AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



4T1 



0T* Do not write anything for publication 

 on the same sheet of paper with business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 Interfering with either part of the letter. 



iMjm^m^jmu 



Uniting Nuclei by Feeding. 



As it is time to unite colonies for win- 

 ter, I want to tell how I unite my 

 nuclei. 



I place a super on the nucleus which 

 I want to build up, fill a feeder with 

 honey, and if I have not a feeder I take 

 any shallow dish ; put in the food some 

 pieces of wood for floats, and set on the 

 frames in the super. I shake the bees, 

 that I want to unite, in front of this 

 hive, smoking them as they run in. I 

 also smoke the ones in the hive. Their 

 fighting propensities become so absorbed 

 in the sweetness of what is in the feeder, 

 that all are in peace and tranquility. I 

 never have lost any bees when I united 

 by feeding. Wm. H. Bright. 



Mazeppa, Minn., Sept. 27, 1892. 



Experience with Blacks and Italians. 



I started in bee-keeping the spring of 

 1891, having bought my bees, which 

 were all blacks. One of my neighbors 

 concluded that he would transfer one of 

 the colonies, and in the transfer he 

 killed the queen ; he then told me that 

 if I would introduce a queen we would be 

 "halvers." So I bought an Italian 

 queen and put her in all right. They 

 were very weak in the fall, and on April 

 1st, 1892, there was about one pint of 

 workers, and the mother-bee in the hive. 

 They went to breeding, and I began 

 feeding, and that Italian queen, this, 

 year, has laid the eggs for three good 

 colonies of bees, while my blacks have 

 only kept in good working order. 



My Italians got rich off the sour-wood 

 in July, and cast a swarm, while the 

 blacks did nothing to compare with 

 them. We all know the good qualities 

 of the Italians, how they will defend 

 their stores, keep out moths, etc., and 

 concerning robbing. I have just been 



out among the bees, and robbers are 

 numerous, but not an Italian can I see 

 — they are mostly blacks, some with a 

 light dash of Italian blood. But the 

 Italians, when they see that stores are 

 to be had easily, and others are at rob- 

 bing, and some colony has given up to 

 be robbed — the Italians are like the old 

 saying, "Jennie put the kettle on, and 

 we'll all take tea." 



With the experience I have with the 

 Italians, I would say they are as far 

 ahead of the black bees as the Berk- 

 shire hogs are ahead of the old bristle- 

 backed rangers. 



Nearly all intelligent bee-men say that 

 the Italians are the superior race of 

 bees so far. My Italians are now at 

 work, while the blacks are lounging 

 around. Wm. Webb. 



Sutton, Tenn., Sept. 15, 1892. 



Bees in Good Condition. 



Bees are in good condition. They 

 have stored from one to three gallons 

 per colony here this summer, from June 

 to the present time. H. C. Ahlers. 



New Orleans, La., Sept. 22, 1892. 



Doing Well on Golden-Rod. 



The bees are doing well on the golden- 

 rod. We have had some heavy frosts, 

 but that does not hurt the golden-rod. 

 I will give this week's work of the bees : 

 Sept 12th, 8% pounds ; 13th, ; 14th, 

 4 pounds; 15th, 4%: 16th, 5; 17th, 

 3; 18th, 11%. Total, 36% pounds. 



When I got home from church to-day, 

 I had a big swarm of bees clustered on 

 top of a hive. I have stones on top of 

 the hives to weight the covers down, 

 and the bees were clustered on the 

 stone. I have had 5 swarms to come 

 out this year, and they have all clus- 

 tered on top of other hives, and around 

 the stones on top. I take an empty hive 

 in one hand, the smoker in the other, 

 and smoke them a little, and they walk 

 right in. Geo. W. Nance. 



Peiro, Iowa, Sept. 18, 1892. 



Best Season for Several Years. 



I want to say that the best season for 

 honey for several years in this part of 

 the country, is now just closing — a con- 

 tinual flow since clover bloom. Seven 

 colonies have filled to completion 525 

 one-pound sections, one of which colo- 

 nies completed 120 of the above. 1 

 shipped 3 cases of 72 sections a week 



