June IS, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOUPNAL 



373 



But this sort of '■ honej' " is g-etting its death blow. The 

 inspector told the grocer not to sell any more of the stuff as 

 it is not fit for food. 



The grocer is an honorable young man, and will obey 

 the arm of the law. I presume I can supply him with all 

 the honey he may sell, and it seems that his store uses a 

 good deal. I have been selling him some in bulk ; he has 

 some customers that like my honey better than the South- 

 ern California article, tho the former is usually darker tlian 

 the latter. He says the folks at his home prefer my honey 

 to anything they ever tasted in the honey line previously. 



I believe the California pure food law is doing much 

 good for the producers of wholesome foods. I notice that 

 the labels of lots of things that I lookt upon as spurious 

 articles of food now bear labels stating just what they are. 

 It was a common thing here to see all kinds of oils intended 

 for salad oil to bear the words " Pure Olive Oil." Now we 

 see •' Salad Oil," with the further information that it is ob- 

 tained from cotton-seed. This is but a single instance of 

 many others. Californians are very proud of their olive 

 oil ; like our honey, there is nothing else as good anywhere 

 on the face of the globe (hie). Nuf said. Hurrah for //(re- 

 honey ! Alameda Co., Calif., May 23. 



Summer Work in the Apiary —Seasonable Hints. 



BV F. K. SXELL. 



WITH the opening of the summer sea.son and the open- 

 ing of white clover bloom the most important season 

 for the apiarist is at hand. It is a season full of in- 

 terest and anticipations, and hopes usually run high. The 

 main honey-producing' season comes within the next few 

 weeks, which time bring's the bread and butter for family 

 use for the year to a large extent with many, if a good crop 

 of honey be secured. The results depend quite a good deal 

 upon the skill and management of the bee-keeper. A good 

 deal of work must be done if the best results are to be 

 gained. 



A good supply of hives in which to put new swarms 

 should be all readj', and should be in a shady part of the 

 bee-yard, so the hives maj' be reasonably cool when the 

 swarms are put into them, for if the hives are hot, as will 

 be the case when standing in the hot sun, the swarms are 

 much more inclined to leave for parts unknown. Tlie 

 newly-hived swarms should be shaded for the same reason, 

 and also better work will be done in the supers when the^- 

 are put on if the extreme heat be avoided so far as may be. 



The supers in full supply for a good season should now 

 be ready. A foundation guide, or full sheets, should be in 

 every brood-frame and honey-box. Any partially dra%vn 

 combs should be used in the first frames or honej'-boxes, as 

 such are quite an inducement to the early entering of supers 

 by the bees and work therein. These, when used, I prefer 

 in the central part of the supers, and about three in each 

 row of boxes when running for comb honey. 



All hives and supers should be sweet and clean before 

 using. Musty and filthy hives should not be used to put in 

 new swarms, for such are often deserted, and I can see no 

 economy* in using such. Clean, new and good hives are 

 cheap, and if kept well painted and properly cared for will 

 last a lifetime. All utensils u.sed in the apiary should be in 

 order, and a place for each so that the apiarist may know 

 just where to find them when needed, that no valuable time 

 be lost in hunting them up. 



The bee-yard, if in grass, should be kept mown down 

 with a lawn-mower, and everything kept neatly, which is 

 both pleasant and profitable, for more and better work can 

 be done with such surroundings. 



Supers should be placed on all colonies strong enough 

 to begin the storing of surplus on time, so there will be no 

 loss in the honey crop. Extra room should be given for 

 surplus as needed. Experience will have to be the guide in 

 this direction largely as to when this shall be done. The ex- 

 tent and length of the honey-flow must be considered in 

 determining to how great an extent supers should be added. 



As the white honey harvest nears its close the surplus 

 department should be diminisht in securing comb honey in 

 order to get the greatest possible number of completed 

 combs. At this time if too much room is allowed many 

 boxes will be partially filled, and a less number completed. 

 It is desirable to get the early honey as much by itself and 

 as much of it as we can, and this can only be done by doing- 

 as above directed. 



All newly-hived swarms strong in numbers should be 

 given a super in about three days after being hived, and if 



surplus cases are at hand having a few drawn or partially- 

 drawn combs these should be given them, for it is verj- im- 

 portant that an early start be secured in the boxes — first, to 

 secure more honey, and, second, to avoid the crowding of 

 the brood-chamber with honey, and the risk of the bees get- 

 ting the swarming impulse and giving no surplus, which 

 would be the case if swarming occurred. The giving of 

 more surplus-room than one case to new colonies should be 

 decided by the honey -flow as indicated heretofore. 



At the close of the white honey harvest all honey-boxes 

 should be taken oft' and stored in the honey-room, which 

 should be bee-proof. During the honey-flow all boxes 

 should be removed as soon as the outside combs in the sur- 

 plus cases are capt over. During a scarcity of honey, such 

 as we have after clover and basswood. bees are much in- 

 clined to rob, and in removing or handling honey it should 

 be exposed to the least possible extent. We find at such a 

 time bee-escapes are very useful, for with them a large 

 amount of honey maj' be taken from the hives and stored 

 in the honey-room without any excitement being caused 

 among the bees, or inclination to rob, which is very grati- 

 fying. 



The honey-room should be a warm one, and well venti- 

 lated, so the hone)' may improve in quality by becoming 

 thicker, which heat alone can do, and then best with circu- 

 lation. 



Oueenless colonies, if any exist, would better be united 

 with nuclei or light swarms or colonies, and the honey 

 stored so robbers cannot get to it, for bees are on the alert 

 to find stores at all times and in all ways. During a light 

 honey-flow, such as we sometimes have late in July or 

 August, and not good enough for work in boxes, some 

 honey will be stored by strong colonies in complete combs, 

 such as we extract from, and all strong colonies should be 

 given such if on hand, and some more hone.v will thus be 

 secured, which is some help, and may add quite a consider- 

 able to one's income with a large apiary, and in the same 

 proportion with fewer bees. Get ready for a fall honey- 

 flow. Carroll Co., 111., May 22. 



CO.N'DUCTED BV 



OR. C C. MIKI^nH. a/areng-o, 111. 



(The Questions ma.v be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers b.v mail.— Editor.] 



Kingbirds and Bees. 



What birds are bad on bees ? I have but one colony of 

 bees, and lots of kingbirds, catbirds, thrushes, etc., and do 

 not want to kill any unless necessary. Nebr.\ska. 



Answer. — It isn't very likely that any birds do much 

 damage to your bees unless it be the kingbirds. Sometimes 

 they are troublesome, and sometimes not. 



Caging tlie ttueen. 



I read very much about "caging the queen," which is a 

 subject that I'desire information upon. How is it done ? I 

 am in my second season of apiculture, and have never yet 

 seen a queen, altho I have made diligent search and cut oijt 

 queen-cells every eight days to prevent swarming. This 

 last information I gained thru a friend who lives some dis- 

 tance away, thru correspondence. I have five colonies, and 

 am greatly interested in bees and desire to enlarge, as I be- 

 come conversant in apiculture, as I find it quite a woman's 

 vocation. I am delightfully situated in the midst of 3,000 

 or 4,000 fruit-trees, desirable to bees. Is the enclosed cage 

 what I need for caging queens? How is it used ? OrEG. 



Answer.— The cage of which j-ou send a picture is all 

 right, and indeed any kind of a cage will do that allows the 

 bees to communicate freely with the queen thru its walls. 

 If the object is simply to keep a queen caged in a hive, the 



