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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



December S, 



bee-moth was not the enemy 

 that was believed popularly, 

 to be feared than the house- 

 us how to avoid its ravages 



hive-bottom of iron. That is the termite that is so much 

 spoken of in our books. 



Dr. Miller— It Is a large black ant. 



Prof. Bruner — Salt will keep the black fellows away 

 partly, but not entirely. They don't work except in rotten 

 wood, as far as I know. 



Dr. Miller — These will take sound pine wood and make 

 burrows all through it. 



Prof. Bruner — That is some ant that I don't know. 



Mr. Westcott — I think kerosene will drive them entirely 

 away. I have used it around in the apiary, and the ants 

 would leave. 



By a unanimous rising vote, the thanks of the Union were 

 extended to Prof. Bruner for his interesting address. 



The Secretary then read a paper by Mr. C. P. Dadant, of 

 Illinois, entitled. 



The SclenliHc Side of Apiculture. 



Science is often said to be " theory," while " labor ■' is 

 " practice," and many of our successful, hard-working men look 

 down upon those whose mind is entirely turned to the scientific 

 study of a subject without much regard for the practical side 

 of it. The scientist is said to be " lazy," because he wastes 

 valuable time in apparent loafing, that might be successfully 

 employed in money-producing labor. It is true that he is 

 always experimenting, trying new things, which fail oftener 

 than they succeed. He spends hours, and days, and weeks, 

 watching his bees flying in and out ; he tries all sorts of hives, 

 and never has two of the same shape; he wantonly destroys 

 entire colonies in costly experiments; in short, he makes a 

 " botch " of everything that he undertakes. But, after all, it 

 is he who makes the progress, of which we take the benefit. 



It was the scientific apiarist who found out that the queen 

 was not a "king," but a mother, and that the drones were not 

 the females, but the male bees. He discovered how the queen 

 was reared, and how she mated, and how we could help Na- 

 ture and rear queens artificially. He has taught us why a 

 queenless colony did not succeed, and what could be done to 

 save it. 



He has discovered that the 

 of man's interest to the extent 

 and that it was not much more 

 fly ; and he promptly showed 

 among the hives. 



It was he who discovered that what the bees carry home 

 on their legs is not wax, but pollen, and that this pollen Is 

 necessary to the rearing of brood ; and he has taught us how 

 to supply this needed pollen artificially in seasons of scarcity. 



It was he who discovered that comb was made out of 

 digested honey, and not out of pollen ; and that this comb is, 

 therefore, the most expensive part of the habitation of bees. 

 He has sought for means of returning this expensive material 

 to the bee, after it had been melted up in an undervalued arti- 

 cle of commerce, and he has finally succceeded in pointing to 

 us successful methods of doing this. 



It was he who found out that success in bee-culture could 

 not be achieved until the entire hive was under the control of 

 the apiarist ; and he invented the method of having each comb 

 hung to a separate frame, so that we might take our hives to 

 pieces — " like a puppet-show." In this one particular alone 

 there has probably been as much study and as many inven- 

 tions, and brain-worrying trials, as on all the rest of the scien- 

 tific study of bees put together. 



It was the scientist, also, who ascertained and taught us 

 that the drone is fit only for the reproductive function, and 

 that we should avoid rearing it in large quantities ; that the 

 surplus consumed by the drones, in a state of nature, should 

 be the share of the hard-working apiarist. 



Is the work of the bee-scientist over ? No, not any more 

 in bee-culture than in electricity, or in farming. We might as 

 well say that we have reacht perfection, and that nothing 

 more remains to be learned. To increase production by new 

 methods, to improve our bees by selection, to breed races with 

 longer proboscis and greater prolificness, to produce red clover 

 with a shorter corolla, so that our bees may derive profit from 

 its plentifulness throughout the land, are a very few of the 

 questions of the day. 



But there are probably many improvements to be made, 

 of which we do not dream any more than we dreamed of talk- 

 ing to our friends at the end of a wire, 40 years ago. Prog- 

 ress is so sudden and so unexpected in all things that it is 

 quite probable that the next century will reveal as much 

 novelty and as much advancement in our line as the past cen- 

 tury has brought forth, and we may achieve in bee-culture as 

 wonderful things, compared to the past, as have been achieved 

 in other channels, through the discoveries of science. 



C. P. Dadant. 

 LContlnued next week.l 



CONDOCTBD BY 

 JDR. O. O. MXLLER, JUAKEAGO, ILI,, 



[Questions may be mailed to tbe Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller dlreot.l 



Windbreak or Shelter for Bees. 



I keep my bees in a yard near the kitchen where they are' 

 always in sight. But here is the trouble: Our house is on ^ 

 small elevation, and the wind is blowing most of the time in 

 the spring and summer, and I notice it interferes with their 

 work a great deal. If I should move them to the foot of the 

 hill they would be out of our sight most of the time, and with- 

 in a few feet of the public road. I can move them 200 yards 

 in shelter of some trees, or build a windbreak. Which is 

 better ? I have about 50 colonies. Washington. 



Answer. — Without being on the ground so as fully to get 

 the lay of the land, I should vote for the shelter of the trees. 

 It's cheaper, more likely to stay in order, and will be a shelter 

 not only for the bees, but the trees will be a fine shelter for 

 the bee-keeper on hot days. Any windbreak that you make 

 to be good for cold, windy times, will be likely to be uncom- 

 fortably hot for man and bees on still, hot days in summer. 



Foundation in Extractins-Frames. 



1. How shall I fasten the comb foundation in the shallow 

 extracting-frames with a groove running in the center of the 

 underside of the top-bar ? 



2. Which is preferable for such frames, starters or full 

 sheets ? Subscriber. 



Answers. — 1. Slide the edge of the foundation into the 

 groove. If it does not go in easily, flatten the edge a little 

 with the flat side of a case-knife, or by running a little wheel 

 over it. A few drops of melted beeswax dropt here and there 

 along the joint will hold it in place. A drop every two Inches 

 will be enough, providing that drop is attacht to both the 

 wood and the foundation. A spoon with the end bent together 

 will do to drop the melted wax, but the tin spoon described 

 not long ago In the Bee Journal is better. You can use rosin 

 and wax instead of pure wax for fastening the foundation, and 

 it is perhaps a little better for that purpose, but it is not ad- 

 visable to use it, for when the combs come to be melted up in 

 future years it will be better to have no rosin present'. 



Sometimes no wax is used, the foundation being wedged 

 in. Two grooves are made close together. Put the founda- 

 tion in one, then put the little stick that acts as a wedge in 

 the other, crowding it in pretty tight, and the foundation will 

 be held firmly in place. 



2. Most prefer full sheets. That secures worker-comb, 



and makes less temptation for the queen to go up and lay. 



Even if an excluder is over the brood-chamber, if drone-comb 



is above, the workers will often hold it empty for the queea 



to lay. 



^ ■ ^ 



Reliquefying^ Granulated Honey — Queen-Rearing 



I saw an article in the Bee Journal about reliquefylng^ 

 honey after it is granulated. How is it done ? We have been 

 handling bees only about IS months, and we are anxious to 

 get all the light on the subject that we can. My husband is a 

 railroad conductor, and the bee-business Is mine to attend to. 

 I take a great interest in the bees. I hive swarms and handle 

 them all the time. We have 18 colonies, and take quite a lot 

 of bee-literature, and try to inform ourselves, but I think ex- 

 perience is a good thing to mix along with book-learning. 

 Then, I like good advice, too. Let me hear from you about 

 the granulated honey, and about queen-rearing, and any good 

 points that beginners ought to know. Texas. 



Answer. — If you want to liquefy your granulated honey, 

 all you need to do is to heat it till it melts. But like most 

 things, there's a wrong and a right way to melt it. Heat |t 

 till it bolls and it's ruined. Better not let it get above 150". 

 But you may not be able to tell easily just how hot it is, so you 

 may take some plan by which you are pretty sure it will not 

 get too hot without using a thermometer. Set it on the reser- 

 voir on the back of the cook-stove, and let it stay there till it 

 melts clear. All the better if it takes several days. Another 



