THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



41 



on mv face or hands, and used very 

 little'snioke indeed. I never received 

 a stins. Bv iMav 18SS, my brother 

 had divided"lhis colony, getting .stung 

 a few times. In ilay I got three more 

 full colonies of •• Italian " bees, said 

 to be very gentle, and when the apir- 

 ist from" whom I bought the three 

 looked at my others, he jnonounced 

 tliem Cyprians, and told me I would 

 have trouble in handling them. 



When 1 had got them all together 

 and looked at them evenings, I oegan 

 with bare hands, arm.s and face. 1 he 

 bees soon taught me, if I wanted to 

 be presentable during the day at the 

 office, I must wear a veil over my face 

 any way. M\ hands got stung all the 

 same and all the bees seemed alike. 

 There was not a pin to choose be- 

 tween them. Those stings felt like 

 the prick of a pin and came usually so 

 unexpectedly tluit I had proven my- 

 self not to " be the " captain of the 

 Pinafore "" before I could recollect 

 that I had sworn otf swearing. 



The stings were followed by swell- 

 ing, but the pain was no more than 

 that caused by a pin's smart. The 

 swollen parts felt water-soaked like 

 dropsy, and at first a slight dull ache 

 was felt if I pressed them and they 

 then subsided with itching. 



So things went on, the bees getting 

 worse instead of better. I might be 

 as gentle as a mother with her new 

 born babe and speak as kindly to them 

 as my tongue could frame words, but 

 it was of no use, they got to hate the 

 very sight of me, apparently, as much 

 as a debtor does a dun, and would 

 have no truce at all. 



In the latter part of July, or early 

 in August, I was handling them one 

 day and got two or three stings, one 

 near the heel. These stings instead 

 of going on painlessly swelling, 

 rankled, and hurt keenly for some 

 half an hour, but they did not sicell at 

 (dl. I could not understand this. It 

 was new to me. During the latter 

 part of the summer, and through the 

 autumn the bees kept on being savage, 

 and I took to wearing gloves. Then I 

 could handle them. 



On Christmas day, 1883, I opened 

 my hives and looked them over and 

 got one sting that neither hurt nor 

 swelled beyond the preliminary prick. 

 Here was another phase of the matter. 



Perhaps it should be stated that the 

 year 1883 has been a failure, so far as 

 a honey crop is concerned, and I liave 

 not taken a pound of honey from the 

 bees, but on the contrary had to feed 

 them. There my first year of experi- 

 ence with bee stings ends. 



I have learned this, that-the effects 

 of the sting vary on my own person. 

 Is this caused by change in myself, or 

 by the temper the bees happen to be 

 in ? And, again, does the temper of 

 the bees result or be affected by the 

 honey flow V 



I think if this question of stings 

 and results were investigated a little 

 more, it might have much result in 

 the number of bee keeping beginners, 

 and might reduce the "Blasted Hopes" 

 list to a minimum. Many inquirers 

 into the mysteries of keeping liees, 

 might possibly deem the game not; 

 worth the candle, if they have to ex- 



pect ill effects from bee stings perma- 

 nently, and think that to be helpless 

 almost, is paying a little too dear for 

 keeping Viees; and surely no one will 

 contend that it is not better to give 

 such clear warning rather than let 

 them buy tlieir experience by being 

 stung— and then getting so disgusted 

 as to throw it up. 



Again to professional bee keepers, 

 being stung is no luxury ; and if sting- 

 ing could be controlled "it would be to 

 them a boon. Smoke will not always 

 control bees, neither will offering 

 them sweets. They would rather 

 sting than eat, sometimes. As to em- 

 brocations ; well, so far as I am con- 

 cerned, they seem to do as much good 

 as if I spat on my lingers and snapped 

 them, and no more. What can be 

 done then V I do nut know ; but I do 

 think, if we could have a few experi- 

 ences that we would arrive at so much 

 of a solution as to get a pretty good 

 line towards it. In this nope I have 

 ventured to trouble you with mine. 



Austin, Texas. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Experience with Cellar Wintering. 



HENRIETTA F. BULLER. 



I have just beeureadingMr. Balch's 

 account of his success in wintering 

 bees in a cellar dripping with mois- 

 ture, and his hives all sealed up tight 

 on top. He ought also to have told 

 the temperature of his cellar. Per- 

 haps he will do so at some future 

 time. 



Mr. Ira Barber advocates a very 

 high temperature, and says: "Keep 

 the bees warm, and they can eat all 

 the pollen they care to ; and, unless 

 some of them get to breeding, you 

 will see no sign of dysentery." How 

 does he keep them from breeding in 

 such a high temperature i* 



In 1881 I put o colonies in frame 

 hives and one in a box hive into a 

 newly built bee-house, which was 

 quite damp, and the temperature was 

 never above 38-', and often down to 

 34-. The frame hives had cushions 

 filled with sawdust over the frames, 

 and bees were strong in the spring, 

 when I took them out; the combs 

 were dry and the bees healthy, no 

 spring dwindling. The box hive with 

 a small hole in the top, got very damp, 

 and the bees all died before the winter 

 was lialf over. 



In 1882 I put 8 colonies in frame 

 hives and one into a box hive into the 

 same house, which was then dry. 

 They were provided with cushions as 

 before ; the temperature about the 

 same, and the results tlie same. The 

 bees in frame hives all did well ; those 

 in the box hive died. Before I put my 

 bees away I w;is advised to leave the 

 waxed quilts I used in summer over 

 them, and put cliatt' cushions on, but I 

 said, "no, thank you." The person 

 who gave me the advice put 60 colo- 

 nies away in a cellar under a barn ; I 

 presume, though I am not sure, with 

 the waxed quilts over them, and all 

 but 12 of the 60 were dead in the 

 spring, and they even were very weak. 

 He says the honey was sour, but, no 



doubt, it was sweet enough when the 

 bees stored it. 



Mr. Balch thinks more bees are 

 killed by having the rejiositories too 

 dry than too damp, but, judging from 

 the amount of frost that accumulates 

 in the ventilating i)ipe in ('old weather, 

 I should say the breath of the bees, or 

 the evaporation from them must keep 

 the air moist enough. 



In 1880 I began with 1 colony of 

 bees in a box hive, which I transferred 

 to a frame hive. The next year*I 

 Italianized them, and this fall I had 

 increased my stock to 29 colonies, and 

 had a surplus of 3.50 pounds of comb 

 honey and 800 pounds of extracted, 

 this last summer. 



Campbellford, Out., Jan. 5, 1884. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1884. Time and pUice of Meeting. 



Jan. 22-114.— Northeastern, at Syracuse, N. Y. 



Geo. W. Hou»e. Sec, Fayetteville, N. Y. 



Jan 23.— S. E. Mich., at Adrian, Mich. 



n. C. Marltham, Sec. 



Jan. 24.— MahoninK Valley, at Newton Falls. 



E. W. Turner, See. 



Jan. 28.— Bee-Keepers' meeting at Monee. Ills. 



A. Wicherts, W.Cossens, B. Heyen, Com. 



March .^.— N. E. Michiiran, at L.ai>eer, Mich. 



W. Z. Uutcliinson. Sec, Rofjersville, Mich. 



Mar. 2fi.— Union A sscciation, at Dexter, Iowa. 



M. E. Darby, Sec. Dexter, Iowa. 



April 18.— Iowa Central, at Winterset, Iowa. 



J. K. Pryor, Sec 



Oct. 11. 12.— Northern Mich., at Alma. Mich. 



F. A. Palmer, Sec, McBride. Mich. 



Dec. 10, 11.— Michiiran State, at LansinK. 



II. D. Cuttinii, Sec, Clinton, Mich. 



C^" In order to have this table complete, Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.- El>. 



Convention Notices. 



1^ The Southeastern Michigan 

 Bee-Keepers' Convention will be held 

 at Adrian, Mich., in the Plymouth 

 Church Chapel, Jan. 23, 1S)84 ; rriorning, 

 afternoon and evening session. 



H. D. Cutting, Pres. 



H. C. Markham, Sec. 



The 1.5th annual convention of the 

 Northeastern Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will be held in the City Hall at 

 Syracuse, N. Y., on the 22, 23 and 24 

 days of January 1884. 



This will be the largest and most 

 interesting convention of bee-keepers 

 ever held in America. Many of tlie 

 most scieiitittc apiarists in the coun- 

 try will take part in the discussions. 

 The programme is completed, and 

 comprises all the interesting topics of 

 the day. The question box will be 

 opened each day, and the questions 

 answered. All are invited to send in 

 questions. 



Implements and other articles of 

 interest for exhiliition w'ill be re- 

 ceived and properly arranged. It will 

 pay any bee-keeper to go a thousand 

 miles to listen to the discussions. By 

 hearing and seeing, you will obtain 

 much more knowledge than by read- 

 ing. Five hundred bee-keepers will 

 be in attendance. Reduced rates of 

 board at hotels have been secured. 

 All are invited. 



Geo. W. House, Sec. 



W. E. Clark, Pres. 



