98 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Feb. 16, 1899. 



formation on my method in former articles, I trust the fore- 

 going- will be ample, and so plain that all may test it ; then, 

 having kept a record, as previously noted, figure the differ- 

 ence between a colony on the Golden method and the best 

 colony workt on any other method, and report results. 

 Practical tests are the proper methods to test it, and not 

 what Golden or any other bee-keeper says, before you put 

 all your eggs in the basket at one time. 



Also, I ask in making out a record, don't forget to con- 

 sider the new hives, frames and comb foundation one would 

 have to make or buy for other methods when hived in sep- 

 arate hives ; also the cost of brood-combs and the honey 

 they contain, etc. Then contrast that with the same num- 

 ber of colonies on the Golden method, and see which you 

 prefer to follow. Then be happy while following it. Am I 

 not fair in the proposition ? 



Again, when the flow begins to wane, keep taking out 

 finisht sections and keep filling in their places sections 

 nearest finisht, thus reducing the number of supers as fast 

 as the outlook will admit, by which one can have nearly all 

 sections finisht, providing the flow is not cut short suddenly. 



After the surplus receptacles are removed, and you have 

 some sections nearly completed, place' a super over the 

 brood and fill up with sections to be finisht, then place over 

 it an empty super and feed receptacle on top, and put in it 

 one or two sections having a small amount of honey in 

 them, and see how quickly the bees will empty them and 

 store in the sections below. Then you can keep increasing 

 the amount to be carried down, and thus you can save much 

 nice comb, and at the same time have more finisht comb 

 honey. 



After the flow closes, remove all surplus receptacles, 

 take out the two dummies, moving the two outside frames 

 to the side of the hive, and insert two frames filled with 

 comb foundation. When you prepare your colonies for win- 

 ter, if those frames are full of honey, you have two nice 

 frames of capt honey stored away for each colony. But if 

 a fall flow comes, you will have four in place of two. 



To prepare colonies for winter, make cushions of cheese 

 cloth or any cheap material, and loosely stuft' with any 

 choice of packing, so as to coinpletely fill the feed recepta- 

 cle. Close the wire-cover, and pack all around inside of the 

 S-inch rim, and put on the outside cover, having previously 

 screwed the combined cover down, closing the side-en- 

 trances at the top of the brood-body, and bottom side-en- 

 trances by turning the bottom-board rim upside down, and 

 setting the hive on the rim completely closes the same at 

 the bottom. Then adjust the expander to suit your climate. 



The idea of this wonderful little piece of furniture — the 

 contractor and expander entrance-guard — was donated to 

 the perfecting of my hive by Mr. J. S. Hartzell, of Pennsyl- 

 vania ; also the movable alighting-board, which explains 

 itself, and which is a great saving of wide lumber in cut- 

 ting. When using this movable alighting-board the bot- 

 tom may be the same length as the top, thus very handy for 

 packing in a wagon when moving to out-apiaries. 



In conclusion, I here show a view of the Golden hive 

 perfected, giving a glimpse of the combined cover in posi- 

 tion, also showing how the expander is used. The screw- 

 eyes are past through the saw-kerf, then the expander can 

 be changed to any desired space, and a turn of the screw- 

 eye secures it. It is a real blessing in a time of robbing — 

 so handy and complete, and if you u.se the Golden method 

 use the expander and the detachable alighting-board, if de- 

 sired. 



I have endeavored in this series of articles to make all 

 plain. I could give many testimonials from honest bee- 

 keepers from various parts of the United States, speaking 

 in highest praise of my^ method. I kindly ask the bee- 

 keepers throughout the world to carefully, and without 

 prejudice, give my method, as described, a test by a practi- 

 cal manipulation during 1899, then report your findings, 

 whether good or bad. 



I take this opportunity to publicly return my thanks 

 to the very many that have written me, from every quarter 

 of the globe, so many kind wishes, all of which have been 

 highly appreciated by me. Morgan Co., Ohio. 



The Omaha Convention Report ran through 14 num- 

 bers of the Bee Journal, beginning with the first number in 

 October, 1898. Now we have on hand quite a number of 

 complete sets of that report, which we will mail for just 10 

 cents each. That is, 14 copies of the American Bee Journal 

 for only a dime. There are doubtless a good many of our 

 new readers who will be glad to get that fine report. 



Honey-Dew— An Experience With It. 



BY J. A. XASH. 



ON page 17, Prof. A. J. Cook writes on honey-dew, taking 

 the ground that honey-dew is a secretion of insects, and 



doubts the assertion of the British Bee Journal that it is 

 " a sweet juice that sometimes exudes from the surface of 

 the leaves of trees and plants." For many years I was of 

 the same opinion as Prof. Cook regarding this matter, but 

 I have since changed my mind. 



A few years ago this section of Iowa was blest (?) with 

 a very heavy flow of honey-dew. I did not see it on any- 

 thing but the hickory leaves, but was told it also appeared 

 on the walnut. It made its appearance only on the upper 

 side of the leaves. Every leaf had many small, glistening 

 drops of a sweetish substance on it. The bees would leave 

 the hives at daybreak, and continue working until the heat 

 of the midday sun had partially dried up the leaf juice, then 

 work ceast ; late in the afternoon they would often com- 

 mence again and continue until nightfall. 



I never saw as great activity in the apiary as at this 

 time. The home apiary was situated near a heavy growth 

 of small timber (and by the way, I never saw this "dew" 

 on a large tree). This substance was very dark-colored, had 

 a very rank flavor, and killed over 80 percent of my bees be- 

 for the next spring, in a cellar that wintered my large api- 

 ary with a loss of about one colony in a hundred several 

 times. 



Now, I noticed this dew just as Prof. Cook says he did — 

 from the back of a horse as I rode through the timber, and 

 while I did not see any aphides, I had no doubt they were 

 on the upper branches engaged in the manufacture of what 

 some facetious writer called "bug-juice." 



Now, undoubtedly, I should have believed to this day 

 that all of the honey-dew in the country was caused by 

 bark-lice had it not been for an old-time bee-keeper — one of 

 the log-gum and brimstone regime — an old backwoodsman 

 with a keen eye and a good supply of what Ben Butler 

 called " horse-sense." He came into the apiary one morn- 

 ing as I sat watching the clouds of misguided bees as they 

 fell heavily loaded on the alighting-boards, and wondered 

 what I would do with the thousands of pounds of liquid filth 

 (for it was not fit to eat) that they were filling the hives 

 with, and remarkt, " Look a-here, old man ; you told me 

 that this honey-dew was made by bugs. Now, I jist cut a 

 black hickory tree that was covered with honey-dew, and 

 they were not 40 lice on the hull tree, as I could find, and 

 I allow I have two good eyes. Say, don't you think it was 

 a sorter heavy strain on them lice to make all that dew ? I 

 allow they sot up nights." 



The last remark a little sarcastically. I told my.old 

 friend that very likely the falling of the tree shook the 

 aphides oft", but concluded to investigate a little myself. 

 This time I climbed the tree, in fact several of them, and 

 the more I lookt the more my faith in the bark and leaf 

 louse theory was shaken. 



On none of the trees examined could I find any insects 

 except a few scattering, green-colored (verj' small) ones, 

 such as can be found on hickory leaves at all times in warm 

 weather. They are almost always found on the under side 

 of the leaves, while the "dew " is on the upper. 



A careful examination developt the fact that the leaves 

 on the tops of the trees were covered as thickly as else- 

 where, showing the theory that this substance was ejected 

 from the bodies of insects did not bear a close inspection. 



To make assurance doubly sure, I took a saw and cut 

 off the top of a tree that stood about 100 yards away from 

 any other timber, and observed this tree repeatedly. The 

 tops of the upper leaves were covered as thickly as those on 

 the lower branches. I also took a number of small limbs 

 and placed them on the floor of the honej'-house, carefully 

 cleaning the tops of the leaves with a damp cloth. This 

 was done in the evening. The branches were freshly cut, 

 and no insects were visible. The next morning the dew 

 could be plainly seen and tasted on these leaves, plainh' 

 showing that it was the juice of the leaves that from some 

 cause burst forth and dotted them. 



Now I don't wish to join issue with Prof. Cook. Honej'- 

 dew — so-called — may at times be caused by aphides, very 

 likely it is, but I don't think that all the leaf and bark lice 

 in Iowa could have made the honey-dew that was exuded 

 from the leaves of Jasper county trees. 



On this occasion there were tons of this stuff gathered 

 by the bees, and the lice could not be found at all. 



Jasper Co., Iowa. 



