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American Bee Journal

Our Bee-Keeping Sisters

Conducted by EMMA M. WILSON, Marengo, Ill.

Bees Hanging Out On the Hives

I have a few bees which I am very much interested in. I live in Charleston, S. C. The weather so far has been quite cool, but in spite of that the bees hang on the outside of the hives, and stay there from a week to 3 weeks. It is not because the hive is full of honey, for I have looked and find plenty of comb not sealed. Why, do you think, the bees hang on the outside of the hive? The front of the hive is so full of bees that I don't see how they manage to go in and out.

These colonies I speak of have swarmed 2 or 3 times. Where do you think the queen is? And would you advise me to catch some of these bees and put them into another hive? Some of my hives are old-fashioned box affairs. Do tell me how I can catch the queen. EMMA FURMAN.

At this distance it is not easy to be entirely certain why the bees hang out in clusters on the hives, but it is a pretty safe guess to say that it is more comfortable out than in, just as you may find it more comfortable sometimes on a hot day to sit out on the shady side of the house. It may be that there is too small an entrance, giving too little chance for ventilation. It is hard to give too large an entrance in hot weather, only there should not be more than an inch of space under the bottom-bars, else the bees will build down comb in the space. Some raise the hive by putting little blocks under the 4 corners. You can also increase ventilation by allowing an opening above. Let the upper story be slid forward so as to leave a space of 4 inch at the back end. It makes a difference if the hive stands out in the hot sun. Sometimes when a good flow is on, the bees will hang out at night, when all the bees are at home, and in the daytime, when all the field-bees are out at work, the outside of the hive will be clear. Sometimes bees hang out for no other reason than that there is nothing to do in the fields, and they may just as as well be clustering idly on the outside of the hive as to be wearing out their lives in the field where there is nothing to do. It has been advised to smoke the bees to make them go to work, but that probably does more harm than good.

It is practically impossible to catch a queen in a box-hive. If you are smart enough, you might catch her when she issues with a swarm. You might also drum the bees out into an open box; but it would be hard to find the queen then. In a movable-comb hive it is easy to lift out frame after frame until you come to the one on which the queen is found.

You would likely gain nothing by taking the bees that are clustering out and putting them in other hives.

How a Texas Sister Extracts Honey

DEAR MISS WILSON:-I often wonder how many of our sisters like extracting. I, for one, immensely enjoy it. It is about all I do during the extracting season. I attend to the frames in every way. My husband takes them from the hives, and I extract them. When one comes to think about it, it is a job, though not a heavy one.

If system is needed anywhere it is certainly needed in the honey-room. As I have told you before, we run mostly for bulkcomb honey. As the frames are brought in, the white ones suitable to be cut out are put in one place, end those to be extracted in another.

We have not yet gotten to where we can afford an uncapping melter; but all in good time. I have an ordinary washing tub on which I place a box, with screen-wire in the bottom. The screen-wire comes up on the outside of the box at least 3 inches, and is firmly secured thereon with strips of pine 2x4 inches, the full length of the box on all four sides. This prevents the wire from pulling loose with the weight of the cappings. Nailed across the top of the box is a 2x4 inch strip with a half inch depression in the center in which to rest the frame while uncapping.

I use a hot, sharp knife, and the downward stroke. At present I am using the old style Bingham knife, but would dearly love to have the Bingham Improved, with the flanged shank and 81⁄2-inch blade. I find that the cold knife, dipped often in ice-cold water, works very well, but with the hot knife one can work much more rapidly, especially on the thick frames. As to the downward stroke, why, I find that I can hold the frame steadier, have more power in my wrist, that the weight of the knife helps a great deal, and that the cappings roll off free from the frames, be the angle what it may. Should the cappings not want to curl over, just push the knife forward until the thumb comes in contact with them, and give them a flip with the thumb. With the upward stroke the frame has to be at a certain angle or the cappings stick to the frame, which is a decided nuisance. We have a 2-frame nonreversible Root extractor, which we hope to replace this year with a 4-frame reversible.

The extracted frames are placed by themselves nearest the door, so as to be accessible to the one who carries them out to be given back to the bees. Each frame is carefully examined to see that the comb is straight. Should a corner, or other part bulge, it is cut loose with a pocket-knife and pushed in place.

As we have several extra frames, those taken from a hive are immediately replaced with them, the hive closed, and the little ladies just keep right on with their work as though nothing had happened; except, perhaps, with renewed energy.

Two years ago we had no extra frames, so the extracted frames were not given back until late in the evening, when the bees would be fractious to the last degree, and, at times-well, ugly, especially when smoke was used. On the cover there would be two-thirds of the bees. If left until early next morning (to avoid the second opening of the hive on the same day), comb building on the cover would be well under way-to make a long story short-24 hours hard labor lost. With the present method everything is accomplished with one manipulation.

Mr. Pruitt starts work just about 20 minutes before I do, and I finish the last frame just about one-half an hour after he quits.

My work in the honey-room, though, begins long before his does. Take, for instance, one day-my first duty is building a fire and putting on two dinner-pots full of water to get hot; next is washing and squeezing out the cappings of the day before. Then the honey in the tub is poured into the extractor and the box put on ready for use. Next, all the buckets, pails, etc., that I shall need for that day are washed and gotten ready, and the extractor oiled. I use a small medicine dropper with which to oil it; it is very convenient. The knife is then whetted, and one of the pots of hot water is brought in, and I'm ready to start. Extracting then goes on until-say about an hour and one-half by sunset.

The gate is left open all the time and a full pail is replaced with an empty one. In this way it is easier to keep the very whitest from mixing with the darker honey. Of course, one has to keep one eye open, but with a little experience it is not so dangerous as one would think.

As soon as one pot of water gets too cold the other is brought in. Frequent dipping

of the hands in the wash-basin keeps th handle of the knife and the crank from get ting sticky. Also wetting the hands well before attempting to tie the tender combs is absolutely necessary.

My method of tying is to catch one end of the string with the left hand, holding the frame and string together. Then wind around about 4 times towards the opposite end of the frame and pull tight, then back again, and rest the right hand end of topbar on the extractor, and pull tight again, even to the bending of bottom-bar, and tie. The tying is done, of course after the comb has been uncapped on both sides. After it is extracted the string is left on and the bees carry it out. It takes up too much time to untie them, and then too much trouble to tie the next weak comb with the same string.

After the extracting is done I pull all the cappings to one side of the uncapping box, and run them through my hands a few times, tearing them up in very small pieces, and gradually work them over to the opposite side. I then smooth them out about level and scoop out a little in the center, clear down to the screen-wire, and leave them to drain until morning. The idea for this massaging allows the honey to drain out much faster, and leaves the cappings drier than did the old way of leaving them just as they fall from the frames. This is original with me, although others may do so. I would like to know if they do.

The next thing on the program is to cut out the white frames and put in jars 3 full of honey, or in other vessels. Said vessels are washed and dried off, and an attractive label is placed on them, when they are ready for the market; and what jolly times we have selling it!

The empty frames are then scraped of all wax possible, and washed. They are then put aside until the honey-room is cleaned up. the floor swept and washed, and everything is left in apple-pie order. The frames are then taken to the kitchen and put, a few at a time, in the oven with the door open, and when warm (the first put in is generally just right by the time the last is put in are scraped and the groove cleaned out. All the wax is put in a frying pan reserved for that purpose. When all are gone over, the frying pan is put on the stove, and by the time the starters are cut, the wax is hot enough to solder them in with. So ends the extracting part of that day. And have you noticed how white and clear the hands are by the time 3 or 4 such days are over?

I expect I may just as well own up that after the cappings are massaged and as much of the honey as possible is removed from my hands, my face and neck are also massaged and the honey well rubbed in. My arms generally manage to take care of themselves, as my sleeves are always turned up as far as they will go. If the honey is too thick the thing can be remedied by dipping the hands slightly in water. The honey is left on until the room is put to rights and then washed off last thing. Laugh all you wish to, but, all the same, honey beats cold cream, powder, perfumed waters, and goodness knows what, all to smitherines.

The most needed accessories to the honeyroom are, a wash-basin, a towel, several large dish-rags, two large dish-pans, a bucket of drinking water, and a cup. A tablespoon and a case-knife come in handy now and again; and such things are bound to be most needed when not accessible, so one may just as well get them first as last.

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A ball of string in a paper baking-powder threaded through one side of it is mighty convenient. Punch a hole in the opposite side from the hole where the string is threaded through and force it over the head of a nail in the wall well to the right of the extractor. The nail should lay almost against the wall, pointed straight up. A screw driver, a hammer and an assortment of nails are also very needful at times.

Arrange so that everything is handy, get one thing out of the way of the other. After supper I have to myself, for study, etc., which consists chiefly of reading my back bee-papers (of which I take two), or my poultry journals, unless, of course, I happen to have new ones on hand.

Now, I want to tell you what I heard from two different people, and you can take it for what it is worth. When honey is scarce and sugar is high, the best thing to winter bees on is a baked chicken! Just place the tidbit on top of the brood-frames, then a shallow super (say a section-case that carries the 4x4x12 section), and replace the cover. Of course, a little pepper and salt added, to season it with, might be acceptable. Wonder if canvasback duck wouldn't do as well.

We are having a bountiful crop of catclaw

honey this year, and the mesquite is giving very fine promises. There are as many as 87 blooms actual count) on catclaw twigs a foot long, and the blooms are at least 1% inches long.

American Bee Journal

I want to give you all two warnings in one: Don't send for bee-supplies farther from home than is absolutely necessary, let the price be what it may. Be sure to be very careful that you order correctly all the way through. I heard of some sections that I could get very cheap away up in Wisconsin. I sent for 1000, and asked them to send them by express, as we wanted them right away. Oh! how dear they came out in the long run! Actual price was $2.85 per 1000, and the express charges to San Angelo (our nearest express office) $5.50-$8.35 in all. We had been paying $5.00 a 1000, and $1.00 express-$6.00 in all. I wanted 4x5x138. I got 4x5x1%. It was a job to cut off that % inch 1000 times, but it's a lesson I'll never forget. Expect I'll read my orders over a few times before I send them off in the future. I don't know for certain whether / was to blame or the firm, but I do know that I want you to profit by my experience.

We have increased to 151 colonies, having 120 last summer. (MRS.) M. E. PRUITT. Eola, Tex.

It can not fail to interest the sisters to have such explicit information as to how things are done by one who seems to know just how to do them. Even

the "lords of creation" may not find Mrs. Pruitt's article without information. How nicely little details are given. Take that can against the wall with the ball of string. Without the hint that the nail against the wall must be bent up just right, some one would leave the nail horizontal, and the first time the string was pulled the whole would tumble to the floor, and the thing would be voted a failure.

Even reports of mistakes are helpful. And that suggests whether one might not ask in a gentle sort of way whether it is not a mistake to have bee-supplies sent by express. "Too much of a hurry for the supplies to wait for them to come by freight?" Well, possibly it is a mistake to wait so long before ordering that there is any haste in the case. To be sure, one does not know in advance what the season will be, and so one does not know just what will be needed, but one can order enough to meet all possibilities of a bumper season, and if not needed the supplies will keep till another season.

Canadian Beedom

Conducted by J. L. BYER, Mount Joy, Ontario, Canada.

Short Honey Crop

Clover is yielding heavily (June 23), but our bees dropped out of sight, so to speak, just at the close of the 7 weeks of cold weather, leaving hosts of young bees and great quantities of brood. Of course that means a short crop for us, but what bees I have in good shape are certainly storing very fast.

Foul Brood and Black Brood

Thanks, Mr. Morrison, for what you say on page 182, about the naming of the different brood-diseases, or rather, shall I say, the attempt to change the existing names to something else. Acting on your implied advice, and my own judgment in the matter, this scribbler is done for all time with the name "European" foul brood, and from now on whenever I have occasion to refer to the brood-diseases of bees, it will be "foul brood" and "black brood."

Bee-Keeping in Finland

A pleasant surprise in yesterday's mail (June 10th) was a letter from our friend, Paul Mickwitz, of Helsingfors, Finland. Last autumn, just before Mr. Mickwitz sailed for his home land, we had the pleasure of having him in our home for a few days, and his visit will always be remembered with pleasure, as he possesses the happy faculty of making you feel that he is right at home" from the moment he comes under your roof.

Writing under date of May 28th, he says that the weather is very cool and backward this spring-a condition that seems to be general all over the northern part of the globe, seemingly. In

his bee-keeping operations he is giving preference to the Carniolan race of bees, and, judging from my experience with these bees, I think his choice is wise indeed for a climate as severe as they have in Finland. In fact, for a climate we have here, for the present spring at least, the Carniolans are not in the same class as the Italians, as the latter will not breed up satisfactorily in this bad weather without being "nursed," while weather makes no difference to the Carniolans, if there is honey in the hives to draw from. I borrow the word "nursed" from Mr. Alpaugh, who although an admirer of the Italians to the exclusion of other races, yet admits that they need more attention than some other bees, in so far as early brood-rearing is concerned.

Mr. Mickwitz says that for winter stores the bee-keepers in Finland and some other European countries, use a preparation called “nectarin,” in preference to honey or sugar-the latter being all beet, no cane-sugar being used there. The winters are very cold, and the bees are often confined to the hives for a long season without the option of a flight, so no doubt the foodsupply is a very important factor in wintering-indeed, it is the main factor here in our country, too.

In reading over Mr. Mickwitz's chatty and interesting letter, I was led to wonder how he in such a short time became so familiar with the English language a language which is generally classed by linguists as being difficult to learn. In the whole letter I doubt if there is a mistake in spelling or punctuation, and yet when he arrived in America a little over two years ago, he could not speak a word of English. It certainly speaks volumes for his ability and "sticktoitiveness," in that he so thoroughly mastered so

great a task in so short a time. Many who heard him speak at the Detroit convention, in 1908, will remember that it was quite difficult for him to express himself, and when he came to our place last fall I was surprised to see how fluently he could then talk in our language.

An amusing incident just comes to mind in connection with the language in question, and I feel prompted to relate it to the readers of this Journal. On the first day of Mr. Mickwitz's visit with us, I happened to receive a sample of some splendid basswood honey from a bee-keeper near Lake Erie. After the two of us had generously sampled it, he turned to me and asked how I liked it.

I replied in a serious manner, that to me it tasted "morish." He looked a bit quizzical, but offered no reply at the time, although I could see that he was doing a bit of figuring on his own account. Shortly afterwards, while he was sitting at the type-writer in the next room, I heard a jolly "Ha, ha, mor-ish-like more. Pretty good, pretty good." The incident shows how thoroughly he had mastered the intricacies and idioms of the language-even when he could discern the meaning likely to be attached to such an expression as I had made.

How I wish I could speak the mother tongue of Mr. Mickwitz, for indeed I would then look forward to visiting him some day in his far off home; as it is, I count it a great privilege to be able to correspond with him, and thus keep in touch in a measure with the bee-keeping methods of his country.

Before dropping the subject for the time, I might also add that Mr. Mickwitz is thoroughly imbued with the socalled American system of bee-keeping, and will practice it in his operations. It appeals to the writer as being a fortunate circumstance toward bringing about a better understanding between European and American bee-keepers, as one so gifted as Mr. Mickwitz can not but be a help towards that desired end.

"A Hint to the Wise," Etc.

It is generous of the Editor to tell the readers of the Journal that I did not put that heading to the "busy beeman item" in last issue of Canadian Beedom, but he might have gone farther and told them also that he was printing a private note sent along with the regular stuff-said note being a sort of apology for my being late in sending the copy. Don't any of you run away with the idea that I work half as hard as that note would intimate, for as a matter of fact I am somewhat like the bees-work like fun sometimes, and then loaf a whole lot at other times.

Just as to what form of revenge I will take on our Editor over the matter, I have not yet decided. Any hints from readers will be acceptable.

[Again Mr. Byer did not put the above heading on this item.-EDITOR.]

A Variable Season

Right up to May 12th the weather was cold-so very cold for the time

American Bee Journal

of the year. Since that date it has been hot-very hot even for the month of June. About June 15th, clover started to yield, and at present (June 23) the flow is fine.

But, unfortunately, the most of the bees in the country are not prepared to take full advantage of the flow, as during the first week of June the old field-bees in the most of my colonies seemed to melt away out of sight in a

discouraging manner. For the opening of this heavy flow, I have baby bees and great quantities of brood-many colonies that filled the supers with bees in May are not now strong enough to enter the supers. The length of time the flow lasts will gauge the amount of surplus honey I will obtain, but at present I am not counting on very much clover honey.

More about this next month.

Southern Beedom

Conducted by Louis H. SCHOLL, New Braunfels, Tex.

The Albany National Meeting Albany, N. Y., should be a pretty nice place to hold a great, big meeting of bee-keepers next fall. Let us who can go at all prepare to go and have a great, big time. Let us begin anew; wake up from our long sleep, as it were, and revive matters pertaining to beekeepers' conventions once more. It has seemed as if we have been playing "Rip Van Winkle" for the last several years, and have left much undone toward making our annual meetings what they should be. Why should our interest be waning? Is our industry getting to be of less importance to us, that we have lost that enthusiasm, that energy and interest that used to possess us when it came the time for going to the annual bee-meetings? What say you?

"Chunk," "Canned," "Cut," or "Bulk" Comb Honey?

These are a variety of names used for one and the same thing. But what's the use of having so many? Besides, there is only one right one, or only one that covers all the others, so let's get into the habit of using this one-the right one.

"Chunk" honey is so much used, but I venture to say that most of the users of this term do not know just why they use it. It may be all right to apply this to chunks of comb honey taken from bee-trees or "gums," etc., but when we talk of our bulk comb honey we do not include for a moment such stuff as "chunk" honey from bee-trees and box-hives.

"Canned" comb honey has been a term suggested for bulk comb honey, but not all of the bulk comb honey is put up in cans, or "canned;" therefore, this term does not apply.

"Cut" comb honey is given to comb honey cut up into small squares and wrapped up into fancy packages. We might also have "boxed" comb honey which is put up in fancy tins made to hold a pound or so of fancy comb honey.

But, after all, it is bulk comb honey, no matter how it is put up for the market. The method of production will be the same for all, and it will be produced in bulk in frames, hence is bulk comb honey.

Therefore, all that has been men

tioned in our articles thus far, and our articles to follow, will cover all these styles of honey under one term-bulk comb honey. As soon as we get to our articles under putting up bulk comb honey for the market, the readers will find that we have many ways for putting up this product in a nice, neat, attractive and sensible way, to meet all demands, from the poorest to the richest purchaser, for the consumer, the retailer and the jobber. This includes tin cans, pails and boxes, glass jars of various sizes and shapes, and several varieties of fancy paper cartons and other packages.

So it will be remembered that all the comb honey produced other than section honey, must come under the one head of "bulk comb honey."

Texas Solid in Bulk-Comb Honey

That Texas was as solid on bulkcomb honey as our map shows, very few of our readers have been able to realize, although much has been written and said on the subject. Nevertheless, it is a fact that more bulk-comb honey is produced in Texas than all the other kinds put together. And then, since it takes extracted honey to fill up the containers of comb honey, to make what is known as "bulk-comb honey," we could take the extracted honey produced in Texas to fill up with the comb honey that is not already bulk-comb honey, and "Texas would be solid on bulk-comb honey."

The Texas bulk-comb honey map was built by a colony of bees belonging to one of the writer's friends, Mr. Willie Wiede, of Maxwell, Tex. It was shown last fall at both the Dallas State Fair and the San Antonio International Fair, where it attracted great attention. It captured the first prize on special designs in comb honey, at both places. The map is beautifully built of white comb. It measures about 2 feet square, for the frame work and all. Mr. Wiede has received many congratulations for his skill in obtaining this piece of beekeepers' art.

Knowing a Good Thing

Jimson Ragweed, on page 193, is right, in that we Texans know a good thing when we see it. Consequently our annual output of millions of pounds of bulk-comb honey is consumed here

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American Bee Journal

at home, and the outsiders, in other States, see very little of Texas honey. Other States could do as well as we if they would. If it be remembered that the great Lone Star State is the leading honey producer in the Union, produces more honey than any other State, while its population is comparatively less, for its great size, than the Northern and Eastern States, it must be plain that these States with a greater population, ought to consume a great deal more honey instead of having to ship it to other markets.

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Bulk-comb honey has solved the problem for us, and we know a good thing when we see it. We long ago overcame the question Dr. Bohrer propounds on page 190. 'But isn't extracted honey produced a little cheaper than bulk-comb either section or honey?" is an old question that has been put to us many times. And it has been downed just as often by the very fact that when the consumers want comb honey they do not want extracted. If section honey is too high in price (which it is for the great masses), then they want no honey at all. Here is where bulk-comb honey fills the bill, and no amount of arguing can do away with it. We have proven this to our entire satisfaction in the most extensive way for a number of years, and in our articles we have only tried to set forth its merits, but not with the idea of forcing a method of honey production upon others, except to give our extensive experience to those who desire it, and to those who have asked for it.

Painting Hives

That this subject was settled long ago has been my opinion of the matter, despite the fact that Dr. Miller, and one or two others, for some reason or other, still hold on to their idea of finding objections to painting hives. But every once in a while out it crops again. This it should not do, for a very serious reason, and that reason is this: A beginner has no business to

National Bee-Keepers' Association

General Manager. N. E. FRANCE, Platteville, Wis.

If any member of the National wants a copy of my State Inspector's Annual Report for Wisconsin, and will write me for it, I will gladly mail a copy of it.

A renewal of membership was just received from a bee-keeper who has kept bees the greatest number of years continuously-88 years, I believe. The member is John Cline, of Darlington, Wis. The "boys" stay with us.

The membership of the National today (June 18) is 3885. It will be more than 4000 by the time of the National meeting. There are a few who should renew now, but after the honey-harvest all will attend to that, surely.

Many report that their bees are doing well. Today we began extracting, and took off a ton of honey. My son, who does all the uncapping, says of all the several methods of uncapping honey, he prefers the steam-heated knife.

Albany, N. Y., has been selected by the Executive Committee as the place of meeting for the National Bee-Keepers' Association this year. It will be held October 12 and 13, in the Common Council Chamber of the City Hall.

Get ready for a very large and enthusiastic meeting. Every bee-keeper who can possibly arrange to be present should attend this meeting. Particulars as to the date, program, etc., will be announced later. Watch the beepapers for it.

The program of the next meeting of the National Association is being prepared. It promises to be one of the best meetings the National has held in many years. If the honey crop should prove to be a good one between now and that time, the attendance ought to be a record-breaker.

A bee-keeper sent his National dues claiming he wanted help at once as his swarms alighted on his neighbor's apple-trees, and the neighbor with a revolver said he would shoot trespassers. He claimed the bees ruined his apples, and sucked the juice from his onions! How is that for charges?

The number of copies of the last Annual Report of the National are getting low, but so long as there are any left I will mail a copy to each new member. Also, for 4 cents for postage on each copy, I will mail to any one other back numbers of Reports, as there are a few of them still left, if they are ordered.

Contributed Articles

know of Dr. Miller's tenacity for un- Swarms and Swarming Why allayed until the wise purpose of Crea

painted hives, as it will only mislead him. Since a beginner is only too likely to follow a great authority, is the very reason. There are too few reasons for not painting the hives to warrant it in all localities, or even in some of them, Dr. Miller's not excepted, and since the great majority the world over paint their hives, have good reason for doing so, and find that it pays to do so, the writer being only one of them, let it be a settled matter that the majority rules, and hives should be painted.

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This is a booklet of 86 pages, written by Mr. J. W. Rouse, of Missouri. It is mainly for beginners-amateur beekeepers-as its name indicates. It is a valuable little work, revised this year, and contains the methods of a practical, up-to-date bee-keeper of many years' experience. It is fully illustrated. Price, postpaid, 25 cents; or with the American Bee Journal one year both for $1.10. Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal, 146 West Superior St., Chicago, Ill.

· Bees Swarm

BY D. M. MACDONALD.

An investigation of the prime factors causing swarming may be the best means for clearing the atmosphere and giving us a clearer vision of the whole enigma, because, for all that has been written on the subject, we still only see as through a glass darkly.

1. Heat is a prime factor beyond a doubt. As certain as that the temperature will rise to a certain height, so certain is it that the feverish spirit of unrest will guide the Spirit of the Hive to teach the prescient little workers that the four corners of their hive is not the whole world; but that strange fields and pastures new await them, ready to bless, and be blessed, by their welcome labors.

2. A honey-glut, perhaps unexpected and unannounced comes suddenly on. The queen's domain is appropriated by the laborers that must store the prized nectar in every available cell. With gay abandon cells are formed and the swarming fever is generated, not to be

tion is fulfilled. "Multiply and replenish the earth" is their guide and motto. Every single atom of the 40,000 inhabitants of that hive has got the sentiment permeating every fibre of its being, and the teeming thousands act as if they were one sentient whole, with every heart and mind bent on one single object.

3. Brood congestion, from whatever cause, evolves discontent. So many youngsters issuing cause a glut of the nurse element in the community. The thousands of young bees issuing every 24 hours produce too much chyle food, which goes to waste, because others have been before them at every open cell flooding the young larvæ with "pap" food. The competition is in fact so keen that the majority of the nurses find their occupation gone, consequently too many of the hive inhabitants are numbered among the unemployed. Satan finds some mischief still for idle bees to do, and so a spirit of discontent and unrest arises because they can neither toil nor spin. Therefore we have another swarming fever generator in this state of congestion.

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American Bee Journal

4. A confined space for the queen's ovipositing is one of the main causes of swarming, says the advocate of the large hive to the small hive disciples, and of course in a measure there is at least a modicum of truth in the contention for small hives, i. e., those affording the queen only a circumscribed brood-area are fertile factories for begetting the swarming instinct, although, of course, the small-hive man has it in his power to overcome this drawback in quite a number of different ways without any resort to "Draper's barns" or Jumbo hives. The fact remains, however, that a queen simply must oviposit while in the full flush of her laying, even to the laying of several eggs in a single cell, or by dropping them promiscuously about. What can the far-seeing worker do to ease the tension but look ahead and trust to fortune for the establishment and fitting up of some new home.

5. A lack of super space on a hive during a full flow will act just as it did in the time of our forefathers who worked under the defective system of small straw hives. Early in the season even bees began to bunch out on warm days around and above the entrance until the flight-board and front of the hive were black with them, and great festoons hung down bunching from the floor-board right to the ground. Pursuing the same short-sighted policy with our modern hives, what can we expect but that bees will act in the same way as they did in the bad old days? That we know a cure is easily and quickly applied is of little use unless the knowledge is acted upon.

6. When a queen is no longer young, some instinct teaches the bees that they should look ahead and prepare for future contingencies. Their prophetic vision reveals to them that annihilation must follow the loss of a mother-bee at a season of the year when they have no means of securing a successor, and so, taking time by the forelock, they proceed to anticipate that untoward event by making hay while the sun shines; or, in other words, creating one or more queens to meet all possible danger of sinking into nothingness. The doctrine so frequently enunciated, "Keep only young queens," is simply a lesson taught us by the wisdom of the bees.

a

7. That certain strains and races of bees are inveterate swarmers is truism which needs only to be named, for no one will seek to dispute the point. Carniolans, for instance, have been known to send out at least six swarms in one day, although there are Carniolans and Carniolans, because it may be charitably presumed that the devil is not so black as he is sometimes painted.

8. Ventilation is certainly a prime factor to be reckoned with in producing or hindering swarming. I am not indeed prepared to say that it is the chief, but taken in conjunction with one or two of the other points enumerated, it is the one requiring most care and attention from the bee-keeper. Take a hive boiling over with bees, a broiling hot sun with a temperature at fever heat, a confined brood-area, a small surplus space, combined with a small entrance, and we have a concatenation

of circumstances which almost inevitably leads to swarming, let the bees be of whatever race or strain they please. The cause is there, and result follows

cause.

9. An overplus of drones in a colony of workers is undesirable. Their presence seems to lead the minds of the Amazonian host astray from wholehearted thoughts of industry. A spirit of unrest seizes them, and they connect the presence of so many males with a necessity for the construction of queencells, and immediately chaos follows. Nothing but swarming will cool the fever.

10. Location balks considerably in begetting the desire. Certain sites and surroundings produce the crave. Absence of shade, full exposure to the sun, an over-sheltered cosy nook, each of these, or all combined, generate the impulse. Hives kept in such positions breed the "bacillus" more readily than where the apiary is in an open, exposed situation.

11. Stimulative feeding by causing active breeding early in the season raises thoughts in the workers' cra

the sign of mating repeated the flight, but not that the repeated mating had taken place.

Dzierzon (Bienenzeitung, 1861, page 15); Huber (Huber, Kliene, 1856, No. I, page 46), however, saw in two cases queens which had returned with the sign of copulation, fly out again and return once more with the same sign. The same was observed by Gutler (Bienenzeitung, 1857, page 11;); Hempel (Bienenzeitung, 1861, page 118;) and Leuckhart (Bienenzeitung, 1867,)

There may be many obstacles hindering the sperm from entering into the spermatheca, and the lust of the queen, not satisfied, may press her for more mating flights.

All these observations, which I have found quoted in Berlepsch's book ("The Bee" third edition, 1873), however, confirm that a queen once fecundated and laying eggs does not fly out again unless to lead a swarm. Trieste, Austria.

niums which would never have entered No. 2.-Spanish - Needle and

there if they had been left to their own devices; therefore, if possible, let stimulation alone wherever possible, if there is a desire to curb swarming.

12. Checks or hindrances to the free movement and intercourse of the bees in the hive interior mean temptations and inducements to the bees to beget the swarming fever. Many of these might be named, such as small entrances, badly fitting frames, bad spacing, and chiefly the use of excluder zinc. Next month, Some Means of Prevention.

Banff, Scotland.

Catnip

BY C. P. DADANT.

In my young days I was told that the bees harvest a great deal of honey from the goldenrod, and I was of course convinced that the bright yellow honey gathered during the blooming of that plant was harvested from it, although the quantity of such honey often seemed to me very large for the limited number of goldenrod blossoms in the vicinity. But after a few years, while watching the results, I noticed that the bees were rarely to be seen upon goldenrods at a time when they came home laden with golden honey and them

Queens Mating More than Once selves covered with a bright yellow

BY ALEX. SCHROEDER.

Under this heading I have found an article in the January American Bee Journal. Seldom, but yet sometimes, it is an advantage in getting old, inasmuch as we can remember what the younger folks cannot! The mating, more than once of queen-bees is not new to me, and I will cite a few instances when repeated matings of queen-bees were observed, which I hope will be of interest to the American bee-keepers.

In the year 1875, Janscha, of Vienna, Austria, in his book "Complete Instruction of Bee-Keeping," on page 6, stated that a queen-bee was fecundated only once for her lifetime. In rare cases the mating done but once may not bring about a perfect fecundation (filling of the spermatheca) von Siebold (Bienenzeitung, 1867, page 159); as Dzierzon (Theoric and Praxis), 1849, page 106; (Bienenzeitung, 1853, page 44; 1861, page 14;) Baron Berlepsch, Vogel (Bienenzeitung, 1858, page 19;) Hemmann (Bienenzeitung, 1860, page 213;) Rothe (Bienenzeitung, 1864, page 168)-have all seen queen-bees fly out again more than once, which they had observed to return with the sure sign of consummated mating. In all these cases, however, it was observed that the queens that had returned to their hives with

pollen which gave a tint to everything inside of the hive. The goldenrod blossoms were then visited mainly by a large black beetle which remained upon them for hours.

I became convinced that something else was producing this abundant harvest, and soon discovered the "Spanish-needle," a low, marshy plant with a fine yellow blossom in the shape of the sunflower, but of small diameter. There are several kinds of this plant, classed among the Composite family under the name of "bidens "-in French, "bident," or two-toothed, thus named from the two or more teeth, sharp and armed with bristles, which the seed carries and which cause it to stick to clothes or to the hair of animals.

The bidens, burr-marigold, beggarticks, Spanish-needles belong mainly to wet soils in this latitude. We find it along the ponds or the marshy places of our prairies and of the Mississippi sloughs. It also grows in dry spots, but much less profusely. Some varieties have no yellow petals to the flowers, yet this does not prevent them from producing a very great amount of the noxious seeds.

The smell of the yellow Spanishneedle bloom is very readily recognized, reminding me of a field of mustard or rape, such as is grown in many parts of Europe. It was this peculiar

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