April 6, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



211 



arations made. To me, the idea that the size of hive makes 

 no difference with the swarming is a mistaken one. I am 

 willing-, however, to say that at almost any stage of the 

 game, when honey is plenty in the blossoms, and weather 

 favorable, the conditions can be changed so as to bring 

 about swarming preparations. Let storage-room above be 

 withheld, and the brood-chamber become congested, and it 

 would not be surprising if some of the bees should get the 

 idea in their heads that they would like to start house-keep- 

 ing in more roomy quarters. 



One remark of Mr. Coverdale's enables me to under- 

 stand why I lost one of the largest swarms I ever had or 

 saw. It issued from one of my biggest hives, and I reasoned 

 that if I should hive this big swarm in an 8-frame dovetailed 

 hive and put the super right on, I should get a big lot of 

 section honey right away. But the swarm left in a little 

 while after it was hived. 



Mr. Coverdale has, it seems, made the discovery which 

 Mr. Hutchinson made years ago, viz.: That bees with 

 ro««A'' queens are not likely to swarm. Did the behavior of 

 the bees from those SO queens he introduced without a loss 

 have anything to do with the discovery ? I will indulge the 

 hope that Mr. Coverdale will g^ive us the method of intro- 

 duction in time to be of service the coming season. 



Having occupied the stand longer perhaps than is be- 

 coming, I will retire and make room for some one possess- 

 ing that "further knowledge," of which Mr Coverdale 

 speaks. Decatur Co., Iowa. 



The Yucca Plant of California. 



BY W. A. PRYAl.. 



THE yucca is a rather odd plant ; it is also called Spanish 

 bayonet and Christ's candle-stick. It is quite common 

 in the waste places in Southern California, especially 

 in the desert portions. Several varieties are to be found in 

 gardens where it can be protected from severe weather. 



The flowers are numerous, drooping and pretty. I have 

 not observed it sufficiently to state whether it is much of a 

 honey-producing plant or not ; however, the bees work in- 



Yucca Bee Brush 



dustriously upon its blosso.ns. I think it was Mr. William 

 Wallace Bliss, of L'os Angeles Co., Calif., who made raids 

 on these plants in the desert places out near the Mojave 

 desert, to obtain the leaves for bee-brushes. Where joined 

 to the trunk these leaves are very fibrous. By cutting them 

 off so as to get four inches of this fiber they may be made 

 into a very soft and serviceable brush for getting bees ofl" 

 combs and other purposes where a small brush is required. 

 The plant is an ornament worthy of any garden. 



Alameda Co., Calif. 



Teaching' Chickens to Eat Drone-Bees. 



BY W. W. M'NE-M.. 



I ONCE had a young Brahma rooster whose mind was so 

 great that he appeared never to be happy unless diagncs- 

 ing a piece of drone-comb containing nice, plump larval 

 drones. The pleasures of the barn-yard, or a stroll in the 

 wood-lot, were of small moment to him after having dined 

 on drones, so I accordingly took him in as a " full member," 

 and called him " Jim." 



Now Jim was very young at this time, and would often 

 get lonesome ; but to "cluck " to him softly at every such 

 time — which was too frequently the case when I was busily 

 occupied with the combs, for instance, hunting- a shy 

 queen — was more than I could stand. To just whistle was 

 so much easier, so I concluded Jim had best learn to catch 

 comfort and consolation from that, and he did. In a very 

 short while he knew the call so well as to come running to 

 me from any part of the bee-yard at the sound of it. 



The chicken grew nicely on a diet of drone-bees, and I 

 had much amusement with it. But there came a time one 

 day when I forgot the presence of the pesky rooster, and 

 stood a frame containing a beautiful comb of just-capt 

 worker-brood down on end against the hive. Jim " didn't 



do a thing " to that comb, as the saying goes. When I 

 turned to take it up again he was wiping his bill on the 

 grass. He had one square meal on white, juicy bees. I 

 tried hard to forgive poor Jim ; but when he shook his 

 short, downy tail and lookt up at me with a sort of sleepy 

 squint in his eye, as if to .say, "Much oTjliged I" I said 

 right out loud that I would break him of eating workcr- 

 brood. 



This was not difficult to do. As soon as his crop had 

 lost its prominence, I took a couple of imperfect combs, one 

 containing worker-brood almost ready to emerge from the 

 cells ; the other larg-e, rounded drone-brood. A few mouth- 

 fulls out of the worker-comb did the work. The difference 

 in size of cell, and the boiled-down taste of the occupants 

 of the smaller cells, soon had him fully in line. 



Delicacies in the manner spoken of could not be fur- 

 nisht at all times, and then more mature drones would be 

 substituted. In a little while other chickens began to 

 " catch on," and large numbers of drones were caught at 

 the hive entrance, and upon returning to the hive after a 

 play in the open air. Standing within a few feet of the 

 hive, they would dash up to the entrance, seize a drone, and 

 then hie away to the currant-bushes with a worker-bee on 

 their soft, downy back. This makes the bees verj' bad about 

 stinging the newly-hatcht chicks ", so I endeavor to keep 

 these out of the apiary till they are several weeks old. 



When a dozen or two of the chicks are in the yard look- 

 ing for the bee-moths, the unwelcome visitors have to get 

 out of their hiding-places in the grass and go. Chickens 

 should not be allowed in the apiary during cold weather. 

 Their scrathing and picking around the entrances to the 

 hives disturbs the bees not a little. Then if the apiary be 

 protected from the wind, and the day clear, yet too cold for 

 bees to fly, chickens are very apt to jump on top of the 

 hives, thereliy causing many bees to leave the cluster and 

 peris' Scioto Co., Ohio. 



Spring- Work in the Apiary. 



BY F. A. SNELL. 



IF hives, surplus-cases, honey-boxes, and other supplies 

 have not been secured or made up during winter, this 

 should be done now, and the hives, if procured in the 

 flat, should be put up and painted two coats. I have found 

 pure white lead and oil to be the most satisfactory for this 

 purpose, and the color just what I want. 



In putting the hive-bodies and brood-frames together, 

 one should see to it that they are put up square, as should 

 be the surplus-cases and honey-boxes. In fact, do all work 

 to the best of your ability. 



The foundation starters or full sheets, as may be pre- 

 ferred, can be put into the brood-frames and honey-boxes if 

 one has a room warm enough at hand in which to do it. To 

 do this work properly, the temperature should be from 80 to 

 90 degrees, which softens the wax, making it pliable. 



All hives and other things likely to be needed should be 

 in readiness before the surplus honey season arrives. The 

 supply should not be scrimpy, but enough for a good season. 

 In case the season iS only fair, and the supplies not all 

 needed at the time, the goods -vvill keep with very little loss ; 

 but if one is short, in the hight of the season, the loss so 

 incurred is often a serious one, and should be avoided, 

 which can only be done by a generous purchase of supplies 

 during spring or earlier. The honey-flow sometimes comes 

 with a rush, as those experienced well know. If one has to 

 send oft" for supplies, the honey-flow may be over before the 

 goods are received, and the apiarist be left to mourn over 

 the lost opportunity to get a good crop of hone)'. Bee-keep- 

 ers err more in not having sufficient supplies at hand than 

 in any other direction. 



During March, in our latitude, the bees do not need a 

 great deal of attention, if they had an abundant supply of 

 honej- when winter set in. If any are short of stores,'the 

 first warm days should be improved in supplying them with 

 food, and for this purpose nothing is as good or as handy 

 as frames of honey, which should be kept in reserve for 

 such purpose. The frames should be the regular size used 

 in the brood-chamber. 



During April the warmer weather permits the bees to 

 fly more, and more bloom is present, brood-rearing in- 

 creases, and the apiarist is rejoiced to hear the more fre- 

 quent merry hum of his bees. If any colonies are running 

 short of stores, such should be given. Watch should be 

 kept for queenless colonies, and if such are at hand they 

 should either be united with a colony having a queen, or a 



