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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



We have all, doubtless, heard young 

 queens piping in the hives, but under 

 all circumstances I would much rather 

 think that it was vibration that 

 causes the answering. Mr. B. asks, 

 how is the presence of a queen com- 

 municated through the swarm, if 

 they cannot hear? I will say that it 

 is either by the odor or vibration, or 

 both. I would like to ask him why it 

 is after a queen is in one's Angers, 

 that the bees will cluster on the 

 fingers, if they do not scent the queen. 



I had a colony leave the hive last 

 summer, and I caught the queen and 

 caged her (her wing being clipped), 

 and as far as she touched the ground 

 I could see bees hunting for her like a 

 hound on the track of a fox. They 

 even found an old dried up queen 

 that had been thrown out a week or 

 two before, and clustered on her. 

 Now if there is no evidence that bees 

 are not led by the sense of hearing, 

 why. I am no judge. 



Hillsborough, K) Wis. 



For tlie Amencaji Bee Journal. 



My Emerience in Bee-Keening, 



DAVID BROWN. 



Being provided with the best bee- 

 books that I could obtain, some 20 

 years ago I commenced bee-keeping, 

 and with considerable success. But 

 removing to this State my bees were 

 left in the old home in the East, and 

 many years passed before I again re- 

 turned to bee-keeping. The study of 

 the nature of bees and their habits 

 has always been a pleasure to me, 

 aside from the profits derived from 

 them. 



In the spring of 1885 I secured 2 

 colonies of bees, choosing colonies 

 that were not only strong in numbers, 

 but the most active and persistent 

 workers in the apiaries from which I 

 secured them, thereby getting a strain 

 of good workers. During the summer 

 of 188-5 my 2 colonies increased to 8, 

 and supplied me with over 350 pounds 

 of comb honey in one-pound sections, 

 and were, I thought, in fine condition 

 for wintering, with abundance of 

 stores. I wintered them in an outside 

 root house 10x24 feet, and 8 feet high, 

 covered with about 10 inches of earth. 

 When the earth was frozen so as to 

 give a low temperature, I covered it 

 with a coarse litter to retain the frost 

 and give uniformity of temperature. 

 By this means I secured a tempera- 

 ture of 34°, and retained it at that 

 temperature up to March 25. 



They were put in their winter quar- 

 ters the last week of November, and 

 were there for 4 months. We hear of 

 the theory of " hibernation," but this 

 was the nearest thing to it that I ever 

 expect to attain to ; there was only 

 the slightest sound to be heard— quiet 

 and still for four months, and the 

 amount of honey consumed was 

 scarcely noticeable. And in what 

 fine condition they were when put 

 out ! I could not conceive of them 

 being any better — lively and ready for 

 business, which they commenced in 

 good earnest. 



I omitted stating how I prepared 

 them for putting into the cellar. I 

 placed 6 dry corn-cobs crosswise of 

 the frames at regular distances, and 

 over them laid a piece of burlap cut 

 one inch larger than the top of the 

 hive ; placed the coveron long enough 

 to give the burlap a set to place, and 

 all was ready. The cover was removed 

 when taken to the cellar, and free 

 ventilation allowed through the bur- 

 lap. The cobs allowed the bees to 

 pass over the frames at any time if 

 they felt so disposed. 



I thus had 8 colonies to start with 

 last spring, and all in fine condition. 

 On May 6 I had the first swarm, 

 which was a very large one, and I had 

 7 first swarms by May 11. I removed 

 queen-cells to prevent second-swarms. 

 Most of the first swarms had their 

 comb completed in the one-story Sim- 

 plicity hives in six days after being 

 put in, and were well supplied with 

 brood. (I use full sheets of founda- 

 tion.) During the latter part of June 

 and the first of July, all (both old and 

 new colonies) repeated the swarming 

 process, and queen-cells were again 

 removed, only allowing first swarms; 

 while a few cast swarms in August. 

 It will be noticed that I aim to allow 

 only first swarms, thereby securing 

 only strong swarms ready to go to 

 work. 



In the fall I had 37 strong colonies, 

 all the increase by natural swarming, 

 and a surplus of 2,000 pounds of comb 

 honey, in one-pound sections, and 400 

 pounds of extracted honey. 



I placed my bees in the same cellar, 

 and up to January they were winter- 

 ing finely, though at a temperature of 

 41°. The temperature is very uni- 

 form, though not so low as I had it 

 last winter. I have not shipped any 

 honey to a distance, but am pushing 

 a home market, and am having in- 

 creasing demand. My honey is in 

 beautiful shape, boxes well filled, and 

 cappings white and inviting. My aim 

 is, that none shall surpass me in 

 placing before the people honey in 

 more marketable form or of better 

 quality ; and so far I have succeeded. 



Maple Creek, ot Nebr. 



Convention Notices. 



tW The Wabash County Bee-Keepers" Associa- 

 tion will meet at North Manchester. Ind.. on April 

 20, 1887, at 10 a.m. Aaron Singek, Sec. 



tW The serai-annual meeting of the Southern 



Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association will be held in 



the ("lourt House at Benton, Ills., on Wednesday, 



April 20, lS87,at lu a.m. All are invited to attend. 



F. H. Kknneby, Sec. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1«K7. Time ond place of MeeUnt. 



Apr. 9. -Union, at Dexter, Iowa. 



J. B. Pryor. Sec Dexter, Iowa. 



Apr. 12.— Stark County, at Canton, Ohio. 



Mark Thomson, Sec, Canton, O. 



Apr. 14.— Eastern Indiana, at Richmond, Ind. 



M. G. Reynolds, Sec, Williamsburg, Ind. 



Apr. 16.— Marshall County.at Marshalltown, Iowa, 

 J. W. Sanders, Sec. iieGrand, Iowa. 



Apr. 20.— Wabash County, at N. Manchester, Ind. 

 Aaron Sinser, Sec, Wabash, Ind. 



Apr. 20.— Southern Illinois, at Benton, Ills. 



F. H. Kennedy, Sec. DuQuoin, Ills. 



Apr. 26.— DesMoines Co., at Burlington, Iowa. 



John Nan, Sec, Middletown, Iowa. 



May 5.— Sheboygan County, at Hingham, Wis. 

 Mattie B. Thomas, Sec, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. 



EV" In order to have this table complete, Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward fall particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.- KD. 



tW The Union Bee-Keepers' Association of 

 Western Iowa will hold their next annual meeting 

 at Dexter. Iowa, on Satuday, Apr. 9, 1887. in the 

 Council Room, at 10 a.m. All interested in bees or 

 honey are requested to be present. 



J. B. Peyor Sec. 



tW The annual meeting of the Stark County 

 Bee-Keepers' Society will occur on Apr. 12, 1H87, 

 in Grange Hall (over Farmer's Bank), Canton, O. 

 OflBcers for the ensuing year will be elected. All 

 bee-keepers are urged to be present, and those 

 having hives or fixtures are requested to bring the 

 same for exhibition Mahk Thomson, Sec. 





\W The DesMoines County Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation will meet on April 26, 1887, at the Court 

 House at Burlintjton, Iowa, at 10 a.m. All inter- 

 ested in bee-keeping are invited to attend. Arti- 

 cles sent for exhibition, to the Secretary, at Mid- 

 dletown, [owa. will be exhibited and returned or 

 sold, as directed. John Nac, Sec. 



Good Prospects for 1887.— F. J. 



Sawin, Monmouth,*o Ills., March 21, 

 1887, writes : 



My average yield of comb honey 

 last year was 93 pounds per colony ; 

 of extracted honey, 162 pounds per 

 colony. From just one colony I took 

 293 pounds of extracted honey. My 

 bees have come through the winter in 

 splendid condition, and the prospect 

 is good for a crop of honey. Clover is 

 alive and looks fine. I like to com- 

 pare reports on wintering. 



A New Use for Sweet Clover.— C. 

 H. Dibbern, Milan, ^ Ills., writes : 



It has usually been supposed that 

 the sweet or melilot clover was of no 

 use, except for the honey produced. 

 I find, however, that the stalks con- 

 tain an excellent fiber that may prove 

 very useful for various purposes, es- 

 pecially in the manufacture of twines. 

 Enclosed please find a sample. Is this 

 not like Abe Lincoln's rat hole, 

 " worth looking into V" 



[Y es ; and we have looked into it. 

 We have interviewed several hand 

 manufacturers of twine, but they can- 

 not use it ; so we sent the sample to a 

 firm who make, by machinery, hemp 

 rope, and they say that it will prob- 

 ably answer the purpose, and want to 

 obtain a bale of it, so as to give it a 

 thorough trial and determine its cash' 

 value for such purposes. — Ed.] 



Scarcity of Honey in Virginia.— T. 



T. Phlegar, of Giles County, P ■Va.,on 

 March 19, 1887, says : 



How funny it sounds to hear the 

 bee-men of the North say that they 

 cannot find ready sile for their honey, 

 when with us here, 12.5 miles from 

 any thing like a city, we can hardly 

 get enough honey to sweeten a little 

 sage-tea for the baby's sore mouth. 

 A few cans this way would be quite a 

 treat. 



