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Separators and Races or Bees. 



In the beginning and at the close of 

 the season, when honey comes in 

 slowlj-, I think tliat separators are a 

 necessity, to have the combs straight ; 

 but in a good lioney-flow, I have no 

 need of them ; yet I cannot dispense 

 witli tlie small foundation starter or 

 guide, to keep the combs straight in 

 the sections. As to races of bees, the 

 blacks arc good, but disagreeable to 

 work with ; my best yield the past sea- 

 son was from a black colony — 103 

 pounds of comb honey in sections. 

 Carniolans have many good points, 

 and I shall keep at least a few of them, 

 if only to supply surplus combs in 

 frames, partly built out and filled with 

 brood for use at swarming time, and 

 for making nuclei. Carniolans are 

 good comb-builders, and wonderfully 

 prolific breeders ; and if the swarming 

 impulse can be controlled, they are 

 good honey-gatherers. In any case, 

 for timid people they will pi'ove val- 

 uable, being very gentle and easy to 

 manage ! 



As for pure Italians, of a good 

 strain, all things being considered, 

 they are, in my estimation, the bees, 

 and have come to stay. Too much 

 cannot be said in their favor. 



Hives for Prodnclng Comb Boney. 



As to hives, I will say that I have no 

 Langstroth frames myself, but I am 

 familiar wdth them and their workings, 

 having occasion to handle them in 

 neighboring apiaries. For comb honey 

 in sections I do not like them — they 

 have too much top area for the begin- 

 ning and end of the season. It takes 

 bees too long to get at work in the 

 sections, and as soon as cool nights 

 come, the bees too readilj' go down 

 into the brood-nest for warmth. I like 

 a hive with small top area, and a 

 rather cramped brood-chamber. With 

 me, the bees go up into the sections 

 much more readily, and after once 

 getting them at work, it is easy to 

 keep them at it by tiering up. Besides, 

 with a small section-case, honey is less 

 liable to be mixed in the sections or 

 case, as a good working colony fre- 

 quently fills a small case in from 1 to 5 

 days in a good honey flow. 



I have a simply-made hive in this 

 way : The sides of i or | inch stuff; 

 ends about 1 inch thick, and the cover 

 simply a flat board, or boards thick or 

 thin cleated with clinch-nails, and to 

 prevent warping and melting of the 

 combs, I put on top the same two 

 ftiicknesses of rag carpet that I use 

 over the frames for wintering, on top 

 of which a stone or brick is put to 

 prevent the wind blowing the carpet 

 or cover ofl'. It answers a nice pur- 

 pose, and I cannot think of anything 

 simpler or more convenient. 



making 



Section-Oases and Rearing 

 <lueeiis« 



After trying nianj- styles of section- 

 cases, I am best pleased with T-tin 

 ribs, either loose or fast, but I prefer 

 them fast, and I have used them so for 

 about four seasons. I also use pro- 

 polis-shields or guards at the top and 

 bottom of the sections, and they come 

 out easily, and are neat and clean. 



It will hardly pay the small bee- 

 keeper to rear his queens, except for 

 the knowledge he gains from the 

 operation. I do, however, find it 

 profitable, after my best and most val- 

 ued colonies have sent out a prime 

 swarm, to take from them all queen- 

 cells but the one that is largest and 

 best ; the others I cage in a hatching- 

 box, or frame, made by nailing screen- 

 wire on one side of a regular frame, 

 dividing the inside into small compart- 

 ments, and on the back fastening with 

 tack heads, strips of tin to slide in and 

 out as covers. This I then hang in a 

 strong colony, and as the queens hatch, 

 if good and promising, they are used 

 to replace others, to form nuclei, etc. 



This is as far as I attempt to control 

 or hinder swarming, and it almost uni- 

 versally prevents after-swarms, gives 

 a supply of good young queens, and 

 leaves Iboth colonies in the best pos- 

 sible condition for profitable work. 



The Clilck-a-Dees Killing Bees. 



When the bees flew freely, about 

 Feb. 1, I for the fli-st time discovered a 

 new (to me) enemy of bees, viz., the 

 chick-a-dees ; perhaps 8 or 10 were 

 constantly about and on the watch, 

 and nearly every bee that alighted on 

 the snow, and failed to I'ise, was, as 

 soon as helpless, pounced upon, carried 

 to a limb near by, and pecked upon at 

 the back, the honej'-sac extracted, and 

 then dropped into the snow again. 

 None, however, wi're taken until they 

 became helpless and unable to rise ! 



Is this a new enemy, and will the 

 habit be continued in the flying sea- 

 son ? or have the birds been forced 

 into it from starvation, caused l)y the 

 long-continued cold w^eather and deep 

 snow ? Will some one having knowl- 

 edge of the facts, please answer. As 

 yet I have not that any, since the tak- 

 ing of the old and worn-out bees of 

 course is not an actual loss. 



Schaghticoke, N. Y. 



■ ■»-^^ 



A Pocket IMotionary will be pre- 

 sented for two subscribers with S3.00. It is 

 always useful to have a dictionary at hand 

 to decide as to the spellmg of words, and to 

 detemiine tlieir meaning. 



ITour Pull Address, plainly written 

 is very essential in order to avoid mistakes. 



Wot Siibsoribors can obtain the full 

 numbers for 1887 and 1888, for SI .75. while 

 there are any sets of 1S87 left. 



^^^M^: 



ALFRED H. NEliVlttArV, 



BUSINESS MANAGER. 



It IToii Ijive near one post-ofBce and 

 get your mail at another, be sure to give the 

 address that we have on our list. 



HUton^s new pamphlet on Comb Honey 

 Production has been reduced in price to 5 

 cents. For sale at this office. 



If yon Liose IVIoney by carelessly en- 

 closing it in a letter, it is without excuse, 

 when a Money Order, which is perfectly 

 safe, costs but 5 cents. 



Please to get your IVeig^libor, 



who keeps bees, to also take the American 

 Bee Joubnal. It is now so cheap that 

 no one can afford to do without it. 



Preserve Your Papers for future 

 reference. If you have no miVI>ER we 

 will mail you one for 60 cents ; or you can 

 have one FREE, if you will send us 3 new 

 yearly subscriptions for the Bee Journai,, 



Yucca Uruslies, for removing bees 

 from the combs, are a soft, vegetable fiber, 

 and do not irritate the bees. We supply 

 them at 5 cents each, or 50 cents a dozen ; if 

 sent by mail, add 1 cent each for postage. 



Please -write American Bee Jou/mal 

 on the envelope when writing to this office. 

 Several of our letters have already gone to 

 another firm (a commission house), causing 

 vexatious delay and trouble. 



Home Iflarkets for honey can be 

 made by judiciously distributing the 

 pamphlets, " Honey as Food and Medicine." 

 Such will create a demand in any locality at 

 remunerative prices. See list on the second 

 page of this paper. 



Photograplas ©t Bee-Keepers.— 



The " medley " gotten up by E. O. Tuttle, 

 contammg the faces of 131 representative 

 apiarists, and a printed sketch of each one, 

 will be sent with the Bee Jouknai, for one 

 year for S 1.75; or we will present it free, by 

 mail, to any one, for a club of three subscri- 

 bers and S3.00. 



Apiary Regfister — All who intend to 



be systematic in their work in the apiary, 



should get a copy of the Apiary Register and 



begin to use it. The prices are as follows : 



For 50 colonies (120 pasres) fl 00 



" 100 colonies (220 papesl . . I 25 



'■ 200 colonies |420 pages) ] .00 



