438 
HIVE-MAKING 
two of his colonies yielded each 450 lbs. 
extracted honey, and that the average for 
his entire apiary was 250 lbs. per colony— 
all heartsease. While perhaps these yields 
were exceptionally large, quite a number of 
other beekeepers reported at the same con¬ 
vention an average of 200 lbs. from the 
same source. There are in Nebraska acres 
and acres of this honey plant extending 
over the plains as far as the eye can reach; 
and, as it secretes nectar from August until 
frost, the enormous yields are not sur¬ 
prising. 
The extracted honey varies in color from 
a light to a dark amber; and the flavor, 
Heartsease. 
while not quite up to that of white honey, 
is very good. Heartsease comb honey, in 
point of color, is almost as white as that 
of clover. The extracted granulates in very 
fine crystals, and looks very much like the 
candied product of any white honey. Care 
should be taken in liquefying, as hearts¬ 
ease honey is injured more easily by over¬ 
heating than any other honey. 
HEAT. —See Artificial Heat. 
HERMAPHRODITE BEES.— These are 
nothing more nor less than freaks of na- 
nature—that is to say, one will sometimes 
see worker bees having drone heads and 
drones with worker heads. They are not 
very common, it is true; but about once 
a year there is sent in to the author speci¬ 
mens of either the one or the other kind 
of bees that have, apparently, appropri¬ 
ated the wrong head. The beginner needs 
to be reminded that the head of a drone is 
very different in appearance from that of 
a worker or queen. The two compound 
eyes of the former are large and well de¬ 
veloped, while in the latter they are much 
smaller. 
Under the head of Drones, to which 
the reader is referred, mention is made of 
another freak of nature—namely, drones 
with variously colored heads. 
HIVE-MAKING. —Unless one is so sit¬ 
uated that freights are high, and unless, 
also, he is a mechanic, or a natural genius 
in “making things,” he would better let 
hive-making alone. Hives can be bought 
usually, with freight added, for much less 
than the average beekeper can make them 
himself, if spoiled lumber, sawed fingers, 
and the expense of buzz saws are consider¬ 
ed; moreover, hives made in the large fac¬ 
tories, where they are turned out by the 
thousands, by special machinery run by 
skilled workmen, are generally much more 
accurately cut. 
The following letter from a practical 
planing-mill man, who ought to know and 
does know what he is talking about, sets 
forth the actual facts as they are: 
ELIAS BAMBERGER 
Manufacturer of 
SASH, DOORS, BLINDS 
Contractors’ and Builders’ Supplies 
including all kinds of Window Glass 
Cor. Exchange and Adams Sts. 
Estimates Furnished on Application. 
Freeport, Ills., June 11, 1907. 
The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 
Gentlemen:—I received five of your AE 
525-10 hives yesterday, and find that I can 
not make my own hives and supplies as 
cheap as yours and use the same quality of 
lumber. You can see by the head of this 
letter that if any one can make hives cheap¬ 
er than your prices or any of the so-called 
"trust-hive” manufacturers, I ought to be 
able to do it; but, using the same quality of 
'lumber, I can not. John H. Bamberger. 
But there is fun in making things, even 
