168 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



August 



'NeAV and better hives are being in- 

 vented all the time. Hartmaunhas 

 invented the "ne plus ultra," by means 

 of vrhich the yield may be quardi-u- 

 pled. I will not tax the reader by a 

 description, for the Hartmann hive is 

 not universally accepted as anything 

 better than we had before. 



ARABIA. 



one everywhere a pest, the other the 

 most effective sweetener on earth and 

 no mean money raiser. It is as the 

 former interferes with the legitimate 

 business enterprise of the latter that 

 the bee farmer desires to enter his 

 vigorous protests. 



Louisiana and Texas are not so sore- 

 ly troubled with ant depredations as 

 is Florida, where the large red robber 

 is a terror, l)nt tlie sum total of tlae 

 damage done is not inconsiderable. 

 The amount of honey pilfered is far 



The Arabs are quite fond of honey. 

 They consume it in its raw state, as an 

 ingredient in cake and in drink. It 

 does not require very much space for a fi'om the most serious factor. The ex- 

 large apiary as the hives are corded up citement in the hives consequent upon 

 in two rows closely together on the the visits of these thieves and the loss 

 ground. They represent the shape of of time and energy used in largely un- 

 pieces of logs, about eight inches in availing chasings count heavilv upon 

 diameter and from three to four feet in the labors of the colony, 

 length. A covering of grass gives 



them protection from the sun and wind 

 Different materials are used to con- 

 struct these hives. Some are made 

 of the cork oak, some are made of wil- 

 low whisps braided together like bas- 



The writer uses with best effect 

 stands having feet of half-inch iron, 

 eight or ten inches in length, set into 

 tin cans, or, better, heavy boarding 

 house cups. These cups should fre- 



ket work: some are made of clay Each ^l^^ntly be iilled with Avater, floating 

 end of the hives Is closed with a round ^ *"*'^^' ^^'^^^^ '^^ ^^^- ^^ twelve or six- 

 piece of bark. When honey is wanted t^*^" ^^^^ stand requires six or seven 

 the hive is opened from the back end ^^ these feet. 



and the honey is cut out. To make the stand take two 2x4-s 



At weddings and religious feasts of the required length and securely 



honey is seldom lacking. A common „ail 1x4 pieces 20 inches long into Ihe 



practice is to take butter and honev 



and knead it till it becomes a sort of 

 homogeneous mass. A dish of it is 

 placed on the middle of the table and 

 all sop their bread in it. A drink is 

 made of honey, water and lemon juice : 

 but whether this is allowed to fer- 

 ment or not the Leipz. Bienenztg. does 

 not say. The Arabs do not protect 

 themselves Avith bee hats and thev 



ends and similar pieces six or eight 

 feet apart on Avhat Avill he the loAA'er 

 side of the stand. Near the ends bore 

 four half-inch holes to AA'ithin a half 

 inch through and also one in the mid- 

 dle of each long piece or one in the 

 middle of the back and two at thirds 

 in the front. Into these drive eight 

 or ten-inch l»olts or haA'e a smith cut 



AA'ear no pantaloons, but they smudge '-^ half-inch bar into these lengths and 

 their bees to subdue them. 



AUSTRIA. 



To make butter more palatable and 

 at the same time increase the keep- 

 ing qualities Jung-Places advocates in 

 Deutsche Imker to add a little honey 

 to the butter when making it; about 

 one ounce of honey to a i)onnd of but- plans to try crude oil on a small scale 

 ter. This is not entirely new, but He Avill raise a ridge several inches 

 good and bears repeating. Ino-h for good drainage. This and an 



adjacent strip for some feet he will 



thoroughly saturate, destroying all 

 ants within that belt and largely or 



driA'e them. Invert the stand and set 

 into cups as directed. Each cup should 

 stand on a brick. The hiA-es may 

 stand Avithin a few inches of each oth- 

 er on this stand, preferably alternate- 

 ly facing in opposite directions. 



The great I.ouisiana-Texas oil fields 

 may help us to fight ants. The AA'riter 



ANTS AND BEES. 



Our mild Southland is favorable to entirely keej)ing others from approach- 

 the rapid increase of these tAvo most ing.— Rice Journal and Gulf Coast 

 interesting insect industrialists , the Farmer. 



