proportion of brood 

 in 6 out of 10 combs, and good sage 

 honey to live on through the drouth, 

 which will be on us after the bearbush 

 is through blooming. I notice a great 

 many dead bees about the bush while 

 in bloom ; it appears that the bees 

 gorge themselves and are too weak to 

 take their load home ; the bush is 

 swarming with bees during the bloom. 

 What colonies survive the drouth, soon 

 fill up with fall honey, from the golden 

 rod and decaying fruit. Bees do not de- 

 stroy fruit, but save the juices after 

 birds and yellow-jackets have punct- 

 ured it. I have watched and seen them 

 leave the santarosa bloom because they 

 could not bite through the base of the 

 flower, where the honey is. The tube 

 being long only humming birds can sip 

 the honey. By pulling the tube and 

 sucking it one can taste the honey. The 

 locust in this vicinity was a failure, 

 giving no bloom to speak of. 



Napa, Cal. J. D. Enas. 



Encouraging. — Bees are doing finely, 

 swarming, filling sections and rearing 

 brood. I got through the winter with 

 13, bought 10 in Alabama, and had 6 

 large swarms. The fields, road sides 

 and commons are white with bloom. 1 

 have 3 acres of alsike clover near my 

 bees ; they worked on the alsike about 

 a week before they did on the white 

 clover. Basswood will have a very 

 heavy bloom; the buds are just formed. 

 J. II. Thoknburg. 



Manchester, Ind., June 10, 1881. 



Testing Cyprian Queens.— Will some 

 breeder of Cyprian queens inform me 

 how I can tell whether my Cyprian 

 queens have mated with Cyprian or Ital- 

 ian drones, where all are reared in one 

 yard ? I have 43 colonies of tine Ital- 

 ians ; 32 are storing surplus now. The 

 Weekly Bee Journal is indispensable 

 to any live bee-keeper. 



S. E. O'Neel. 



Dupont, Ind., June 14, 1881. 



