54 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Retiirning Swarm — Hybrid Q,ueen. 



A swarm of bees issued June 9, and 

 was put in a frame hive, where they 

 staid for about two hours ; then they 

 left, and the owner followed them for 

 about half a mile, but could not keep 

 up with them, so gave up the chase and 

 ownership of the bees, but to his great 

 surprise in about three hours they came 

 back, and went into the original box- 

 hive. Either they had no queen, or 

 were sick of the job they had under- 

 taken. I have one colony of bees that 

 has three kinds of bees in it. I purchased 

 it last Spring, in a box-hive, and have 

 transferred it to frame hive. Now I 

 find black bees, and bees with two, and 

 some with three yellow bands, and all 

 seem to be hatched from the same 

 queen. Can you explain ? 



J. B. Ramage. 



Blaine, Wash., June 12, 1891. 



[The queen was impurely mated, and, 

 therefore, her progeny are hybrids, 

 variously marked. — Ed.] 



Basswood the Only Hope. 



The outlook for the "big honey crop" 

 is not very encouraging. We have had 

 ten days, perhaps, since June 1, in 

 which bees have stored some surplus ; 

 now they are just making a living. We 

 have not far to look for the cause. No 

 rain to speak of fell here from the 

 time the snow disappeared in the Spring 

 until June 22, and, of course, that was 

 too late to be of any help to white 

 clover. Unless basswood yields nectar 

 abundantly — which is doubtful in this 

 locality — there will not be any honey to 

 sell in this county. From my 100 

 colonies two swarms have issued. 



H. J. Rogers. 



Stanard's Corners, N. Y., June 29. 



Last Season's Honey Yield. 



My bees did fairly well last season, 

 although it was a very poor season for 

 honey in this locality. They averaged 

 about 75 pounds of surplus honey per 

 colony. Spring count, besides one prime 

 swarm from each colony. 



Aristotle, N. Y. H. C. Faenum. 



«< Blood will Xell."— This ap- 

 plies to strains of bees as well as to 

 families of human beings, and they differ 

 as greatly in characteristics. 



Wavelets of News. 



Honey Crop. 



We predict a good honey crop this 

 season for those who have their dish 

 right side up at the proper time, as we 

 have had abundant rains to keep the 

 clover in bloom, and basswood promises 

 well here. We should take good care of 

 the bees, then if we fail it will not be 

 our fanlt.^Minnesota Farm. 



Catching Queens. 



About noon on Decoration Day, when 

 I was very busy, I saw a swarm issuing. 

 I went to the front of the hive and soon 

 caught the queen and caged her in a 

 little cage — which is merely a rim of tin 

 with a wire gauze top. I moved the hive 

 and put in its place one filled with empty 

 comb, and placed the caged queen in 

 front. In a few moments the bees came 

 pouring into it hunting for mother, and 

 when they had all returned, the queen 

 was released, and the swarm carried to 

 its permanent stand. I have been quite 

 fortunate in catching the queens of the 

 few swarms that have issued thus far. 

 The little cage that I speak of is very 

 handy to have in the apiary. One day I 

 caught a queen, and placing a cage over 

 her, left her for a moment upon the 

 white cover of a hive in the hot sun. I 

 only took a few steps, but when I 

 returned she was dead — sun struck, I 

 suppose — and I do not leave queenS 

 caged in the sun any more. These little 

 cages are handy to use as cell protectors, 

 as they can be pressed into the comb, 

 and when the young queen emerges the 

 bees can feed her through the meshes. — 

 Mrs. L. Harbison, in Prairie Farmer. 



Swarmed to Death. 



This is the verdict usually given, 

 where bees have swarmed until there is 

 barely a corporal's guard left in the old 

 hive. Where bees have been allowed to 

 swarm ad lihitum, many such hives will 

 be found at the close of the swarming 

 season, and moths will get the credit of 

 destroying them. 



I was very sick one year during the 

 swarming season, and the family hived 

 everything in the shape of a swarm 

 upon empty combs, as the preceding 

 Winter had been very fatal to bees. 



I found thejiives from which the bees 

 had swarmed to death, solid with honey 



