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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the effects of the heat. But now (July 

 29) the cool wave has reached us, and 

 also a splendid rain, so we are all right 

 again — and ready for more renewals of 

 subscriptions and new names. Send 

 them along, and we will take care of 

 them, though it should reach 100° in 

 the shade ! — Eds.] 



Bees in Splendid Condition. 



I have 82 colonies of Italian bees, in 

 8-frame chaff hives, which are in splen- 

 did condition. I will obtain from 1,200 

 to 1,500 pounds of comb honey, for 

 which I am getting 15 cents a pound. 

 W. M. Ragon. 



Macomb, Ills., July 25, 1892. 



Piping and Quahking of Queens. 



On page 86, I am made to say that 

 piping and quahking of queens would be 

 heard two days after the issuing of a 

 prime swarm. At any rate, it should 

 be eight days. 



I want to say to Mr. Andre (see page 

 86) that my young queens are not so 

 sisterly as his, for they just seem to en- 

 joy killing one another. 



C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, Ills., July 23, 1892. 



A Novel and Handy Drone-Trap. 



Put two chickens into a coop, with 

 plenty of water, but no food except 

 drones, pulling off their legs so they 

 cannot crawl away. Feed the chickens 

 3 or 4 days, then turn them into the 

 apiary, and see them walk up to the 

 hives and pick off hundreds of drones. 

 Hens are the best, as they have no 

 combs on their heads to be stung by the 

 bees. Geo. Poindexter. 



Kenney, Ills., July 25, 1892. 



The "Silver Lining" is Here, Etc. 



The "silver lining" to the cloud is 

 here at last. The good honey season for 

 this year, which I predicted, is here. 

 Basswood is not here yet, but from 18 

 colonies I have extracted about 900 

 pounds, and doubled them, so that I am 

 in good shape for basswood when it 

 comes. The honey, so far, is mostly 

 from milk-weed. In four days this week 

 several colonies stored from 20 to 3 5 

 pounds each. C. A. Montague. 



Archie, Mich.. July 22, 1892. 



Encouraging Prospect for Fall Crop. 



The honey crop in this (Calhoun) 

 county has not been a very good one so 

 far. White clover yielded well, but the 

 bees could not work on it more than 

 about three days in a week, and now 

 some more of the honey-dew is coming 

 in, but not so much as last year. The 

 prospect for a fall crop is encouraging, 

 yet the late high waters have killed 

 some of the smart-weed and Spanish- 

 needle along the river-bottoms, making 

 it not quite as good as it would have 

 been. Frank X. Arnold. 



Deer Plain, Ills., July 27, 1892. 



Swarming Pretty Lively. 



Last autumn I had 22 colonies of 

 bees, and they all wintered excepting 

 one. I have now 40 colonies, and ex- 

 pect to have more by fall. This morning 

 3 colonies swarmed at once, 2 swarms 

 settling on the same twig, and the third 

 on the limb of a large tree. I put the 

 first two into one hive, and as soon as 

 they were all in the hive, the third 

 swarm flew off from the limb where they 

 had settled, and went into the same 

 hive. Albert Fay. 



New Richmond, Wis., July 20, 1892. 



Can Bees Hear? — Rolling in Honey. 



Yes, they can, whether they have ears 

 or not. I will illustrate : A colony has 

 just swarmed. I shake the bees down 

 on a canvas, two yards from the front 

 of the new hive. They spread out like 

 so much molasses, and in a few moments 

 one reaches the hive entrance, tilts her- 

 self forward, and sets up the "home 

 call." Instantly the colony head for 

 her, and run like a flock of sheep, 

 straight for that call. 



Again : I hived a swarm to-day. They 

 alighted on the north side of a thick 

 strip of currant and plum bushes, on a 

 maple, 30 feet high. I cut off the 

 branch, shook off a quart of bees, and 

 they went up into the air, and I carried 

 the branch and bees to the other side of 

 the bushes, shook them on the canvas, 

 and of course a great buzzing took 

 place. Over the bushes the lost bees 

 came with a rush, and into the pile of 

 bees. Yes, they can hear. 



The bees are just rolling in the honey 

 now, and I look for a good season. 



C. F. Greening. 



Grand Meadow, Minn., July 27,1892. 



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