522 



T'Mm MTmrnmi^MM mmm j@TPMifffii<. 



>*^«^>«»*ai< 



Then, too, it is not always that strong 

 colonies produce a good crop of honey, 

 for did we not have booming colonies 

 last year, and not a pound of houey V 

 This year the cold, wet, stormy weather 

 has been very dttiimental to the breed- 

 ing up of weak colonies, and most of 

 them were weak when they came out of 

 the cellar. Though we had to com- 

 mence feeding at once, owing to the 

 short supplies, and kept it up till fruit 

 bloom, still they increased but slowly. 



The season is Tally three weeks late, 

 and we may expect it to last so much 

 longer, and can certainly hope that it 

 will yet prove a good year for bee-keep- 

 ing. Then, too, the weather that has 

 been so unfavorable to the bees has been 

 just the thing for the honey-producing 

 plants. A good stand of white clover 

 is springing up almost everywhere, and 

 though this will not bloom much this 

 year, it is a promising sign for years. 



Our houey plants are coming along 

 finely. I have tluee acres of sweet 

 clover in one patcti that is now as tall 

 as one's head, and will be Immense 

 when it comes into bloom. The Chap- 

 man honey-plants that I nursed so ten- 

 derly in the house a year ago, did not 

 bloom last year, as expected, but they 

 are very thrifty now and will likely 

 bloom this month, and I well then be 

 able to form some idea of them as a 

 honey-plant. 



What to do n'ith Second SHrarms. 



There are likely to be many second 

 swarms this year, arid what to -do with 

 these often perplexes the inexperienced. 

 1 like these latp, second swarmiugs, not 

 to put into hives by themselves and 

 starve the coming vvinter, but to help 

 weak colonies or to replace inferior 

 queens. If you have any colonies weak 

 at this time, it is almost a sure sign 

 that the queens are worthless. 



Now when your second swarms come 

 out, hive them in any convenient box 

 without a bottom. Then go to any 

 weak or queenless colony, and, after 

 smoking them, shake them off the 

 frames in front of their hives on a sheet, 

 and if there is any worker brood in the 

 combs, it is a pretty sure sign that they 

 have a queen— find and kill her. Now 

 get your box and shake the second 

 swarm out, and let all march back to 

 the hive together. Should they be in- 

 clined to fight, give them a good smok- 

 ing with your smoker. If the bees are 

 very cross, it is a good plan to sprinkle 

 them liberally with water sweetened 

 with sugar, not honey, as it is apt to 

 draw robbers and make things worse. 



Hiving Swarms. 



Much difficulty is experienced by 

 some in hiving swarms, and much 

 bundling up in hot weather is indulged 

 in, and the awkward manner in which 

 the bees are handled produces many 

 stings. Much of this can be avoided. 

 When the swarm issues, go to the hive 

 and' see if you cannot catch the queen 

 when she comes out. Usually she can 

 be found a few feet from the hive, try- 

 ing to tly, or a cluster of workers may 

 be about her. Have a little wire cage 

 ready, made by wrapping a small piece 

 of green wire cloth around a broom 

 stick and one end bent shut. When you 

 see the queen, place the open end of 



the cage gently over her. She will at 

 once run up into it, and now close up 

 the cage with any convenient stopper. 



The bees are, probably, all in the air 

 by this time. Now remove the hive 

 from which the swarm has issued, to a 

 new location, and place the one you 

 wish the bees to occupy in place of the 

 one removed. Now place your queen in 

 the cage on top of the frames, and cover 

 over with mats or anything to confine 

 the bees to the main hive. About this 

 time the swarm will have missed their 

 queen, and will begin to conclude that, 

 " There's no place like home," and will 

 at once proceed to return, and thus hive 

 themselves just where you want them. 



But suppose you do not find the 

 queen '?then just wait till they settle on 

 some convenient branch. Do not be in 

 any hurry, but wait till they become 

 quiet. Now remove the hive of the col- 

 ony that has swarmed, as before, and 

 place the empty one in its place. Get a 

 ladder, cut off the limb, if a small one 

 and of no particular value, and if on a 

 high tree, let the branch, bees and all, 

 down gently by means of a rope. Carry 

 the bees to the hive and shake them off 

 on a sheet in front. Usually they will 

 march in readily, but should they show 

 signs of clustering on the outside, take 

 a small twig and scrape them down. 



See that nearly all the bees go into 

 the hives, otherwise the queen may be 

 out and in due time they may be expect- 

 ed to leave for the woods. Should the 

 swarms settle on a valuable tree that 

 you do not like to mutilate, they may 

 be shaken into a basket or box, and car- 

 ried to the hive. It also sometimes 

 happens that they alight on fence-posts 

 or in the crotch of large trees, where it 

 is difficult to get them. In such cases 

 one can usually dip off a part of them 

 with a common tin dipper, and carry to 

 the hive, and the balance can be driven 

 either to the hive, or some place where 

 they can be secured with a good smoke. 



Ants aud Roaclies In tlie Ai>iar}'. 



Of all the annoyances about an apiary, 

 ants are perhaps the worst. Often, 

 when putting on cases, one will find 

 their nests in the warm places directly 

 over the bees, under the mat or any 

 convenient place. Vi'^hen disturbed, 

 they at onces spread over everything, 

 and if they get among the bees, they 

 make them very cross. 



The little red and black ants are the 

 worst, because the more common, but 

 the big black ant is not to be despised. 

 I do not think they do any harm to the 

 bees or that they steal any honey from 

 them, but they are certainly a great 

 nuisance. Salt has often been recom- 

 mended to drive them away, but I have 

 found that they will make their nests 

 right in the salt, and they seem to 

 rather like it. 



Roaches are also a great rfuisance, but 

 if hives are kept tight-fitting, they are 

 more easily guarded against. 



The best remedy for ants that I have 

 found is a little kerosene oil in and old 

 fruit can, and apply it sparingly on 

 them, and where ttieir nests are, with 

 an old paint brush. This will kill them, 

 but should be used very sparingly, as 

 the bees dislike it greatly, and it would 

 probably kill them if used carelessly. 



Milan, III., July], 1888. 



YELLOW JACKETS. 



Hoiv to Destroy Tespa Areiiaria, 

 or so-called Velloiv Jackets. 



Written for the American lice Journal 

 BY HENRY K. STAI.EY. 



Many are the various ways that have 

 been promulgated for the eradication of 

 this stinging insect when its ire is up. 



The yellow-jacket, albeit it has many 

 good qualities, yet to some people it is a 

 nuisance and a pest ; at least often so to 

 the grape-growers— when its waxy dom- 

 icile is incased in his vinegard— for they 

 nonchalantly linger after feminines, 

 which causes tlnem to be scared and to 

 put a good amount of terra firma be- 

 tween it (the vineyard) and the house. 

 It is probably this diminutive rascal 

 that helps to puncture our sound grapes, 

 and thereby make enticing holes for the 

 bee to put in its slender proboscis and 

 sip up the juice, that «!( may be lost. 

 The bees, in turn, by following out the 

 old aphorism, have the voided rheum of 

 angered grape- growers spat upon them ; 

 but it cannot cover up there " little car- 

 casses and keep them down forever ;" 

 for the " Bee-Keepers Union " is firm, 

 and twirls the whip of justice. The 

 bee-keeper and- grape-grower should 

 ever be on the alert to destroy this in- 

 sect, which by doing mischief causes 

 blame to be cast at the innocent, is my 

 idea. 



It is a great bother to the apiarist 

 when too near his apairy ; for, many an 

 hour of needed quietude aie the guard 

 bees kept on the qui vive for the yellow 

 jacket theives. I have seen them enter 

 the hive, and in all probablities they 

 went away full. I have tried many 

 ways of getting rid of this nuisance, 

 such as pouring hot water down their 

 exit; hole, which was the means of rais- 

 ing their choler. and bringing them out 

 by the hundreds, fired mad, bent on 

 destruction ; smoking them and also try- 

 ing to smother them, but in no case 

 have I completely eradicated them 

 without being stung; for, unlike the 

 honey-bee, they stick on a person, and 

 crawl up one's breeches and down his 

 back ; so that even if he has completely 

 devastated their nests, he may be made 

 the recipient of a terrible sti>iyrr an hour 

 or two afterward — when not cogitating 

 about them— from a yellow- jacket in 

 hoc among his clothes that will send 

 him skedaddling over the meadow or 

 field to his home for some soothing 

 panacea— fori tell you a yellow jacket's 

 sting, although petite, is felt ! 



Now the mode of eradicating a nest 

 of yellow-jackets without being bitten 

 and exhausted is this : 



About tour or five feet from the 

 hiatus of the waxy domicile, rear a 

 brush pile, by gathering up all the old 

 brush Iving around which ought to be 

 consurhed by fire anyhow ; and then 

 leave it remain there until night with 

 its encompassing arms environs all. 

 Now let your mind be nonchalant anent 

 them until Phoebus' fiery steeds shall 

 have waded knee-deep into the waters 

 beyond the western hills, and he (Phoe- 

 bus) shall have allayed his steaming ax- 

 les with gelid itqua ; or let it be that hour 

 of night which the following passage 



