1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



25 





AN EXPERIMENT WITH APIS DOKSATA. 



P. Baldensperger writes to the British Bee Journal in a 

 way that would seem to make it a matter of folly to make any 

 further attempt to domesticate apis dorsata. Twelve years 

 ago R. Dathe secured several colonies of these bees, part of 

 which Baldensperger had for almost a year in orange groves 

 in Joppa, in Syria, and although effort was made to have 

 things to the taste of these giant bees, their nests not being 

 enclosed, yet they never built a cell, and finally died without 

 leaving an egg or a comb. He refers to Cheshire, who says it 

 is " in the very nature of things impracticable to hybridize 

 our hive-bees with dorsata." It is migratory in habit. More- 

 over, Cheshire argues strongly that increased size is a disad- 

 vantage, smaller animals being proportionally more efficient, 

 and a certain relation must exist between the size of the bee 

 and the flower. But if we could have bees with tongues long 

 enough to fit red clover, there might be a gain. 



CANDLES FOR FASTENING FOUNDATION. 



European journals give a plan for fastening foundation in 

 brood-combs that is said to be a great success. A candle 2 to 

 2J^ inches in diameter is made of beeswax, generally by wrap- 

 ping scraps of warmed foundation about a very slender wick 

 such as is found in toy candles or tapers. Cut square at the 

 lower end, so it will stand without a candlestick. Light the 

 candle, then when a little pool of melted wax has formed about 

 the wick, hold the candle to one side and let the drops of 

 melted wax fall where you want to fasten the foundation. 

 Advantages claimed : rapidity, no previous preparation, solid 

 work. One paper recommends using a tin tube to slip down a 

 half inch upon the caudle. 



"adel" queens are simply "select." 



It is to be sincerely hoped that the term " Adel queens," 

 as mentioned on page 7So in the St. Josepli report, may not 

 become current among bee-keepers. Where did it ever ap- 

 pear, anyhow, before coming up at that convention ? It's all 

 right to borrow a word from another language when it's 

 needed, but where under the suu is there any need for such a 

 ■word as Adel ? Mr. Benton says, " Select queens of any well- 

 established race or variety may properly be called Adel 

 queens." From which we may judge that " Adel " is simply 

 to take the place of " select." And for what good ? Suppose 

 that for any reason such a word were needed, why travel off 

 to Germany to borrow a word when we have a good English 

 word that means precisely the same thing ? If any one is 

 pining to multiply terms, let him say "noble," not "Adel." 

 But Where's the need of either ? 



A HALF mile OF EGGS. 



A bee's egg is 1/14 inch long and 1 -'TO in diameter — 

 five times as long as it is thick. A queen isn't very much of 

 a queen if she can't lay half a mile of eggs in her lifetime. 

 [This seems like a big whopper of a statement; but perhaps 

 it is all right. To verify it with figures scares me ; so I'll try 

 to swallow it, since it is dished up by Dr. Miller. — Ed.] — Stray 

 Straws. 



TERMS FOR PLACING OUT-APIAKIES. 



E. Franco gives in Gleanings the terms on which he places 

 his out-apiaries, thus : " We give 25 cents a year for each 

 colony that we have on the ground, spriug count, counting 

 them about the last of May, or at a time when we are sure 

 there won't be a less number. The land-owner has nothing to 

 do with the bees, except, if anytliing happens that requires 

 our attention, he is to let us know, and we look after them. 

 There is no watching for swarms, and no swarms to hive." 

 Pretty good rent for land, isn't it? 



FRANCE'S MANAGEMENT OF OUT-APIARIES. 



It's always interesting to hear how one manages to run an 

 apiary without watching for swarms. Here's how E. France 

 tells in Gleanings his plan with an out-apiary run for ex- 

 tracted honey, with clipped queens. Colonies are wintered in 

 two stories, the upper story being filled solid with honey. At 

 fruit-bloom the brood-nest will be found in the upper story. 

 Colonies that have the upper story filled with brood must have 

 all brood put in lower stories, filling upper stories with empty 

 combs. The same thing is done ten days later, and ten days 



later still. Any colony that has more than enough brood to 

 fill the lower story, has the extra frames of brood taken away. 

 Use these extra combs to strengthen weaker colonies, and 

 when not needed for this purpose, make new colonies with 

 them, using enough brood and bees to make each new colony 

 very strong, taking brood and bees from several hives. No 

 old colony must be left with queen-cells. At this third visit 

 extract, so as to get the dark honey out of the way, put on the 

 third story, and extract once a week, keeping the brood below 

 and extracting from the upper two stories- Stop extracting 

 in time to let the bees fill the upper story solid for winter, and 

 if they get more than that, extract it in September. 



Carjadiat;) Bccdon)^ 



Coiirftic<c<J by " BliE-MASTER." 



Program for the Ontario Bce-Keepcrs' Associa- 

 tion ITIceling. 



The following is the program arranged for the annual 

 meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, which will 

 be held in the county council chamber of the Court House, at 

 Stratford, Out., Jan. 22, 23 and 24, 1895 : 



Vice-Pres. Holtermann will give a lecture on the evening 

 of the 23rd, illustrated by lirae-light views. W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son, of Flint, Mich., will read an essay, subject, "Will the 

 Future of Bee-Keeping Differ from the Past?" Pres. A. 

 Picket, of Nassagaweya, will give an address. R. McKnight, 

 of Owen Sound, will assist in making the evenings pleasant Dy 

 an address on something instructive. Allen Pringle, of Selby, 

 will read an essay on " Education." A. E. Sherrington, of 

 Walkerton, will read an essay on "Conventions." John Myers, 

 of Stratford, will read an essay on some practical subject. F. 

 A. Gemmill, of Stratford, will give an address. J. K. Darling, 

 of Almonte, will read an essay on " Some Difficulties." 



We are pleased to announce that the Hon. John Dryden, 

 Provincial Minister of Agriculture, will be present, and no 

 doubt will add greatly to the interest of the meetings. The 

 following are also expected to be present during the conven- 

 tion : Prof. Fletcher and Mr. James Fixter, of the Dominion 

 Experimental Farm, Mr. C. C. James, Deputy Minister of Ag- 

 riculture of the Province, and E. R. Root, of Medina, Ohio. 



Messrs. Gemmill and Myers, of Stratford, are arranging 

 with local and other artists for musical and literary entertain- 

 ments at intervals during the evening sessions. 



Arrangements have been made with the proprietors of 

 the Windsor Hotel, the best in the city, at the rate of ."sLOO 

 per day for persons attending the convention. 



Members and others are particularly requested to procure 

 from the railroad agent at your starting-point a delegate's 

 certificate on purchasing a full-fare single ticket to the con- 

 vention, so that if there are 50 persons who attend holding 

 certificates, there will be a rate of K single fare allowed by 

 the railroad for returning, to those holding certificates. By 

 all getting certificates it may mean quite a saving to private 

 parties as well as the Association. If there are not 50 cer- 

 tificates presented the return rate will be "g single fare. 



All persons interested in bee-culture are cordially invited 

 to attend, as it is expected that this will be one of the most in- 

 teresting and instructive conventions the Association has ever 

 held. W. CousE, Sec. 



Streetsville, Ont. 



Bee-Keeping 



in Ontario— lis Prospects and Pos- 

 sibilitiex. 



Seail at the BrockviUe Bee-Keepers^ Coiiventmi 

 BV ALLEN PRINGLE. 



I notice the subject you have me down for is a large one, 

 viz.: "Bee-keeping in Ontario— Its Prospects, Possibilities, 

 Etc." Without time at present for hunting figures, or even 

 for reflection, I shall merely give you such thoughts on the 

 subject as may occur to me while I write. As to the present 

 status of bee-keeping in Ontario, the achievements of the 

 Province at the great Columbian Exposition at Cliicago, last 

 year, tell their own tale in a manner so creditable as to in- 

 spire the bee-keepers of this Province with honest and laud- 

 able pride. I had the privilege and honor of representing 

 them on that occasion, and know whereof I affirm, when I say 



