THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



29 



Ouestions.— Last season was so wet 

 and cold the flowers did not yield any 

 honey ; at any rate tliey did not get 

 but very little lioney. 1 am wintering 

 80 colonies. I am going to move my 

 bees (most of them) further out in the 

 country, about 30 miles. Is it best to 

 take t'hem on snow V Will the dis- 

 turbance be any injury to them V 

 There is no way to take them but on 

 wagon or sled ; the road is so rough 

 that I do not think it possible to take 

 them on wagon in warm weather (un- 

 less in an express wagon ). What time 

 is best, the flrst of the winter or 

 toward spring V I intend making bee- 

 culture my business, and am giving 

 my whole attention to it, therefore 1 

 need your highly esteemed Journal. 

 A. L. Etheuington. 



Milton, Nova Scotia, Dec. 29, 1881. 



[We cannot advise the removal of 

 bees in any manner, during a season 

 when they cannot have a good flight 

 immediately afterward, and would 

 sooner run the risk of breaking down 

 combs, in early spring, over rough 

 roads, than the risk of disturbance in 

 winter. It might be safe to move them 

 on the snow, but all the chances are 

 against it. — Ed.] 



Packed in Sawdust.— I have 40 colo- 

 nies of bees packeJ in sawdust. I 

 have always packed them so, with 

 success. In the winter of 1880-81, I 

 lost 2 out of 58 colonies. I keep them 

 because I like to work with them. I 

 have the American hive, or rather the 

 Hill hive. S. B. Brillhaut. 



Kendallville, Ind., Jan. 6, 1882. 



Poor Summer for Bees. — I started 

 last spring with 16 weak colonies. We 

 had 10 days honey harvest early in 

 July. I obtained 500 lbs. of honey 

 from alsike and sweet clover. I had 

 to feed for winter. I increased to 31 

 —doubled back to 17, and fed coffee A 

 sugar ; I think it the best for bees to 

 winter on. I have wintered on it and 

 foundation ; no other comb and no 

 pollen. The bees bred in the fall and 

 early in spring when they could get 

 no pollen at all, and did well. I sold 

 all my honey at 25 cts. per lb. at whole- 

 sale and retail. I do not see why ex- 

 tracted honey should be classed with 

 glucose and rag-syrup, and sold at 

 from 7 to 10 cts. I have no trouble in 

 getting 25 cts. for my honey, all ex- 

 tracted. I now winter out-of-doors 

 In double-wnlled hive, with air-space 

 all around and underneath. 



H. RiCHEY. 



Sing Sing, N. Y., Jan. 3, 1882. 



other papers, and when I get my mail, 

 I read the Bee Journal flrst. I 

 would rather miss my supper than to 

 miss a copy of the Bee Journal. 

 jSI. Wheeler. 

 Colesburg, Iowa, Jan. 6, 1882. 



Has Taken a Notion to Bees.— I am 



old, have the rheumatism, and have 

 taken a notion to bees, but have not 

 succeeded very well. I lost 28 colo- 

 nies out of 30 last winter. I take 2 



Bees and IJ rapes.— A neiglibor 

 called on me in the spring, and saw 

 my hives (the Langstroth), and con- 

 cluded he had begun wrong. He asked 

 me to call and see his bees, to trans- 

 fer them. On seeing his arrange- 

 ments, I left, after giving such advice 

 as I thought neccessaryand I think it 

 was appreciated. Laterin the season, 

 when bees were working on grapes 

 and golden rod, I took an empty hive 

 to transfer the bees into, and found 

 the party had brimstoued his bees, as 

 " they had spoiled his grapes." I ex- 

 amined the grapes and tried to con- 

 vince him that the yellow-jackets and 

 quail had been there lirst, assisted by 

 the linnets and wild canaries, as they 

 are called, but he had his mind made 

 up. I thought, before I left him, that 

 he felt a little sore, but wouldn't 

 acknowledge, as some body's bees 

 visited the grapes occasionally. I 

 have often watched to see my bees, 

 spoiling my fruit, but have never 

 succeeded; but in grape picking time 

 in Hlling tlie boxes a great many get 

 more or less broken, and one can see 

 the difference at once. We put 50 

 :md 60 lbs. in a box, and a ton or 

 more in at a load, before loading they 

 stand at the end ot the rows 4 or 6 

 high,and thus many get broken. You 

 can then see thousands at work sip- 

 ping the juices that would run to 

 waste. I have distributed the copies 

 you sent, where I think you may 

 receive a benefit in time. I have more 

 or less callers all the time, and always 

 try to keep the Bee Journal and 

 Cook's Manual to the front. 



J. D. Enas. 



Napa, Cal., Dec. 25, 1881. 



Remedy for Ants.— In the Bee 

 Journal for Oct. 5, J. L. Wolcott 

 says lie has used fine salt as a remedy 

 for ants, for 20 years. Will he please 

 tell us how he uses it V 



Joseph Beath. 



Corning, Iowa, Jan. 1, 1882. 



My Report. — I would not be without 

 the Journal for much more than its 

 cost. I could not send my report in 

 time for your table, as our harvest did 

 not end till October. I commenced 

 with 17 colonies and increased to 34. 

 I obtained 800 lbs. of surplus honey 

 (one-half being comb), and sold it at 

 from 15 to 20 cts. per lb. The past 

 season's crop was short in this locality. 

 R. C. AiKiN. 



Shamburgh, Iowa, Jan. 5, 1882. 



Will Try Again.— In the winter of 

 1879-80, I lost 126 colonies of bees out 

 of 144, by dysentery. In the winter of 

 1880-81, 1 had 81 colonies on summer 

 stands, with a box outside filled in 

 with chaff all around. Last si)ring I 

 had 12 colonies left ; I increased to 24 

 by natural swarming. Last summer 

 was a poor season for honey ; we had 

 no rain for 4 months, and in the fall 



every flower was burnt up. My hives 

 are the Langstroth, except one, which 

 is a box hive and lias stood the test 

 for 9 years. If I could winter safely 

 I should be satisfied. I shall try 

 again. Joseph Lee. 



Farmers, Mich., Jan. 3, 1882. 



Cold Spell. — We have a cold spell.. 

 For two mornings it has been 2 de- 

 grees below zero — and tliis is one of 

 them. Bees in this locality seem es- 

 sentially right, so far. 



T. F. Bingham. 



Abronia, Mich., Jan. 5, 1882. 



Favoriible Winter. — So far, the win- 

 ter has been very favorable for bees 

 in our section. T. L. Von Dorn. 



Omaha, Neb., Jan. 4, 1882. 



Worth $5.00.-1 would not miss a 

 number of the Bee Journal for a 

 year's subscription. It has been more 

 than 15.00 benefit to me during the 

 past year. As long as I keep bees I 

 want the Bee Journal. 



E. Hutchinson. 



East Avon, N. Y., Dec. 29, 1881. 



A (Jood Showing. — Bees are rather 

 scarce here yet, on account of the 

 severe winter and great loss last year. 

 Many lost their entire stock. I, how- 

 ever, managed to get througli with 15 

 colonies (in a reduced and feeble con- 

 dition) out of 67 that I had in the fall. 

 My account stands thus at present. 

 My financial showing is, as I think, 

 somewhat encouraging. I sold 856 

 lbs. of honey (3971/2 extracted and 458- 

 1^ in section boxes), for which I re- 

 ceived $200.79; sold 1 colony during 

 the early part of the season for i515.00; 

 received premiums on honey at our 

 State Fair. $12.00, and at County Fair, 

 S6.00. 



Total cash received $238.79 



Increase of 42 new colonies by 

 artificial swarming at $10.00 

 each 420 00 



Entire gain $653.79 



Divide this by 15, the number of 

 colonies in the spring and we have- 

 $43.50 per colony ; or, if we say nothing, 

 of increase, premiums, etc., and take 

 the cash received for honey only, we 

 have $13.38 per colony. In the above 

 account I have not counted my own 

 time, as I consider this a pleasant 

 pastime. My extracted honey was 

 put up in neat tin-topped tumblers. and 

 my comb honey in neat Ij.i lb. dove- 

 tailed sections, without glass. My 

 honey averaged a little over 28 cts. per 

 lb. The past season has been the best 

 that I have seen for many years ; the 

 yield was principally from white clo- 

 ver. H. Besse. 

 Delaware, O., Dec. 29, 1881. 



Thymy. — Please explain the word 

 "thymy" which is used on page 25 of 

 Bee-Culture, written by the editor of 

 the Bee Journal. J. S. Duncan. 



Browning, Mo., Jan. 1, 1882. 



[Webster defines it thus : "abound- 

 ing with thyme ; fragrant." We used 

 it in the latter sense. — Ed.] 



