644 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



honeyed depths. Can we, then, doubt 

 that the nectar is only put there as an 

 inducement to the bee to visit the flower 

 and perform this all-important office of 

 fertilization. 



THE QUEEN NOT A SOVEBEIGN. 



The queen is, by popular consent, 

 regarded as the head or governing 

 power of the colony, when she is more of 

 a subject than a sovereign. In fact, the 

 hive is a republic pure and simple, in 

 which public sentiment decides all 

 things, and patriotism and devotion to 

 the general good, regardless of private 

 claims, is the highest ideal ; each indi- 

 vidual giving herself up with untiring 

 devotion to public service, not even 

 hesitating to offer her life as a willing 

 sacrifice when the general good seems to 

 require it. 



This is not a spasmodic or short-lived 

 sentiment like our Fourth of July patriot- 

 ism, but an all-absorbing, life-long de- 

 votion, her whole life being one continual 

 round of labor to preserve order, feed 

 the dependent, keep everything clean 

 and neat, and store up a surplus — not 

 that she may enjoy ease, but that the 

 coming generations may have plenty. 



Contrary to popular belief, the old 

 queen goes with the swarm, and all the 

 old bees at that time in the hive. Bees 

 live but a short time, in Summer but 

 from four to six weeks, instead of from 

 year to year, as some suppose. 



A bee stings only on the defensive, 

 popular opinion to the contrary notwith- 

 standing ; but is no respector of persons. 

 A may be the ofiEender, but B gets the 

 penalty if he happens to be near just 

 then. 



The hive is more for man's accommo- 

 dation than for the bees, as they will, 

 other things being equal, store as much 

 in a hollow tree, soap-box, or any other 

 hollow receptacle, as in the most elab- 

 orate patented hive. So, remember this 

 next time a bee-hive vender, selling 

 " rights," comes a,\ong.—Bead before the 

 Wisconsm Agricultural Society. 



Robber Bees in Spring. • 



Robbers sometimes "clean out" a 

 weak colony in Spring. Whatever you 

 do, do not take a hive away, that the 

 robbers are at work on. If you do, they 

 will only attack a neighboring colony. 

 Take most of the contents out of the 

 hive, but leave at least one comb with a 

 little honey to finish. If you must take 

 the hive away, put another in its place, 

 with something for the robbers to work 

 on.— Dk. C. C. Miller, in Oleanings. 



COWVEWTIOW DIRECTORY. 



Time and place of meeting. 



1891. 

 May 19.— Northern lUinois, at Guilford, lUs. 



Chas. S. Winn, Sec, Box 1854, Rockford, Ills. 



May 26.- Cortland Union, at Cortland, N. Y. 



M. H.Fairbanks, Sec, Homer, N Y. 



June 2.— Des Moines County, at Burlington, Iowa. 

 John Nau, Sec, Middletown, Iowa. 



In order to have this table complete, 

 Secretaries are requested to forward full 

 particulars of the time and the place of 

 each future meeting.— The Editor. 



North American Bee-Keepers' Association 



President— P. H. Elwood Starkville, N. Y. 



Secretary— C. P. Dadant Hamilton, Ills. 



National Bee-Keepers' Union. 



President— James Heddon ..Do wag-lac, Mich. 

 Sec'y and Manager— T. G. Newman, Chicago. 



Bee and Honey Gossip. 



Chilled Brood. 



To-day the mercury is down to freez- 

 ing, and snow is falling. I expect con- 

 siderable brood will be chilled in this 

 locality. Shall commence the season 

 with 175 colonies. S. J. Snyder. 



Venice Centre, N. Y., May 5, 1.891 . • 



Join the TTnion. 



I think it the duty of every bee-keeper 

 to support the Union, in order to defend 

 our rights, and secure justice to perse- 

 cuted bee-keepers. My loss has been 10 

 colonies out of 40, during the Winter, 

 from lack of stores. Fred Smith. 



Van Meter, Iowa. 



Anticipates a Bountiful Crop. 



I examined a few colonies of my bees 

 to-day, and am agreeably surprised to 

 find them wonderfully strong in bees, 

 with plenty of drones, and queen-cells 

 just ready to be capped. My bees, in. 

 point of numbers, are at least four weeks 

 ahead of last year, and they have had 

 warm, dry weather to work on the 

 peach and plum bloom. The apple is 

 now in full bloom, and the bees are 

 making the most of it. Last year the 

 apples bloomed in this latitude May 10 ; 



