AMERICAN BEE JOURNAiL. 



113 



extracting from the brood-chanabers 

 may be just what saves the colonies. 



For example, in the season of 1884, 

 in June, just preceding the clover har- 

 vest, there came a harvest of honey-dew, 

 or aphide honey. 



When I saw the brood-chambers filled 

 up with the blue, bitter honey, and 

 nicely capped, 1 hastened around and 

 ran all the combs through the extractor, 

 getting from 10 to 25 pounds from each 

 colony, except a few colonies that were 

 not molested, partly for a test, and also 

 because of the arrival of the clover 

 harvest. Then when the white clover 

 bloomed, they filled up the space with 

 pure honey. 



The effect of the honey-dew was 

 watched during the next Winter, and 

 few if any of those colonies in which the 

 honey-dew remained came through the 

 Winter — and these were all that died out 

 of 65 colonies. In this case it was 

 highly advisable to extract from the 

 brood-chamber. 



Though there has been no honey-dew 

 here this season, it is reported in many 

 localities, and at about the same season 

 that it came in 1884. 



Then, again, the honey-dew may 

 come later in the season, so if the early 

 honey is all taken out, the bees will get 

 only honey-dew for Winter, which will 

 almost surely bring failure. 



It probably was not honey-dew that 

 killed bees last Winter, but starvation 

 from the bees not finding enough honey 

 for Winter stores, or because the honey 

 was extracted out by the bee-keeper, and 

 not returned to them again when it was 

 seen that they did not gather any in the 

 Fall. 



The brood-chamber should be allowed 

 to fill up with the first good, pure honey 

 that comes, and this should not be 

 removed from the combs for any reason. 



Some advise taking out the Winter 

 stores and keeping it in the honey-house 

 until Fall, but it gives me better satis- 

 faction to leave such combs of honey in 

 their respective hives. It ripens thor- 

 oughly, remains riper, because the hive 

 is a better place to keep honey than any 

 building, and I am surer to reserve a 

 sufficient amount. 



There should be as auich care exercised 

 in the selection and reservation of the 

 Winter stores of the colony, as in the 

 production of a few choice ponnds to 

 exhibit at the fair. 



I do not think that proper stores alone 

 will insure safe wintering, but I know 

 from sad experience that the stores is 

 one of the great factors, and that it is as 

 much neglected as any. 



Every one who has read the bee- 

 periodicals very much, knows that there 

 are many astonishing Winter losses now 

 and then, and no one can tell any reason. 

 I know of several bee-keepers, owning 

 from 30 to 100 colonies, who produce 

 comb-honey exclusively, and do not keep 

 an extractor. Now, suppose their hives 

 should fill up with honey-dew (bug- 

 juice), as mine did in 1884, what would 

 inevitably become of their apiaries ? 



This would indicate that to have 

 success in wintering in some localities, 

 one would be obliged to extract from the 

 brood-chambers occasionally. 



There is not one bee-keeper in ten but 

 that looks forward to procuring the 

 clover and basswood honey in marketable 

 shape, and hastens away to sell it, and 

 late in the Fall judges of the Winter 

 stores by the space it occupies in the 

 combs, or by lifting the hive, and he 

 does not know whether the quality may 

 compare with good hay or rotten straw. 



Clinton, Wis., July 7, 1891. 



Location of an Ajiary. 



The subject of location means a good 

 deal — much more than a great many 

 would even think — and it seems to me 

 that it would be almost useless to go on 

 and attempt to explain what would 

 be required to make a desirable location 

 for bees, as well as a financial success 

 for their owners, for I do not believfe 

 there is one person in five who would 

 make the least effort to take advantage 

 of it in any way. 



Almost every one thinks their own 

 ideas and ways are the best, and I do 

 not know as I can blame them. At the 

 same time, there are certain kinds of 

 business, or trades, that people never 

 become too old to learn, in order to 

 manage them successfully, and, if I am 

 not mistaken, we have got hold of one 

 of them, in the care and management of 

 the honey-bee. 



I will show you as briefly as possible 

 how some of our oldest bee-keepers 

 locate their bee-yard, as they call it : 

 One year ago last Fall I was visiting a 

 bee-keeper living about 17 miles from 

 Boscobel, who has kept bees for the last 

 40 years. He had. at that time 140 

 colonies of bees, and as I stood there 

 and looked at the sight, I had to laugh: 

 and I guess you would, too. 



He had all of those bees on not to 

 exceed two square rods of ground. 



