276 



fHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 5, 



open from top to bottom, the crack being fully % of an inch 

 wide. He says he felt sure that colony would freeze, but 

 "that colony wintered the best in the lot. My bees that I 

 kept warm nearly all died that winter." This was in Canada. 

 I have read of a dozen or more instances similar to this. 



My own experience with bee-diseases was in Mississippi 

 some years ago. In that wet climate we had to contend with 

 all the diseases which bees are liable to. From what I could 

 learn it was nearly as difficult to winter bees there and have 

 them come through in Qood condition as it is In the North. 

 The reason for this perhaps was the climate, which was very 

 changeable and damp. I give here my opinion that disease is 

 caused wholly and entirely from dampness, foul air, and bad 

 food. 



Here in New Me.xico disease is unknown. The reason is 

 plain. The air is so extremely dry that should there be auy 

 moisture accumulate during a cold night it dries out thor- 

 oughly during the day, and from the same cause a dry atmos- 

 phere. Our honey is thoroughly ripened. 



Now I am not going to try to tell the bee-keepers in the 

 North how to winter bees, but if I were keeping bees there I 

 would fix them up for winter this way : 



Stand the Langstroth frames on end, or use some other 

 plan to provide plenty of stores above the cluster. On top of 

 the hive (preferably on the outside) put on some protection to 

 prevent moisture accumulating over the cluster. Give the 

 proper ventilation, and with a good quality of stores I would 

 not be uneasy as to the outcome. I believe this plan is the 

 correct one, for the following reasons : 



Bees never freeze. They die only from starvation or dis- 

 ease. In long, severe winters bees starve with plenty of 

 honey in the hive. The cause of this is, the frames are shal- 

 low, and they consume the honey above them, but cannot 

 reach the sides where there are full frames of honey, the clus- 

 ter being able to move upwards but not sidewise on account 

 of the cold. 



With plenty of fuel (honey) right in their midst they can 

 manufacture heat just as needed, and that hea,t \s inside the 

 cluster, and in a colony in a proper condition the bees are con- 

 stantly changing places, those inside coming out to get fresh 

 air, and those outside going to the center for food and 

 warmth. Dona Ana Co., New Mex. 



MR. FRANCIS DAXZE\B.4KER. 



The subject of this sketch was born Jan. S, 1S37, near 

 Bridgeton, N. J., so he is now in his tj2nd year. His great 

 grandfather came from Germany; his grandfather spoke 

 German as well as English, and, before " Francis " was born, 

 owned over 300 colonies of bees. His father also kept bees, 

 and so he has always been with bees and bee-work as it were 

 by inheritance. 



Mr. Danzenbaker's mother's iujum-tion to her children 

 always was, " What is worth doing at all is worth doing well," 

 It has been his motto, and he has eagerly studied and aimed 

 to have the best possible appliances for bees. _ This has 

 brought him to where he may feel that he is well at the front 

 in the production of comb honey. 



Mr. D. has several patents on hives, one issued March 8, 

 189S, and one now pending ; also one for a paper carton for 

 comb honey, that he considers the most valuable thing that he 

 will have contributed to the art of beekeeping. 



Mr. Danzenbaker was the first to lead in the use of the 

 lock-corner hive, or so-called "dovetailed" hive, and has 

 many features as important improvements of his that are now 

 made by The A. I. Root Co. 



Mr. D. may be clast with all of his ancestors for four gen- 

 erations, who were farmer bee-keepers. 



We had the pleasure of making Mr. Danzenbaker's ac- 

 quaintance at the Buffalo convention last August, where he 

 took a very active part in all that came before that meeting. 



The '^Tood Binder for holding a year's numbers of 

 American Bee Journal, we propose to mail, postpaid, to every 

 subscriber who sends to us 20 cents. It is a very simple 

 arrangement. Full printed directions accompany each Binder. 

 Every reader should get it, and preserve the copies of the Bee 

 Journal as fast as they are received. They are invaluable for 

 reference, and at the low price of the Binder you can afford to 

 get It yearly. 



Proceedings of the Colorado State Convention. 



BEPORTED BT F. L. THOMPSON. 

 LContlnued from page 262.] 



A desultory discussion followed, of which a few remarks 

 are here given : 



Mr. Dudley (of Colorado) — I was troubled some years ago 

 with a persistent ailment, not well understood, which was per- 

 haps mild erysipelas. I found the homaiopathists had a rem- 

 edy which helpt me. But in working with the bees I got 

 stung at times, and found that I did not have to go for medi- 

 cine. I have not been troubled since. 



Mr. Adams — For ants I use equal parts of kerosene and 

 coal-tar. Five drops of this clean out the biggest ant-hill. It 

 is equally effectual with all kinds. I drop it on the hill or 

 around the hives. It does not harm the bees, as I found by 

 accidentally spilling some In a hive. 



Mr. Varian — In the case of the small black ants, one has 

 to find several holes. They get in the house. 



Mr. Whipple — Common mint strewn in the honey-house 

 will scatter them in 24 hours. 



HANDLING CANDIED HONEY IN FRAMES. 



QuES. — In the case of honey going over from year to year, 

 what method do the members follow to prevent the granula- 

 tion probable, and cause the greatest increase while doing so ? 



Mr. Varian — My neighbors lost a quantity of bees last 

 year by having honey granulated in the hives, when the bees 

 had no chance to get water. The honey should be replaced or 

 workt over. 



H. Rauchfuss— Those bees were out of condition. No 

 candied honey will stay in the hive which a normal colony will 

 not remove in the summer. I believe the bees died from some 

 other cause. Likely they got wet. 



Mr. Thompson — I have read in a foreign journal that one 

 bee-keeper placed frames of granulated sealed combs in water 

 just hot enough to liquefy the honey without melting the 

 combs. I suppose the water buoys up the combs enough so 

 they do not fall out of the frames. 



Mr. Devinney — It won't work. 



Hi Rauchfuss — I have uncapt combs and sprinkled them 

 with water from a Mason jar with a perforated cap It has 

 to be done several times. The main trouble is, that the bees 

 are not strong enough in the spring. 



Pres. Aikin — I have had a good many colonies that either 

 starved or petered out. Their hives were heavy, without a 

 pound of liquid honey in them. My remedy would be to use a 

 brood-chamber large enough to hold about twice as much as 

 the colonies want. In spring the colonies could pick out 

 enough to get along. If the remainder is sealed, and the col- 

 ony gets strong, it becomes soft enough for the bees to get out. 

 Then perhaps have a double bottom-board, the upper part 

 being of coarse wire-cloth, so that when the bees dig the 

 grains out of the cells they will fall through out of reach of 

 the bees. I have not tried it, and it would involve some little 

 expense, but I think it feasible. Then the honey can be lique- 

 fied in the solar extractor. A solar for rendering wax will 

 save a large amount of honey. You don't know how much 

 honey and wax you lose by a plain bottom. 



QUEEN-CELLS IN WIRE PBOTECTORS. 



QuES. — At what age will it do to put queen-cells In wire 

 protectors in order to insure them to hatch ? 



H. Rauchfuss — The age does not make so much difference 

 as the handling. If the queen-cells are capt they will hatch 

 if they are not injured. They are not apt to hatch if handled 

 too young. So It is best to wait until one day before hatch- 

 ing, using some artificial means of procuring cells, so as to 

 know their age. Sometimes the bees thin the wax on the end 

 of the cell shortly before it hatches, but this sign is not re- 

 liable. 



EFFECT OF SMELTER SMOKE ON BKES. 



QuES. — Does smelter smoke injure bees? 



F. Rauchfuss — Most assuredly. 



Mr. Dudley (of Utah) — For the last 10 years bees could 

 not be reared in a space of about five by six miles near Salt 

 Lake. The hay in that region poisons cattle. 



