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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Wavelets of News. 



Bee and Honey Statistics. 



In Greece there are 30,000 colonies, 

 producing 3,000,000 pounds of honey ; 

 in Denmark 90,000, producing 2,000,- 

 000 pounds ; in Russia 110,000, pro- 

 ducing the same ; in Belgium 200,000, 

 producing 5,000,000 pounds; in Holland 

 240,000, producing 6,000,000 pounds; 

 in France 950,000, producing 23,000,- 

 000 pounds ; in Germany 1,450,000, 

 and in Austria 1,550,000, each produc- 

 ing 40,000,000 pounds of honey. 



Careful estimates put the number of 

 bee-keepers in the United States at 

 350,000 ; over 10,000 of this number 

 keep more than 500 colonies each. The 

 value of the honey produced by them in 

 1889 was over $100,000,000, and 

 the value of the beeswax produced for 

 the same year exceeded $17,000,000. 



Prevention of Swarming. 



The great study of the bee-keeper is 

 how to keep the bees from swarming. A 

 colony sending out a swarm in the 

 season of honey-flow, means almost 

 entire cessation of honey-gathering in 

 the hive for some days ; and possibly no 

 more will be stored in the sections that 

 season. But by proper management of 

 the swarm that goes out, one may get 

 considerable comb-honey. 



One way is to hive the swarm in 

 frames, having only a strip of comb- 

 foundation about one inch wide in each, 

 which insures straight combs if the hive 

 is level. Then place a case of sections 

 above, and when they are about half 

 filled, raise them and put another under, 

 and so keep them storing honey before 

 they have much brood to feed. — Exch. 



Bees Cause a Panic. 



Kansas City, Mo., June 22. — An 

 immense swarm of bees caused a little 

 panic to-day at the corner of Eighth and 

 Main streets, the very heart of the 

 business portion of the city. A wander- 

 ing minstrel from Italy stopped on the 

 corner and proceeded to grind out a 

 choice air. The bees, which were just 

 passing the spot, were attracted by the 

 hum of the organ, and attempted to 

 cluster on the Italian's head. The 

 musician beat a hasty retreat unharmed. 



The queen-bee then headed for the 

 globe of an electric light, and her en- 



raged subjects following, settled within 

 and about the globe, seemingly contented 

 in their resting place. 



Then the electric-light man, making 

 his rounds to renew the carbons, lowered 

 the globe to the street, not noticing its 

 strange occupants. That made the bees 

 mad, and the crowd that had collected 

 to see the fun, soon decided there was 

 very little humor in the situation. The 

 bees scattered about among the crowd, 

 which hastily dispersed, several having 

 been severely stung. A farmer finally 

 came with a box and succeeded in hiving 

 the bees and carrying them off. — Ex. 



Shade for Bee-Hives. 



I want shade over my bees, because I 

 want it shady when I work at them. 



If you have no trees over your hives 

 you can put on a shade-board wider than 

 the, hive, and projecting on the south 

 side. Have an inch or two of space 

 between the shade-board and the hive. 



Set your hives near the ground, say, 

 on stands from 2 to 4 inches high. Some 

 use four bricks — two on the back on 

 edge, and two in front laid flat. It Is 

 well to have ihe back end an inch or 

 two higher than the front. It helps the 

 bees to clean house. 



Do not allow the grass to bother the 

 bees in front of the hive. Keep it cut 

 short, or, better still, do not let it grow 

 at all. Salt will kill it, or a pile of sand 

 will do it. 



Level your hives with a spirit level, 

 from side to side. 



I do not think it makes much differ- 

 ence which way the hive faces. Most of 

 mine face east. The arrangement I like 

 best is to have two close together facing 

 east, and two standing against these, 

 back to back, facing west — four 'in a 

 clump. If you want them convenient 

 for watching for swarms, there is no 

 better way than to have them in a 

 straight row ; providing you have 

 enougn to make a row. — C. C. Miller, 

 in Stockman and Farm. 



District Fair. 



The twelfth Annual Fair of the 

 Wayne, Henry and Randolph Counties 

 Agricultural Association will be held at 

 Dalton, Ind., Sept. 8 to 11, 1891. In 

 the Apiarian Department $11 in money- 

 are offered and a year's subscription to 

 the American Bee Journal. Joe 

 Replogle is Superintendent. 



