AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



23 



removed them from the stand to one side a 

 few minutes, then exchanged places, viz. : 

 the robbers on the robbed, and the robbed 

 on the robbers. Then I opened the en- 

 trances to both hives, and out they came. 

 Were they bewildered ? You ought to have 

 seen them. Of course, the robbed remained 

 inactive, while some of the robbers came 

 and brought them back their stolen sweets. 

 This effectually put a damper on their 

 frolic. 



I was wondering the last few days how 

 these 5-banded beauties, being so weak, 

 could carry so much honey, as I had to give 

 them four frames of empty comb to store 

 their rapidly accumulating stores. I have 

 ascertained that they wiped out 3 colonies 

 for my neighbor Spoon. Spoon told me 

 the other day his bees were just boiling and 

 rolling in honey at 2 p.m. ; at 4 he didn't 

 know what was the matter with them, and 

 upon examination he had 4 bees left in 

 those " boxes his grandfather used to have." 

 I recollect now that I was rejoicing how 

 this 3-frame colony of thieving rascals were 

 obtaining nectar from some unknown 

 source. Now I've had a dose of the same 

 medicine. 



I would like to hear from some of the 

 Indiana subscribers, through the valuable 

 American Bee Journal. 



J. C. Wallenmeyer. 



Evansville, Ind., June 10, 1893. 



Bees in Weak Condition. 



Owing to the cold, rainy weather of late, 

 and backward spring, bees have not been 

 able to gather enough stores to sustain life. 

 Those that have not fed their bees, are 

 now having a great loss. White clover was 

 badly wintex'-killedhere. Bass wood will be 

 in bloom in about ten days. The only sur- 

 plus that I look for is that of fall honey, 

 owing to the weak condition of the bees. 



John Lee. 



Cedar Bluffs, Nebr., June 16, 1893. 



Getting but Little Honey. 



This is rather a bad spring, so far, for 

 bees in this place. Mine have just doubled 

 themselves by natural swarming, and at 

 this time they are not getting any honey, 

 or very little. A. J. West. 



Paxton, nis., June 19, 1893. 



Very Rainy Weather. 



Last fall I had 6 colonies of bees, and the 

 winter was too severe for them. Some 

 froze, and the balance spring dwindled. I 

 bought 6 colonies more in the spring, but I 

 fear they will follow the others, if this rainy 

 weather continues much longer. There has 

 not been ten clear days since the middle of 

 March, and there seems to be but little nec- 

 tar. Besides, the bees cannot get out after 

 what little there is, without taking their 

 umbrellas ; but, of course, they are sup- 

 posed to do that if they gather honey in 

 Washington. 



Two of my colonies seem to have the 

 nameless disease. I tried putting salt in 



one hive, and they are doing better than 

 the other. Whether the salt helped or not, 

 I am unable to say. No swarms has issued 

 in this part of the country yet. If it ever 

 stops raining, so the bees can do any good, 

 you probably will hear from me again. 



Thos. Wickersham. 

 Wickersham, Wash., June 15, 1893. 



Booming on Honey-Dew. 



We have no white clover honey this year. 

 Bees are booming on the honey-dew. 



Fred Bechly. 

 Searsboro. Iowa, June 19, 1893. 



Bees Wintered Well. 



Bees did not do well last year on account 

 of the wet weather and cool spring, and we 

 do not think there is any improvement over 

 last year. Our bees wintered well, and we 

 did not lose any out of 140 colonies, except- 

 ing 4 were queenless. They were wintered 

 on the summer stands, but judging from 

 what we can hear, about half of the bees 

 through the country died, mostly from 

 starvation. My father says the last two 

 years were the poorest for bees that he has 

 experienced in about 25 jears. It is not 

 only in bees, but the fruit-growers are in 

 the same condition, but we hope that sun- 

 shine will follow rain. 



The Bee Journal is a welcome visitor, 

 having been much improved by the present 

 publishers. Clara Schumacher. 



Weston, Mo., June 19, 1893. 



Tincture of Arnica for Bee-Stings. 



A very valuable remedy for bee-stings is 

 tincture of arnica. While an ordinary 

 sting causes inflammation for two or three 

 days, tincture of arnica makes it last only 

 a few hours. Ladies and gentlemen who 

 don't care about having a bad-looking face 

 should try it. 



We are having a splendid honey-flow 

 here. Swarming is at hand. 



" Montreal Subscriber." 



Montreal, Canada, June 21, 1893. 



Bees Doing Finely. 



Bees are doing finely here now with a 

 favorable prospect. W. H. Norton. 



Skowhegan, Me., June 23, 1893. 



Losses in Wintering. 



My bees are doing aU right. I lost only 

 one colony the past spring. I think it was 

 queenless. It was in an old hive, and I 

 could not take the frames out. John 

 Ayrhart lost 17 colonies last winter, and 

 George Coolie lost all. Mr. Evans lost all. 

 C. D. Clifford had one colony, and lost it. 

 Mr. McGregor also had one and lost it, as 

 did a great many others. I think that the 

 report of Mr. Thos. Johnson, in the Bee 

 Journal is about correct. 



James Hardie. 



Dedham, Iowa, June 16, 1893, 



