774 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



at once when the entrance is opened. 

 Have the hive shaded until 4 o'clock, 

 and then let the sun shine on the 

 entrance. If the weather is unfavorable, 

 try again on the seventh day. You will 

 be able to tell in the evening. Queens 

 reared in nuclei are worth more than 

 those reared in larger colonies. Foun- 

 dation should be dipped so as to have 

 the upper portion stronger, and it must 

 be made on a press, and not with a mill. 

 I have taken out 200 frames in two 

 years, and worked them over, because 

 the cells were oval, and in such shape 

 that no brood was reared in them. 

 Theresa, Wis. John H. Guenthee. 



Honey-Dew. 



Bees are doing quite well, everything 

 considered, but our weather has been so 

 cold that no honey was secreted the most 

 of the time. Many bees are starving, 

 and many colonies have perished, but 

 white clover is just coming out, and if 

 we can only have warm weather every- 

 thing will go better in the future. On 

 May 28 bees were bringing in honey-dew 

 from the leaves of the soft maple, which 

 seemed to be covered with it, and it was 

 a blessing, as many more would have 

 perished without it. For the last three 

 days it has been so cool that the bees 

 did not fly, and last night it was so cold 

 that tomato plants were killed. 



Jacob T. Timpe. 



Grand Ledge, Mich., June 5, 1891. 



No Honey from Basswood. 



We have had no rain for six weeks, 

 and the timber in my vicinity, which 

 includes a large area of basswood, is 

 without a leaf, and there will be no 

 honey from that source this year. Last 

 Fall I put 53 colonies in the cellar, and 

 on April 10 took them all out, in 

 splendid condition. I never saw bees 

 winter better, but if it does not rain 

 soon, they will suffer. C. A. Goodell. 



Mankato, Minn., May 30, 1891. 



Uniting Prime and After-Swarms. 



This year is a splendid one for honey; 

 thfe weather has never been more 

 favorable, and the bees have gathered 

 a more bountiful harvest from apple ^nd 

 peach bloom than for many years. 

 White clover promises well, and bees are 

 already gathering considerable honey 

 from it. Most of the bees in this locality 

 are kept in box-hives, but with indiffer- 



ent success. * I have 11 colonies in box- 

 hives, and 7 colonies in movable frame 

 hives. Can I unite an after-swarm with 

 a prime swarm, after they are hived and 

 both colonies have their hives partly 

 filled ? When and how ? 

 Santa Glaus, Ind. Charles Guth. 



[You can unite an after-swarm with a 

 prime swarm generally without trouble, 

 even if the latter has been hived for a 

 week, by watching carefully. Alternate 

 the frames, and thus mix the bees 

 thoroughly, and they will generally 

 unite peaceably. If they are inclined to 

 fight, smoke them well. — Ed.] 



Heavy Honey-Flow. 



We are in the midst of the honey 

 harvest, and bees are booming on horse- 

 mint, mesquite, niggerhead, and wild 

 china. I never saw as heavy a honey- 

 flow before. Otto J. E. Urban. • 



Thorndale, Tex., May 28, 1891. 



Early Swarming. 



The bees that survived the Winter in 

 this vicinity are just booming. We have 

 a full bloom on fruit trees, the weather 

 has been fine, and the bees are making 

 the most of it, the blossoms yielding 

 nectar abundantly. From 21 colonies I 

 had 12 swarms in May, beginning on 

 the 20th. I never knew the like before 

 in this vicinity. J. P. Smith. 



Sunapee, N. H., June 1, 1891. 



Injured by Frost. 



My bees came through the Winter in 

 good condition, and have built up very 

 fast, so that now I have all that I can 

 do to keep down the swarming. White 

 clover is commencing to bloom, but I am 

 afraid that basswood has been injured 

 by frost in this locality. Last night we 

 were visited by a heavy rain, which was 

 very welcome, as we were sadly in need 

 of it. R. M. Tolebroten. 



Barber, Wis., June 2, 1891. 



The Honey-Bee: Its Natural 

 History, Anatomy, and Physiology. By 

 T. W. Cowan, editor of the British Bee 

 Journal, illustrated with 72 figures and 

 136 illustrations. $1.00. For sale at 

 this office. 



