130 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



frequent inspection of experimentHl colonies 

 situated in varyiuy locations. In this con- 

 nection, somethiuy might be done by cor- 

 respondence. 



The problem is an enticing one. I believe 

 its solution will prove valuable. Who will 

 work it out ? 



Dayton, 111., July 27, 188<). 



The Outs and Ins of Migratory Bee-Keeping, 

 As Given by a Veteran. 



BYKON WALKEB. 



f^Y LIFE as a bee-keeper began with 

 f) the moving of twenty colonies of 

 y bees by boat from Toledo, ( >hio, to 

 Port Huron, Michigan : from there 

 by rail to Capac ; and thence by wagon four 

 miles north. They gave me a surplus of 

 KK) pounds per colony, mostly extracted, be- 

 sides having abundant winter stores. I do 

 not recall the amount of increase. It will 

 be in order to mention, right here, that I se- 

 cvired one result not aimed at by their remo- 

 val: viz., the complete destruction, by dys- 

 entery, of every colony put into winter quar- 

 ters { packed in chatt ) ; caused, I believe, by 

 too much boueset and other fall honey for 

 winter stores. No doubt the bees would 

 have wintered better if they had been left at 

 Toledo. 



From that time until now, scarcely a sea- 

 son has passed without the moving of a por- 

 tion of my bees to one or more different lo- 

 cations ; and, while it has frequently paid 

 well, occasionally, on account of unfavor- 

 able weather, or a lack of careful inspection 

 of the soui'ces from which a yield was ex- 

 pected, the results have not been all that 

 could be desired. 



The chief drawback with which I have had 

 to contend is the poor wintering quality of 

 the honey likely to be secured from fall 

 flowers. ( )nly last season, I located two api- 

 aries of about twenty colonies each. ( )iie 

 was placed about four miles distant, where 

 raspberries and clover, with the aid of buck- 

 wheat, allowed strong colonies to store 10() 

 pounds of surplus comb honey, besides some 

 extracted. The other, three miles in anotlier 

 direction, secured (partly from basswood, 

 but chiefly from fall liowers) an equal 

 amount of coml) honey and twenty pounds 

 extracted per colony. The one lot, wintered 

 upon the summer stands, with only ordinary 

 protection, came througli in perfect condi- 

 tion : while the others, which were moved 

 home and given special protection (high 

 winel-breaks, etc. ) in addition to chaff 

 packiug, were in poor shajje to take the har- 

 vest when clover bloomed ; in fact, several 

 colonies would have been lost had they not 

 been united with others more forward. Had 

 the winter been more severe, doubtless the 

 disparity between the two lots would have 

 been far more marked. The only practical 

 remedy, or rather preventative, that I know 

 of, has been hinted at in a former article. 

 In fact, I may mention, in passing, tliat the 

 last lot mentioned were part of 100 colonies 

 bought in Arkansas to repair the loss, from 



this cause, of the previous winter. They 

 (brood and all) were shipped to Capac in 

 light cages, after having stored, in Arkansas, 

 some 2,000 pounds of extracted honey. _ At 

 Capac, several colonies stored nearly fifty 

 pounds each, extracted, before their removal 

 to the out yard. 



^\'heu the number of colonies moved to 

 one locality is not large, and surplus is the 

 chief object, it pays best, other things being 

 etpial, to run for extracted honey : having 

 the queens clipped, and visiting the yartl 

 only as often as may be necessary to extract 

 to prevent swarming. A large immber run 

 for comb honey, requires almost constant 

 attention, and the board and wages of a 

 competent apiarist is the chief factor of ex- 

 pense. 



Before leaving this branch of our sub- 

 ject, I will say that the yields mentioned 

 in connection with the two contrasted api- 

 aries, were not uncommon with us before 

 our neighborhood became overstocked : and, 

 subseiiuently, a removal of five miles not in- 

 frequently would secure like results, 



Wauziska, Wis., Aug. 1, 188!). 



It will be seen that our enterprising friend 

 is yet in Wisconsin, whence he migrated, 

 with an apiary, from Tennesee. We wish lie 

 had told us about fliis year's operations — 

 perhaps he will when the season is over. 



Latee — We thought the above article 

 closed rather abruptly, but there was no in- 

 timation that more was to follow. However, 

 just as we were "making up " the "forms," 

 another " installment" came to hand, giv- 

 ing, among other things, a very interesting 

 account of this year's operations — just what 

 we wanted — which, very reluctantly, we are 

 now obliged to lay aside until next mouth. 



Loss of Brood the Great Obstacle in Follow- 

 ing up the Season. 



T. F. BINGHAM. 



1^W$ HF FACT that the queen will cease to 

 r^\n lay, and the nurse bees remove all tlte 

 J»^ small larvae within a few hours, at 

 least within one or more days, from 

 embarkation, jjlaces tlio i>roIitable jiroduc- 

 tion of lioney by moving to fields that are 

 later, on account of difference in lafitude, be- 

 yond the bee-keepers' control. 



It must bo borne in mind that while de- 

 grees of latitude figure to a certain extent iti 

 the advancement of seasons, they do not 

 count so much in the cimdiiions favoring the 

 secretion of honey. In Tennesee, spring and 

 autumn are long and cool. In the North, au- 

 tumn and spring are short. Almost within 

 a week the i)ollen bearing trees bloom — then 

 summer comes swiftly on. Clover blooms, 

 and .sfoiu.'H'*- conditions favor honey secre- 

 tion. The same is true of Linn : it is a sum- 

 mer bloomer in all latitudes. The idea I 

 wish to convey is this : the difference of time 

 in the honey seci-eting season of our best 



