812 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Wavelets of News. 



Planting- for Honey. 



I think our experiments have shown 

 that special planting for 'bees is not ad- 

 visable. If a plant can be found that 

 will surely grow, will secrete nectar in 

 all weather, will self-sov^ and hold its 

 own against weeds, etc., and needs no 

 cultivation, such a plant might pay just 

 for honey. Is there such a plant ? 



We have tried experiments this season 

 that show most conclusively that bees 

 are a blessing to the farmer and fruit- 

 grower. These latter should either keep 

 bees or else beg the bee-keeper to come. 

 I am sure all will be interested in exper- 

 iments that prove beyond peradventure 

 that bees are very essential in nature's 

 economy. — A. J. Cook, in Oleanings. 



Robbing-. 



The trouble of robbing always arises 

 at the close of the honey season. Take 

 precautions in this matter and do not 

 leave honey carelessly lying around. Do 

 not have hives open, or cracks and crev- 

 ices in the surplus stories; bees always 

 find such and nothing of the kind escapes 

 their notice. Robbing is often started 

 by the apiarist's removal of surplus honey 

 about the close of the season. This 

 should not be done at any time during 

 the day, but late in the evening; or what 

 is better, make a bee "tent" from gauze 

 or fly netting, and place this over the 

 hive before opening it; thus all will be 

 safe. This tent is an indispensable arti- 

 cle, and one or more should be in every 

 apiary. When a hive of bees is being 

 robbed this should be set over it. There 

 is nothing better to prevent robbing. — 

 A. H., in National Stockman. 



liOok Out for Details. 



Do not neglect the bees, though no 

 surplus is being gathered. Extra strong 

 colonies, if they should by accident 

 become queenless, will dwindle rapidly 

 and fall prey to robbers and the moth. 



Comb-honey that is marketable should 

 not be allowed to remain on the hive ; 

 it will become travel-stained, and addi- 

 tional wax and propolis will be added to 

 the cappin-gs, thus ruining its beauty and 

 taste. 



All scraps of comb, cappings from the 

 extractor, etc., should be gathered up 

 and melted into wax for the sake of 



economy and for the sake of preventing 

 moths and robbers from getting a start. 



Look out for moths in comb-honey 

 that has been removed from the hive. 

 If the combs show signs of worms the 

 honey must be fumigated with sulphur 

 on the same plan that has been given 

 through the Fai^ier. It requires but 

 little of the fumes to destroy the worms, 

 but a second dose will be required in 

 order to destroy those that were not 

 hatched during the first fumigation, as 

 the fumes will have no effect on the eggs. 

 Their presence can be detected by their 

 silky webs. — Walter S. Poudetj, in the 

 Indiana Farmer. 



Real and Artificial. 



The Queen of Sheba having failed to 

 puzzle Solomon with many enigmas and 

 trials of his wisdom, stood some distance 

 from the king l^olding in each hand a 

 bouquet of lovely flowers. Those in one 

 hand were Nature's own product, the 

 other bouquet consisting of the' most 

 cunningly worked imitations. It was 

 impossible for the eye to detect which 

 were natural and which artificial. Solo- 

 mon applied to his courtiers and wise 

 men to give their opinion, but they 

 owned their inability to decide between 

 the two bouquets. The wise king then 

 commanded a casement of the cedar 

 palace to be thrown open, and admitted 

 some bees. Attracted by ihe' sweet per- 

 fume of the real flowers, the bees at once 

 solved the mystery. — Exchange. 



Introducing Queens. 



We should like some of our friends, who 

 have old and poor queens which they wish 

 superseded, to try the following experi- 

 ment: Raise the corner of the quilt on 

 top of the frames, just about dark, so care- 

 fully that no bees become excited, or if 

 they do notice the movement and start 

 to crawl out, give them the least possible 

 puff of smoke, allowing it to fall on the 

 bees, as it were — this will cause them to 

 move back quietly without disturbing 

 any. When all is quiet, allow a young 

 queen to pass in, and drop the quilt — 

 carefully watch the result, and give the 

 readers of the Bee Journal the benefit 

 of your experiment. 



• We venture the opinion that the young 

 queen will kill the old one. If we take 

 an old queen and a young one, and put 

 them under a glass, allowing them to 

 fight, the old queen being somewhat 

 infirm, if she is laying, will be overcome 

 by the more nimble and vigorous young 



