ma Eo ae er re eet » ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New YORK STATE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS BEEKEEPING LIBRARY DATE DUE GAYLORD Cornell University vig SF 523.C771 188Q Uthed The bee-keeper’s ‘i ii PRINTEDINU.S.A Bee-Keepers Guide; MANUAL ona APIARY, Ar GOOl, Professor of Entomology IN THE MICHIGAN STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. ELEVENTH EDITION. REVISED, ENLARGED, MOSTLY RE-WRITTEN, AND BEAUTIFULLY: ILLUSTRATED, THIRTEENTH THOUSAND. LANSING, MICHIGAN, 1884. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, by ALBERT J. COOK, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. TO THE REVEREND L. L. LANGSTROTH, THE INVENTOR OF THE MOVABLE FRAME ATIVE, THE HUBER OF AMERICA, AND ONE OF THE GREATEST MASTERS OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE, AS RELATING TO APICULTURE, IN THE WORLD; THIS MANUAL IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED BY VHE AUTHOR. PREEACE. In 1876, in response to a desire frequently expressed by my apiarian friends, principally my students, I published an edition of 8,000 copies of the little unpretending ‘‘ Manual of the Apiary.” This was little more than the course of lectures which I gave annually at the College. In less than two years this was exhausted, and the second edition, enlarged, revised, and much more fully illustrated, was issued. So great was the sale that in less than a year this was followed by the third and fourth editions, and, in less than two years, the fifth edition (seventh thousand) was issued. In each of the two following years, another edition was de- manded. In each of these editions the book has been enlarged, changes made and illustrations added, that the work might keep pace with our rapidly advancing art. So great has been the demand for this work, not only at home and in Europe, but even in more distant lands, and so great has been the progress of apiculture—so changed the views and methods of our best bee-keepers, that the author vi. Preface. feels warranted in thoroughly revising and entirely recasting this eighth edition (tenth thousand). Not only is the work re-written, but much new matter, and many new and costly illustrations are added. In this edition, the author also assumes the duties of pub- lisher. In bidding adieu to the old publisher, I wish pub- licly to express my high appreciation, and deep sense of obli- gation for the able manner in which Mr. Newman has per- formed his share of the work. I shall still hope for his wise counsel and advice, from which I shall surely profit in the future as in the past. For this, as also for the able opin- ions of many other of the first apiarists of America and Europe, I wish to express most grateful acknowledgments. It is the desire and determination of the author that this work shall continue to be the exponent of the most improved apiculture ; and no pains will be spared, that each succeeding edition may embody the latest improvements and discoveries wrought out by the practical man and the scientist, as gleaned fron. the excellent home and foreign apiarian and scientific periodicals. A. J. COOK. State Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich., April, 1883. SON UTENT S: INTRODUCTION. PAGE AW.DO: May GG p Bees evciciscenccssyvscnctehus stun sadics lsencoungnrexsvessieh oaaladarensocteuriaies 1 Specialists... 1 Amateurs..... 1 Who are Specially Interdicted 2 Inducements to Bee-Keeping... 2 Recreation 2 Profits... vis 3 Excellence as an Amateur Pursuit... 3 Adaptation to Women 5 Improves the Mind and the Observation ... 7 Yields Delicious Food 7 Adds to the Nation’s Wealth..... 8 What Successful Bee-keeping Requires 8 Mental Effort 8 Experience Necessary.... 8 Learn from Others.... 9 Aid From Conventions... 9 Aid from Bee Publications .. 9 American Bee Journal 9 Gleanings in Bee Culture 10 Bee-Keepers’ Magazine 1 ll Bee-Keepers’ Exchange. Bee-Keepers’ Guide seeraiceee, Lill Kansas Bee-Keeper lL The California Apiarist .. 11 Books for the Apiarist 11 Langstroth on the Honey-Bee... 11 Quinby’s Mysteries of Bee-Keeping. 12 King’s Text-Book.... 12 ABCof Bee Culture. 12 vill. Contents. Bees and Honey.................. + Ble@SSed BeOS ivusccssceirra snlesassecencuiesen sn nacueesesees aby Foreign Publications... 0.0.6.0. 0. cee ceceeseeeteeene British Bee-JOuUPMAL .......:0. cscsseteesssssnreseseeas Foreign Books........... Promptitude... Enthusiasm..........0....... PART IT. NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HONEY BEE, CHAPTER I. The Bee’s Place in the Animal Kingdom...... 19 Branch of the Honey-PBee 2... 2. cee 19 The Class of the Huoney-Bee... 20 Sub-Class of the Honey-Bee. 22 Order of the Honey-Bee .......... 23 Family of the Honey-Bee 25 The Genus of the Honey-Bee... 30 Species of our Honey-Bees vce eee ee cee 34 Varieties of the Honey-Bee ww... ee 35 German or Black Bee 35 Ligurian or Italian.......... 35 The Syrian and Cyprian Races aedskaedy aire: Other Races .....cccccccrsserosrere sd O8 Bibliography dtnenae: 89) Valuable Books for the Student of Entomology........ccccecsceceesecesseee 42 CHAPTER Il. Anatomy and Physiology ............ 43 Anatomy of Insects......0.0.0... 43 Organs of the Head 43 Appendages of the Thorax oe. 50 Internal Anatomy of Insects 52 Secretory Organs of Insects.... 57 Sex Organs of Insects.............. 58 Transformations of Insects . The Egg The Larva of Insects. The Pupa of Insects.. The Imago Stage. Incomplete Transformation .. Contents. ix. PAGE Anatomy and Physiology of the HoneysBee. 66 Three Kinds of Bees in each Family 66 The Queen Bee.. . 66 The Drones......... . 79 THO NGUtere OF W OLKOLS . ccccossossncerecavcanivrnciomariers sacenanncene eadeconts . 83 CHAPTER III. Swarming, or Natural Methods of INcrease.........ccccccesecsscececesesntceesseee 96 CHAPTER IV. Products of Bees, their Origin and Function. ER ONGY. i sacaveaceraseavessverpvepsacdatersdoceinn 99 Wa Xesssiscoes 101 Pollen, or Bee-Bread . 107 Propolis ay ae z Bibliography iiscisscscsaasivesiisersvesedecseccsonave tas sae dabsestecssdeeseavonddcon . 110 PART IT. THE APIARY, ITS CARE AND MANAGEMENT. INTRODUCTION. lactis 20 A DIRT, scseesieccoamnesenl varesnonyenrascnereeia eceeei Ca eesremmertn Preparation .....ceeseeeeese eee Read a good Manual Visit some Apiarist. Take a College Course.. Decide on a Plan How to Procure first Colonies.. Kind of Bees to Purchase In what Kind of Hives When to Purchase. How Much to Pay.. Where to Locate.... CHAPTER V. Hives and Sections... Box-Hives............ Movable Comb Hives.... Early Frame Hives The Langstroth Hive. x Contents. Character of the Hive The Bottom Board.......... The Alighting Board. The Cover of the Hive The Frames How to Construct the Frames.........08 A Block for making Frames ......... 0.0... Cover LOL FLAMES) sicsissssscssncecasicbirunie- saedaine Division Board .... The Huber Hive Observing Hive. Apparatus for Broo: ing Conn’ ae y Surplus Comb Honey in Sections. Requisites of Good Sections .............. DeSCriptiONsccccaiivsien sooicdiceee sacri How to Place Sections in Pasian. srakntendietactarntvens a Sections in Frames. 0... 00... Foot Power Saw .. ... see cee CHAPTER VI. Fosition and Arrangement Of APiary .. ......-.cccccccssssee seesessscteee oo ceseeseees 152 Fosition. Arrangement of Grounds . 152 Preparation for each Colony... cece sents eee 153 CHAPTER VII. Ne TLANS LOT BECS isaoseatcscrvescweeee Gnoaaars dueecediuoae dere el cee nes easasasaaey oasenevse went 158 The Olds M ethos. ss ccasaie cutaway sitis aeutioneteenande ress Hunting BeesTreests, sc. sscnsciwin teiaseoveets anwnecacsasevadevapageagen CHAPTER VIII. Feeding And Peed ers sic ccraccasateesdreasssveunse seuss seat diva dons ascsveeactesteies How much to Feed. se Fintdase WHat tO; MOOG 1.5. cccwise anvcssetncesstencicestdewertdaneteodcenees HOW tO FOGG sesciscnsse nese aievs sniencaen yew aegeeamensteagiieve 4 eataeniecs dense SMI Dy WCC MOT isos Assocs vse oa ensancetnssdoxcxcshatomeny acs dvs uos Samer auanss tdenedeesoeeen . 164 CHAPTER IX. Queen Rearing. ..---s0. eceeeeeeeree eee How to Rear Queen Nuclei.......... Queen Lan, NUIsery......c.. Increase of Colonies Italians and Italianizing. Contents. xi. PAGE Fertile Westlears:, Saatcadeen aus gehes sea nanemmapenonaaees ee Queen Register, or Aplary Register ........ CHAPTER X. To Prevent Second Swarms To Prevent Swarming...........055 How to Multiply Colonies with ith best Results. DEVIC Oo orntsaGisataaetvicesscseieit i eenteets HOW tO Divide, c.secnnssisessssssecsosnes 188 The new Races of Bees... What Bees shall we Keep? How to Italianize How to introduce a Queen Valentine’s Comb Stand To get our Italian Queens ....,....... To Ship Queens... Viallon Candy The Good Candy Preparations to Ship. To Move Colonies CHAPTER XII. Extracting, and. the WXtractOrss s.cssissiciccscscsccsasecsssaconocdoreseotdsatesavescsversserbea) 205 Working for Comb Honey ..... Honey Extractor... Use of Extractor. When to use the Ristenetor vaadacies How to Extract. To Keep Extracted Honey.. CHAPTER NIII. Points to Consider........... To Secure Strong Colonies......... To avoid the Swarming Fever. xii. Contents. Adjustment 01 Sections ....... Getting Bees into Sections... Removal Of SECtONS. «. :sssciciscecescesesseasscews cecenasasisaveargeoaavseeresserovesecsassrens 217 CHAPTER XIV. Handling Bees.......cccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee The Best Bee-Veil To quiet Bees Bellows Smoker... The Quinby Smoker. Chloroform To Cure Stings The Sweat Theory The Bee-Tent WOT BO WN ALLO Wis cies cee askdososbccseapnaicvzisyouacescete toeasdaaieys iatiaecatacsesceveoeccwoesee 2 History American Foundation The Press for Foundation........ How Foundation is Made.. To Secure Wax ........ Use of Foundation.. To fasten the Foundation . Wired Frames. i Methods........... wees 236 Marketing Honey How to invigorate the Market.. Preparation for Market... Extracted Honey How to Tempt the Consumer Comb: Honey sc diceccasvousnsetectes eases Rules to be Observed............. Marketing Bees.. Selling Queens spi drict Selling Bees by the Pound.... Vinegar from Honey... Fairs and the Market..........0.. What Should we Have? ... Effects:of Such: Exibits in. ...cccsscisvstinspessacsenesseasevesteces . 243 Contents. xiii. CHAPTER XVII. PAGE BDMOY ZPUAMUS saasdavecvessvedd Mh awavsesevatiss a anccecs cites saeecauensdectibartasdcesunceravianeiaeasedes 240. Real Honey Dew. +. 252 Sweet Sap and Juices. 253 What are the Valuable Honey Plante:? sssssssscs .. 254 Description with Practical Remarks.............. .. 258 March Plants........ April Plants.......... May Plants... ‘xne Plant »uly Plants.. August and September Plants.. Books on Botany Practices! Contluslonsnssnimsarnincinmnmomen ommameccmntinnnioxemees 291 . 278 W'ntering Bees ‘he causes of Disastrous Wintering. "ne Requisite to Safe Wintering—Good Food... *kacure Late Breeding fo Secure and Maintain the P. ox for Packing Shaff Hives Rules for Their Us “Vintering in Bee Fras: Wintering in Cellar...... Furying Bees, or Clamps... : Bes (poring sD Wid lin Gi. caer osesssnemscsostoddens ooveonctsaaes aadiseanned dnbyetummanosaenececateesa Proper Temperature.. CHAPTER NIX. ™ ne House Apiary and Bee House Bee: House iscccsissecsssssesesssvesdavsssevess CHAPTER XX. Evils That Confront the Apiarist.scc.....ccsercscsoessaccesssesaccesenssseseasstesvstssoasces 308 Robbing.. Disease... Znemies of Bees The Bee Moth. History... a ReMedies.......ccesveeveeee teviosassegee’ woe O16 xiv Calendar an ds ARTOMG, ci ssccseosececneanedes vdesngctnas (eaierdeapsipael ctsuescabaperssagecesaeee wen B88 Work for Different Month Contents Two Destructive Beetles..... .......ccsce0 < cassesscssssssesserseressesseseseess cee 317 Robber W168). o.credi ses csnrsenes eaescsiees The Stinging Bug. Bee-Hawk............. Tachina Fly.... Bee-Louse The Cow-Killer.... The Praying Mantis Blister Beetles icici cssessescesveaciezsswces Wasps..... Spiders... The King Bird... The Toads.......... Mice...... Shrews. CHAPTER XXI. January . August. September.. October ...... November.. December... ASIOMS ie ciicenccsencees pcanadurspiee saceciadcdsvevoieaustarsussdasuocotsactboneatdae tiie. sbausveeratets 336 INTRODUCTION. WHO MAY KEEP BEES. SPECIALISTS. Any person who is cautious, observing, and prompt to do whatever the needs of his business require, with no thought of delay, may make apiculture a specialty with almost certain pene of success. He must also be willing to work with partan energy during the busy season, and must persist, though sore discouragement, and even dire misfortune, essay to thwart his plans and rob him of his coveted gains.. I make no mention of capital to begin with, or territory on which to locate; for men of true metal—men whose energy of mind and body bespeak success in advance—will solve these ques- tions long before their experience and knowledge warrant their assuming the charge of large apiaries. AMATEURS. Apiculture, as an avocation, may be safely recommended to those of any business or profession who possess the above named qualities and control a little space for their bees, either a yard a few rods from street and neighbor, or a flat roof where hives may securely rest (C. F. Muth, of Cincinnati, keeps his bees very successfully on the top of his store, in the very heart of the city), and who are able to devote a little time, when re- quired, to the care of their bees. The amount of time will of course vary with the number of colonies kept, but with proper management this time may be given at any period of the day or week, and thus not interfere with regular business. Thus residents of country, village, or city, male or female, who may wish to associate with and study natural objects, and add to 2 Introduction. their income and pleasure, will find here an ever waiting oppor- tunity. To ladies, shut out from fresh air and sunshine till pallor and languor point sadly to departing health and vigor, and to men whose business precludes air and exercise, apicul- ture cannot be too highly recommended as an avocation. WHO ARE SPECIALLY INTERDICTED. There are a few people whose systems seem to be specially susceptible to the poison intruded with the bee’s sting. Some- times such persons, if even stung on the foot, will be so thor- oughly poisoned that their eyes will swell so they cannot see, and they will suffer with fever for days, and, very rarely, individ- uals are so sensitive to this poison that a bee-sting proves fatal. I hardly need say that such people should never keep bees. Many persons, among whom were the noted Klein and Gunther, are at first very susceptible to the poison, but if spurred on by their enthusiasm they persist they will soon become so inoculated that they experience no serious injury from the stings. It is a well-recognized fact that each succeeding sting is less power- ful to work harm. Every bee-keeper is almost sure to receive an occasional sting, though with the experienced these are very rare and occasion neither fear nor anxiety. INDUCEMENTS TO BEE-KEEPING. RECREATION, Among the attractive features of apiculture, I mention the pleasure which it offers its votaries. There is a fascination about the apiary which is indescribable. Nature is always presenting the most pleasurable surprises to those on. the alert to receive them, and among the insect hosts, especially bees, the instincts and habits are so inexplicable and marvelous that the student of this department of nature never ceases to meet with exhibitions that move him, not less with wonder than with admiration. Thus bee-keeping affords most wholesome rec- reation, especially to any who love to look upon the book of nature and study the marvelous pages she is ever waiting to present. To such, the very fascination of their pursuit is of itself a rich reward for the time and labor expended. I doubt if there is any other class of manual laborers who engage ,in Inducements to Bee-Iveeping. 3 their business, and dwell upon it, with the same fondness as do bee-keepers. Indeed, to meet a scientific bee-keeper is to meet anenthusiast. A thorough study of the wonderful economy of the hive must, from its very nature, go hand-in-hand with delight and admiration. JI once asked an extensive apiarist, who was also a farmer, why he kept bees. The answer was characteristic: ‘‘ Even if I could not make a good deal the most money with my bees, I should still keep them for the real pleasure they bring me.” » But yesterday I asked the same question of Prof. Daniels, President of the Grand Rapids schools, whose official duties are very severe. Said he: ‘‘ For the restful pleasure which I receive in their management.” I am very sure that were there no other inducement than that of pleasure, I should be slow to part with these models of in- dustry whose marvelous instincts and wondrous life-habits are ever ministering to my delight and astonishment. Some years since I received a visit from my old friend and college class-mate, O. Clute. We visited the apiary, with which he was much pleased. He took the ‘‘ Manual” home with him and at once purchased several colonies of bees. This new work brought great pleasure and recreation, which culmin- ated in that most fascinating book, ‘‘ Blessed Bees.” Though a work of fiction, this can but be read with great pleasure and profit, by every person, whether apiarist or not. PROFITS. The profits of apiculture urge its adoption as a pursuit. When we consider the comparatively small amount of capital invested and the relatively small amount of labor and expense attending its operations, we are surprised at the abundant re- ward that is sure to wait upon its intelligent practice. I do not wish to be understood here as claiming that labor—yes, real, hard, back-aching labor—is not required in the apiary. The specialist, with his hundred or more colonies, will have, at certain seasons, hard and vigorous work, but this will be both pleasant and healthful, and will go hand-in-hand with thought, so that brain and muscle will work together. Yet this time of hard, physical labor will only continue for five or six months, and for the balance of the year the apiarist has, or may have, comparative leisure. Nor do I think that all will succeed. The fickle, careless, indolent, heedless man will 4 Profits of Bee-Keeping. as surely fail in apiculture as in any other calling. But I repeat, in the light of many years of experience, where accurate weight, measure, and counting of change exclude all conjec- ture, that there is no manual labor pursuit where the returns areso large when compared with the labor and expense involved. An intelligent apiarist may invest in bees any spring, in Michigan, with the absolute certainty of more than doubling his investment the first season; while a net gain of 400 per cent. brings no surprise to the experienced apiarists of our state. This of course applies only to a limited number of colonies. Nor is Michigan superior to other states as a loca- tion for the apiarist. During the past season, the poorest I ever knew, our fifteen colonies of bees in the College apiary have netted us over $200. In 1876, each colony gave a net return of $24.04, while in 1875, our bees gave a profit, above all expense, of over 400 per cent. of their entire value in the spring. Mr. Fisk Bangs, who graduated at our College one year since, purchased last spring seven colonies of bees. The proceeds of these seven colonies have more than paid all ex- penses, including first cost of bees, in honey sold, while there are now sixteen colonies as clear gain, if we do not count the labor, and we need hardly do so as it has in no wise interfered with the regular duties of the owner. Several farmers of our state who possess good apiaries and good improved farms, have told me that their apiaries were more profitable than their farms. Who will doubt the profits of apiculture in the face of friend Doolittle’s experience? He has realized $6,000 in five years, simply from the honey taken from fifty colonies. This $6,000 is in excess of all expenses except his own time. Add to this the increase of stocks, and then remember that one man can easily care for one hundred colonies, and we have a graphic picture of apiarian profits. Bee-keeping made Adam Grimm a wealthy man. It brought to Capt. Hetherington over $10,000 as the cash receipts of a single year’s honey crop. It enabled Mr. Harbison, go it is reported, to ship from his own apiary eleven car-loads of comb-honey as the product of a single season. What greater recommendation has any pur- suit? Opportunity for money making, even with hardships and privations, is attractive and seldom disregarded; such opportunity with labor that brings, in itself, constant delight, is surely worthy of attention, Excellence for Amateurs and Women. 5 EXCELLENCE AS AN AMATEUR PURSUIT. Again, there is no business, and I speak from experience that serves so well as an avocation. It offers additional funds to the poorly paid, out-door air to the clerk and office-hand healthful exercise to the person of sedentary habits, and superb recreation to the student or professional man, and especially to him whose life-work is of that dull, hum-drum, routine order that seems to rob life of all zest. The labor required in keeping bees can, with a little thought and management, be so planned, if but few colonies are kept, as not to infringe up- on the time demanded by the regular occupation. Indeed, I have never been more heartily thanked than by such persons as named above, because I had called them to consider—which usually means to adopt—the pleasing duties of the apiary. ADAPTATION TO WOMEN. Apiculture may also bring succor to those whom society has not been over-ready to favor—our women. Widowed mothers, dependent girls, the weak and the feeble, all may find a bless- ing in the easy, pleasant and profitable labors of the apiary. Of course, women who lack vigor and health can care for but very few colonies, and must have sufficient strength to bend over and lift the small-sized frames of comb when loaded with honey, and to carry empty hives. With the proper thought and management, full colonies need never be lifted, nor work done in the hot sunshine. Yet right here let me add, and emphasize the truth, that only those who will let energetic thought and skillful plan, and above all promptitude and persistence, make up for physical weakness, should enlist as apiarists. Usually a stronger body and improved health, the results of pure air, sunshine and exercise, will make each successive day’s labor more easy, and will permit a corresponding growth in the size of the apiary for each successive season. One of the most noted apiarists, not only in America but in the world, sought in bee-keeping her lost health, and found not only health but reputation and influence. Some of the most successful apiarists in our country are women. Of these, many were led to adopt the pursuit because of waning health, grasping at this as the last and successful weapon with which to vanquish the grim monster. : 6 Adaptation to Women. That able apiarist, and terse writer on apiculture, Mrs. L. Harrison, states that the physicians told her that she could not live; but apiculture did for her what the physicians could notdo, restored her to health, and gave her such vigor that she has been able to work a large apiary for years. ; Said ‘“Cyula Linswik”—whose excellent and beautifully written articles have so often charmed the readers of the bee publications, and who has had five years of successful ex eri- ence as an apiarist—in a paper read before our Michigan Con- vention of March, 1877: ‘I would gladly purchase exemp- tion from in-door work, on washing-day, by two days’ labor among the bees, and I find two hours labor at the ironing-table more fatiguing than two hours of the severest toil the apiary can exact.” I repeat, that apiculture offers to many women not only pleasure but profit. Mrs. L. B. Baker, of Lansing, Michigan, who has kept bees very successfully for four years, read an admirable paper be- fore the same Convention, in which she said: ‘But I can say, having tried both, (keeping boarding-house and apicul- ture,) I give bee-keeping the preference, as more profitable, healthful, independent and enjoyable. * * * TI find the labors of the apiary more endurable than working over a cook- stove in-doors, and more pleasant and conducive to health. * 3 =k J believe that many of our delicate and invalid ladies would find renewed vigor of body and mind in the labors and recreations of the apiary. * * * By beginning in the early spring, when the weather was cool and the work light, I became gradually accustomed to out-door labor, and by midsummer found myself as well able to endure the heat of the sun as my husband, who has been accustomed to it all his life. Previously, to attend an open-air picnic was to return with a head-ache. * * * My own experience in the apiary has been a source of interest and enjoyment far exceed- ing my anticipations.” Although Mrs. Baker commenced with but two colonies of bees, her net profits the first season were over $100; the second year but a few cents less than $300; and the third year about $250. ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating;” and such words as those above show that apiculture offers special inducements to our sisters to be- come either amateur or professional apiarists, Affords Mental Discipline. 7 IMPROVES THE MIND AND THE OBSERVATION. Successful apiculture demands close and accurate observa- tion, and hard, continuous thought and study, and this too, in the wondrous realm of nature. In all this, the apiarist re- ceives manifold and substantial advantages. In the cultiva- tion of the habit of observation, a person becomes constantly more able, useful, and susceptible to pleasure—results which also follow as surely on the habit of thought and study. It is hardly conceivable that the wide-awake apiarist, who is so frequently busy with his wonder-working comrades of the hive, can ever be lonely, or feel time hanging heavily on his hands. The mind is occupied, and there is no chance for ennui. The whole tendency of such thought and study, where nature is the subject, is to refine the taste, elevate the desires, and ennoble manhood. Once get our youth, with their sus- ceptible natures, engaged in such wholesome study, and we shall have less reason'to fear the vicious tendencies of the street, or the luring vices and damning influences of the saloon. Thus apiculture spreads an intellectual feast that even the old philosophers would have coveted ; furnishes the rarest food for the observing faculties, and best of all, by keeping its votaries face to face with the matchless creations of the All Father, must draw them toward Him ‘‘who went about doing good,” and ‘‘in whom there was no guile.” YIELDS DELICIOUS FOOD. A last inducement to apiculture, certainly not unworthy of mention, is the offerings it brings to our tables. Health, yea, our very lives, demand that we should eat sweets. It is a truth that our sugars, and especially our commercial syrups, are so adulterated as to be often poisonous. The apiary, in lieu of these, gives us one of the most delicious and whole- some of sweets, which has received merited praise, as food fit for the gods, from the most ancient time till the present day. To ever have within reach the beautiful, immaculate comb, or the equally grateful nectar, right from the extractor, is certainly a blessing of no mean order. We may thus supply our families and friends with a most necessary and desirable food element, and this with no cloud of fear from vile, poison ous adulterations. Z 8 Contributes to the Nation’s Wealth. ADDS TO THE NATION’S WEALTH. An excellent authority places the number of colonies of bees in the United States, in 1881, at 3,000,000, and the honey production, for the year, at more than 200,000,000 Ibs. The production for that year was not up to the average, and yet the cash value of the year’s honey crop exceeds $30,000,000. We may safely add as much more as the value of the increase of colonies, and we have a grand total of $60,000,000, nearly enough to pay the interest on the national debt, were the bonds all refunded. And yet all this is but gathered nectar, which would go to waste were it not for the apiarist and his bees. We thus save to the country that which would other- wise be a total loss. Apiculture then, in adding so immensely to the productive capital of the country, is worthy, as an art, to receive the encouragement and fostering care of the State. And the thought that he is performing substantial service to the State, may well add to the pleasure of the apiarist, as he performs his daily round of labor. WHAT SUCCESSFUL BEE-KEEPING REQUIRES. MENTAL EFFORT. No one should commence this business who is not willing to read, think, and study. To be sure, the ignorant and un- thinking may stumble on success for a time, but sooner or later failure will set her seal upon their efforts. Those of our apiarists who have studied the hardest, observed the closest, and thought the deepest, have even passed the late terrible winters with but slight loss. Of course the novice will ask, ‘‘How and what shall I study?” EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Nothing will take the place of real experience. Commence with a few colonies, even one or two is best, and make the bees your companions at every possible opportunity. Note every change, whether of the bees, their development, or work, and then by earnest thought strive to divine the cause. Requisites to Success. 9 LEARN FROM OTHERS. Great good will also come from visiting other apiarists. Note their methods and apiarian apparatus. Strive by con- versation to gain new and valuable ideas, and gratefully adopt whatever is found, by comparison, to be an improvement upon your own past system and practice. AID FROM CONVENTIONS. Attend conventions whenever distance and means render this possible. Here you will not only be made better by social intercourse with those whose occupation and study make them sympathetic and congenial, but you will find a real conserva- tory of scientific truths, valuable hints, and improved instru- ments and methods. And the apt attention—rendered possible by your own experience—which you will give to essays, dis- cussions, and private conversations, will so enrich your mind that you will return to your home encouraged and able to do better work, and to achieve higher success. I have attended nearly all the meetings of the Michigan Convention, and never yet when I was not well paid for all trouble and expense by the many, often very valuable, suggestions which I received. AID FROM BEE PUBLICATIONS. Every apiarist should take and read at least one of the many excellent bee publications that are issued in our country. It has been suggested that Francis Huber’s blindness was an advantage to him, as he thus had the assistance of two pairs of eyes, his wife’s and servant’s, instead of one. So, too, of the apiarist who reads the bee publications. He has the aid of the eyes, and the brains, of hundreds of intelligent and observing bee-keepers. Who is it that squanders his money on worse than useless patents and fixtures? He who ‘cannot afford” to take a bee-journal. It would be invidious and uncalled for to recommend any one of these valuable papers to the exclusion of the others. Each has its peculiar excellences, and all who can may well secure all of them to aid and direct their ways. American Bee Journal.—This, the oldest bee paper, and the only weekly publication devoted exclusively to apiculture in 10 The Bee-Papers. the world, is not only peculiar for its age, but for the ability with which it has been managed, with almost no exception, even from its first appearance. Samuel Wagner, its founder and long its editor, had few superiors in breadth of culture, strength of judgment, and practical and historic knowledge of apiculture. With what pleasure I remember the elegant, really classic, diction of the editorials, the dignified bearing and freedom from asperities which marked the old American Bee Journal as it made its monthly visits fresh from the editor- ial supervision of Mr. Samuel Wagner. Some one has said that there is something in the very atmosphere of a scholarly gentleman that impresses all who approach him. I have often thought, as memory reverted to the old Journal, or as I have re-read the numbers which bear the impress of Mr. Wagner’s superior learning, that, though the man is gone, the stamp of his noble character and classical culture is still on these pages, aiding, instructing, elevating, all who are so for- tunate as to possess the early volumes of this periodical. I am also happy to state that the Journal is again in good hands. Mr. Newman is an experienced editor, and a man of excellent judgment. As an editor he has fought adulteration with great energy, has done much to exalt the honey market, and has given powerful aid in the work of organizing bee-keepers’ con- ventions. He hasan active mind and is quick to lay hold of that which will aid the bee-keeper; and when I add that he brings to his editorial aid the most able, experienced, and educated apiarists of the world, I surely have spoken high but just praise of the American Bee Journal, whose enviable repu- tation extends even to distant lands. It is edited by Thomas G. Newman, at Chicago. Gleanings in Bee Cultuwre.—This periodical makes up for its brief history of 11 years by the vigor and energy which have characterized it from the first. Its editor is an active apiarist, who is constantly experimenting; a terse, able writer, and brimful of good nature and enthusiasm. I am free to say that in practical apiculture I am more indebted to Mr. Root than to any other one person, except Rev. L. L. Langstroth. I also think that, with few exceptions, he hag done more for the recent advancement of practical apiculture than any other erson in our country. This sprightly journal is edited by A. . Root, Medina, Ohio. Bee-Papers, and Books. 1l Bee-Keepers’ Magazine—This is next to the oldest of our bee papers. It is well edited and has many able contributors. Its persistent efforts against adulteration is specially commendable. It is edited by King, Aspin- wall & Co., New York City. Kansas Bee-Neeper.—Vhe increasing vigor which has marked this paper from the first, gives promise of per- manence and influence. Its editors are able writers and successful bee-keepers. Its writers are among the first apiarists of the country. It is edited by Scovell & Pond, Columbus, Kansas. - Bee-Keepers’ Guide.—This paper has been one of the motive powers in the advancement of apiculture for the lastfew years. Itis edited by an experienced bee-keeper, and is doing its part as one of the auxiliaries to apiarian progress in our country. It is edited by A.G. Hill, Ken- dallville, Indiana. ; American Apiculturist—This, though the youngest of our bee-papers, shows the vigor of manhood. Edited by an experienced bee-keeper, and a trained printer, it at once marches well up to the front. Its editorials are able, and its articles from the most capable of American apiarists. The style of the paper leaves nothing to be desired. Its editor is Silas M. Locke, Salem, Massa- chusetts. BOOKS FOR THE APIARIST. Having read very many of the books treating of api- culture, both American and foreign, I can freely recom- mend such a course to others. Hach book has peculiar excellences, and may be read with interest and profit. Langstroth on the Honey Bee.—This treatise will ever remain a classic in bee-literature. I cannot over-estimate the benefits which I have received from the study of its pages. It was a high, but deserved, encomium, which J. Hunter of England, in his ‘“‘ Manual of Bee-Keeping,” paid to this work: ‘It is unquestionably the best bee- book in the English language.” °* 12 Books for the Bee-Keeper. The style of this work is so admirable, the subject matter so replete with interest, and the entire book so entertaining, that it is a desirable addition to any library, and no thoughtful, studious apiarist can well be without it. It is especially happy in detailing the methods of experimentation, and in showing with what caution the true scientist establishes principles or deduces conclusions. The work is wonderfully free from errors, and, had the science and practice of apiculture remained stationary, there would have been little need of another work; but as some of the most important improvements in apiculture are not mentioned, the book would be a very unsatisfactory guide to the apiarist of to-day. ae ; . Quinby's Mysteries of Bee-Keeping.—This is a plain, sensible treatise, written by one of America’s most successful bee- keepers. The work has just been revised by L. C. Root, who has fully maintained its excellent character. The admirable style and eminent practicality of this work have lost nothing in the revision. Mr. Root is the son-in-law of the late Mr. Quinby, and was fully advised of the latest views and dis- coveries of the great bee-keeper. To these he has added the rich results of his own experience, as well as the latest dis- coveries and methods of the most progressive apiarists. King’s Teat-book.—This work is plain, explicit, fresh, and, gah owing to its cheapness, has had, certainly, next to angstroth’s work, the largest sale of any book of its kind in the country. It has been, therefore, especially in former years, one of the very first agencies in developing and further- ing the interests of bee-keepers. It is not so full as my own work, Langstroth’s, Quinby’s, or the ‘‘A BC of Bee Culture,” but it is an excellent compendium of the art of bee-keeping. A BC of Bee-Culture.—This work is by the editor of Gleanings in Bee Culture. It is arranged in the convenient form of our cyclopedias, is printed in fine style, on beautiful paper, and is well illustrated. I need hardly say that the style is pleasing and vigorous. The subject matter is fresh, and embodies the most recent discoveries and inventions per- taining to bee-keeping. That it may be kept abreast of apiar- ian progress, the type is to be kept in position, so that each new discovery may be added as soon as made. Bees and Honey.—This work is by the editor of the American Bee Journal. It is smaller than others, but contains an epitome Books for the Bee-Keeper. 13 of the science and art of bee-culture. Like all of the other works it has its peculiar excellences, and may well find a place in the library of every progressive apiarist. Blessed Bees.—This fascinating romance is full of practical information, and contagious enthusiasm. Bee Keeper's Handy Book.—This work is by Henry Alley, Wenham, Massachusetts, the veteran queen breeder of America. It gives the principles of breeding, and details all the manipulations necessary to secure the best success in a plain and succinct style. The value of the book is enhanced y an able article from Mr. George House on marketing honey, and one from Silas M. Locke, of Salem, Massachusetts, on the races of the honey bee. It will prove a valuable acquisi- tion to every queen breeders’ library. FOREIGN PUBLICATIONS. The British Bee Journal, as the exponent of apiarian methods and practices, is interesting and valuable to American bee- keepers. It shows that in many things, as in the method of organizing and conducting conventions, so as to make them highly conducive to apicultural progress, we have much to learn from our brothers in Britain. FOREIGN BOOKS. Bevan, revised, though but little changed, by Munn, is exceedingly interesting, and shows by its able historical chap- ters, admirable scientific disquisitions, and frequent quotations and references to practical and scientific writer: on bees and bee-keeping, both ancient and modern, that the writers were men of extensive reading and great scientific ability. The book is of no practical value to us, but by the student it will be read with great interest. ‘‘ The Apiary, or Bees, Bee-Hives, and Bee Culture,” by Alfred Neighbour, London, is a fresh, sprightly little work, and as the third edition has just appeared, is, of course, up with the times. The book is in nice dress, con- cise, and very readable, and I am glad to commend it. A less interesting work, though by no means without merit, is the “‘Manual of Bee-Keeping,” by the late John Hunter, London. This is also recent. The ‘‘ Bee-Keeper’s Guide Book,” by Tho. Wm. Cowen, is asmall book of considerable merit. Parthenogenesis. any reason she fails to mate, her eggs will only produce male bees. This strange anomaly—development of the eggs with- out impregnation—was discovered and proved by Dzierzon, in 1845. Dr. Dzierzon, who, as a student of practical and scien- tific apiculture, must rank with the great Huber, is a Roman Catholic priest of Carlsmarkt, Germany. This doctrine— called parthenogenesis, which means produced from a virgin —is still doubted by some quite able bee-keepers, though the proofs are irrefragable: 1st. Unmated queens will lay eggs that will develop, but drones always result. 2d. Old queens often become drone-layers, but examination shows that the spermatheca is void of seminal fluid. Such an examination was first made by Prof. Siebold, the great German anatomist, in 18438, and later by Leuckart and Leidy. I have myself made several such examinations. The spermatheca can easily be seen by the unaided vision, and by crushing it on a glass slide, by compressing with a thin glass cover, the difference be- tween the contained fluid in the virgin and in the impreg- nated queen is very patent, even with a low power. In the latter it is more viscid and yellow, and the vesicle more dis- tended. By use of a high power, the active spermatozoa or sperm-cells become visible. 3d. Eggs in drone-cells are found by the microscopist to be void of the sperm-cells, which are always found in all other fresh-laid eggs. This most con- vincing and interesting observation was first made by Von Siebold, at the suggestion of Berlepsch. It is quite difficult to show this. Leuckart tried before Von Siebold, at Ber- lepsch’s apiary, but failed. I have also tried to discover these sperm-cells in worker-eggs, but as yet have been unsuccess- ful. Siebold has noted the same facts in eggs of wasps. 4th. Dr. Donhoff, of Germany, in 1855, took an egg from a drone- cell, and by artificial impregnation produced a worker-bee. Such an operation, to be successful, must be performed as soon as the egg is laid. Parthenogenesis, in the production of males, has also been found by Siebold to be true of other bees and wasps, and of some of the lower moths in the production of both males and females. Adler has shown that this agamic reproduction prevails among the Chalcidide, a family of parasitic Hymenop- tera, and it has long been known to characterize the cynips or gall-flies; while the great Bonnet first discovered what may be Parthenogenesis in. Other Insects. 75 noticed on any summer day all about us, even on the house- plants at our very windows, that parthenogenesis is best illus- trated by the aphides, or plant toe. In the fall males anc females appear which mate, when the females lay eggs whicr in the spring produce only females; these again produce only females, and thus on for several generations, till with the colé of autumn come again the males and females. Bonnet ob- served seven successive generations of productive virgins. Duval noted nine generations in seven months, while Kyber observed production exclusively by parthenogenesis in a heated room for four years. So, we see that this strange and almost eae method of increase is not rare in the great insect world. About two days after she is impregnated, the queen, under normal circumstances, commences to lay, usually worker-eggs, and if the condition of the hive impels to no further swarming that season, no drones, will be required and so only worker- eges will be laid. In many localities and in certain favorable years in all localities, however, further swarming will occur. It is frequently noticed that the young queen at first lays ae a number of drone-eggs. Queen-breeders often observe is in their nuclei. This continues for only a few days. This does not seem strange. The act of forcing the sperm-cells from the spermatheca is muscular and voluntary, and that these muscles should not always act promptly at first, is not strange, nor is it unprecedented. Mr. Wagner suggested that the size of the cell determined the sex, as in the small cells the pressure on the abdomen forced the fluid from the sperma- theca. Mr. Quinby also favored this view. I greatly ques- tion this theory. All observing apiarists have known eggs to be laid in worker-cells, ere the cell was hardly commenced, when there could be no pressure. In case of queen-cells, too, if the queen does lay the eggs—as I believe—these would be unimpregnated, as the cell is very large. I know the queen sometimes passes from drone to worker-cells very abruptly while laying, as I have witnessed such a procedure—the same that so greatly rejoiced the late Baron of Berlepsch, after weary hours of watching—but that she can thus control at the instant this process of adding or withholding the sperm-cells certainly seems not so strange as that the spermatheca, hardly bigger than a pin-head, could supply these cells for months, yes, 76 Sex Determined by the Queen. and for years. Who that has seen the bot-fly dart against the horse's legs, and as surely leave the tiny yellow egg, can doubt but that insects possess very sensitive oviducts, and can extrude the minute eggs just at pleasure. That a queen may force single eggs, at will, past the mouth of the spermatheca, and at the same time add or withhold the sperm-cells, is, I think, without question, true. What gives added force to this view is the fact that other bees, wasps and ants exercise the same volition, and can have no aid from cell-pressure, as all the eggs are laid in receptacles of the same size. As al- ready remarked, the males and workers of Apis dorsata are developed in the same sized cells, while the males of A. Indica are smaller than the workers. The Baron of Berlepsch, worthy te be a friend of Dzierzon, has fully decided the matter. He has shown that old drone cells are as small as new worker- cells, and yet each harbors itsown brood. Very small queens, too, make no mistakes. With no drone-cells, the queen will sometimes lay drone-eggs’in worker-cells, in which drones will then be reared, and she will, if she must, though with great reluctance, lay worker-eggs in drone-cells. Before laying an egg, the queen takes a look into the cell, probably to see if all is right. If the cell contains any honey, pollen, or an egg, she usually passes it by, though when crowded, a queen will sometimes, especially if young, insert two or three eggs in a cell, and sometimes, when in such cases she drops them, the bees show their dislike of waste, and appreciation of good living, by making a breakfast of them. If the queen find the cell to her liking, she turns about, in- serts her abdomen, and in an instant the tiny egg is glued in position (Fig. 15, b) to the bottom of the cell. The queen, when considered in relation to the other bees of the colony, possesses a surprising longevity. It is not uncom- mon for her to attain the age of three years in the full posses- sion of her powers, while queens have been known to do good work for five years. Lubbock has queen ants in his nests that are eight years old, and still they are vigorous layers. Queens, often at the expiration of one, two, three or four years, de- pending on their vigor and excellence, cither cease to be fertile, or else become impotent to lay impregnated eggs—the spermatheca having become emptied of its sperm cells. In such cases the workers usually supersede the queen, that is, Longevity and Function of Queen. 77 they rear a new queen, before all the worker-eggs are gone, and then destroy the old one. It sometimes happens, though rarely, that a fine-looking queen, with full-formed ovaries and large spermatheca well- filled with male fluid, will deposit freely, but none of the eggs will hatch. Readers of bee-papers know that I have frequent- ly received such for dissection. The first I ever got wasa remarkably fine looking Italian, received from the late Dr. Hamlin, of Tennessee. All such queens that I have examined seem perfect, even though scrutinized with a high power ob- jective. We can only say that the ege is at fault, as fre- quently transpires with higher animals, even to the highest. These females are barren; through some fault with the ovaries, the eggs grown therein are sterile. To detect just what is the trouble with the egg is a very difficult problem, if it is capable of solution at all. I have tried to determine the ultimate cause, but without success. The function of the queen is simply to lay eggs, and thus keep the colony populous, and this she does with an energy that is fairly startling. A good queen in her best estate will lay two or three thousand eggsa day. I have seen a queen in my oberving hive lay for some time at the rate of four eggs per minute, and have proved by actual computation of brood cells that a queen may lay over three thousand eggs in a day. Langstroth and Berlepsch both saw queens lay at the rate of six eggs a minute. ‘The latter had a queen that laid three thousand and twenty-one eggs in twenty-four hours, by actual count, and in twenty days she laid fifty-seven thou- sand. This queen continued prolific for five years, and must have laid, says the Baron, at a low estimate more than 1,300,- 000 eggs. Dzierzon says queens may lay 1,000,000 eggs, and I think these authors have not exaggerated. Yet, with even these figures as an advertisement, the queen bee cannot boast of superlative fecundity, as the queen white-ant—an insect closely related to the bees in habits, though not in structure, as the white-ants are lace-wings and belong to the sub-order Neuroptera, which includes our day-flies, dragon-flies, ete.— is known to lay over 80,000 eggs daily. Yet this poor help- less thing, whose abdomen is the size of a man’s thumb and composed almost wholly of eggs, while the rest of her body is not larger. than the same in our common ants bas no other 78 Feewndity of Queen. amusement; she cannot walk; she cannot even feed herself, or care for her eggs. What wonder then that she should attempt big things in the way of egg-laying? She has nothing elsc to do, or to feel proud of. Different queens vary as much in fecundity as do different breeds of fowls. Some queens are so prolific that they fairly de- mand hives of India rubber to accommodate them, keeping their hives gushing with bees and profitable activity; while others are so inferior that the colonies make a poor, sickly effort to survive at all, and usually succumb jearly, before those ad- verse circumstances which are ever waiting to confront all life on the globe. The activity of the queen is governed largely by the activity of the workers. The queen will either lay sparingly, or stop altogether, in the interims of storing honey, while, on the other hand, she is stimulated to lay to her utmost capacity when all is life and activity in the hive. This refusal to lay when nectar is wanting does not hold true, apparently, with the Cyprian and the Syrian bees. It would seem that the queen either reasons from conditions, is taught by instinct, or else that without her volition the general activity of the worker-bees stimulates the ovaries, how we know not, to grow more eggs. We know that sucha stimulus is born of desire, in case of the high-holder already referred to. That the queen may have control of the activity of ,her ovaries, either directly or indirectly, through reflex nervous action induced by the general excitement of the bees, which always follows active storing, is not only possible but is quite likely. The old poetical notion that the queen is the revered and admired sovereign of the colony, whose pathway is ever lined by obsequious courtiers, whose person is ever the recipient of loving caresses, and whose will is law in this bee-hive king- dom, controlling all the activities inside the hive and leading the colony whithersoever it may go, is unquestionably mere fiction. In the hive, as in the world, individuals are valued for what they are worth. The queen, as the most important individual, is regarded with solicitude, and her removal or loss is noted with consternation, as the welfare of the colony is threatened; yet, let the queen become useless, and she is despatched with the same absence of emotion that charac- terizes the destruction of the drones when they have become The Drones. 79 supernumeraries. It is very doubtful if emotion and senti- mentality are ever moving forces among the lower animals. There are probably certain natural principles that govern in ike economy of the hive, and anything that conspires against, mm tends to intercept, the action of these principles, becomes an enemy to the bees. All are interested, and doubtless more united than is generally believed, in a desire to promote the free action of these principles. No doubt the principle of an- tagonism among the various bees has been overrated. Even the drones, when they are being killed off in the autumn, make a sickly show of defense, as much as to say, the welfare of the colony demands that such worthless vagrants should be exterminated. The statement that there is often serious antagonism between the queen and workers, as to the destruc- tion or preservation of inchoate queens, yet in the cell, is a matter which may well be investigated. It is most probable that what tends most for the prosperity of the colony is well understood by all, and without doubt there is harmonious action among all the denizens of the hive to foster that which will advance the general welfare, or to make war on whatever may tend to interfere with it. If the course of any of the bees seems wavering and inconsistent, we may rest assured that circumstances have changed, and that could we perceive the bearing of all the surrounding conditions, all would appear consistent and onious. THE DRONES. These are the male bees, and are generally found in the hive only from May to November; though they may remain all winter, and are not infrequently absent during the sum- mer. ‘Their presence or absence depends on the present and prospective condition of the colony. If they are needed, or likely to be needed, then they are present. There are in nature several hundred in each colony. The number may and should be greatly reduced by the apiarist. The drones (Fig. 19) are shorter than the queen, being less than three- fourths of an inch in length, are more robust and bulky than either the queen or workers, and are easily recognized when flying by their loud, startling hum. _As in other societies, the least useful make the most noise. This loud hum is caused by the less rapid vibration of their large, heavy wings Their 80 Description of Drones. flight is more heavy and lumbering than that of the workers. Their ligula, labial palpi and maxille—like the same in the queen bee—are short, while their jaws (Fig. 24, a) possess the rudimentary tooth, and are much the same in form as those of the queen, but are heavier, though not so strong as those of the workers. Their eyes (Fig. 4) are very prominent, meet above, and thus the simple eyes are thrown forward. Their posterior legs are convex on the outside (Fig. 20), so, like the queens, they have no pollen baskets. The drones are without the defensive organ, having no sting, while their special sex-organs (Fig. 12) are not unlike those of other insects, and have already been sufficiently described. Fic. 20. Drone Bee, magnified. Part of Leg of Drone, magnifiea. t—Tibia. p—Broadened tibia and basal tarsus. ts—Joints of Tarsus. c—Claws. \t was discovered by Dzierzon, in 1845, that the drones hatch from unimpregnated eggs. This strange phenomenon, Drones from Unimpregnated Eggs. 81 seemingly so incredible, is, as has been shown in speaking of the queen, easily proved and beyond question. These eggs may come from an unimpregnated queen, a fertile worker— which will soon be described—or an impregnated queen who may voluntarily prevent impregnation. It is asserted by some that the workers can change a worker egg to a drone egg at will. When the workers are able to abstract the sperm cells, which are so small that we can only see them by using a high power microscope, then we may expect to see wheat turn to chess. Such eggs will usually be placed in the larger hori- zontal cells (Fig. 31, a), in manner already described. As stated by Bevan, the drone feeds six and a half days asa larva, before the cell is capped. The capping of the drone-cells is very convex, and projects beyond the plane of the same in worker-cells, so that the drone brood is easily distinguished from worker, and from the darker color—the wax being thicker and less pure—the capping of both drone and worker brood- cells enables us easily to distinguish them from honey-cells. In twenty-four days from the laying of the eggs, the drones come forth from the cells. Of course, variation of tempera- ture and other conditions, as variable amount of diet, may slightly retard or advance the development of any brood, in the different stages. The drones—in fact all bees—when they first emerge from the cells, are gray, soft, and appear gener- ally unsophisticated. Just what the longevity of the male bee is, J am unable to state. It is probable, judging from analogy, that they live till accident, the worker bees, or the performance of their natural function causes their death. The worker-bees may kill off the drones at any time, which they do by constantly biting and worrying them. They may also destroy the drone- brood. It is not very rare to see workers carrying out imma- ture drones even in mid-summer. At the same time they may destroy inchoate queens. Such action is prompted by a sudden check in the yield of honey, and in case of drones is only com- mon at the close of the season. The beesseem very cautious and far-sighted. If the signs of the times presage a famine, they stay all proceedings looking to the increase of colonies. On the other hand, unlimited honey, rapid increase of brood, crowded quarters—whatever the age of the queen—are sure to bring many of the male bees, while any circumstances that 6 82 Longevity and Function of Drones. indicate a need ot drones in the near future, will prevent their destruction even in late autumn. ‘The function of the drones is solely to impregnate the queen, though when present they may add animal heat. That their nutrition is active, is suggested by the fact that, upon dissec- tion, we always¢ind their capacious stomachs filled with honey. Impregnation of the queen always takes place, as before stated, while on the wing, outside the hive, usually during the heat of a warm sunshiny day. After mating, the drone organs adhere to the queen, and may be seen hanging to her for some hours. The copulatory act is fatal to the drone. By holding a drone in the hand, the ejection of the sex-organs is often produced, and is always followed by immediate death. As the queen only meets a single drone, and that only once, it might be asked why nature was so improvident as to decree hundreds of drones to an apiary or colony, whereas a score would suffice as well. Nature takes cognizance of the importance of the queen, and as she goes forth amidst the myriad dangers of the outer world, it is safest and best that her stay abroad be not protracted, that the experience be not repeated, and, especially, that her meeting a drone be not delayed. Hence the super- abundance of drones—especially under natural conditions, isolated in forest homes, where ravenous birds are ever on the alert for insect game—is most wise and provident. Nature is never ‘‘ penny wise and pound foolish.” In our apiaries the need is wanting, and the condition, as it exists in nature, is not enforced. The fact that parthenogenesis prevails in the production of the drones, has led to the theory that from a pure queen, however mated, must ever come a pure drone. My own ex- perience and observation, which I believe are those of all apiarists, have confirmed this theory. Yet, if the impure mating of our cows, horses, and fowls, renders the females of mixed blood ever afterward, as is believed and taught by many who would seem most competent to judge—though I must say I am somewhat skeptical in the matter, then we must look closely as to our bees, for certainly, if a mammal, and especially a-fowl, is tainted by impure mating, then we may expect the same of insects. In fowls such influence, if it exists, must come simply from the presence in the female generative organs of the sperm-cells, or spermatozoa, and in Worker Bees. 83 mammals, too, there is little more than this, for though they are viviparous, so that the union and contact of the offspring and mother seem very intimate during the fetal development, yet there is no intermingling of blood, for a membrane ever separates that of the mother from that of the fetus, and only the nutritious and waste elements pass from one to the other. To claim that the mother is tainted through the circulation, is like claiming that the same result would follow her inhaling the breath of her progeny after birth. If such taint is pro- duced, it probably comes through the power of a cell to change those cells contiguous to it. ‘That cells have such power is proved every day in case of wounds, and the spread of any disease. I can only say, that I believe this whole matter is still involved in doubt, and still needs more careful, scientific and prolonged observation. THE NEUTERS, OR WORKER-BEES, These, called ‘‘the bees” by Aristotle, and even by Wild- man and Bevan, are by far the most numerous individuals of the hive—there being from 15,000 to 40,000 in every good colony. It is possible for a colony to be even much more populous than this. (Lubbock says that there are often 50,000 worker-ants in a nest.) These are also the smallest bees of the colony, as they measure but little more than one-half of an inch in length (Fig. 21.) Fia. 21. _ Worker-Bee, magnified. The workers—as taught by Schirach, and proved oy Mlle. Jurine, of Geneva, Switzerland, who, at the request or Huber, sought for and found, by aid of her microscope, the abortive ovaries—are undeveloped females. Rarely, and probably very rarely except when a colony is long or often queenless, as is frequently true of our nuclei, these bees are so far developed 84 Fertile Workers. as to produce eggs, which, of course, would always be drone eggs. Such workers—known as ‘‘ fertile”—were first noticed by Riem, while Huber saw one in the act of egg-laying. Paul L. Viallon and others have seen the same thing often. Several fertile workers, sent me by Mr. Viallon, were examin- ed and the eggs and ovaries were plainly visible, though no spermatheca was to be seen. Except in the power to pro- duce eggs, they seem not unlike the other workers. Huber supposed that these were reared in cells contiguous to royal cells, and thus received royal food by accident. The fact, as stated by Mr. Quinby, that these occur in colonies where queen-larve were never reared is fatal to the above theory. Langstroth and Berlepsch thought that these bees, while larva, were fed, though too sparingly, with the royal aliment, by bees in need of a queen, and hence the accelerated develop- ment. Such may be the true explanation. Yet if, as some apiarists aver, these appear where no brood has been fed, and so must be common workers, changed after leaving the cell, as the result of a felt need, then we must conclude that develop- ment and growth—as with the high-holder—spring from de- sire. The generative organs are very sensitive, and excced- ingly susceptible to impressions, and we may yet have much to learn as to the delicate forces which will move them to growth and activity. Though these fertile workers are a poor substitute for a queen, as they are incapable of producing any bees but drones, and are surely the harbingers of death and ex- tinction to the colony, yet they seem to satisfy the workers, for usually the workers will not brook the presence of a queen when a fertile worker is in the hive, nor will they suffer the existence in the hive of a queen-cell, even though capped. They seem to be satisfied, though they have very slight reason to be so. These fertile workers lay indifferently in large or small cells— often place several eggs in a single cell, and show their in- capacity in various ways. Fertile workers seem to appear more quickly and in greater abundance in colonies of Cyprian and Syrian bees, after they become hopelessly queen- less, than in Italian colonies. The maxille and labium of the worker bee are much elongated (Fig. 22). The maxille (Fig. 22, A, ma, mz) are deeply grooved, and are hinged to the head by strong chiti- nous rods (Fig. 22, A, c, ¢, St, St), to which are attached the Tongue of a Worker-Bee. 85 muscles which move these parts. The gutter-like extremities (Fig. 22, A, J, 2 are stiffened with chitine, and, when approx- Fie, 22. F B po 4 eX Tongue of a Worker-Bee, much magnified. A-—Maxille and labium. mz, mxz—Maxille. mp,mp—Max. palpi. k, k—Labia palpi. ¢e, c—Cardos. o—Sub mentum. t—Tongue. St, St—Stipes. m—Mentum. f—Funnel. t,l—Laciniz. ?P, p—Paraglosse. B—Ligula, with sack distended. 8—Colorless membrane. #—Funnel. R—Tubular rod. C—Cross-section of ligula. S—Sheath. #—Tubular rod. s, s—Colorless membrane, (The above fig. is drawn to same scale as Fig. 17.) 86 Mouth Parts of Workers.’ imated, form a tube which is continued by a membrane to the mouth opening of the pharynx, just between the bases of the jaws. This tube forms the largest channel through which nectar passes to the pharynx. ‘The labium varies in length from .23 to .27 of an inch. By the sub-mentum (Fig. 22 A, 0) and two chitinous rods (Fig. 22, A, 6, /) it is hinged to the maxille. The base or mentum (Fig. 22 A, m) is tubu- lar. The lower part of the tube is thick with chitine, the upper part membranous. This tube opens into the pharynx and extends into the tongue. From the mentum extend the tongue or ligula (Figure 22, = SRI som A—Glands. g—Thoracic glands. d—Duct of thoracic glands. c—Ducts of cephalic glands. sm—Sub mentum. b—Opening to mouth. m—Mentum. a—Opening to paraglos (Fig. 23, A), one pair in the head, the other in the thorax. These glands are compound, and are lined with epithelium (Fig. 23 B). This apparatus was first discovered by Mr. Justin Spaulding, from whose article L get my diagram. From these glands comes the so-called salivary juice, which 88 saws of Drone and Worker. aids in kneading wax, ctc.. 1s already described. It also probably aids in modifying th. sugar while the nectar is in the bee’s stomach, and, as I have shown elsewhere, in push- ing out the tongue. This is done by crowding the liquid into the closed tubular sheath (Fig. 22, C, 8). The jaws (Fig. 24, c) are very strong, without the rudimen- tary tooth, while the cutting edge is semi-conical, so that when the jaws are closed they form an imperfect cone. Thus these are well formed to cut som), knead wax, and perform their various functions. Theis eyes (Fig. 5) are like those of the queen, while their wings, like those of the drones, attain the end of the body. These organs (Fig. 3), as in all insects with rapid flight, are slim and strong. and, by their more or less rapid vibrations, give the variety of tone which characterizes their hum. Thus we have the rapid movements and high pitch of anger, and the slow motion and mellow note of con- tent and joy. Fia. 24. Jaw of drone. b—Jaw of queen. c—Jaw of worker. On the outside of the posterior tibia and basal tarsus is a cavity, made more deep by its rim of hairs, known as the pollen basket (Fig. 25, p). In these pollen baskets is compacted the pollen, which is gathered by the mouth organs, and carried back by the four anterior legs. Opposite the pollen baskets are regular rows of golden hairs (Fig. 26, e), which probably aid in storing and compacting the pollen balls. On the anterior legs of the workers, between the femur and tibia, isa curious notch (Fig. 27, C) covered by aspur (Fig. 27, B). For several years this has caused speculation among my students, and has attracted the attention of observing apiarists. Some have supposed that it aided bees,in reaching deeper down into tubular flowers; others, that it was used in scrap- ‘ne off pollen, and still others, that it enabled bees to hold on Legs of Workers. 89 Fia. 25. Fia. 26. Outside. Inside. Nyt sy Part of Posterior Leg of Worker, much magnified. t—Tibia. h—Rim of hairs. p—Pollen basket. ts—Joint of tarsi. c—Claws. e—Rows of hairs. when clustering.- The first two suggestions may be correct, though other honey and pollen-gathering bees do not possess it. “The latter function is performed by the claws at the end of the tarsi. The worker bees possess an organ of defense, which they Fig, 27. Anterior Leg of Worker, magnified. are quick to use if occasion demands. ‘This organ is straight, not curved as is the sting of the queen. The poison, which is emitted in stinging and which causes the severe pain, is an 90 Sting of the Bee. acid fluid, which is secreted by a double gland, and stored in a muscular sack (Fig. 28, 0), which is about the size of a flax- seed. This sack is connected by a tube (Fig. 28, I) with the reservoir of the sting. The sting is a triple organ consisting of three sharp hollow spears, which are very smooth and of exquisite polish. If we magnify the most beautifully wrought Fie. 28, Sting with Lancets drawn one side, cross-section of Sting,and a Lancet, much magnified. C—Poison sack. M—Tube from sack to reservoir. S—Reservoir. A—Awl. B, B—Lancets. E, E—Valves. U, U—Barbs. , 0, O—Openings from hollow in H—Hollow in awl. I, I—Hollows in lancets. lancets. T, T—Ridges in awl. T’—Groove in lancet. steel instrument, it looks rough and unfinished; while the parts of the sting, however highly magnified, are smooth and perfect. The true relation of the three parts of the sting was accurately described by Mr. J. R. Bledsoe, in the American Sting of the Bee. 91 Bee Journal, vol. 6, page 29. The action in stinging and the method of extruding the poison, are well described in a beau- tifully illustrated article by Mr. J. D. Hyatt, in Vol. I, No. 1, of American Quarterly Microscopical Journal. The larger of the three awls (Fig. 28, A) usually, though incorrectly, styled a sheath, has a large cylindrical reservoir at its base (Fig. 28, S) which is entirely shut off from the hollow (Fig. 28, H) in the more’slender part of the awl, which latter serves no purpose whatever, except to give strength and lightness. The reservoir connects at its base with the poison sack, and below, by a slit, with the opening (Fig. 28, ’) made by the approximation of the three awls. The other two awls (Fig. 28, B, B), which we will call lancets, are also hollow (Fig. 28. I, I). They are barbed (Fig. 28, U, U) much likea fish-hook, except that there are eight or ten barbs, instead of one. Five of the barbs are large and strong. These barbs catch hold and cause the extraction of the sting when tha organ is used. Near the base of each lancet is a beautiful valvular organ (Fig. 28, HE, /). The hollow inside the lancets (Fig. 28, J, I), unlike that of the awl, is useful. It opens anteriorly in front of the first six barbs (Fig. 28, 0, 0), as shown by Mr. Hyatt, and posteriorly just back of the valves into the central tube (Fig. 28, iV), and through it into the reservoir (Fig. 28, S). The poison then can pass either through the hollow lancets (Fig. 28, J, I) or though the cen- tral tubes (Fig. 28, NV), between the three spears. + The lancets are held to the central piece by projections (Fig. 28, 7, T) from the latter, which fit into corresponding grooves (Fig. 28, 7’) of the lancets. In the figure the lancets are moved one side to show the barbs and valves; normally they are held close together, and thus form the tube (Fig. DOr IN Jee ee 3 The parts of the sting are moved by muscles connecting the basis of the parts and extending from the parts to the large chitinous supports (Fig. 28, d). The fact that muscles connect the various parts, and the muscular character of the sack, explain how a sting may act, even after the bee is apparently lifeless, or, what is even more wonderful, after it has been extracted from the bee. The barbs hold one lancet as a fulcrum for the other, and so long as the muscles are excitable so long is a thrust possible. Thus I have known 92 Worker Larva. a bee, dead for hours, to sting. A wasp, dead more than a day, with the abdomen cut off, made a painful thrust, and stings extracted for several minutes could still bring tears by their entering the flesh. In stinging, the awl first pierces, then the lancets follow. As the lancets push in, the valves close the central tube, when the poison is driven through the lancets themselves and comes out by the openings near the barbs (Fig. 28, 0, 0). The drop of poison which we see on the sting when the bee is slightly irritated, as by jarring the hive on a cold day, is pushed through the central opening by the muscular contraction of the sack attendant upon the elevation of the abdomen and extrusion of the sting. The young microscopist will find it difficult to see the barbs, as it is not easy to turn the lancets so that they will show. Pa- tience and persistence, however, will bring success. The honey-stomach, or crop, in the workers (Fig. 11, 0) is well developed, though no larger than that of drones. Whether it is more complex in structure or not, I cannot state. The workers hatch from impregnated eggs, which can only come from a queen that has met a drone, and are always laid in the small, horizontal cells (Fig. 31, ¢). These eggs are in no wise different, so far as we can see, from those which are laid in the drone or queen-cells. All are cylirdrical and slightly curved (Fig. 29, a, b) and are fastened by one end to the bottom of the cell, and a little to one side of the centre. As in other animals, the eggs from different queens vary preceptibly in size. As already shown, these are voluntarily fertilized by the queen as she extrudes them, preparatory to fastening them in the cells. These eggs, though small—one-sixteenth of an inch long, may be easily scen by holding the comb so that the light will shine into the cells. With experience they are detected almost at once, but I have often found it quite dif- ficult to make the novice sce them, though very plainly visible to my experienced eye. The egg hatches in three days. The larva (Fig. 29, d, e, f), incorrectly called grub, maggot—and even caterpillar, by Hunter—is white, footless, and lies coiled up in the cell till near maturity. It is fed a whitish fluid, though this seems to be given grudgingly, as the larva never seems to have more than it wishes to eat, so it is fed quite frequently by the mature workers. It would seem that the workers fear an Development of the Bee 93 Fia. 29. Development of the Bee. excessive development, which, as we have seen, is most mis- chievous and ruinous, and work to prevent the same by a mean and meager diet. The food is composed of pollen and honey. Certainly of pollen, for, as I have repeatedly proved, without pollen no brood will be reared. Probably some honey is incorporated, as sugar is an essential in the nutrition of all animals, and we could hardly account for the excessive amount of honey consumed, while breeding, by the extra amount consumed by the bees consequent upon the added exercise required in caring for the brood. M. Quinby, Doo- little, and others, say water is also an element of this food. But bees often breed very rapidly when they do not leave the hive at all, and so water, other than that contained in the honey, etc., cannot be added. The time when bees seem to need water, and so repair to the rill and the pond, is during the heat of spring and summer, when they are most busy. May this not be quafted fer the most part to slake their own thirst ? In eight days from the laying of the egg, the worker cell, like the queen cell, is capped over by the worker-bees. Thiz cap is composed of pollen and wax, so it is darker, more 94 Longevity and Function of Workers. porous, and more easily broken than the caps of the honcy- cells; it is alse more convex (Fig. 29, k). The larva, now full grown, having lapped up all the food placed before it, surrounds itself with a silken cocoon, so excessively thin that it requires a great number to appreciably reduce the size of the cells. These always remain in the cells after the bees escape, and give to old comb its dark color and great strength. Yet they are so thin that cells used even for a dozen years, seem to serve as well for brood as when first used. In three days the insect assumes the pupa state (Fig. 29,9). In all insects the spinning of the cocoon seems an exhaustive pro- cess, for so far as I have observed, and that is quite at length, this act is succeeded by a variable period of repose. The pupa is also called a nymph. By cutting open cells it is easy to determine just the date of forming the cocoon, and of changing to the pupa state. The pupa looks like the mature bee with all its appendages bound close about it, though the color is still whitish. In twenty-one days the bees emerge from the cells. The old writers were quite mistaken in thinking that the advent of these was an occasion of joy and excitement among the bees. All apiarists have noticed how utterly unmoved the bees are, as they push over and crowd by these new-comers in the most heedless and discourteous manner imaginable. Wildman tells of secing the workers gathering pollen and honey the same day that they came forth from the cells. This idea is quickly disproved if we Italianize black bees. We know that for some days these young bees do not leave the hive at all, except in case of swarming, when bees even too young to fly will attempt to go with the crowd. These young bees, like young drones and queens, are much lighter colored when they first leave the cell. The worker-bees never attain a great age. Those reared in autumn may live for eight or nine months, and if in queenless stocks, where little labor is performed, even longer; while those reared in spring will wear out in three months, and when most busy will often die in from thirty to forty-five days. None of these bees survive the year through, so there is a limit to the number which may exist ina colony. As a good queen will lay, when in her best estate, three thousand eggs daily, and as the workers live from one to three months, it might Function of Workers. 95 seem that forty thousand was too small a figure for the num- ber of workers. Without doubt a greater number is possible. That it is rare is not surprising, when we remember the numerous accidents and vicissitudes that must ever attend the individuals of these populous communities. The function of the worker-bees is to do all the manual labor of the hives. They secrete the wax, which forms in small scales (Fig. 30, w) under the over-lapping rings under the abdomen. I have found these wax-scales on both old and young. According to Fritz Miiller, the admirable German observer, so long a traveler in South America, the bees of the genus Melipona secrete the wax on the back. The young bees build the comb, ventilate the hive, feed the larvee and cap the cells. The older bees—for, as readily seen in Italianizing, the young bees do not go forth tor the first two weeks—gather the honey, collect the pollen, or bee- bread as it is generally called, bring in the propolis or bee. glue, which is used to close openings and as a cement, suppl; the hive with water (?), defend the hive from all improper intrusion, destroy drones when their day of grace is past, kill and arrange for replacing worthless queens, destroy inchoate queens, drones, or even workers, if circumstances demand it, and lead forth a portion of the bees when the conditions impel them to swarm. ‘ When there are no young bees, the old bees will act as house-keepers and nurses, which they otherwise refuse to do. The young bees, on the other hand, will not go forth to glean, even though there be no old bees to do this necessary part of bee-duties. An indirect function of all the bees is to supply animal heat, as the very life of the bees requires that the temperature inside the hive be maintained at a rate consider- ably above freezing. In the chemical processes attendant upon nutrition, much heat is generated, which, as first shown by Newport, may be considerably augmented at the pleasure of the bees, by forced respiration. The bees, by a rapid vibration of their wings, have the power to ventilate their hives and reduce the temperature when the weather is hot. Thus they are able to moderate the heat of summer, and tem- per the cold of winter. 96 Swarming. CHAPTERIII. SWARMING, OR NAvURAL METHODS OF IN- CREASE. The natural method by which an increase of colonies among bees is secured, is of great interest, and though it has been closely observed, and assiduously studied for a long period, and has given rise to theories as often absurd as sound, yet, even now, it is a fertile field for investigation, and will repay any who may come with the true spirit of inquiry, for there is much concerning it which is involved in mystery. Why do bees swarm at unsceming times? Why is the swarming spirit so excessive at times and so restrained at other seasons? These and other questions we are too apt to refer to erratic tendencies of the bees, when there is no question but that they follow naturally upon certain conditions, perhaps intricate and obscure, which it is the province of the investigator to dis- cover. Who shall be first to unfold the principles which govern these, as all other actions of the bees? In the spring or early summer, when the hive has become populous, and storing very active, the queen, as if conscious that a home could be overcrowded, and foreseeing such danger, commences to deposit drone-eggs in drone-cells, which the worker-bees, perhaps moved by like considerations, begin to construct, if they are not already in existence. In fact, drone comb is almost sure of construction at such times. No sooner is the drone brood well under way, than the large, awkward queen-cells are commenced, often to the number of ten or fif- teen, though there may be not more than three or four. The Cyprian and Syrian bees often start from fifty to one hundred queen-cells. In these, eggs are placed, and the rich royal jelly added, and soon, often before the cells are even capped—and very rarely before a cell is built, if the bees are crowded, the hives unshaded, the ventilation insufficient, or the honey-yield very bountiful—some bright day, usually about ten o’clock, after an unusual disquiet both insfde and outside the hive, a large part of the worker-bees—heing off duty for the day, and having previously loaded their honey-sacks—rush forth ‘rom the hive as if alarmed by the cry of fire, the queen amon Swarming. 97 the number, though she is by no means among the first, and frequently is quite late in her exit. It is often asserted that bees do no gathering on the day they swarm, previous to leav- ing the hive. Thisis not true. Mr. Doolittle thinks they are just as active as on other days. The assertion that bees always cluster on the outside preliminary to swarming, is not true. The crowded hive makes this common, though in a well managed apiary it is very infrequent. The bees, once started on their quest for a new home, after many uproarious gyrations about the old one, dart forth to alight upon some bush, limb, or fence, though in one case I knew the first swarm of bees to leave at once for parts unknown, without even waiting to cluster. After thus meditating for the space of from one to three hours, upon a future course, they again take wing and leave for their new home, which they have probably already sought out. Some suppose the bees look up a home before leaving the hive, while others claim that scouts are in search of one while the bees are clustered. The fact that bees take a right-line to their new home, and fly too rapidly to look as they go, would argue that a home is preémpted, at least, before the cluster is dissolved. The fact that the cluster remains sometimes for hours—even over night—and at other times for a brief period, would lead us to inter that the bees cluster while waiting for anew home to be found. Yet, why do bees sometimes alight after flying a long distance, as did a first swarm the past season upon our College grounds? Was their journey long, so that they must needs stop to rest, or were they flying at random, not knowing whither they were going? If for any reason the queen should fail to join the bees, and perhaps rarely when she is among them, they will, after having clustered, (they rarely fail to cluster) return to their old home. The youngest bees will remain in the old hive, to which those bees which are abroad in quest of stores will return. The presence of young bees on the ground immediately after a swarm has issued—those with flight too feeble to join the rovers—will always mark the previous home of the emigrants. Soon, in seven or eight days, often later, ifItalians, the first ueen will come forth from her cell, and in two or three days she will, or may, lead a new colony forth; but before she does this, the peculiar note, known as the piping of the queen, 7 98 After-Swarms. may be heard. This piping sounds like “‘ peep,” ‘‘peep,” is shrill and clear, and can be plainly heard by placing the ear to the hive, nor would it be mistaken. It is followed by a lower, hoarser note, made by a queen still within the cell. This piping is best heard by placing the ear to the hive in the evening or early morning. If heard, we may surely expect a swarm the day following, unless the weather is too unpleasant. Some have supposed that the cry of the liberated queen was that of hate, while that by the queen still imprisoned was either of enmity or fear. Never will an after-swarm leave, unless preceded by this peculiar note. At successive periods of one or two days, one, two, or even three more colonies may issue from the old home. Mr. Langstroth knew five after-swarms to issue, and others have reported eight and ten. These last swarms will all be heralded by the piping of the queen. They will be less particular as to the time of day when they issue, as they have been known to leave before sun-rise, and even aftersun-set. The well-known apiarist, Mr. A. I’. Moon, once knew a swarm to issue by moon-light. They will, as a rule, cluster farther from the hive. The after-swarms are accompanied by the queen, and in case swarming is delayed may be attended by a plurality of queens. Berlepsch and Langstroth each saw eight queens issue with a swarm, while others report even more. These virgin queens fly very rapidly, so the swarm will seem more active and definite in its course than will first swarms. The cutting short of swarming preparations before the second, third, or even the first swarm issues, is by no means a rare occurrence. Thisis effected by the bees destroying the queen-cells, and sometimes by a general extermination of the drones, and is generally to be explained by a cessation of the honey yield. It is commonly observed that while a moderate yield of honey is very provocative of swarming, a heavy flow seems frequently to absorb the entire attention of the bees, and so destroy the swarming impulse entirely. Cells thus destroyed are easily recognized, as they are torn open from the side and not cut back from the end. Swarming out at other times, especially in late winter and spring, is sometimes noticed by apiarists. This is due to famine, mice, or some other disturbing circumstance which makes the hive intolerable to the bees. Products of Bees. 99 CHAPTER IV. PRODUCTS OF BEES; THEIR ORIGIN AND FUNCTION. Among all insects, bees stand first in the variety of the useful products which they give us, and, next to the silk- moths, in the importance of these products. They seem the more remarkable and important, in that so few insects yield articles of commercial value. True, the cochineal insect, a species of bark-louse, gives us an important coloring material ; the lac insect, of the same family, gives us the important element of our best glue—shellac ; the blister-beetles afford an article prized by the physician, while we are indebted to one of the gall-flies for a valuable element of ink: but the honey- bee aitords not only a delicious article of food, but also another article of no mean commercial rank, namely, wax. We will proceed to examine the various products which come from bees. HONEY. Of course the first product of bees, not only to attract atten- tion but also in importance, is honey. And what is honey? We can only say that it is a sweet substance gathered from flowers and other sources, by the bees. We cannot, therefore, give its chemical composition which would be as varied as the sources from which it comes. We cannot even call it a sugar, for it may be, and always is, composed of various sugars, and thus it is easy to understand why honey varies so much in richness, color, flavor, and effects on digestion. Nectar of flowers and honey are quite different. The former contains more water, is neutral instead of acid, and the sugars taken from the flowers are much modified while in the alimentary canal of the bee in transit from flower to comb. Nectar consists of sucrose or cane sugar from twelve to fifteen per cent., and mellose, or uncrystallizable sugar ten per cent. ‘The remainder is mostly water, though there is always a small amount of nitrogenous material. In honey the cane sugar is largely changed to a substance chemically like glucose: the mellose seems also somewhat modi- fied. There is a little mannite, probably the result of chemi- 100 Character of Honey. cal change in the bee’s stomach. The acid condition of honey is plainly recognizable by the taste, as all lovers of honey know. Ihave fed bees pure cane sugar, and when stored the late Prof. R. F. Kedzie found that much of this sugar was traucformed in much the same way that the nectar is changed which is taken from the flowers. hex It is probable that the large compound racemose glands in the head and thorax of the bees (Fig. 23, @) secrete an abun- dant ferment which hastens these transformations which the sugars undergo while in the stomach of the bee. Probably the stomach juices also aid in these changes. Much of the water escapes after the honey is stored. The method of collecting honey has already been described. The principles of lapping and suction are both involved in the operation. When the stomach is full, the bee repairs to the hive and regurgitates its precious load, either giving it to the bees or storing it in the cells. Mr. Doolitile claims that the bees that gather give all their honey to the other bees, which latter store it in the cells. This honey remains for sometime un- capped that it may ripen, in which process the water is partially evaporated and the honey rendered thicker. If the honey remains uncapped, or is removed from the cells, it will generally granulate, if the temperature be reduced below 70°. Like many other substances, honey, if heated and sealed while hot, will not crystallize till it is unsealed. In case of granula- tion the sucrose and glucose crystallize in the mellose. Some honey, as that from the South and some from California, seems to remain liquid indefinitely. Some kinds of our own honey crystallize much more readily than others. The only sure test of the purity of honey is that of the polariscope. This is not practical except in the hands of the physicist. The most practi- cal test is that of granulation, though this is not wholly reliable. Granulated honey is almost certainly pure. Occasionally genu- ine honey refuses, even in a zero atmosphere, to crystallize. When there are no flowers, or when the flowers yield no sweets, the bees, ever desirous to add to their stores, frequently essay to rob other colonies, and often visit the refuse of cider mills, or suck up the oozing sweets of various plants or bark- lice, thus adding, may be, unwholesome food to their usuall delicious and refined stores, It is a curious fact that the Secretion of Wax. 101 queen never lays her maximum number of eggs except when storing isgoing on. In fact, in the interims of honey-gather- ing, egg-laying not infrequently ceases altogether. The queen seems discreet, gauging the size of her family by the probable means of support. Again, in times of extraordinary yields of honey the storing is very rapid and the hive becomes so filled that the queen is unable to lay her full quota of eggs; in fact, I have seen the brood very much reduced in this way, which, of course, greatly depletes the colony. This might be called ruinous prosperity. The natural use of the honey is to furnish the mature bees with food and, when mixed with pollen, to form the diet of the young bees. WAX. The product of the bees second in importance, is wax. This is a solid, unctious substance, and is, as shown by its chemical composition, a fat-like material, though not, as seme authors assert, the fat of bees. As already observed, this is a secretion formed in scales, the shape of an irregular pentagon Fig. 30. Pa CS Wax Scales in situ, magnified. w—Wax-scale. (Fig. 30, w), underneath the abdomen. These scales are light- colored, very thin and fragile, and are secreted by and molded upon the membrane towards the body from the wax-pockets. Neighbour speaks of the wax oozing through pores from the stomach. This is not the case, but, like the synovial fluid about our own joints, it is formed by the secreting membrane, and does not pass through holes, as water through a sieve. There are four of these wax-pockets on each side, and thus there may be eight wax-scales on a bee at onetime. This wax can be secreted by the bees when fed on pure sugar, as shown 102 Secretion of Wax. by Huber, whose experiment I have verified. I removed all honey and comb from my observing-hive, left the bees for twenty-four hours to digest all food which might be in their stomachs, and then fed pure sugar, which was better than honey, as Prof. R. F. Kedzie has shown by analysis that not only filtered honey, but even the nectar which he collected right from the flowers themselves, contains nitrogen. The bees commenced at once to build comb, and continued for several days, so long as I kept them confined. This is as we should suppose; sugar contains hydrogen and oxygen in pro- portion to form water, wnile the third element, carbon, is in the same or about the same proportion as the oxygen. Now, the fats usually contain little oxygen and a good deal of car- bon and hydrogen. Thus the sugar by losing some of its oxygen would contain the requisite elements for fat. It was found true in the days of slavery in the South that the negroes of Louisiana, during the gathering of the cane, would become very fat. They ate much sugar; they gained much fat. Now, wax is a fat-like substance, not that it is the animal fat of bees, as often asserted—in fact it contains much less hydrogen, as will be seen by the following formula from Hess: Oxygen... Carbon... Hydrogen —but it is a special secretion for a special purpose, and from its composition we should conclude that it might be secreted from a purely saccharine diet, and experiment confirms the con- clusion. It has been found that bees require about twenty pounds of honey to secrete one of wax. The experiments of Mr, P. L. Viallon show this estimate of Huber to be too great. My own experiments would sustain Huber’s statement. In these experiments the bees are confined, and so the conclu- sions are to be received with caution. We cannot know how much the results are changed by the abnormal condition in which the bees are placed. : That nitrogenous food is necessary, as claimed by Langstroth and Neighbour, is not true. Yet, in the active season, when muscular exertion is great, nitrogenous food must be impera- tively necessary to supply the waste and give tone to the body. Secretion of wax demands a healthy condition of the bee, and so indirectly requires some nitrogenous food.’ Wax and Comb. 102 It is asserted that to secrete wax, bees need to hang in com- pact clusters or festoons, in absolute repose. Such quiet would certainly seem conducive to most active secretion. The same food could not go to form wax, and at the eame time supply the waste of tissue which ever follows upon muscular activity. The cow, put to hard toil, could not give so much milk’ But I find, upon examination, that the bees, even the most aged, while gathering in the honey season, yield up the wax-scales the same as those within the hive. During the active storing of the past season, especially when comb-building was in rapid progress, I found that nearly every bee taken from the flowers contained the wax-scales of varying sizes in the wax-pockets. By the activity of the bees, these are not infrequently loosened from their position and fall to the bottom of the hive. It is probable that wax secretion is not forced upon the bees, but only takes place as required. So the bees, unless wax is demanded, may perform other duties. Whether this secretion is a matter of the bee’s will, or whether it is excited by the surrounding conditions without any thought, are questions yet to be settled. These wax-scales are loosened by the claws and carried to the mouth by the feet, where they are mixed with saliva, and after the proper kneading by the jaws are fashioned into that wonderful and exquisite structure, the comb. In this trans- formation to comb, the wax may become much darker in color. It is almost sure to do this if the new comb is formed adjacent to old, dark colored corb. Honey-comb is wonderfully delicate, the wall of a new cell being only about 1-180 of an inch in thickness, and so formed as to combine the greatest strength with the least expense of material and room. It has been a subject of admiration since the earliest time. That the form is a matter of necessity, as some claim, the result of pressure and not of bee-skill, is not true. The hexagonal form is assumed at the very start of the cells, when there can be no pressure. The wasp builds the same form, though unaided. Theassertion that the cells, even the drone and worker-cells, are absolutely uniform and perfect, is also untrue, as a little inspection will convince any one. The late Prof. Wyman proved that an exact hexagonal cell does not exist. He showed that the size varies, so that in a distance of ten worker-cells there may be a variation of one 04 Honey-Comb Cells. diameter, and this in natural, not distorted cells. This varia- tion of one-fifth of an inch in ten cells is extreme, but a varia- tion of one-tenth of an inch is common. ‘The sides, as also the angles, are not constant. The rhombic faces forming the bases of the cells also vary. The bees change from worker (Fig. 31, ¢) to drone-cells (Fig. 31, a), which are one-fifth larger, and vice versa, not by any system (Fig 31, 6), but simply by enlarging or contracting. It usually takes about four rows to complete the transformation, though the number of deformed cells varies from two to eight. Fia. 31. Rhombs, Pyramidal Bases, % and Cross-sections of Cells illustrated, Honey-Comb. a—Drone-cells. c—Worker-cells. b—Deformed cells. d d—Queen-cells. The structure of each cell is quite complex, yet full of interest. The base is a triangular pyramid (Fig. 31, e) whose three faces are rhombs, and whose apex forms the very centre Comb Building. 105 of the floor of the cell. From the six free or non-adjacent edges of the three rhombs extend the lateral walls or faces of the cell. The apex of this basal pyramid igs a point where the contiguous faces of three cells on the opposite side meet, and form the angles of the bases of three cells on the opposite side of the comb. Thus the base of each cell forms one-third of the base of each of three opposite cells. One side thus braces the other and adds much to the strength of the comb. Each cell, then, is in the form of a hexagonal prism, terminating in a flattened triangular pyramid. The bees usually build several combs at once, and carry forward several cells on each side of each comb, constantly adding to the number, by additions to the edge. Huber first observed the process of comb-building, noticing the bees abstract the wax-scales, carry them to the mouth, add the frothy saliva, and then knead and draw out the yellow ribbons which were fastened to the top of the hive, or added to the comb already commenced. The diameter of the worker-cells (Fig. 31, c) averages little more than one-fifth of an inch—Reaumur says two and three- fifths lines, or twelfths of an inch, while the drone-cells (Fig. 31, a) are a little more than one-fourth of an inch, or, accord- ing to Reaumur, three and one-third lines. But this distin- guished author was quite wrong when he said: ‘‘These are the invariable dimensions of all cells that ever were or ever will be made.” The depth of the worker-cells is a little less than half an inch; the drone-cells are slightly extended so as to be alittle more than half an inch deep. These cells are often drawn out so as to be an inch long, when used solely as honey receptacles. The capping of the brood-cells is dark, porous, and convex, while that of the honey-cells is white and concave. This capping of honey-cells is made thicker by black bees than by the other races, and so their‘-comb honey is more beautiful. The character of the cells, as to size, that is, whether they are drone or worker, seems to be determined by the relative abundance of bees and honey. If the bees are abundant and honey needed, or if there is no queen to lay eggs, drone- comb (Fig. 31, a) is invariably built, while if there are few bees, and of course little honey needed, then worker-comb (Fig. 31, ¢) is almost as invariably formed. 106 Fossil Honey-Comb Coral. All comb when first formed is clear and translucent. The fact that it is often dark and opaque implies that it has been long used as brood-comb, and the opacity is due to the innu- merable thin cocoons which line the cells. “These may be separ- ated by dissolving the wax; which may be done by putting it in boiling alcohol. Such comb need not be discarded, for if composed of worker-cells it is still very valuable for breeding purposes, and should not be destroyed till the cells are too small for longer service, which will not occur till after many years of use. The function, then, of the wax, is to make comb and caps for the honey-cells, and, combined with pollen, to form queen-cells (Fig. 31, d) and caps for the brood-cells. A very common fossil found in many parts of the Eastern and Northern United States, is, from its appearance, often called petrified honey-comb. We have many such specimens in our museum. In some cases the cells are hardly larger than a pin-head; in others a quarter of an inch in diameter. Fig. 32. Honey-comb Coral. These (Figs. 32, 33) are not fossil honey-comb as many are led to believe, though the resemblance is so striking that no wonder the public generally are deceived. These specimens are fossil coral, which the paleontologist places in the genus Favosites; favosus being a commoa species in our State. They are very abundant in the lime rock in northern Michi- gan, and are very properly denominated honey-comb coral. Pollen or Bee-Bread. 107 The animals of which these were once the skeletons, so to speak, are not insects at all, though often called so by men of considerable information. The species of the genus Favosites first appeared in the Upper Silurian rocks, culminated in the Devonian, and disap- peared in the early Carboniferous. No insects appeared till the Devonian age, and no Hymenoptera—bees, wasps, etc.— till after the Carboniferous. So the old-time Favosites reared its limestone columns and helped to build islands and conti- nents untold ages—millions upon millions of years—before any flower bloomed, or any bee sipped the precious nectar. In some specimens of this honey-comb coral (Fig. 33), there Fia. 33. Honey-comb Coral. are to be seen banks of cells, much resembling the paper cells of some of our wasps. This might be called wasp-comb coral, except that both styles were wrought by the self-same animals. POLLEN, OR BEE-BREAD. An ancient Greek author states that in Hymettus the bees tied little pebbles to their legs to hold them down. This 108 Pollen and Propolis. fanciful conjecture probably arose from seeing the pollen balls on the bees legs. Even such scientists as Reaumur, Bonnet, Swammerdam, and many apiarists of the last century, thought they saw in these pollen-balls the source of wax. But Huber, John Hunter, Duchet, Wildman, and others, noticed the presence and function of the wax-scales already described, and were aware that the pollen served a different purpose. This substance, like nectar, is not secreted nor manufactured by the bees, only collected. The bees usually obtain it from the stamens of flowers; but if they gain access to flour when there is no bloom, they will take this in lieu of pollen, in ghich case the former term used above becomes a misnomer, thoagh usually the bee-bread consists almost wholly of pollen. As already intimated, the pollen is conveyed in the pollen- baskets.(Fig. 25, p) of the posterior legs, to which it is con- veyed by the other legs, and compressed into little oval masses. The motions in this conveyance are exceedingly rapid. The bees not infrequently come to the hives not only with replete pollen-baskets but with their whole under surface thoroughly dusted. Dissection will also show that the same bee may have her sucking stomach distended with honey. Thus the bees make the most of their opportunities. It is a curious fact, noticed even by Aristotle, that the bees, during any trip, almost always gather only a single kind of pollen, or only gather from one species of bloom. Hence, while ditfer- ent bees may have different colors of pollen, the pellets of bee-bread on any single bee will be uniform in color through- out. Itis possible that the material is more easily collected and compacted when homogeneous. It seems more probable that they prefer the pollen of certain plants, and work on such species so long as they yield the desired food. From this fact we see why bees cause no intercrossing of species of plants; they only intermix the pollen of different plants of the same species. The pollen is usually deposited in the small or worker cells, and is unloaded by a scraping motion of the posterior legs, the pollen baskets being first lowered into the cells. The bee thus freed, leaves the wheat-like masses to be packed by other bees. The cells, which may or may not have the same color of pollen throughout, are never filled quite to the top, and not Function of Propolis. 109 infrequently the same cell may contain both pollen and honey. Such a condition is easily ascertained by holding the comb between the eye and the sun. If there is no pollen it will be wholly translucent; otherwise there will be opaque patches. A little experience will make this determination easy, even if the comb is old. It is often stated that queenless colonies gather no pollen, but this is not true, though they gather less than they othérwise would. It is probable that pollen, at least when honey is added, contains all the essential elements of animal food. It certainly contains the very important principle which is not found in honey—nitrogenous material. The function of bee-bread is to help furnish the brood with proper food. In fact, brood-rearing would be impossible without it. And though it is certainly not essential to the nourishment of the bees when in repose, it still may be so, and unquestionably is, in time of active labor. This point is clearly proved from the fact that pollen husks are always found in the intestines of bees. PROPOLIS. This substance, also called bee-glue, is collected as the bees collect pollen, and not made nor secreted. It is the product of various resinous buds, and may be seen to glisten on the opening buds of the hickory and_horse-chestnut, where it frequently serves the entomologist by capturing small insects. From such sources, from the oozing gum of various trees, from varnished furniture, and from old propolis about unused hives that have previously seen service, do the bees secure their glue. Probably the gathering of bees about coffins to collect their glue from the varnish, led to the custom of rapping on the hives to inform the bees, in case of a death in the family, that they might join as mourners. This custom still prevails, as I understand, in some parts of the South. Pro- polis has great adhesive force, and though soft and pliable when warm becomes very hard and unyielding when cold. The use of bee-glue is to cement the combs to their sup- ports, to fill up all rough places inside the hive, to seal up all crevices except the place of exit, which they often con- tract, and even to.cover any foreign substance that cannot be removed. Intruding snails have thus been imprisoned in- side the hive. Réaumur found a snail thus encased; Maraldi, 110 Bibliography. a slug similarly entombed; while I have myself observed a bombus, which had been stripped by the bees of wings, hair, etc., in their vain attempts at removal, also encased in this unique style of a sarcophagus, fashioned by the bees. Alcohol, ether, and chloroform are all ready solvents of bee-glue, and will quickly remove it from the hands, clothes, etc. BIBLIOGRAPHY. For those who wish to pursue these interesting subjects more at length, I would recommend the following authors as specially desirable: Kirby and Spence, Introduction to En- tomology; Duncan’s Transformations of Insects; Packard’s Guide to the Study of Insects (American) ; F. Huber’s New Observations on the Natural History of Bees; Bevan on the Honey bee; Langstroth on the Honey Bee (American) ; Neighbour on The Apiary; and the other books already re- ferred to on page eleven. I have often been asked to recommend such treatises, and I heartily commend all of the above. The first and fourth are now outof print, but can be had by leaving orders at second- hand book-stores. PART SHCOND. AVE, ode WARY, ITS CARE AND MANAGEMENT. Mortro:—‘‘Krrep ALL CoLonrms Strone!” INTRODUCTION TO PART II. STARTING AN APIARY. In apiculture, as in all other pursuits, it is all-important to make a good beginning. This demands preparation on the part of the apiarist, the procuring of bees, and location of the apiary. PREPARATION, Before starting in the business, the prospective bee-keeper should inform himself in the art. READ A GOOD MANUAL. To do this, he should procure some good manual, and thoroughly study, especially that portion which treats of the practical part of the business. If accustomed to read, think and study, he should carefully read the whole work, but, otherwise, he will avoid confusion by only studying the meth- ods of practice, leaving the principles and science to strengthen, and be strengthened by, his experience. Unless a student, he had better not take a journal till he begins the actual work, as so much unclassified information, without any expe- rience to correct, arrange, and select, will but mystify. For the same reason, he may well be content with reading a single work, till experience, and a thorough study of this one, make him more able to discriminate; and the same reasoning will preclude his taking more than one bee-periodical, until he has had at least a year’s actual experience. VISIT SOME APIARIST. In this work of self-preparation, he will find great aid in visiting the nearest successful and intelligent apiarist. If successful, such a one will have a reputation; if intelligent, he will take the journals, and will show by his conversation that he knows the methods and views of his brother apiarists, and, 8 114 Rules for the Beginner. above all, he will not think he knows it all, and that his is the only way to success. Learn all you can of such a one, but always let your own judgment and common sense sit as umpire, that you may make no plans or decisions that your judgment does not fully sustain. TAKE A COLLEGE COURSE. It will be most wise to take a course in some College, if age makes this practicable, where apiculture is thoroughly dis- cussed. Here you will not only get the best training in your chosen business, as you will study, see and handle, and thus will have the very best aids to decide as to methods, system and apparatus, but you will also receive that general culture, which will greatly enhance life’s pleasures and usefulness, and which ever proves the best capital in any vocation. DECIDE ON A PLAN. After such a course as suggested above, it will be easy to decide as to location, hives, style ot honey to raise, and gen- eral system of management. But here, as in all the arts, all our work should be preceded by a well-digested plan of operations. As with the farmer and the gardener, only he who works to a plan can hope for the best success. Of course, such plans will vary as we grow in wisdom and experience. A good maxim to govern all plans is, ‘‘go slow.” A good rule, which will insure the above, ‘‘Pay as you go.’ Make the apiary pay for all improvements in advance. Demand that each year’s credits exceed its debits; and that you may surely accomplish this, keep an accurate account of all your receipts and expenses. This will be a great aid in arranging the plans for each successive year’s operations. Above all, avoid hobbies, and be slow to adopt sweeping changes. ‘‘ Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.” HOW TO PROCURE FIRST COLONIES. To procure colonies from which to form an apiary, it is always best to get them near at hand. We thus avoid the shook of transportation, can see the bees before we purchase, and in case there is any seeming mistake can easily gain a personal explanation and secure a speedy adjustment of any real wrong. Rules for Purchasing. 115 KIND OF BEES TO PURCHASE. At the same price always take Italians, ag certainly they ace best for the beginner. If black bees can be secured for three, or even for two dollars less per colony, by all means take them, as they can be Italianized at a profit for the differ- ence in cost, and, in the operation, the young apiarist will gain valuable experience. Our motto will demand that we only purchase strong col- onies. If, as recommended, the purchaser sees the colonies before the bargain is closed, it will be easy to know that the colonies are strong. If the bees, as they come rushing out, remind you of Vesuvius at her best, or bring to mind the gush and rush at the nozzle of the fireman’s hose, then buy. In the hives of such colonies, all combs will be covered with bees, and in the honey season, brood will be abundant. It is always wisest to begin with few bees. He will generally suc- ceed best who commences with not more than four or five col- onies. IN WHAT KIND OF HIVES. As plans are already made, of course it is settled as to the style of hive to be used. If bees can be procured in such hives, they will be worth just as much more than though in any other hive, as it costs to make the hive and transfer the bees. This will be certainly as much as two or three dollars. No apiarist will tolerate, unless for experiment, two styles of hives in his apiary. Therefore, unless you find bees in such hives as you are to use, it will be best to buy them in box hives and transfer (see Chapter VII.) to your own hives, as bees in box hives can always be bought at reduced rates. In case the person from whom you purchase will take the hives back at a fair rate, after you have transferred the bees to your own hives, then purchase in any style of movable comb hive, as it is easier to transfer from a movable comb hive, than from a box hive. WHEN TO PURCHASE. It is safe to purchase any time in the summer. In April or May (of course you only purchase strong stocks) if in the latitude of New York or Chicago—it will be earlier further south—you can afford to pay more, as you will secure the in- 116 “ — Location of the Apiary. crease both of honey and bees. If you desire to purchase in autumn, that you may gain by the experience of wintering, either demand that the one of whom you purchase insure the safe wintering of the bees, or else that he reduce the selling price, at least one-third, from his rates the next April. Otherwise, the novice had better wait and purchase in the spring. If you are to transfer at once, it is almost imperative that you buy in spring, as it is vexatious, especially for the novice, to transfer when the hives are crowded with brood and honey. HOW MUCH TO PAY. Of course the market, which will ever be governed by sup- ply and demand, must guide you. But to aid you, I will append what at present would be a reasonable schedule of spring prices almost anywhere in the United States: For box hives, crowded with black bees—Italians would rarely be found in such hives—five dollars per colony is a fair price. For black bees in hives such as you desire to use, eight dollars would be reasonable. For pure Italians in such hives, ten dollars is not too much. If the person of whom you purchase will take back the movable hives after you transfer the bees, you can afford to ay five dollars for black bees, and seven dollars for pure talians. Ifyou purchase in the fall, require 334 per cent. discount on these rates. WHERE TO LOCATE, If apiculture is an avocation, then your location will be fixed by your principal business or profession. And here I may state that, if we may judge from reports which come from nearly every section of the United States, from Maine to Texas, and from Florida to Oregon, you can hardly go amiss anywhere in our goodly land. If you are to engage as a specialist, then you can select first with reference to society and climate, after which it will be well to secure a succession of natural honey-plants (Chap. XVIZ.), by virtue of your locality. It will also be well to look for reasonable prospects of a good home market, as good home markets are,and must ever be, the most desirable. It will be desirable, too, that your neighborhood is not overstocked Where to Locate. 117 with bees. It is a well-established fact, that apiarists with few colonies receive relatively larger profits than those with large apiaries. While this may be owing in part to better care, much doubtless depends on the fact that there is not an undue proportion of bees to the number of honey-plants, and conse- quent secretion of nectar. To have the undisputed monopoly of an area reaching at least four miles in every direction from your apiary, is unquestionably a great advantage. If you desire to begin two kinds of business, so that your dangers from possible misfortune may be lessened, then a small farm—especially a fruit farm—in some locality where fruit-raising is successfully practiced, will be very desirable. You thus add others of the luxuries of life to the products of your business, and at the same time may create additional pasturage for your bees by simply attending to your other business. In this case, vour location becomes a more complex matter, and will demand still greater thought and attention. Some of Michigan’s most successful apiarists are also noted as successful pomologists. For position and arrangement of apiary see Chapter VI. 118 Box Hives. CHAPTER V. HIVES AND SECTIONS. An early choice among the innumerable hives is of course demanded ; and here let me state with emphasis, that none of the standard hives are now covered by patents, so let no one buy rights. Success by the skillful apiarist with almost any hive is possible. Yet, without question, some hives are far superior to others, and for certain uses, and with certain persons, some hives are far preferable to others, though all may be meritorious. Asa change in hives, after one is once engaged in apiculture, involves much time, labor, and expense, this becomes an important question, and one worthy of earnest consideration by the pros- pective apiarist. I shall give it a first place, and a thorough consideration, in this discussion of practical apiculture. BOX-HIVES. T feel free to say that no person who reads, thinks, and studies —and success in apiculture can be promised to no other—will ever be content to use the old box-hives. In fact, thought and intelligence, which imply an eagerness to investigate, are essen- tial elements in the apiarist’s character, and to such a one a box- hive would be valued just in proportion to the amount of kindling-wood it contained. I shall entirely ignore box-hives in the following discussions, for I believe no sensible, intelligent apiarists, such as read books, will tolerate them, and that, sup- posing they would, it would be an expensive mistake which I have no right to encourage, in fact am bound to discourage, not only for the benefit of individuals but also for the art itself. To be sure of success, the apiarist must be able to inspect the whole interior of the hive at his pleasure, must be able to exchange combs from one hive to another, and to regulate the movements of the bees—by destroying queen-cells, by giving or withholding drone-comb, by extracting the honey, by intro- ducing queens, and by many other manipulations to be ex- plained, which are only practicable with a movable comb hive. MOVABLE COMB HIVES. There are, at present, two types of the movable comb hive in use among us, each of which is unquestionably valuable, as each Movable Comb Hives. 119 has advocates among our most intelligent, successful, and exten- sive apiarists. Each, too, has been superseded by the other, to the satisfaction of the person making the change. The kind most used consists of a box, in which hang the frames which hold the combs. The adjacent frames are so far separated that the combs, which just fill them, shall be the proper distance apart. In the other kind, the frames are wider than the comb, and when in position are close together, and of themselves form two sides of abox. When in use, these frames are surrounded by a second box, without a bottom, which, with them, rests on a bottom board. Each of these kinds is represented by various forms, sizes, etc., where the details are varied to suit the apiarist’s notion. Yet, I believe that all hives in present use, worthy of reecommei- dation, fall within one or the other of the above named types. EARLY FRAME HIVES. In 1848, Mr. Agustus Munn, of England, invented a moe able comb hive (Fig. 34), which I need hardly say was not the Fia. 34. The Munn Hive 120 Early Movable Comb Hives. Langstroth hive nora practical one. In 1851 this hive (Fig. 35) was improved (?). Well does Neighbour say in his valuable hand-book, ‘‘This invention was of no avail to apiarists.” Fig. 35. Munn’s Improved Hive. M. DeBeauvoys, of France, in 1847, and Schmidt, of Ger- many, in 1851, invented movable-comb hives. The frames were tight-fitting, and, of course, not practical. Dzierzon adopted the bar hive in 1838. In this hive each comb had to be cut loose as it was removed. THE LANGSTROTH HIVE, In 1851, our own Langstroth, without any knowledge of what foreign apiarian inventors had done, save what he could find in Huber, and edition 1838 of Bevan, invented the hive (Fig. 86) now in common use among the advanced apiarists of America. It is this hive, the greatest apiarian invention ever made, that has placed American apiculture in advance of that of all other countries. What practical bee-keeper of America could agree with H. Hamet, edition 1861, p. 166, who, in speaking of the DeBeauvoys’ hive, says that the im- Langstroth Hive. 121 proved hives were without value except to the amateur, and inferior for practical purposes? Our apiarists not native to our shores, like: the late Adam Grimm and Mr. Charles Da- dant, always conceded that Mr. Langstroth was the inventor of this hive, and always proclaimed its usefulness. Well did the late Mr. 8. Wagner, the honest, fearless, scholarly, and truth-loving editor of the early volumes of the American Bee Journal, himself of German origin, say: ‘‘When Mr. Lang- stroth took up this subject, he well knew what Huber had done, and saw wherein he had failed—failing, possibly, only because he aimed at nothing more than constructing an ob- serving hive suitable for his purposes. Mr. Langstroth’s object was other and higher. He aimed at making frames movable, interchangeable, and practically serviceable in bee culture.” And how true what follows: ‘‘ Nobody before Mr. Langstroth ever succeeded in devising a mode of making and using a movable frame that was of any practical value in bee culture.” No man in the world, beside Mr. Langstroth, was so conver- sant with this whole subject as was Mr. Wagner. His extensive library and thorough knowledge made him a competent judge. Mr. Langstroth, though he knew of. no previous invention of frames contained in a case, when he made his invention, in 1851, does not profess to have been the first to have invented them. Every page of his book shows his transparent honesty, and his desire to give all due credit to other writers and invent- ors. He does claim, and very justly, to have invented the first practical frame hive, the one described in his patent, applied for in January, 1851, and in all three editions of his book. For this great invention, as well as his able researches in apiculture, as given in his invaluable book, ‘‘The Honey- Bee,” he has conferred a benefit upon our art which cannot be over-estimated, and for which we, as apiarists, cannot be too grateful. It was his book—one of my old teachers, for waich I have no word of chiding—that led me to some of the most delightful investigations of my life. It was his invention— the Langstroth hive—that enabled me to make those investi- gations. For one, I shall siways revere the name of Lang- stroth, as a great leader in scientific apiculture, both in America and throughout the world. His name must ever stand beside those of Dzierzon and the elder Huber. Surely this hive, which left the hands of the great master in so perfect 122 Body of a Hive. a form that even the details remain unchanged by many of our first bee-keepers, should ever bear his name. Thus, though I prefer and use the size of frame first used, I believe, by Mr. Gallup, still I use the Langstroth hive. CHARACTER OF THE HIVE. The main feature of the hive should be simplicity, which would exclude doors, drawers, and traps of all kinds. The body should be made of good pine or white-wood lumber, one inch thick, thoroughly seasoned, and planed on both sides. Zt should be simply a plain box (Fig. 41, ¢.), without top or bottom, and of a size and form to suit the apiarist. To prevent warping, the heart surface of the board should be on the outside. In case a single board forms the top of the hive, this suggestion is even more valuable. Fia. 36. SS ar SS At present our leading apiarists prefer a large hive. The hive preferred by Mr. Heddon—an eight-frame Langstroth, (Fig. 36)—contains about 2,000 cubic inches. While the Fig 37. Body of the Hive. 128 ten-frame Langstroth (Fig. 37), the one recommended by Mr. A. I. Root, contains more than 2,500 cubic inches. Were I to use a two-story hive (Fig. 41), I should prefer about 2,500 cubic inches. If the one-and-one-half story is used (Fig. 38), then I prefer upwards of 3,400 cubic inches. This is the size preferred by Mr. Doolittle. Messrs. Hetherington, L. C. Root and Nellis use a hive larger still. If the hive is to be a two-story one—that is, one hive above a similar hive below (Fig. 41)—I prefer that it should be eighteen inches long, twelve inches wide, and twelve inches deep, inside measure. If simply small frames or sections are to be used above (Fig. 38), I would have the hive at least Fig. 38. Story and Onz-Half Hive. a—Body. b, c—Shoulders, d—Frame. e—Tin. two feet long. A three-fourths inch rabbet should be cut from the top of the sides or ends, as the apiarist prefers, on the inside (Fig. 41). The rabbet may equal a little more than one-half the thickness of the board. My late hives are with- out this rabbet (Fig. 38). These are simpler, and with many others I think I prefer them. Then the hive is only eleven 124 Bevel-Gauge. and one-fourth inches deep, instead of twelve. Heavy tin strips (Fig. 41), three-fourths of an inch wide, should be tacked to the side below the rabbet, so as to reach one-fourth of an inch above the shoulder. In case there is no rabbet (Fig. 38, ¢), these tins are nailed to the side of the hive so as to project one-fourth inch above the side. These are to bear the frames, and are convenient as they prevent the frames from becoming glued to the hive. We are thus able to loosen the frames without jarring the bees. I would not have hives ‘without such tins, though some apiarists, among whom is Mr. James Heddon, of this State, whose rank as a successful apiarist is very high, do not like them. The objection to them is cost, and the liability of the frames to move when the hive is moved. But with their use we are not compelled to pry the frames loose, and are not so likely to irritate the bees while making an examination of the contents of the hive, which arguments are conclusive with me. Any one who is not a skilled mechanic, especially if he has not a buzz-saw, had better join the sides of his hives after the style of making common dry-goods boxes. In this case, the sides not rabbeted should project by (Fig. 36), else the corners will have to be stopped up where they were rabbeted. In case we do not rabbet, either the ends or sides may project by. In such cases many rabbet the corners so as to make a stronger joint. Tho mechanic may prefer to bevel the ends of the boards, and unite them by a mitre-joint (Fig. 41). This looks a little better, otherwise is not superior to the other method. It is difficult to form accurate joints, and as everything about the hive should be ACCURATE and UNIFORM, this style is not to be recommended to the general apiarist. T'o mitre with a hand- saw, unless one is very ekillful, requires a perfect mitre- box, and, even then, much care is required to secure perfect joints. With a buzzsaw this is easier. We have only to make a carrier as follows: Take two boards (Fig. 39, a, b), each one foot in length. and dove-tail them together, as though with two others you meant to make a square box. Be sure that they form a perfect right angle. Then bevel the ends opposite the angle, and unite these with a third board (Fig. 39, ¢), firmly nailed to the others. We thus have a triangular pyramid. Through one of the shorter faces make Bottom Board of Hive. 125 longitudinal slits (Fig. 39, d), so that this can be bolted firmly to the saw-table. In use, the longer face will reach the saw, and from thence will slant up and back. Along the back edge of this a narrow board (Fig. 39, e) should be nailed, which will project an inch above it. This will keep the board to be beveled in line with the carrier, and will retain the right angles. Of course the boards for the hive must be perfect rectangles, and of just the right length and width, before the bevels are cut. Fig. 39. Bevel-Gauge. Such a carrier (Fig 39) I ordered for my Barnes’ saw, from a cabinet-maker. It was made of hard wood, all three joints dove-tailed, and nicely finished, at a cost of $1.50. In sawing the ends and sides of the hive, whether by hand or with a buzz-saw, use should be made of a guide, so that perfect uniformity will be secured. THE BOTTOM BOARD. For a bottom board or stand (Fig. 40), we should have a single one-inch board (Fig. 40, a) just as wide as the hive, and four inches longer, if the bees are to enter at the end of the hive, and as long, and four inches wider, if the bees are to enter at the side. ‘This is nailed to two pieces of two-by-four scantling (Fig. 40, 6, 6). Thus the hive rests four inches from the ground. A bottom board no wider than the hive, which shall be simply a bottomless box four inches high, has 126 Bottom and Alighting Boards. decided advantage. Bees can never cluster under it while being manipulated in summer, and in winter by simply turn- ing it over and partially filling with chaff, or saw-dust, we help to protect against cold and damp and give more room below the frames. THE ALIGHTING BOARD. This should be separate from the bottom board (Fig. 40, ¢). It is made by sawing a piece of two-by-four scantling, eight inches long, diagonally across from two of the shortest edges. These two pieces (Fig. 40, d) thus formed become rests for a Fae. 40. —-Bottom board. b, b-Supports. o-Alighting board. d—Supports. board eight inches square (Fig. 40, ¢), it may be longer as in the cut, which is nailed on to the sawed surfaces. We thus have a slanting alighting-board separate from the hive. Should the apiarist desire his bees to enter at the side of the hive, the alighting-board (Fig. 40, ¢) should be changed to the side (Tig. 41). I have tried both, and see no difference, so the matter may be controlled by the taste of the apiarist. Wor an opening to the hive (Fig. 41), we may bevel the middle of the edge of the bottom board, next to the inclined board. At the edge, this bevel should be three-quarters of an inch deep and four inches wide. It may decrease in both width and depth as it runs back, until at a distance of four inches it is one-half of an inch wide and five thirty-seconds of an inch deep. This may terminate the opening, though the shoulder at the end may be beveled off if desired. With this bottom board the bees are near the ground, and with the slanting-board in front even the most tired and heavily-laden will not fail to gain the hive, as they come in with their load of stores. In the spring, too, many bees are saved, as they come in on windy days, by low hives and an Cover of Hive. 127 alighting-board. No hive should be more than four inches from the ground, except in very damp regions where it may be raised somewhat higher, and no hive should be without the slanting alighting-board. With this opening the entrance can be contracted in case of robbing, or entirely closed when de- sired, by simply moving the hive back. Some apiarists cut an opening in the side of the hive, and regulate the size by tin slides or triangular blocks (Fig. 36); others form an opening by sliding the hive forward beyond the bottom board—which I would do with the above (Fig. 41) in hot weather when storing was very rapid. I strongly urge that only one opening be used, Auger holes about the hive, and entrances on two sides, are worse than useless. By enlarging this opening, we secure ample ventilation, even in sultry August, and when we contract the entrance no bees are lost by finding the usual door closed. Some of our best bee-keepers, as Messrs. Heddon, Jones, Baldridge, and others, prefer that the bottom board be nailed to the hive (Fig. 86). Such hives will not permit a quick clear- ing of the bottom board, when we give a cleansing flight m winter, or when wecommence operationsin spring, and with their use we cannot contract the opening in cold weather, or to sto robbing, without the blocks or tins. Simplicity should be the motto in hive-making. The arguments in favor of such fasten- ing are: Convenience in moving colonies and in feeding, as we have not to fasten the bottoms when we desire to ship our bees, and to feed we have only to pour liquids into the hives It is probable that the fastened bottom boards have substantial advantage in large apiaries where colonies are often moved, or where sales of bees are frequent. Of course, such points are not essential—only matters of convenience. Let each one decide for himself, which expe- rience will enable him to do. THE COVER OF THE HIVE. The cover (Fig. 41, a) should be about six inches high, and like the lid of a trunk. The length and breadth may be the same as the body of the hive, and fit on with beveled edges (Fig. 41, a) the body having the outer edge beveled, and the cover the inner. If we thus join the cover and hive with a mitered-joint, we must not be satisfied with anything less 128 Cover of Hive. than perfection, else in case of storms the rain will beat into our hives, which should never be permitted. Such covers can be fastened to the hives with hinges, or by hooks and staples. But unless the apiarist is skilled in the use of tools, or hires a mechanic to make his hives, it will be more satisfactory to Fia. 41. R-CO —— BAKEF Two Story Hive. e—Lower story. b—Upper story. make the cover just large enough (Fig. 36) to shut over and rest on shoulders formed either by nailing inch strips around the body of the hive (Fig. 38, ¢), one inch from the top, or else inside the cover (Fig. 36). If it is preferred to have a Second Story of Hive. 129 two-story hive, with the upper story (Fig. 41, 6) just like the lower (Fig. 41, c), this may join the lower by a miter-joint, while a cover (Fig. 41, a), two inches high, may join this with a similar joint. If the upper story shuts over the lower and rests on a shoulder (Fig. 88, /) it may still be made to take the same sized frame, by nailing pieces one-half an inch square to the corners, whose length shall equal the distance from the rabbet in the lower story to the bottom board. We then nail to these upright pieces, parallel to the rabbeted faces below, a three- eights inch board as wide as the pieces are long. The top of these thin boards will take the place of the rabbet in the lower story. This style, which is adopted in the two-story hives as made by Mr. Langstroth (Fig. 86), will permit in the upper story the same frames as used in the lower story, while two more can be inserted. Upon this upper story a shallow cover will rest. Such covers, if desired, may be made roof-like Fia. 42. (Fig. 42), by cutting end pieces (Fig. 42, 6) in form of the gable of a house. In this case there will be two slanting boards (Fig. 42, a, a), instead of one that is horizontal, to carry off the rain. The slanting boards should project at the ends (Fig. 42, d), for convenience in handling. In such covers we need thin, narrow ridge-boards (Fig. 42, c), to keep all perfectly dry. These covers look neat, are not so apt to check, and will dry much quicker after a rain. If we secure comb-honey in crates, and winter out-doors— in which case we shall need to protect in the Northern States— it will be convenient to havea box (Fig. 38) of the same general form as the main body of the hive, from six to eight inches deep, just large enough to set over the body of the hive and rest on shoulder-strips, and without top or bottom; this to have such a cover as just described. Such is the arrangement of the noted apiarist James Heddon, Southard and Ranney, of Kala- 9 130 Frames. mazoo, and many others, which, on the score of gees and convenience, has muvn to recommend it. Mr. Heddon makes his crate serve this purpose, and has his hives well shaded. In the above I have said nothing about porticos (Fig. 36). If hives are shaded as they should be, these are useless, and I belicve that in no case will they pay. To be sure, they are nice for spider-webs, and a shady place in which bees may cluster ; but such are inconvenient places to study the wondrous fabrics of the spider, even were he a friend of the bees, and the most successful apiarist will not force his bees to hang in idle clusters about the hive. Mr. George Grimm, however, thinks much of the portico. He practices moving his bees frequently, and in cool weather has to give no other ventilation than that secured by nailing wire gauze over the portico. THE FRAMES. The form and size of frames, though not quite as various as Fia. 43. 1834 12 i= & QUINBY. PG AMERICAN, 175% SS 11% LanestrorH. %* GALLUP. * 133 4 ADAIR, 3% 19% CLOSED END QUINBY. 1 f the persons who use them, are still very different (F ig. 43). Some prefer large frames, I first used the Quinby frame, and The Gallup Frame. 13h afterward the Langstroth (Fig. 43). The advantage claimed fox large frames is that there are less to handle, and time is saved; yet may not smaller frames be handled so much more dexterously, especially if they are to be handled through all the long day, as to compensate, in part at least, for the num- ent The advantage of the shallow frame is, as claimed, that the bees will go into boxes more readily; yet they are not con- sidered so safe for out-door wintering. This is the style recom- mended and used by Mr. Langstroth, which fact may account for its popularity in the United States. Another frame in common use, is one about one foot square. I use one eleven and one-fourth inches square. The reasons that I prefer this form are, that the comb seldom breaks from the frame, the frames are convenient for nuclei and save the expense of con- structing extra nucleus hives, and these frames permit the most compact arrangement for winter and spring, and thus enable us to economize heat. By use of a division board, we can, by using eight of these frames, occupy just a cubic foot of space in spring, and by repeated experiments I have found that a hive so constructed that the bees always cover the combs during the early cold weather, always gives the best results. Dr. Tinker, of Ohio, showed by ample statistics, thatin the severe winter of 1882-3 the Gallup frame did prove by far the best. As the honey season comes on more can be added, till we have reached twelve, as many, I think, as will ever be needed for brood. This was the size of frame preferred by Mr. Gallup, and is the one used by Messrs. Davis and Doolittle, Dr. Tinker, and many others of our most successful apiarists. That this size is imperative is, of course, not true; that it combines as many desirable points as any other, I think is true. For apiarists who are not very strong, especially for ladies, it is beyond question superior to all others. That we shall ever have a uniform frame used by all apiarists, though exceedingly desirable, is too much to expect or even hope. I do not think that there is sufficient advantage in any form to warrant us to hold to it, if by yielding we coud secure this uniformity. As will be seen in the British Bee Journal, 1882, p. 243, our British brothers are striving for this, and have adopted a frame eight and one-half by fourteen inches. Our North American Association might move in the same direction. Nor do I think the form and size so material 132 Frame-Making. to success as to make it generally desirable for the apiarist’ to zhange all his hives to secure a different style of frame. - HOW TO CONSTRUCT THE FRAMES. In this description, I shall suppose that the frames desired are of the form and size (Fig. 44) which I use. It will be easy, for any who may desire, to change the form at pleasure. Fia, 44. Frame, also Cross-Section of Top-Bar. For the top bar (Fig. 44, a) of the frame, use a triangular strip twelve and one-half inches long, with each face of the triangle one inch across. Seven-eighths of an inch from each end of this, form a shoulder, by sawing from one angle to within three-eighths of an inch of the opposite face, so that when the piece is split out from the end, these projections shall be just three-eighths of an inch thick throughout. The top bar of the frame should be large and strong so as never to break or even bend when in use. For the end pieces (Fig. 44, b, b), take strips ten and three-fourths inches long, seven- eighths of an inch wide, and one-fourth of an inch thick. Tack with small brads the end of two of these strips firmly to the shoulder of the top-bar, taking pains that the end touches squarely against the projection. Now tack to the opposite ends or bottoms, the ends of a similar strip (Fig. 44, d), eleven and a-fourth inches long and one eighth of an inch thick. Weshall thus have a frame eleven and one-fourth inches square, outside measure. If comb-foundation is to be used, and certainly it will be by the enterprising apiarist, then the top bar (Fig. 45, a) should be twelve and one-half inches by three-eighths by one Frame-Making. 133 inch, with a rectangular, instead of a triangular, projection below (Fig. 45, 6), which should be one-fourth by one-eighth inch, the longer diameter up and down. This should be entirely to one side of the center (Fig. 45, ¢), so that when the foundation is pressed against this piece it will hang exactly from the center of the top-bar. If preferred, the bottom of the frame (Fig. 45, ¢) need not be more than half as wide or thick as described above. Very soon all will use wire frames, for foundation, and the top bar will be a plain rectangle. Mr. D. A. Jones, with many others, prefers that the end bars of the frames project downward (Fig. 46) and that the bottom bar project at each end. It is thought that this saves the lives of bees, when the frames are being rapidly handled. HU Un Ma Jones’ Chaff Hive, Frame, Frame i Sections, Division Board and ~ Perforated Zine Division Board. It is now quite the fashion to wire the frames (Fig. 110). This insures perfect safety if we wish to ship our bees, and secures against sagging or bulging of the foundation. If the foundation is put on with a press, No. 36 wire is used; if pressed on by hand No. 380 wire is better. The timber for frame should be thoroughly seasoned, and of the best pine or white- wood. Care should be taken that the frame be made so as to hang vertically, when suspended on the rabbets of the hive. ‘To secure this very important point—true frames that will always hang true—they should always be made around a guide. 134 Gauge for Frame-Making. A BLOCK FOR MAKING FRAMES. This may be made as follows: Take a rectangular board (Fig. 47) eleven and one-eighth by thirteen and a quarter inches. On both ends of one face of this, nail hard-wood pieces (Fig. 47, e€, €) one inch square and ten and three-fourth inches long, so that one end (Fig. 47, g, g) shall lack three-eighths inch of reaching the edge of the board. On the other face of the board, nail a strip (Fig. 47, ¢) four inches wide and eleven and three-eighths inches long, at right angles to it, and in such position that the ends shall just reach to the edges of the board. Midway between the one inch square pieces, screw on another hard-wood strip (Fig. 47, d) one inch equare and four inches long, parallel with and three-fourths of an inch from the edge. To the bottom of this, screw asemi-oval piece of hoop-steel (Fig. 47, 6, 6), which shall bend around and press against the square strips. The ends of this should not reach quite to the bottom of the board. Near the ends of this spring fasten, by rivets, a leather strap an inch wide (Fig. 47, a), which shall be straight when thus riveted. These dimensions are for frames cleven and one-fourth inches square, outside measure, and must be varied for other sizes. Instead of the iron and strap, some use two pieces of wood with a central pivot. The upper ends of these levers are united by a strong elastic cord, so that the lower ends are constantly pressed against the side pieces of the block. : To use this block, we crowd the end-bars of our frames between the steel springs (Fig. 47. 6, 6), and the square strips (Fig. 47, e, €); then lay oa our top-bar and nail, after which we invert the block and nail the bottom-bar, as we did the top-bar. Now press down on the strap (Fig. 47, a), which will loosen the frame, when it may be removed, all complete and true. Such a gauge not only insures perfect frames, but demands that every piece shall be cut with great accuracy, and some such arrangement should always be used in making the frames. The projecting ends of the top-bar will rest on the tins (Fig. 41), and thus the frame can be easily loosened at any time without jarring the bees, for it will not be glued fast, as it would be in case it rested on the wooden rabbets. The danger of killing bees is also abolished by use of the tins. Cover for the Frames. 138 When the frames are in the hive there should be a three- eighths inch space between the sides and bottom of he rames, and the sides and bottom of the hive. A much wider space would very likely receive the comb, and be troublesome. Frames that fit close in the hive, or that reach to the bottom, are very inconvenient and undesirable. To secure against this, our lumber must be thoroughly seasoned, else when shrinkage takes place our frames may touch the bottom-board. The distance between the frames may be one-half of an inch, though a slight variation either way does no harm. Some men, of very precise habits, prefer nails or wire staples in the side of the frames (as already stated, Mr. Jones prolongs the sides and bottom of the frame for the same purpose) at top and bottom, which project just a quarter of an inch, so as to mairtain this unvarying distance; or staples in the bottom of the hive to secure the same end. Mr. Langstroth so arranged his frames, and Mr. Palmer, of Hart, Michigan, whose neat- ness is only surpassed by his success, does the same thing. I have had hives with these extra attachments, but found in them no special advantage. I think we can regulate the distance with the eye, so as to meet every practical demand, and thus save the expense and trouble which the above attachments cost. COVER FOR FRAMES. In summer I prefer oil-cloth to cover the frames. This is used with the glazed or enameled side down, and should be 136 Division Board. just the size of the hive. This is durable, is not covered so quickly with propolis, and is easily cleaned. Some keep this on in winter, but I prefer a porouscover. From the cold days of fall to the warm spring days, I replace the enamel-cloth covers with those made of the best factory cloth. As these are just the size of the hive when once properly on, the bees can never get above them. By cutting on three sides of a square, one inch on aside, we form a flap which, when we desire to feed, may be turned back and the hole of the feeder placed right above it.. Mr. Langstroth used a board which he called the Honey Board, above the frames, which Mr. Heddon uses even now. This has long narrow openings in it, through which the bees can pass to the sections above. Perhaps Mr. Heddon never used cloth covers. Perhaps his love of order and neatness caused him to discard them. Still, I feel grateful towards Mr. A. I. Root for calling my attention to these warm, soft, flexible covers. DIVISION BOARD. A close-fitting division board (Fig. 48) for contracting the brood chamber, is very important, and though unappreciated by many excellent apiarists, yet I think no hive is complete without it. Fig. 48, T find it especially valuable in winter and spring, and useful at all seasons. It is made of the same form as the frames, though all below the top-bar—which consists of a strip thirteen inches, by one inch, by three-eights, naited firmly to the poard below—is a solid inch board (Fig. 48, 6), which is exactly one foot square, so that it fits closely to the inside of the hive. If The Huber Hive. 137 desired, the edges (Fig. 48, ¢, c) can be beveled, as seen in the figure. When this is inserted in the hive it entirely separates the chamber into two chambers, su that an insect much smaller than a bee could not pass from the one to the other. Mr. A.J. Root makes one of cloth, chaff, ete. Yet, I think few apiarists would bother with so much machinery. Mr. W. L. Porter, once Secretary of the Michigan Assdciation, makes the board a little loose, and then inserts a rubber strip in a groove sawed in the edges. This keeps the board snug, and makes its inser- tion easy, even though heat may shrink or damp may swell either the board or hive. I have not tried this, but like the suggestion. Mr. D. A. Jones prefers that the division-board should not reach quite to the bottom of the hive (Fig. 46). The us of the division board is to contract the chamber in winter, to vary it so as to keep combs covered in Spring, to con- vert the hive into a nucleus hive, and to contract the chamber in the upper-story of a two-story hive, when first adding frames to secure surplus comb honey. THE HUBER HIVE. The other type of hives originated who Huber hinged several of his leaf or unicomb hiyes together so that the frames would open like the leaves of a book. In August, 1779, Huber wrote to Bonnet as follows: ‘‘I took several small fir boxes, a foot square and fifteen lines wide, and joined them together by hinges, so that they could be opened and shut like the leaves of a book. Wher using a hive of this description, we took care to fix 2 comb in. each frame, and then introduced all the bees.” (Edinburgh edition.of Huber, p. 4.) Although Morlot and others attempted to improve this hive, it never gained favor with practical apiarists. In 1866, Mr. T. F. Bingham, then of New York, improved upon the Huber hive, securing a patent on his triangular frame hive. This, so far as I can judge, was the Huber hive made practical. Mr. Bingham now uses a modification of this hive (Fig. 50). In 1868, Mr. M. S. Snow, then of New York, now of Min- nesota, procured a patent on his hive, which was essentially the same as the hives now known as the Quinby and Bingham hives. 138 The Quinby Hive. Soon after, the late Mr. Quinby brought forth his hive, which is essentially the same as the above, only differing in details. No patent was obtained by Mr. Quinby, whose great heart and boundless generosity endeared him to all acquaint- ances. Those who knew him best, never tire of praising the unselfish acts and life of this noble man. If we except Mr. Langstroth, no other man has probably done so much to pro- mote the interest and growth of improved apiculture in the United States. His hive, his book, his views of wintering, his introduction of the bellows-smoker—a gift to apiarists—all speak his praise as a man and an apiarist. The facts that the Bingham hive, as now made, is a great favorite with those that have used it, that Mr. Quinby pre- ferred this style or type of hive, that the Quinby form is used by the Hetherington brothers, Captain J. E., the prince of American apiarists, and O. J., whose neatness, precision, and mechanical skill are enough to awaken envy, are surely sufficient to excite curiosity and bespeak a description. The Quinby hive (Fig. 49), as used by the Hetherington brothers, consists of a series of rectangular frames (Fig. 49) twelve by seventeen inches, outside measure. Theend bars of these frames are one anda half inches wide and half an Fic. 49. inch thick. The top and bottom one inch wide and half an inch thiek, The outer halves of the end bar projects 2 of an inch beyond the top and bottom bars. This projection is lined on the inside with sheet iron, which is inserted in a groove which runs one inch into each end of the end-pieces and is The Bingham Hive. 139 tacked by the same nails that fasten the end-bars to the top and bottom-bars. This iron at the end of the bar bends in at right-angles (Fig. 49, a), and extends one-fourth of an inch parallel with the top and bottom-bars. Thus, when these frames stand side by side, the ends are close, while half-inch openings extend between the top and bottom-bars of adjacent frames. The bottom-bars, too, are one-fourth of an inch from the bottom-board. Tacked to the bottom-board, in line with the position of the back end-bars of the frames, isan inch strip of sheet-iron (Fig. 49, b, b) sixteen inches in length. One- third of this strip, from the front edge back, is bent over so it lies not quite in contact with the second third, while the pos- terior third receives the tacks which hold it to the bottom- board. Now, when in use this iron flange receives the hooks on the corners of the frames, so that the frames are held firmly, and can only be moved back and side-wise. In looking at the bees we can separate the combs at once, at any place. The chamber can be enlarged or diminished simply by adding or withdrawing frames. As the hooks are on all four corners of the frames, the frames can be either end back, or either side up. This arrangement, which permits the inversion of the frames, is greatly praised by those who have tried it. It is claimed, that by turning a frame bottom up the comb will be fastened above and below, and the bees, in their haste to carry the honey from the bottom of the frames, will rush at once into the sections. Boards with iron hooks close the side of the brood cavity, while a cloth covers the frames. The entrance (Fig 49, e) is cut in the bottom-board as already explained, except that the lateral edges are kept parallel. A strip of sheet-iron (Fig. 49, d) is tacked across this, on which rest the ends of the front end-bars of the frames which stand above, and underneath which pass the bees as they come to and go from the hive. A box, without bottom and with movable top, covers all, leaving a space from four to six inches above and on all sides between it and the frames. This gives chance to pack with chaff in winter, and for side and top storing in sections in summer. The Bingham hive (Fig. 50) is not only remarkably simple, but is as remarkable for its shallow depth; the frames being only five inches high. These have no bottor-bar. The end- pars are one and a half inches wide, and the top-bar square. 140 The Huber Type of Hives. The nails that hold-the end-bars pass into the end of the top bar, which is usually placed diagonally, so that an edge, not a face, is below; though some are made with a face below (Fig. 50, f), to be used when comb is transferred. ae frames are held together by two wires, one at each end. ra h wire (Fig. 50, a) is a little longer than twice the width of the hive when the maximum number of frames are used. The Fie. 50. Frames and Bottom-Board of the Bingham Hive. ends of each wire are united and placed about nails (Fig. 50, b, b) in the ends of the boards (Fig. 50, ¢, ¢)which form the sides of the brood-chamber. A small stick (Fig. 50, a) spreads these wires, and brings the frames close together. A box without bottom and with movable cover, is placed about the frames. This is large and high enough to permit of chaff packing in winter and spring. The bottom board may be made like the one already described. Mr. Bingham does not bevel the bottom-board, but places lath under three sides of the brood-chamber, the lath being nailed to the bottom-board. He uses the Langstroth blocks to contract the entrance (Fig. 50, iD) s The advantages of this hive are, simplicity, great space above for surplus frames or boxes, capability of being placed one hive above another to any height desired, while the frames may be reversed, end for end, or bottom for top, or the whole brood-chamber turned up-side down. Thus, by doubling, we may have a depth of ten inches for winter. The objection which I have found in the use of such hives, is danger of killing bees in rapid handling. They can be manipulated with rapidity if we care not how many bees we crush. It hurts me to kill a bee, and so I find the Langstroth style more quickly manipulated. Mr. Snow, too. who was Comb Honey Sections. 141 the first to make the above style of hive, has discarded it in favor of the Langstroth. His objection to the above, is the fact that the various combs are not sure to be so built as to be interchangeable. Yet that such apiarists as those above nam- ed prefer these Huber hives, after long use of the other style, is certainly not without significance. OBSERVATORY HIVE. To study bees while they are at work, requires a hive so constructed that we can look in upon all the bees of the hive at pleasure. For this purpose, I have used a small Lang- stroth hive (Fig. 51), containing one frame. Glass is used Fia. 51. each side of the frame and this is shaded by doors, hung on hinges. We are able to look at the bees or make all dark in: side at pleasure. To prevent the hive from becoming too crowded, we must every twenty-three or four days shake the bees from the frame and replace the latter with another frame, which shall contain no brood. From such a hive in my study window, I have received much pleasure and information. APPARATUS FOR PROCURING COMB-HONEY. Although I feel sure that extracted honey will grow more and more in favor, yet it will never supersede the beautiful comb, which, from its exquisite flavor and attractive appear- 42 Veneer Sections. nd ance, has always been, and always will be, admired and desired. So, no hive is complete without its arrangement of section- frames and crates, all constructed with the view of securing this delectable comb-honey in the form that will be most tempt- ing to the eye and palate. SURPLUS COMB-HONEY IN SECTIONS. Honey in several-pound boxes is no longer marketable, and is now almost wholly replaced by comb-honey in sections. In fact, there is no apparatus for securing comb-honey that prom- ises so well as these sections. That they are just the thing to enable us to tickle the market is shown by their rapid growth in popular favor. Some years ago I predicted, at one of our State Conventions, that they would soon replace boxes, and was laughed at. Nearly all who then laughed, now use these sections. They are cheap, and with their use we can get more honey, and in a form that will make it irresistible. REQUISITES OF GOOD SECTIONS. The wood should be white, the size just such as the market demands, the form such as is convenient to use with our hives, so made that they may be glassed, not too much cut off from brood-ch2mber, cheap, easily made, and so arranged as to be put on or taken off the hive en masse. DESCRIPTION. Since 1877, I have made neat, cheap sections, using clean white veneer, such as is used to make berry boxes. The veneer can be procured at the factories, of any width, and Fig. 52. _ Fia. 53. | 3-16 Four Inches. 3-16 J > Cutting Edge of Chisel. i! with a cross cut, so when they are bent they will be of any desired form and size. I have bent them around a block (Fig. 52), let them lap above the iron (Fig. 52, b), and tacked them with wrought tacks. _To cut out spaces, I_use a nae Sections and Dividers. 143 chisel (Fig. 53), to cut out the space, so that the bees may enter the sections.. These sections are awkward to glass, and only good for home market, as they are too frail to ship. They are cheap and easily made. They cost about two mills each. The Hetherington brothers make a very neat section, as follows: The top and bottom are each two inches wide, of one-quarter inch white pine. These receive a groove one- eighth inch from the ends, which receives the sides, one inch wide and one-eighth inch thick, which are pressed through to a central position and glued. This section is five and a half inches square. They use wooden dividers (Fig. 54, a), one- eighth of an inch thick, as long as the section, but one inch Fie. 54, Fig. 55. Separator. Dove-Taitea Section, less in height, so that below and above is a half-inch space, which permits the bees to pass readily from one section to another. These are held by a half-inch strip of tin (Fig. 54, b, 6), which passes through a groove (Fig. 54, ¢), in the ends of the dividers, and reaches half an inch farther ; then turns at right-angles and ends in a point (Fig. 54, b), which, when in use, sticks into the top or bottom pieces; and so the four points hold the divider in place. When ready to sell, they insert half-inch glass in the grooves each side the narrow side- pieces, and with tins fasten glass on the faces, and have a very handsome section. It will be noticed that we have a half-inch space between the sections. It ought to be at least three-eighths of an inch. This makes inspection easy, aids in getting the bees out when the sections are removed, facilitates the passage of the bees, and the handling of the sections. Dr. C. C. Miller prefers sections made as are children’s toy blocks, the sides fastened by a sort of mortise and tennon 144 Nailed Sections. arrangement (Fig. 55). I have received from Mr. James Heddon a similar section, very neat and beautifully finished, which is made in Vermont. The Phelps-Wheeler-Betsinger sections (Fig. 56) are essentially the same. The top and bottom are three-eights narrower than the sides, and are nailed to them. The Wheeler Fic. 56. Fic. 57. is | Ee pen One Pound Section. Fic. 58. Prize Section. section—invented and patented by Mr. Geo. T. Wheeler, Mexico, New York, in 1870—is remarkable for being the first (Fig. 64, J) to be used with tin separators (Fig. 64, Jf). Instead of making the bottoms narrower for a passage, Mr. Wheeler made an opening in the bottom. Another style of section, termed the one-piece-section (Fig. 57), is, as its name implies, made of a single piece of wood, with three cross cuts so that it can be easily bent into a square. The fourth angle unites by notches and projections as before described (Fig. 55). This is now patented by a Mr. Farncrook, of Wisconsin; but as I made and used essentially the same thing at least four years before the patent was grant- ed, I do not see how it can be valid. Still I am no lawyer; much less a patent-right attorney. These one-piece sections are now, I think, the favorites among bee-keepers. Heretofore there have been two prevailing sizes of sections in use in the United States; the prize section (Fig. 58) which is five and one-fourth by six and one-fourth inches, and the one pound section, (Fig. 57) which is four and one-fourth inches square. The latter is coming rapidly to the front, as honey in it sells more readily than if in a larger section. Even half pound sections have taken the lead in the Boston and Chicago markets the past season. It is quite possible that these small sections will rule in the markets of the future. Sections in Frames. 145 They would often sell more readily, and are far better to ship, as the combs would seldom ever break from the sections. If, in arranging our sections, we desire to have them oblong, we better make them so that they will be longest up and down. Mr. D. A. Jones finds that f so made, they are filled and capped much sooner. In the depth of the section, which fixes the thickness of the comb, a change from the common style seems to be desirable. Heretofore they have been generally made two inches deep. With such sections we must use separator. to secure perfect combs. By reducing the depth to from one and three-eighth to one and three-fourth inches, the expense of separators is said to be unnecessary. We secure nicer comb for the table, and more bees are able to work on a crate or frame of sections, so that the foundation is more speedily drawn out. Of course any decided change in the form and size of our sections involves no small ex- pense, as it requires that the crates or frames for holding the sections should also be changed. Often, however, by a little planning we can vary the form so as to reduce the size, with- out necessitating this expense. HOW TO PLACE SECTIONS IN POSITION. There are two methods, each of which is 2xcellent and has, as it well may, earnest advocates—one by use of frames, the other by crates. SECTIONS IN FRAMES. s‘rames for holding sections (Tig. 59) are made the same size as the frames in the brood chamber. The depth of the frame, however, is the same a3 the depth of the sections. The bottom bar is three-eighths of an inch narrower than the remain- der of the frame, so that when two frames are side by side, there is three-eighths of an inch space between the bottom bars, though the top and side pieces are close together. The sections are of such a size (Fig. 61, J¢) that four, or six, or nine, etc., will just fill one of the large frames. Nailed to one side of each large frame are two tin, or thin wooden strips (Fig. 61, t, ¢) in case separators are to be used, as long as the frame, and as wide into one inch as are the sections. These are tacked half an inch from the top and the bottom of the large frames, and so are opposite the sections, thus permitting the bees to pass readily 10 146 Sections in Frames. from one tier of sections to another, as do the narrower top and bottom-bars of the sections, from those below to those above. Captain Hetherington tells me that Mr. Quinby used these Fie. 59. Gallup Section-Front. yearsago. The tin arrangement, though unlike Mr. Wheeler’s (Fig. 64, M), would be readily suggested by it. It is more trouble to make these frames if we have the tins set in so as Fia. 60. just to come flush with the edge of the end-bars of the frames, but then the frames would hang close together, and would not be so stuck together with propolis. These may be hung in the Crates for Sections. 147 second story of a two-story hive, and just so many as to fill the same—my hives will take nine—or they can be put below, beside the brood-combs. Mr. Doolittle, in case he hangs these below, inserts a perforated division-board, so that the queen will not enter the sections and lay eggs. The perforated zinc division-board (Fig. 60) would serve admirably for this purpose. A honey-board of the same material keeps sections, either in crates or frames, that are above the hive, neat, and also keeps the queen from entering them. The workers enter just as freely. In long hives, the ‘‘ New Idea”—which I find very satis factory, after several years’ trial, especially for extracted honey —I have used these frames of sections, and with the best suc- cess. The Italians enter them at once, and fill them even more quickly than other bees fill the sections in the upper Fia. 61. swift Gallup Frame with Sections. story. In fact, one great advantage of these sections in the frames is the obvious and ample passage-ways, inviting the bees to enter them. But in our desire to make ample and inviting openings, caution is required that we do not over-do the matter, and invite the queen to injurious intrusion. So we have Charybdis and Scylla, and must, by study, learn to so steer between as to avoid both dangers. 143 Sections in Crates. Mr. Jones finds that by using the division-board made of perforated zine (Fig. 60), the queen is kept from the sections, and they can be safely placed in one end of the body of the hive. The 2oming summer I shall vise six sections in the Gallup vame, each one, five and one-fourth by three and one-half Fic. 62. Langstroth Frame with One Pound Sections. inches, and shall try some no thicker than one and three-eighths inches. Figure 62 shows a Langstroth frame full of one pound sections. CRATES OR RACKS. These (Fig. 37) are to use in lieu of large frames, to hold sections, and are very convenient when we wish to set the sec- tions only one deep above the brood-chamber. Though, if desired, w2 can place one rack above another, as practiced by Mr. James Heddon, and so have sections two, and even three deep. Fic. 63. Crate for Sections, Southard and Raney, of Kalamazoo, usea ver ne aoa pion : ’ alamazoo, at-rack (Fig. 63), in which they use the thin veneer sechions, The Racks and Crates. 149 sheet-iron rests (Fig. 63, H, H, H), with their bent edges, just raise the rack one-fourth of an inch from the brood frames. Mr. Heddon uses a similar crate without the iron strips. The Wheeler rack (Fig. 64) simply holds the sections, while each section is glassed separately. Fia. 64. Wheeler Rack. The most common crate now in use (Fig. 65) is simple and cheap. Long tins (Fig. 65, b, 6) extend between the rows of sections, though these may be wood, the outside sections Fig. 65, Sections in Crate. receive glass (Fig. 65, ¢, ¢), while a clamp (Fig. 65, a) wedges the sections firmly in position. Captain Hetherington sets a rack of sections above the frames, and stands sections one above the other on the side for side storing. Mr. Doolittle makes a rack by placing frames, such as I have described—except they are only half as high, 150 Foot Power Saw. and hold put two sections—side by side, where they are held by tacking a stick on top across each end of the row. Ha also places two tiers, two deep, at each end of tne wrood- chamber, if he desires to give so much room. Mr. Adam Grimm once wrote that boxes above the hive should not be closely covered. As already stated, Mr. Heddon puts no close cover over his sections. Mr. Hasty is pleased with simply a cloth, cheap muslin, about his sections and a board cover to protect from rains. Such ventilation of the sections is scientific as well as practical. All apiarists who desire to work for comb honey that will sell, will certainly use the sections, and adjust them by use of either frames or crates. Each method has its friends, though I think crates are taking the lead. FOOT POWER SAW. Every apiarist, who keeps only a few bees, will find, if he makes his own hives, a foot power saw very valuable. I have used, with great satisfaction, the admirably combined foot power saw of W. I. & John Barnes. It permits rapid work, insures uniformity, and enables the apiarist to give a finish to his work that would rival that of the cabinet-maker. Those who procure such a machine should learn to file and set the saw, and should never run the machine when not in perfect order. When just beginning the business it will generally be wise to secure a fully equipped hive of some bee-keeper or dealer in supplies. If there is a hive factory near at hand, it may pay to buy all hives ready made; otherwise high freights make this unprofitable. If a person wishes to manufacture hives by the score, either for himself or others, even the foot power saw will soon become too slow and wearying. In this case some use wind power, which is too uncertain to give full satis- faction; others use horse-power, and still others procure a small steam engine. Mr. M. H. Hunt, a very thoughtful apiarist, uses a very convenient horse power (Fig. 66). The large wheel is fifteen feet in diameter, the horse is inside the rim, and the band con- sists of a chain, that it may not slip. To get the horse in position, the wheel is lowered. Horse Power. 151, A i ‘ | it : Ay Mt i - i Hencal y om sik ) y (G HUG LLL oN AU y i IN NU] Hy ‘ fi UMS lis Horse Power. In case we use other than foot or hand power, our saw table Fig. 67. Saw Table. oa must be firm and heavy. The one illustrated here (Fig. 67) is recommended by Mr. A. I. Root. 152 Apiary Grounds. CHAPTER VI. POSITION AND ARRANGEMENT OF APIARY. As it is desirable to have our apiary grounds so fixed as to give the best results, and as this costs some money and more labor, it should be done once for all. As plan and execution in this direction must needs precede even the purchase of bees, this subject deserves an early consideration. Hence we will proceed to consider position, arrangement of grounds, and preparation for each individual colony. POSITION. Of course, it is of the first importance that the apiary be near at hand. In city or village this is imperative. In the country, or at suburban homes, we have more choice, but close proximity to the house is of much importance. In a city it may be necessary to follow friend Muth’s example, and locate on the house-tops, where, despite the inconvenience, we may achieve success. The lay of the ground is not important, though if a hill, it should not be very steep. It may slope in any direction, but better any way than toward the north. ARRANGEMENT OF GROUNDS. Unless sandy, these should be well drained. If a grove offers inviting shade, accept it, but trim high to avoid damp. Such a grove could soon be formed of bass-wood and tulip trees, which, as we shall see, are very desirable, as their bloom offers plenteous and most delicioushoney. Even Virgil urged shade of palm and olive, also that we screen the bees from winds. Wind-screens are very desirable, especially on the windward side. Such a screen may be formed of a tall board fence, which, if it surrounds the grounds, will also serve to protect against thieves. Yet these are gloomy and forbidding, and will be eschewed by the apiarist who has an eye to esthetics. Ever-green screens, either of Norway spruce, Austrian or other pine, or arbor vite, each or all, are not only very effective, tut are quickly grown, inexpensive, and add greatly 10 the beauty of the grounds. If the apiary is large, Apiary Grounds. 153 a small, neat, inexpensive house, in the center of the apiary grounds is indispensable. This will serve in winter as a shop for making hives, frames, etc., and as a store-house for honey, while in summer it will be used for extracting, transferring, storing, bottling, etc. In building this, it will be well to con- struct a frost-proof, thoroughly drained, dark, and well- ventilated cellar. To secure the thorough ventilation, pass a tube, which may be made of tile, from near the bottom, through the earth to the surface; and another, from near the bottom, to the chimney or stove-pipe above (see chapters XVIII and XIX). PREPARATION FOR EACH COLONY. Virgil was right in recommending shade for each colony. Bees are forced to cluster outside the hive, if the hives are subjected to the full force of the sun’s rays. By the intense heat, the temperature inside becomes like that of an oven, and the wonder is that they do not desert entirely. J have known hives, thus unprotected, to be covered with bees, idling out- side, when by simply shading the hives, all would go merrily to work. The combs, too, and foundation especially, are liable, in unshaded hives, to melt and fall down, which is very damaging to the bees, and very vexatious to the apiarist. The remedy for all this is to always have the hives so situated that they will be entirely shaded all through the heat of the day. This might be done by constructing a shed or house, but these are expensive and inconvenient, and, therefore, to be discarded. If the apiarist has a convenient grove, this may be trimmed high, so as not to be damp, and will fulfill every requirement. So arrange the hives that while they are shaded through all the heat of the day, they will receive the sun’s rays early and late, and thus the bees will work more hours. I always face my hives to the east. If no grove is at command, the hives may be placed on the north of a Concord grape-vine (Fig. 68), or other vigorous variety, as the apiarist may prefer. Thisshould be trained to a trellis, which may be made by setting two posts, either of cedar or oak. Let these extend four or five feet above the ground, and be three or four feetapart. Connect them at intervals of eighteen inches with three galvanized wires, the last one being at the top of the posts. Thus we car 154 Preparations for Hives. have shade and grapes, and can see for ourselves that bees do not injure grapes. If preferred we may use cvergreens for this purpose, which can be kept low, and trimmed square and close on the north. These can pe got at once, and are-super- Fic. 68. Nucleus and Simplicity Hive Shaded by Grape-vine. ior in that they furnish ample shade at all seasons. N orway spruce is the best. These should be at least six fect apart. A. I. Root’s idea of having the vine of each succeeding row divide the spaces of the previous row, in quincunx order (Fig. Grape-vine Apiary. 155 Fia. 69. a BS m a a Grape-vine Apiary. ee 156 Preparations for Hives. 69), is very good; though I should prefer the rows in this case to be four, instead ox’ three feet apart, especially with ever-greens. Until protecting shade can be thus permanently secured, boards or tent cloth covers should be arranged for temporary protection. Many apiarists economize by using fruit trees for this purpose, which from their spreading tops answer very well. Mr. A. I. Root’s idea of having sawdust under and about the hives is, I think, a good one. The hives of the Michigan Agricultural College (Fig. 70) are protected by evergreens, trimmed close on the north side. In the figure the artist has made « deciduous tree, and so it appears too spreading. A space four feet by six, north of thc shrubs, was then dug out to a depth of four inches, and filled with sawdust (Fig. 70, f), underlying which were old bricks, so that nothing weuld grow up through the sawdust. The sawdust thus extends one foot back, or west of the hive, three feet north, and the same distance to the east or front side of the hive. This makes it neat about the hive, and largely removes the danger of losing the queen in handling the bees; as should she fall outside the hive, the sharp-sighted apiarist would be very likely indeed to see her. Mr. J. H. Nellis, long the able Secretary of the North- Eastern Bee-Keepers’ Association, objects to sawdust. as he thinks it rots too quickly, may take fire, and bio about badly. He would use sand or gravel instead. I have found another objection to the above plan. The grass comes up too freely. Having to change our apiary grounds, I dug the hole as above described, and covered the bottom with a thin layer of coal tar, upon which I placed a layer of brick, which I covered with concrete, and all with a thin layer of gravel. This work can be done after the busy season is over. The cost is very light, and we have a neat and permanent founda- tion for each hive. After the evergreens are well started, all the space between the sawdust areas should be in grass, and kept neatly mown. This takes but little timc, and makes the apiary always pleasant and inviting. Hive Shaded by Evergreen. 157 Fic. 70. 1, om sag Late ee w) BA Hen eNO IE { fe NARA peat s T'wo Story Hive Shaded by Evergreen. 158 Transferring Bees. CHAPTER VII. TO TRANSFER BEES. As you may have purchased your bees in box hives, barrels, or hollow logs, and so, of course, will desire to transfer them immediately into movable-frame hives, or, as already suggest- ed, you may wish to transfer from one movable-frame to another, I will now proceed to describe the process. Among the many valuable methods which Mr. Heddon has given to the bee-keeping public not the least valuable is that of transferring. By his method the work may be done at any season whenever the bees are on the wing. After blowing a little smoke into the hive, sufficient to alarm the bees, we set it a little aside, and put in its place our new hive full of wired foundation. We now turn the old hive, whatever it may be, bottom side up, and place a box over it. If the bees are suf- ficiently smoked, it will make no difference even if the box is not close fitting to the old hive. We then with a stick or hammer rap on the hive for from ten totwenty minutes. The bees will fill with honey and go with the queen into the upper box and cluster. If towards the last we carefully set the box off once or twice, and vigorously shake the hive, and then re- place the box, we will hasten the emigration of the bees, and make it more complete. I got this suggestion from Mr. Bald- ridge. A few young bees willstillremain in the old hive, but these will do no harm. We next take the box which contains the queen and nearly ail the bees, and shake the bees all out in front of the hive, already placed on the old stand. The bees will at once take possession, draw out the foundation in a surprisingly short time, and wil! give us a set of combs which will surpass in beauty those procured in any other way Should the bees be unable to gather any honey for some days, of course we must feed them, but as we shall see in the sequel, this will pay, even were it unnecessary. We set the old hive aside for twenty-one days, when the oung bees will all come from the cells. Should the weather e culd, we might have to put this in a warm room, so the Old Method of Transferring. 159 brood will not chill. We now drum out these bees as before, kill the queen, which has been reared, and unite the bees with the others, or form a separate colony as before—except that we supply them with a queen—as the number of bees deter- mines. We can now split out the corners of the old hive, split the gum, or separate the staves of the barrel, so as not to break the comb. This should be carefully cut loose, and the honey extracted by use of the wire comb-holder (Fig. 92) and the comb melted into wax for foundation. The only loss in this method is the time which the bees require to draw out the foundation, and this is far more than made up in the su- perior combs which are secured. I think the time expended in melting up the combs, etc., is more than made up by the time saved in transferring. THE OLD METHOD. If one has no foundation, or desires to give the bees the comb and honey at once, even at the cost of unshapely combs, he then should drum the bees out as before, and put the box containing the bees on the old stand, leaving the edge raised so that the bees which are out may enter, and so all the bees can get air. This method is difficult, except in spring, and is best done about noon when the bees are busy on the fruit bloom. If other bees do not trouble, as they usually will not if busily gathering, we can proceed in the open air. If they do, we must go into some room. I have frequently transfer- red the comb in my kitchen, and often ina barn. Now knock the old hive apart, as already described, cut the combs from the sides, and get the combs out of the old hive with just as little breakage as possible. Mr. Baldbridge, if transferring in spring, saws the combs and cross-sticks loose from the sides, turns the hive into the natural position, then strikes against the top of the hive with a hammer till the fastenings are broken loose, when he lifts the hive, and the combs are all free and in convenient shape for rapid work. We now need a barrel, set on end, on which we place a board fifteen to twenty inches square, covered with several thicknesses of cloth. Some apiarists think the cloth useless, but it serves, I think, to prevent injury to comb, brood. or honey. We now place a comb on this cloth, and ina frame on the comb, and cut out the comb the size of ihe inside of the 160 Fastening Comb in Frames. frame, taking pains to save all the worker brood. Now crowd the frame over the comb, so that the latter will be in the same position that it was when in the old hive; that is, so the honey will be above—the position is not very important—then fasten the comb in the frame, by winding about all one or two small wires or pieces of wrapping twine. To raise the frame and comb before fastening, raise the board beneath till the frame is vertical. Set this frame in the new hive, and proceed with the others in the same way till we have all the worker-comb— that with small cells—fastened in. To secure the pieces, which we shall find abundant at the end, take thin pieces of wood, one-half inch wide and a trifle longer than the frame is deep, place these in pairs either side the comb, extending up and down, and enough to hold the pieces secure till the bees shall fasten them (Fig. 71), and secure the strips by winding Fic. 71. Fic. 72. b- ja yr D = Transferring Clasp. with small wire, just below the frame (Fig. 72), or by use of small rubber rings, or else tack them to the frame with small tacks. Some bee-keepers use U-shaped pieces of wire or tin to hold the comb in the frame. Captain Hetherington has invented and practices a very neat method of fastening comb into frames. In constructing his frames, he bores small holes through the top, side, and bottom-bars of his frames, about two inches apart; these holes are just large enough to permit the passage of the long spines of the hawthorn. Now, in transferring comb, he has but to stick these thorns through into the comb to hold it se- curely. He can also use all the pieces, and still make a neat and secure frame of comb. He finds this arrangement conven- ient, too, in strengthening insecure combs. In answer to my Transferring without Drumming. 161 inquiry, this gentleman said it paid well to bore such holes in all his frames, which are eleven by sixteen inches, inside measure. I discarded such frames because of the liability of the comb to fall out. Having fastened all the nice worker comb into the frames —of course all other comb will be melted into wax—we place all the frames containing brood together in the centre of our new hive, especially if the colony is weak, or the weather cool, and confine the space by use of the division board, adding the other frames as the bees may need them. We now place our new hive on the stand, pushing it forward so that the bees can enter anywhere along the alighting board, and then shake all the bees from the box, and any young bees that may have clustered on any part of the old hive, or on the floor, or ground, where we transferred the comb, immediately in front. They will enter at once and soon be at work, all the busier for hav- ing passed ‘‘from the old house into the new.” In two or three days, remove the wires, or strings and sticks, when we shall find the combs all fastened and smoothed off, and the bees as busily engaged as though their present home had always been the seat of their labors. In practicing this method, many proceed at once to transfer without drumming out the bees. In this case the bees should be well smoked, should be driven away from the side of the old hive where the combs are being cut loose, by use of the smoker, and may be brushed direct from the old combs into the new hive. This method will be preferred by the ex- perienced, though I think the beginner will find it more easy and pleasant to first drum out all the bees before he commences to cut out the combs. Of course, in transferring from one frame to another, the matter is much simplified. In this case, after thoroughly smoking the bees, we have but to lift the frames and shake or brush the bees into the new hive. For a brush, a chicken or turkey wing, a large wing or tail feather from a turkey, goose, or peacock, or a twig of pine or bunch of asparagus twigs, serves admirably. Now cut out the comb in the best form to accommodate the new frames, and fasten as already suggested. After the combs are all transferred, shake all remaining bees in front of the new hive, which has already been placed on the stand previously occupied by the old hive, il 162 Hunting Bee Trees. Sometimes bees from trees in the forest are transferred to hives and the apiary. HUNTING BEE TREES. Except for recreation, this is seldom profitable. It is slow and uncertain work. The tree when found is not our own, and though the owner may consent to our cutting it, he may dislike to do so. The bees, when found, are difficult to get alive; it is even more difficult to get the honey in good con- dition, and when secured, the honey and bees are often almost worthless. The principle upon which bees are ‘‘lined” is this: that after filling with honey, a bee always takes a direct course—‘‘a bee line”—to its hive. To hunt the bee-trees we need a bottle of sweetened water, a little honey-comb, unless the bees are gathering freely from forest flowers, and a small bottomless box with a sliding glass cover, and a small shelf attached to the middle of one side on the inside of the box. The Original BINGHAM IB) Bee Smoker best) can be burned in the tube, and will remain burning a long time. The smoke can be directed at pleasure, the bellows easily worked, and the smoker used without any disagreeable effects or danger from fire. 222 To Smoke Bees. THE QUINBY SMOKER. This smoker (Fig. 98, a) was a gift to bee-keepers by the late Mr. Quinby, and not patented; though I supposed it was, and so stated in a former edition of this work. Though a similar device had been previously used in Europe, without doubt Mr. Quinby was not aware of the fact, and as he was the person to bring it to the notice of bee-keepers, and to make it so perfect as to challenge the attention and win the favor of apiarists instanter, he is certainly worthy of great praise, and deserving of hearty gratitude. This first smoker has been improved (Fig. 98, 6) in what is now sold as the Improved Quinby. Mr. Bingham was the first to improve the old Quinby smoker in. establishing a direct draft (Fig. 99). Mr. Clark next added the cold draft (Fig. 100). Fia. 100, There are now several smokers on the market, each of which has its merits and its friends. No person who keeps even a single colony of bees, can afford to do without some one of them. TO SMOKE BEES. Approach the hive, blow a little smoke in at the entrance, then open from above, and blow in smoke as required. If, at any time, the bees seem irritable, a few puffs from the smoker will subdue them. Thus, any person may handle his bees with perfect freedom and safety. If, at any time, the Treatment of Stings. 223 fire-chamber and escape-pipe of the smoker become filled with soot, they can easily be cleaned by revolving an iron or hard- wood stick inside of them. CHLOROFORM. Mr. Jones finds that chloroform is very useful in quieting bees. He puts a dry sponge in the tube of the smoker, then a sponge wet in chloroform—it takes but a tew drops—then put: in another dry sponge. These dry sponges prevent the escape us the chlo oform, except when the bellows is worked. My. Jones finds that bees partially stupitied with chloroform aceive queens without any show of ill-will As soon as the bees begin to fall, the queen is put into the hive and no more of the vapor added. q tried this last sumYer with perfect success. This was recommended years ago in Germany, but its use seems to have been abandoned. It is more than like- ly that Mr. Jones’ method of applying the ansethetic is what makes it more valuable. ‘The smoker diffuses the vapor so that all bees receive it, and none get toomuch. Ishould use ether insteadof chloroform, as with higher animals it is a little more mild and safe. TO CURE STINGS. In case a person is stung, he should step back a little for a moment, as the pungent odor of the venom is likely to anger the oees and induce further stinging By forcing a little smoke from the smoker onto the part stung, we will obscure this odor. The sting should be rubbed off at once. I say rubbed, for we should not grasp it with the finger-nails, as that crowds more poison into the wound. If the pain is such as to prove trouble- some, apply a little ammonia. The venom is an acid, and is neutralized by the alkali. A strong solution of saltpetre I have found nearly as good to relieve pain.as the ammonia. Ice cold water drives the blood from any part of our body to which it is applied, and so it often gives relief to quickly immerse the part stung in very cold water. In case horses are badly stung, as sometimes happens, they should be taken as speedily as possible into a barn (a man, too, may escape angry bees by entering a building), where the bees will seldoin follow, then wash the horses in soda water, and cover with blankets wet in cold water. 224 Bee Tent. THE SWEAT THEORY. It is often stated that sweaty horses and people are obnoxious to the bees, and hence almost sure targets for their barbed arrows. In warm weather I perspire most profusely, yet am scarcely ever stung, since I have learned to control my nerves. I once kept my bees in the front yard—they looked beautiful on the green lawn—within two rods of a main thoroughfare, and not infrequently let my horse, covered with sweat upon my return from a drive, crop the grass, while cooling off, right in the same yard. Of course, there was some danger, but I never knew my horse to get stung. Why, then, the theory? May not the more frequent stings be consequent upon the warm, nervous condition of the individual? The man is more ready to strike and jerk, the horse to stamp and switch. The switching of the horse’s tail, like the whisker trap of a full beard, will anger even a good-natured bee. I should dread the motions more than the sweat, though it may be true that there is a peculiarity in the odor from either the sensible or insensible perspiration of some persons, that angers the bees and provokes the use of their terrible weapons. Often when there is no honey to gather, as when we take the last honey in autumn, or prepare the bees for winter, the bees are inordinately cross. This is especially true of black bees and hybrids. At such times I have found an invaluable aid in THE BEE TENT. This also keeps all robbers from mischief. It is simply a tent which entirely covers the hive, bees, bee-keeper and all. The one I use (Fig. 101)-is light, large, and easily moved, or folded up if we wish to put it in the house. The sides are rectangular frames made of light pine strips, well braced (Fig. 101, 6, b), and covered with wire cloth. The top and ends are covered with factory cloth, except at one end, where it is fastened at will by rings which hook over screws. The sides have no permanent connection of wood except at the ends (Fig. 101, ¢, ¢). The small strips which connect at these places are double, and hinged to the side frames, and the two parts of each hinged together. Thus these may drop, and so permit the side frames to come close together when we wish to ‘fold our tent.” The sides are kept apart by center cross- Bee Tent. 225 strips at the ends (Fig. 101, a, a), from which braces (Fig. 101, %, 2) extend to the double cross-strips above. These Fia. 101. paPveat ae pom eqagernan hd AA db hdd dd opeun I jqudqu re It TIT quan Ny A spancesensasuve t - mires pOCuEERI 4. smile me Hid pies mm dete i leqire Th. +1 4 sels hy ie I t a we } at IW Pan aut Bel pti tA a Hr onde We a y euuy i cure oe pb ry s Chon Lt a u crt gre ty v eau ity wy os tt a LJ 1] nee Sun: rte] Hy mt! Hy + oH x TTT 1 a + t ror HH i Wy g mt rH 4 mA Y me zen a4 1 4, ae ae = ne 5 au zi =e S a8 ones a z a « Bee Tent. center strips, with their braces hinged to them, are separate from the rest of the frame except when hooked on as we spread the tent. After use of this tent one season, I can not praise it too highly. I have atready referred to a cheap tent made by Mr. A. I. Root (Fig. 96). 15 226 Comb Foundation. CHAPTER XV. COMB FOUNDATION. Every apiarist of experience knows that empty combs in frames, comb-guides in the sections, to tempt the bees and to insure the proper position of the full combs, in fact, combs of almost any kind or shape, are of great importance. So every skillful apiarist is very careful to save all drone comb that is cut out of the brood-chamber—where it is worse than useless, as it brings with it myriads of those useless gormands, the drones—to kill the eggs, remove the brood, or extract the honey, and transfer it to the sections. He is eqaully care- ful to keep all his worker-comb, so long as the cells are of proper size to domicile full-sized larve, and never to sell any comb, or even comb-honey, unless a much greater price makes it desirable. No wonder, then, if comb is so desirable, that German thought and Yankee ingenuity have devised means of giving the bees at least a start in this important, yet expensive work of comb-building, and hence the origin of another great aid to the apiarist—comb foundation (Fig. 102). HISTORY, For more than twenty-five years the Germans have used im- pressed sheets of wax as a foundation for comb, as it was first made by Herr Mehring, in 1857. These sheets are four or five times as thick as the partition at the center of natural comb, which is very thin, only 1-180 of an inch thick. This Anerican Foundation. 227 is pressed between metal plates so accurately formed that the wax receives rhomboidal impressions which are a fac simile of the basal wall or partition between the opposite cells of natural comb. The thickness of this sheet is no objection, as it is found that the bees almost always thin it down to the natural thickness, and use the shavings to form the walls. AMERICAN FOUNDATION. Mr. Wagner secured a patent on foundation in 1861, but as the article was already in use in Germany, the patent was, as we understand, of no legal value, and certainly, as it did nothing to bring this desirable article into use, it had no virtual value. Mr. Wagner was also the first to suggest the idea of rollers. In Langstroth’s work, edition of 1859, p. 378, occurs the following, in reference to printing or stamping combs: ‘“‘Mr. Wagner suggests forming these outlines with a simple instrument somewhat like a wheel cake cutter. When a large number are to be made, a machine might easily be constructeted which would stamp them with great rapidity. In 1866, the King Brothers, of New York, in accordance with the above suggestion, made the first machine with rollers, the product of which they tried to get patented but failed. These stamped rollers were less than two inches long. ‘This machine was use- less, and failed to bring foundation into general use. In 1874, Mr. Frederick Weiss, a poor German, invented the machine which brought the foundation into general use. His machine had lengthened rollers—they being six inches long—and shallow grooves between the pyramidal projections, so that there was a very shallow cell raised from the basal im- pression as left by the German plates. This was the machine on which was made the beautiful and practical foundation sent out by ‘‘John Long,” in 1874 and 1875, and which proved to the American apiarists that foundation machines, and foun- dation, were to be a success. I used some of this early foun- dation, and have been no more successful with that made by the machines of to-day. To Frederick Weiss, then, are Ameri- cans and the world indebted for this invaluable aid to the apiarist. In 1876, Mr. A. I. Root commenced in his energetic, enthu- siastic way, and soon brought the roller machine and foundativn into general use. These machines, though a great aid to api- 228 Dunham Machine. culture, were still imperfect, and though sold at an extrav- agantly high price—through no fault of Mr. Aoot, as he informs me—were in great demand. Next, Mrs. F. Dun- ham greatly improved the machine by so making ‘he rolls Fic. 103. (Fig. 103) that the foundation would have a very thin base and high thick walls which, in the manufacture, were not greatly pressed. These three points are very desirable in all foundation—thin base and thick, ligh walls, which shall not be compactly pressed. Mrs. Dunham is not only entitled to gratitude for the supe- rior excellence of the machines she manufactured, but by put- ting so excellent a machine onto the market at a lower price, all roller machines had to be sold more reasonably. Mr. Van- dervort also improved the rollers, so that his machine secures ‘ye same results as does Mrs. Dunham’s, while the form of the foundation is somewhat more natural, though not preferred by the bees I think. Another form of foundation—that with flat bottom—is made by the VanDeusen mill. This has a very thin base, and is very handsome. It was made to use with vires. In my experience this flat bottom foundation is not as acceptable to the bees as the other kinds. Mr. Root has kept his machine abreast with the latest improvements. Mr. Pel- ham has invented rolls that are pinde in rings or sections, Press for Foundation. 229 each ring the width of acell. Such rolls, if they work well, ana I see no reason why they should not, will reduce the price of machines so that all—even small apiarists—can afford to own them. THE PRESS FOR FOUNDATION, Mr. D. A. Given, of Illinois, has given a press (Fig. 104) that stamps the sheets by plates and not by rolls, which, at Fic. 104. present, is giving better satisfaction than even the improved roller machines. This shuts up like a book and the wax sheets, instead of passing between carved metal rollers, are stamped by a press after being placed in position. The advantages of this press as claimed by its friends—which seem to number all who-have used it—are that the foundation has the requisites already referred to, par excellence, that it is easily and rapidly worked, and that foundation can at once be pressed into the wired frames. Rubber plates have also been made but as yet have not won general favor or acceptance. All of these improved machines give us foundation of exquisite mold and with such rapidity that it can be made cheap and 230 Foundation Making. practical. As Mr. Heddon says, the bees in two days, with foundation, will do more than they would in eight days with- out it. Every one who wishes the best success must use founda- tion not only in the brood chamber but in sections. Whoever has 100 colonies of bees may well own a machine for himself. HOW FOUNDATION IS MADE. The process of making the foundation is very simple. Thin sheets of wax, of the desired thickness, are pressed between the plates or passed between the rolls, which are made so as to stamp either drone or worker foundation as desired. Worker is best, I think, even for sections. The only difficulty in the way of very rapid work is that from sticking of the wax sheets to the dies. Mr. Heddon finds that by wetting the dies with concentrated lye the wax is not injured and sticking is pre- vented. Mr. Jones uses soap-suds with excellent success for the same purpose. Think of two men running through fifty pounds of foundation in an hour! That is what I saw two men do at Mr. Jones’, with a Dunham machine, by use of soap- suds. The man who put in the wax sheets was not delayed at all. The kind of soap should be selected with care. Mr. Root prefers common starch to either lye or soap-suds. New machines are more liable to trouble with sticking than are those that have been used for some time. TO SECURE THE WAX SHEETS. The wax should be melted in a double walled tin vessel, with water between the walls, so that in no case would it be burned or overheated. To form the sheets a dipping board of the width and length of the desired sheets, is the best. It should be made of pine, and should be true and very smooth. This is first dipped into cold water, then one end is dipped quickly into the melted wax, then raised till dripping ceases—only a second—this end dipped into the cold water, grasped by means of a dextrous toss with the hands and the other end treated the same way. The thing is repeated if necessary till the sheet is thick enough. Twice dipping is enough for brood combs, once for sections. We now only have to shave the edges with a sharp knife, and we can peel off two fine sheets of wax. This is Mr. Jones’ plan, and is better than to dip only one end of the board, as in that case the wax runs down the board and the sheets are Use of Foundation. 231 thickest at one end. With the device of Mr. Jones the wax runs to the ends, and to make the middle as thick, the board is lowered in the melted wax below the centre. At Mr. Jones’ I saw one man dip the sheets as fast as two men could run them through the machine. Mr. Heddon, who has used nearly all of the roller machines, thinks Given’s press can be used more easily and rapidly than any of them. This seems to me hardly possible, yet we must remember that the press puts the fuunda- tion right into the wired frames. Surely Mr. Jones’ accom- plishment with the Dunham Mill leaves little to be desired. For cutting foundation, nothing is so admirable as the Car- lin cutter (Fig. 105, a), which is like the wheel glass-cutters Fic. 105. Fia. 106. a b sold in the shops, except that a larger wheel of tin takes the place of the one of hardened steel. Mr. A. I. Root has sug- gested a grooved board (Fig. 105, b) to go with the above, the distance between the grooves being equal to the desired width of the strips of comb foundation to be cut. For cutting smaller sheets for the sections the same device may be used. I saw Mr. Jones cut these as fast as a boy would cut circular wads for his shot-gun, by use of a sort of modified cake cutter (Fig. 106). USE OF FOUNDATION. An empty frame should never be put in the brood-chamber. Even if foundation was one dollar a pound it still would pay richly to use it. It is astonishing to see how rapidly the bees will extend the cells, and how readily the queen will stock them with eggs if of the right size, five cells to the inch. 232 How to use Foundation. The foundations should always be the right size either for worker or drone-comb. Of course the latter size would never be used in the brood-chamber. I much doubt if it is wise to use it at all. he advantage of foundation is, first, to insure worker- comb, and thus worker-brood, and second, to furnish wax, so. that the bees may be free to gather honey. We have proved in our apiary repeatedly, that by use of foundation, and a lit- tle care in pruning out the drone-comb, we could limit or even exclude drones from our hives, and we have but to examine the capacious and constantly crowded stomachs of these idlers to appreciate the advantage of such a course. Bees may oc- casionally tear down worker-cells, and build drone-cells in their place; but such action, I believe, is not sufficiently extensive to ever cause anxiety. Iam also certain that bees that have to secrete wax to form comb, do much less gathering. Wax secretion seems voluntary, and when rapid seems to require quiet and great consumption of food. If we make two artifi- cial colonies equally strong, supply the one with combs, and withhold them from the other, we will find that this last sends far less bees to the fields, while all the bees are more or less engaged in wax secretion. Thus the other colony gains much more rapidly in honéy ; first, because more bees are stor- ing; second, because less food is consumed. This is undoubt- edly the reason why extracted honey can be secured in far greater abundance than can comb-honey. Unless the frames are wired, the foundation should only touch the top of the frame where it is securely fastened. If wired, the frames should be full. It also pays remarkably well to use foundation in the sec- tions. With proper care, all talk about ‘‘the fish bone” need not frighten any one. Foundation for the sections should be about seven feet to the pound, while that for the brood-chamber is better at five feet. The foundation should fill the sections. Of course, foundation for the sections—in fact, all foundation— should only be made of nicest, cleanest wax. Only pure, clean, unbleached wax should be used in making foundation. We should be very careful not to put on the market any comb-honey where the foundation has not been properly thinned by the bees. Perhaps a very fine needle would enable one to determine this point without injury to the honey. With our present founda- tion there is little danger. To Fasten Foundation. 238 TO FASTEN THE FOUNDATION. In the thin sections, the foundation can best be fastened by use of the melted wax. To accomplish this, I have used a block made thus: Saw a board that is one-half of an inch thinner than half the depth of the section, so that it will just exactly fit in the section. Screw this to a second board, which is one-half inch broader each way, so that the larger under board will project one-quarter of an inch each side the top board. Now set the section over the top board, place the foundation, cut a trifle shorter than the inside of the section, within, close to the top and one side of the section, and cause it to adhere by running on a little of the melted wax, which, by use of a kerosene lamp or stove, may be kept melted. If the basin is double-walled, with water in the outer chamber and wax in the inner, it is much safer, as then the wax will never burn. A warm iron run on the foundation just at the edge, will also glue it to the section. If the tops of the sections are thick, they may be grooved, and by crowding the foundation into the groove, and, if neces- sary, pressing it with a thin wedge, it will be securely held. This last method will work nicely in case of fastening into the brood-frames. But I have found that I could fasten them rapidly and very securely by simply pressing them against the rectangular projection from the top-bar already described. In this case a block (Fig. 107, a,) should reach up into the frame from the side which is nearest to the rectangular projection— it will be remembered that the projection (Fig. 45) is a little to one side of the center of the top bar, so that the foundation shall hang exactly in the center—so far that its upper surface would be exactly level with the upper surface of the rectangu- lar projection. This block, like the one described above, has shoulders (Fig. 107, ¢), so that it will always reach just the proper distance into the frame. It is also rabbeted at the edge where the projection of the top-bar of the frame will rest (Fig. 107, b), so that the projection has a solid support, and will not split off with pressure. We now set our frame on this block, lay on our foundation, cut the size we desire, which, unless strengthened, will be as long as the frame, and nearly as wide. The foundation will rest firmly on the projection and block, and touch the top-bar at every point. We now take a board as thick as the projection is deep, and as wide 234 To Fasten Foundation. (Fig. 108, d) as the frame is long, which may be trimmed off, so as to have a convenient handle (Fig. 108, ¢), and by wetting the edge of this (Fig. 108, d) either in water, or, better, starch-water, and pressing with it on the foundation Fig. 107. Fic. 108. (4 above the projection, the foundation will be made to adhere firmly to the latter, when the frame may be raised with the block, taken off, and another fastened as before. I have prac- ticed this plan for years, and have had admirable success. I have very rarely known the foundation to drop if made of good wax, though it must be remembered that our hives are shaded, and our frames small. The above methods are successful, but probably will receive valuable modifications at the hands of the ingenious apiarists {2 OLD 4 seeerea li ee of our land. If we have frames with the V-shaped top-bar (Fig. 44), we may easily break the foundation and press it on, as shown in Fig. 109. (See page 238). Wired Frames. 235 WIRED FRAMES. But as foundation does sometimes fall or sag, so that many cells are changed to drone-cells, or warp into awkward shapes, especially if the hive is unshaded, or receives a full colony of bees with all its frames full of foundation, and as the wax is sometimes so brittle that it will not hold together, however well fastened, wired frames (Fig. 110) are rapidly coming into Fia. 110. aN y, ‘| NY use. Another point strongly in favor of such frames is, that they can be handled or shipped, and there is not the least danger of their combs falling from the frames. The wires should be two inches apart, and the extreme wires not more than one- half inch from the side of the frame. They may be fastened by passing through holes in the top and bottom bars of the frames, which must be exactly in the center, or they may be hooked over little hooks, such as may be made by driving a staple into the frame after we have cut one limb of the staple off near the curve. If holes are to be made through the top bars of the frame, they can be easily formed by use of sharp awls. If these are set in a strong block like an iron rake, each bar can be pierced at one stroke by use of a lever press. If the foundation is to be stamped in the frame by the Given Press, then the wire should be No. 36; if it is to be put on by hand, then No. 30 must be used. Tinned wire should be used. Some, even with the Given Press, prefer to put the foundation onto the wires by hand. In this case the foundation should be warmed till quite soft, then laid on the wires, and by use of a shoe-buttoner, with a longitudinal groove cut into the con- vex side of the curve, pressed onto the wires. This work is easily and rapidly performed. SAVE THE WAX. As foundation is becoming so popular, it behooves us all to be very careful that no old comb goes to waste. Even now 236 To Save the Wax. the supply of wax in the country is scarce equal to the demand, Soiled drone-comb, old, worthless worker-comb, all the comb in the old hives if we use Mr. Heddon’s method of transferring, and all fragments that cannot be used in the hives, together with cappings, after the honey is drained out through a coarse bag or colander—which process may be hastened by a moderate heat, not sufficient to melt the wax, and frequent stirring— should be melted, cleansed, and molded into cakes of wax, soon to be again stamped, not by the bees, but by wondrous art. METHODS. A slow and wasteful method is to melt in a vessel of heated water, and to purify by turning off the top, or allowing to cool, when the impurities at the bottom are scraped off, and the process repeated till all impurities are eliminated. A better method to separate the wax is to put it into a strong, rather coarse bag, then sink this in water and boil. At intervals the comb in the bag should be pressed and stirred. The wax will collect on top of the water. To prevent the wax from burning, the bag should be kept from touching the bottom of the vessel by inverting a basin in the bottom of the latter, or else by using a double-walled vessel. The process should be repeated till the wax is perfectly cleansed. But as wax is to become so important, and as the above methods are slow, wasteful, and apt to give a poor quality of Fic. 111. Swiss Wax Extractor. wax, specialists, and even amateurs who keep as many as ten or twenty colonies of bees, may well procure a wax extractor (Fig. 111). This is also a foreign invention, the first being Wax Extractors. 237 made by Prof. Gerster, of Berne, Switzerland. These cost from five to seven dollars, are made of tin, are very conven- ient and admirable, and can be procured of any dealer in api- arian supplies. The comb is placed in the perforated vessel, and this in the larger can, which is set on a kettle of boiling water. The clean, pure wax passes out the spout. Mr. Jones has improved the common wax extractor (Fig. 112). This is what he Fig. 112, 5 ee bs ga ; nnd says of it: ‘‘Put extractor on stove in the same manner as an ordinary pot, having beforehand filled lower tank with water, and the perforated basket above tank with broken comb or whatever material you wish to extract wax from. The steam passes through perforated metal walls of basket, melting every particle of wax from the crude material; the wax runs out of a spout for the purpose, turned downwards: under this spout have a receptacle, which have slightly oiled, to keep wax from adhering to its walls. The tube turned upwards serves two very important purposes, viz.: to fill water into lower tank, and to 238 To Secure Wacz. see if tank requires replenishing, without taking out the basket above. Keep everything but tube for wax closed, in order to lose no steam and give it full force. When not in use as an extractor it is excellent as a capping can; the cappings drop into basket, the honey drains off, leaving the remainder just where you want them to extract from.” By this invention all the wax, even of the oldest combs, can be secured, in beautiful condition, and as it is perfectly neat, there is no danger of provoking the ‘‘best woman in the world,” as we are in danger of doing by use of either of the above methods—for what is more untidy and perplexing than to have wax boil over on the stove, and perhaps get on the floor, and be generally scattered about! All pieces of comb should be put into a close box, and if any larvee are in it, the comb should be melted so frequently that it will not smell badly. By taking pains, both in collect- ing and melting, the apiarist will be surprised at the close of the season, as he views his numerous and beautiful cakes of wax, and rejoice as he thinks how little trouble it has all cost. Fra. 112}. Parker Foundation Fastener. The Parker Foundation Fastener (Fig. 1124) for press- ing starters or full sheets of foundation into sections, is prized very highly by most who have used it. The figure shows how it is used. Marketing Honey. 289 CHAPTER XVI. MARKETING HONEY. No subject merits more attention by the apiarist than that of marketing honey. There is no question but that the supply is going to continually increase; hence, to sustain the price we must stimulate the demand, and by doing this we shall not only supply the people with a food element which is necessary to health, but we shall also supersede in part the commercial syrups, which are so adulterated as not only to be crowded with filth the most revolting, but are often even teeming with poison. (Report of Michigan Board of Health for 1874, pp. 75-79.) To bring, then, to our neighbor’s table the pure, wholesome, delicious nectar, right from the hive, is philan- thropy, whether he realizes it or not. Nor is it difficult to stimulate the demand. I have given special attention to this topic for the last few years, and am free to say that not a tithe of the honey is consumed in our country that might and should be. HOW TO INVIGORATE THE MARKET. First. See that no honey goes to market from your apiary that is not in the most inviting form possible. Grade all the honey thoroughly, and expect prices to correspond with the grade. See that every package and vessel is not only attract- ive, but so arranged as not to make the dealer any trouble or cause him any vexation. One leaky can or crate may do great injury. Second. See that every grocer in your vicinity has honey constantly on hand. Do all you can to build up a home mar- ket. The advice to sell to only one or two dealers is, I think, wrong. Whether we are to buy or sell, we shall find almost always that it will be most satisfactory to deal with men whom we know, and who are close at hand. Only when you out- grow your home market should you ship to distant places. This course will limit the supply in large cities, and thus raise the prices in the great marts, whose prices fix those in the country. Be sure to keep honey constantly in the markets. 240 Extracted Honey. Third. Insist that each grocer make the honey very con- spicuous. If necessary, supply large, fine labels, with your own name almost as prominent as is that of the article. Fourth. Deliver the honey in small lots, so that it will be sure to be kept in inviting form, and, if possible, attend to the delivery yourself, that you may know that all is done ‘decently and in order.” Fifth. Instruct your grocers that they may make the honey show to the best effect, and thus captivate the purchaser through the sight alone. Sixth. Call local and general conventions, that all in the com- munity may know and practice the best methods, so that the markets may not be demoralized by poor, unsalable honey. It is of the greatest importance to encourage State, inter- State, and National Associations. Happily, our civilization makes every person affected by the acts of each person. Self: ishness, not less than Christianity, urges us all to be interest- ed in each other. The honey traffic reaches from State to State. Bee-keeping will never be perfect as an art till all bec- keepers act as one man. He is short-sighted that decries con- ventions. It is the experience of the world that they are val- uable in other arts. Bee-keeping is no exception. Let us all urge that the associations act in unison, from the local to the general, that all other apiarian interests no less than the mar- kets shall be in the highest degree fostered. Each associa- tion, from the most local to the most general, has its special mission which no other can perform. PREPARATION FOR MARKETS. Of course, the method of preparation will depend largely upon the style of honey to be sold, so we will consider these kinds separately. EXTRACTED TONEY. As before intimated, extracted honcy has all the flavor, and is in every way equal, if not superior-—-comb itself is innutri- tious and very indigestible—to comb-honey. When people once know its excellence—know that it is not ‘strained ” — then the demand for this article will be vastly increased, to the advantage both of the consumer and the apiarist. Explain to each grocer what we mean by the word extract- Honey Receptacles. 241 ed, and ask him to spread wide the name and character of the honey. Leave cups of honey with the editors and men of in- fluence, and get them to discuss its origin and merits. I speak from experience, when I say that in these ways the reputa- tion and demand for extracted honey can be increased to a sur- prising degree, and with astonishing rapidity. HOW TO TEMPT THE CONSUMER. First. Have it chiefly in small cups or pails. Many per- sons will pay twenty-five cents for an article, when if it cost fifty cents they would not think of purchasing. Second. Study the kinds of receptacles that will take best with the buyers. Some persons will prefer such vessels as jel- ly cups or glass fruit jars, etc., that will be useful in every household when the honey is gone. Others will prefer more Fic. 113. showy vessels, like the Muth one pound and two pound jars (Fig 113), even though they cost more. At present the neat tin pails (Fig. 114) holding from one-half pound to twelve pounds, are very popular in the markets. The covers shut Fie. 114. SoD: | “ru » inside, and if the honey is granulated they are very excellent. The bails make them more convenient and salable. Mz. Jones has a pail that is easily sealed with wax strings, and is Besulinally decorated with chromoed labels. Such pails are 1 242 Honey Receptacles. cheap, convenient, and leave little to be desired. Their beau- ty aids the sale. Mr. A. I. Root pronounces them the best receptacle for extracted honey. If the honey is to be sent to a distant market it should be in soft wood—spruce, pine, or hemlock—kegs (Fig. 115). Fie. 115. These are light, and if we carefully drive the hoops, and test by use of boiling water, we need not waxthem. Hard wood barrels must be waxed, then if the honey granulates the hoops must be loosened to take out the head. This cracks the wax and a leak results. Third. Explain to the grocer that if kept above the tem- perature of 70° or 80° F., it will not granulate, that granula- tion is a pledge of purity and superiority, and show him how easy it is to reduce the crystals, and ask him to explain this to his customers. If necessary, liquify some of the granulated honey in his presence. Put on the labels directions for reli- quifying candied honey. Honey, like many other substances, will not granulate if heated to 200° F., and then sealed while hot. This does no injury to the honey, but it is trouble, and makes the honey less convenient to ship, though at times it may pay till we educate our patrons in reference to the excel- lence of granulated honey. Lastly. If you do not deliver the honey yourself, be sure that the vesseis will not leak in transit. It is best, in case jelly cups are used, that they be filled at the grocery. And do not forget the large label, which gives the kind of honey, grade, and producer's name. If the honey is extracted before it is fully ripened—hefore the bees cap it—it should always be kept in an open can or barrel, covered with cloth, and in a warm room. Thus ar- ranged it will thicken as well as in the hive. No honey should ever be kept in a cool, damp room. The admirable work of Mr. C. F. Muth in Cincinnati, ed- To Market Comb-Honey. 243 ucating people in reference to extracted honey, fighting all adulteration, pushing it into the candy, tobacco, and confection- ery establishments, deserves our hearty gratitude. Mr. Muth’s market has become stupendous, and graphically shows what this trade is to be in the near future, when all our cities have a Muth to work for us. I would also recommend to all the very valuable little pamphlet of Mr. Chas. Dadant, on the production and sale of extracted honey. It is most interest- ing reading to the honey peur and shows what energy and thought may accomplish in this direction. COMB-HONEY. This, from its wondrous beauty, especially when light- colored and immaculate, will always be a coveted article for the table, and will ever, with proper care, bring the highest price paid for honey. So it will always be best to work for this, even though we may not be able to procure it in such ample profusion as we may the extracted. He who has all kinds will be able to satisfy every demand, and will most surely meet with success. RULES TO BE OBSERVED. This, too, should be chiefly in small sections (Fig. 55), for, as before stated, such are the packages that surely sell. Sec- tions from three to six inches square will just fill a plate nicely, and look very tempting to the proud housewife, espe- cially if some epicurean friends are to be entertained. The sections should surely be in place at the dawn of the white clover season, so that the apiarist may secure the most of this irresistible nectar, chaste as if capped by the very snow itself. They should be taken away as soon as capped, as delay makes them highways of travel for the bees, which always mars their beauty. When removed, if demanded, glass the sections, but before this we should place them in hives one upon another, or special boxes made tight, with a close cover, in which to store either brood-frames in winter or sections at any season, and fume them with burning sulphur. This is quickly and easily done by use of the smoker. Get the fire in the smoker well to burning, add the sulphur, then place this in the top hive, or top of the special box. The sulphurous fumes will descend 244 Shipping Crates. and deal out death to all moth larvee. This should always be done before shipping the honey, if we regard our reputations as precious. It is well to do this immediately upon remoyal, and also two weeks after, so as to destroy the moth larvae not hatched when the sections are removed. If separators have been used, these sections are in good con- dition to be glassed, and are also in nice shape to ship even without glass, as they may stand side by side and not mar the comb. The shipping crate (Fig. 116) should be strong, neat and cheap, with handles as seen in Fig. 116—such handles are also Fia. 116. convenient in the ends of the hives, and can be cut in an in- stant by having the circular-saw set to wabble. With handles the crate is more convenient, and is more sure to be set. on its bottom. The crate should also be glassed, as the site of the comb will say: ‘‘ Handle with care.” Mr. Heddon makes a larger crate (Fig. 117), which is neat and cheap. Muth’s crate is like Heddon’s, only smaller. It may be well to wrap the sections in paper, as thus break- age of one will not mean general ruin. In shipping in freight cars, it is desirable that the sections be set lengthwise of the cars, as the danger from the shocks of starting and stopping will be much less. In groceries, where the apiarist keeps honey for sale, it will pay him to furnish his own boxes. These should be made of white wood, very neat and glassed in front to show the honey, and the cover so fixed that unglassed sections—and these, probably, will soon become the most popular—cannot be punched or fingered. Be sure, too, that the label, with kind of honey, grade and name of apiarist, be so plain that ‘‘he who runs may read.” Selling Queens. 245 Comb-honey that is to be kept in the cool weather of autumn, or the cold of winter, must be kept in warm rooms, or the comb will break from the sections when handled. By Fig. 117. keeping it quite warm for some days previous to shipment, it may be sent to market even in winter, but must be handled very carefully, and must make a quick transit. Above all, let ‘taste and neatness” ever by your motto. MARKETING BEES. Before leaving this subject, let me say a word about selling bees. SELLING QUEENS. As queen rearing and shipping have already been suffi- ciently described, it onty remains to be said that the vender of queens cannot be too prompt or fair or cautious. Success no less than morality demands the most perfect honesty. If, for any reason, queens cannot be sent promptly, the money should at once be returned, explanation made, and, if reason- able, delay may be requested. The breeder who by careful selection, and care in following the rules of breeding, shall secure a type of bees pronounced in excellence, has won in the race. I have described shipping bees. The rules just given should guide here also. 246 Vinegar from Honey. SELLING BEES BY THE POUND. This is now quite a business. The bees are put, by use of 2 large tin tunnel, into a cage (Fig. 118) made of sections as Fia. 118. Sit 2 2 2 Z 2 shown in the figure. The haadle makes it easy to carry them, and they get careful handling without any special request. VINEGAR FROM HONEY. Mr. T. F. Bingham utilizes the cappings secured while ex- tracting, to po wax and a most excellent quality of vin- egar. The honey is drained from the cappings, which are then covered for an hour or two with water. The cappings from 1,000 pounds of honey will sweeten enough water for 45 gal- lons of vinegar. The water is now drained into an open bar- rel, which should be kept covered with cloth. Thescumshould be removed as it rises. In about a year the change to first- class vinegar will have been accomplished. After the water is drained from the cappings they can be converted into pure wax, as already described. FAIRS AND THE MARKET, Our'English friends have demonstrated that Jarge honey ex- hibitions area most powerful aid in developing the honey market. ie : Till withia two. years our American honey exhibits have been a disgrace and a hindrance, and they are largely so to- day., A Jittle second-rate honey sandwiched in with sugar Fairs. 247 and syrups, and supplemented by a cake or two of black dirty wax, describes the honey exhibit at most of our fairs to-day. The premiums range from twenty-five cents to fifty cents. WHAT SHOULD WE HAVE? Our industry demands a separate building, filled with tons, not pounds, of honey, and exhibiting every thing that is valu- able in modern apiculture. In one corner of the building there should be a room (Fig. 119) partitioned off with mosquito i netting, or wire cloth, where the bees should be exhibited, and where daily manipulation at a certain time should take place. Openings through the wall of the building (Fig. 120 B. C. ete.) should permit the bees to fly entirely outside the building, or if the building is at the margin of the grounds entirely outside the limits of the fair. It should be arranged with the managers that sales of honey and all apparatus be 248 Fairs. made at any time at this building, on conditions that the ex- hibit should be in nowise interfered with. The premiums Fig. 120. should range from one dollar to twenty, and the total should reach to the hundreds. We find here in Michigan that all that is necessary to effect this grand and invaluable transformation is a little life and energy on the part of the bee-keepers. EFFECTS OF SUCH EXHIBITS. They would show that apiculture is no second rate business. They would attract attention and educate as nothing else would. They would go hand in hand with local conventions in instructing bee-keepers so that no inferior honey would go onto the markets. They would enable bee-keepers to see and buy just what they need in the more intelligent prosecution of their business. ‘They would scatter the little pint, half-pint, and gill pails of honey into thousands of homes, and develop a knowledge and taste that would stimulate the honey market most powerfully. Tons of honey have been sold at the Toronto Fairs, the influence of which has been a lasting surprise even to the most enterprising producers. I believe that the great quartet that is to advance apiculture is fairs, associations, planting for honey, and improved bees. Tulip Tree Louse. 249) CHAPTER XVII. HONEY PLANTS. As bees are dependent mainly upon flowers for honey, it of course follows that the apiarist’s success will depend largely upon the abundance of honey-secreting plants in the vicinity of his apiary. True it is that certain bark and plant lice secrete a kind of liquid sweet—honey of doubtful reputation— which, in the dearth of anything better, the bees seem glad to appropriate. I have thus seen the bees thick about a large bark-louse which attacks the tulip tree, and thus often destroys one of our best honey trees. I have described this insect (Fig. 121) under the name of Lecanium Tulipifera. In 1870 it did no small injury to our Fia. 121. 2 3 Tulip-Tree Bark Louse. 1—Scale on Twig. 2—Under side of Scale. 3, 4—Young Lice. 6—Antenna, 5—Leg. 250 Larch Louse. tulip trees here at the college. It has seriously injured this tree in the states bordering the Ohio river. The tulip is often called poplar, which is quite incorrect. The poplar belongs to the willow family, the tulip to the magnolia. This louse is of double interest to bee-keepers. It ruins one of our best honey trees, and supplies a poor substitute for plant nectar to the bees. All bark lice, which include the orange tree scale lice of the south, are best destroyed by use of whale-oil soap— strong solution—or kerosene oil. This latter is best applied in the form of an emulsion, with soap solution or milk. Whit- man’s Fountain Pump is admirable for making such applica- tions. I have also seen the bees thick about several species of plant lice. One, the Erisoma imbricator, Fitch, works on the beech tree. Its abdomen is thickly covered with long wool, and it makes a comical show as it wags this up and down upon the least disturbance. The leaves of trees attacked by this louse, as also those beneath the trees, are fairly gummed with a sweetish substance. I have found that the bees avoid this substance, except at times of extreme drouth and long pro- tracted absence of honeyed bloom. Another species, Thalaxes ulmicola, gives rise to certain soli- tary galls, which appear on the upper surface of the leaves of the red elm, These galls are hollow, with a thin skin, an¢é within the hollows are the lice, which secrete an abundant sweet that often attracts the bees to a feast of fat things, as the gall is torn apart, or cracks open, so that the sweet exudes. This sweet is anything but disagreeable, and may not be un- wholesome to the bees. The larch louse, Lachnus laricis, se- cretes a liquid that is greedily taken by the bees. Another of the aphides, of a black hue, works on the branches of our willows, which they often entirely cover, and thus greatly damage another tree valuable for both honey and pollen. Were it not that they seldom are so numerous two years in succession, they would certainly banish from among us one of our most ornamental and valuable honey-producing trees. These are fairly thronged in September and October, and not unfrequently in spring and summer if the lice are abundant, by bees, wasps, ants, and various two-winged flies, all eager to lap up the oozing sweets. This louse is the Lach- nus dentatus, of Le Baron, and the Aphis salicti of Harris. Sycamore Louse. 251 The past summer I have received from apiarists of Indiana and Ohio, a very large, dark gray, plant louse which worked on the sycamore, and is reported from both states as keeping the bees actively employed for some weeks. ‘This louse is one- fourth of an inch long. The winged lice measure three- eights of an inch to the tips of their wings. The veins of the wings, as also the short nectaries—the tubes at the posterior part of the abdomen—show that this louse (Fig. 122) belongs to the Genus Lachnus. The lice of the Genus Aphis—of which there are innumerable species—have Fig. 122. : aC SQ et Female. Male. Female. Male. longer nectaries (Fig. 123), from which ooze large drops of nectar. This is much relished by the ants, which often care for these lice as tenderly as for their own young. 252 Honey Dew. Doubtless many have supposed that the bees were gathering a real honey dew, when closer inspection would have shown that some species of plant lice was wholly responsible. I think that very often this nectar from plant lice is entirely whole- some and unobjectionable. REAL HONEY DEW. Bees also get, in some regions, a sort of honey-dew, which enables them to add to their stores with surprising rapidity. Fic. 124, Cow Pea, a, a—Glands. b—Flower. c—Pods. I remember one morning while riding on horseback along the Sacramento xiver, in California, I broke off a willow twig Bees and Grapes, 253 beside the road when, to my surprise, I found it was fairly decked with drops of honey. Upon further examination I found the willow foliage was abundantly sprinkled by these delicious drops. These shrubs were undisturbed by insccts, nor wens they under trees. Here then was a real case of honey- dew, «hich must have been distilled through the night by the leaves. I never saw any such phenomenon in Michigan, yet others have. Dr. A. H. Atkins, an accurate and conscientious observer, has noted this honey-dew more than once here in Central Michigan. Many bee-keepers have noticed the same thing. Many plants, like the Cotton and Cow Pea (Fig. 124) of the South, have extra floral glands which secrete nectar. In case of the Cow Pea these glands are on the peduncles or flow- er stems, just at the base of the flowers (Fig. 124, a, a). Prof. Trelese thinks that this nectar serves the plant by at- tracting bees, wasps, etc., which keep injurious insects from attacking it. SWEET SAP AND JUICES. Bees often gather much nectar from the stubble of wheat that is cut early, while the straw is yet green. The sap from the maple and other trees and plants also furnishes them sweets. They gather juices of questionable repute from about cider mills, some from grapes and other fruit which have been crushed or eaten and torn by wasps and other insects. That bees ever tear the grapes is a question of which I have failed to receive any personal proof, though for years I have been carefully seeking it. I have lived among the vineyards of California, and have often watched bees about vines in Mich- igan, but never saw bees tear open the grapes. I have laid crushed grapes in the apiary, when the bees were not gather- ing, and were ravenous for stores, which, when covered with sipping bees, were replaced with sound grape-clusters, which in no instance were mutilated. I have even shut bees in emp- ty hives on warm days and closed the entrance with grape clusters, which even then were not cut. I have thus been led to doubt if bees ever attack sound grapes, though quick to improve the opportunities which the oriole’s beak and the stronger je'ws of wasps offer them. My friend Prof. Prentiss suggests that when the weather is very warm and damp, and 254 Valuable Honey Plants. the grapes very ripe, the juice may ooze through small open- ings of the grapes and so attract the bees. It is at just such times that attacks are observed. Still, Dr. C. V. Riley feels sure that bees are sometimes thus guilty, and Mr. Bidwell tells me he has seen bees rend sound grapes, which they did with their feet. Yet, if this is the case, it is certainly of rare occur- rence, and is more than compensated by the great aid which the bees afford the fruit-grower in the great work of cross-fer- tilization, which is imperatively necessary to his success, as has been so well shown by Dr. Asa Gray and Mr. Chas. Dar- win. It is true that cross-fertilization of the flowers, which can only be accomplished by insects, and early in the season by the honey-bee, is often, if not always, necessary to a full yield of fruit and vegetables. In diecious plants, like the willows and most nut-bearing trees, the stamens that bear the pollen or male element, are on one plant, and the pistils that grow the ovules—the female element—on another. Here, then, insects must act as ‘‘ marriage priests” that fructification may be accomplished at all. In other plants where the organs are all in the same flower, fertilization is wholly dependent on insects. In cases like the red clover, where fertilization is possible without aid, my colleague, Prof. Beal, has shown that unless insects are present, the yield of seed is meager in- deed. The seeds in the uncovered blossoms were to those in the covered as 236:5. There is then entire reciprocity between the bees and flowers. The bees are as necessary to the plants as are the plants to the bees. J am informed by Prof. W. W. Tracy, that the gardeners in the vicinity of Boston keep bees that they may perform this duty. Even then, if Mr. Bidwell and Prof. Riley are right, and the bee does, rarely— for surely this is very rare, if ever—destroy grapes, still they are, beyond any possible question, invaluable aids to the pomol- ogist. That bees ever injure blossoms and thus effect damage to the fruitage of such plants as buckwheat—or to any plants, as is sometimes claimed—is utterly absurd and without foun dation. But the principal source of honey is still from the flowers. WHAT ARE THE VALUABLE HONEY PLANTS? In the northeastern part of our country the chief reliance, for May, is the fruit-blossoms, willows, and sugar maples. In Valuable Honey Plants. 255 June,white clover, Alsike clover, and raspberries yield large- ly of the most attractive honey, both as to appearance and flavor. In July, the incomparable basswood makes both bees and apiarist jubilant. In August, buckwheat offers a tribute, which we welcome, though it be dark and pungent in flavor, while with us in Michigan, August and September give us a profusion of bloom which yields to no other in the richness of its capacity to secrete honey, and is not cut off till the au- tumn frosts—usually about September 15. Thousands of acres of golden rod, boneset, asters, and other autumn flowers of our new northern counties, as yet have blushed unseen, with fragrance wasted. This unoccn- pied territory, unsurpassed in its capability for fruit produc- tion, covered with grand forests of maple and basswood, and spread with the richest of autumn bloom, offers opportunities to the practical apiarist rarely equaled except in Texas and the Pacific States. In these localities one or two hundred pounds a season to the colony and its increase, is no surprise to the apiarist, while even four or five hundred are not isolated cases. In the following table will be found a list of valuable honey plants. Those in the first column are annual, biennial, or perennial; the annual being enclosed in a parenthesis thus: ( ); the biennial enclosed in brackets thus: []; while those in the second column are shrubs or trees; the names of shrubs being enclosed in a parenthesis. The date of the commencement of bloom is, of course, not invariable. The one appended, in case of plants which grow in our State, is about average for Central Michigan. Those plants whose names appear in small capitals yield very superior honey. Those with (a) are use- ful for other purposes than honey secretion. All but those with a * are native or very common in Michigan. Those writ- ten in the plural refer to more than one species. Those fol- lowed by a f are very numerous in species. Of course I have not named all, as that would include some hundreds which have been observed at the college, taking nearly all of the two great orders, Composite and Rosacee. JI have only aimed to give the most important, omitting many foreign plants of notoriety, as I have had no personal knowledge of them. 256 Honey arts. A ial Date Annuals or Perennials. April .|| Skunk Cabbage. April and May. April and May. April and May May May ... May a un May and June May and June. May and June. May and June May and June May to August.. May to Fall.. June... June to August.. June to fros June to fros June to frost. June to frost. June to frost. June to frost. June to frost. July... July... July to August July to August July to August July to August July to August July to August July to August July to August July to frost., July to frost.. July to frost.. July to frost. July to frost.. July to frost July to frost July to frost August... August August August August to Septe > August to September August to frost... August to frost August to frost August to frost August to frost August to frost Angust to frost Auvest to frost Dandelion. Strawberry. (a) ./*BALL, BLACk OR BLUE SAGE—California. WHITE SAGE—California, (Seven-Top Turnip). | Horehound—California. Sumac—California. Jottee Berry—California. “HORSE MintT—South. False Indigo. Lupine. ‘| Ground Ivy or Sill. (Cow Pea.) (a)—South. “Stone Crop, South. Mammoth Red Clover. (a) “California Figwort—California, Hemp). (a) WHITE CLOVER. (a) .| ALSIKE CLOVER. (a) SWEET CLOVER.] “Horehound. Ox-eyed Daisy—Bad Weed. Bush Honeysuckle. “(Partridge Pea). Matrimony Vine. ..|Sage. Mother-wort. Borage), Cotton). (a) .| Silk or Milk Weeds. Mustard)t+ giane). (a) | St. John’s Wort. .|(MIGNONETTE). (a) Corn). (a) *(Teasel). (a) asils or Mt. Mint. Catnip. (a) .| ASparagras. (a) ‘(Rocky Mountain Bee Plant). ‘Vipers Bugloss (Blue Thistle). Blue Vervain or Verbena, White Vervain or Verbena. Marsh Milk-Weed. .| Boneset. Bergamot. Figwort. Giant Hyssop. | Malva. Iron Weed. .| Culver’s Root. Indian Plantains. .|(Buck wheat). (a) .\(Snap-dragon). (Touch Me Not or Swamp Balsam). (Great Willow Herb Fire Weed). -| Golden Honey Plant. Large Smart Weed. “(SPIDER FLOWER). (GOLDEN Rop). + ASTERS. + Marsh Sunflower. + Tick-Seed, + Beggar-Ticks + Spanish Necdles. ¢ Rattlesnake Root or Tall White Lettuce. Bee Shrubs and Trees. 257 Date. Shrubs or Trees, January to May... January to May.. rene ey to June. avapen y.- May and June May and June.. May and June... May and June.. May and June.. May and June July to ugus July to September. August ‘August to September .. August to frost ............ Angust to December ... August to January *Manzanita—Celifornia, “(Willow) t—California. (Gall Berry)—South, “Orange, South. .| Box Elder or Ash-Leaf Maple. Red or Soft Maple. (a) & Poplar or Aspen. Silver Maple. “Judas Tree—South. (Willows) + also Trees. Judas Tree—South. (Shad-Bush). (Alder). Maples-Sugar Maple. (a) Crab Apple. (Hawthorns). Fruit Trees—Apple, Plum, tenis Pear, etc. (a) (Currant and Gooseberry). ta) “(Wistaria Vine—South). Chinese Wistaria Vine—South). Japan Privet)—South. Varnish Tree—South. Acacia—Southb. Black Gum—South. (Bladder Nut). ..| Persimmon (a)—South. «| SAW PALMErTo—South. ..| Buckeye. ../(Barberry). . Grape-Vine). (a). .| Tulip-tree. Sumac). Buck Thorn—South. BLACK MANGROVE—Florit@. Magnolitas—South. Toney Locust. Wild Plum. (B ack ee (a) Locusts. (Bution Bush). Basswoob. (a) (Virginia Creeper). (a) “CABBAGE Pa LMETro—South, *Blue Gum—California. Catalpa. (a) Pepper-tree—California, St. John’s Worts). (ate Sumac). Indian Currant or Coral Berry. *Red Gum—California. Japan Plum—South. (Germander or Wood Sage). 17 Ne 258 Bee Pasturage. DESCRIPTION, WITH PRACTICAL REMARKS. As this subject of bee pasturage is of such prime impor- tance, and as the interest in the subject is so great and wide- spread, I feel that details with illustrations will be more than warranted. We have abundant experience to show that forty or fifty Fig. 125. P Sugar Maple. colonies of bees, take the seasons as they average, are all that a single place will sustain to the greatest advantage. Then how significant the fact, that when the season is the best, full three March and April Plants. 259 times that number of colonies will find ample resources to keep all employed. So this subject of artificial pasturage be- comes one well worthy close study and observation. The subject, too, is a very important one in reference to the loca- tion of the apiary. It is well to remember in this connection, that while bees do sometimes go from five to seven miles for nectar, two or three miles should be regarded as the limit of profitable gathering. That is, apiaries of from fifty to one hundred or more colonies, should not be nearer than four or five miles of each other. MARCH PLANTS. In Florida the orange gives early bloom, and the thousands of trees in that land, not only of flowers but of honey, will have no small influence in building up the colonies for the grand harvest of mangrove and palmetto soon to follow. The gall-berry of the South commences to bloom even in February, and yields abundant nectar. In Florida this shrub gives the main supply of honey during the swarming season. APRIL PLANTS. As we have already seen, the apiarist does not secure the best results, even in the early spring, unless the bees are en- couraged by the increase of their stores of pollen and honey; hence, in case we do not practice stimulative feeding—and many will not--it becomes very desirable to have some early bloom. Happily, in all sections of the United States our desires are not in vain. Early in spring there are many scattering wild flowers, as skunk cabhage, Symplocarpus fotidus, which supplies abun- dant pollen and some honey; the blood-root, Sangwinaria Can- adensis, liver-leaf, Hepatica acutiloba, and various others of the crow-foot family, as also many species of cress, which be- long to the mustard family, and the gay dandeloin, Taraxa- ewn dens-leonis, which keeps on blooming for weeks, etc., all of which are valuable and important. The maples (Fig. 125), which are all valuable honey plants, also contribute to the early stores. Especially valuable are the silver maples, Acer dasycarpum, the red or soft maples, Acer rubrum, and the box elder or ash-leaf maple. Negundo aceroides, ax they bloom so very early, long before the leaves 260 April Plants. appear. The bees work on these, here in Michigan, the first week of April, and often in March. They are also magnifi- cent shade trees, especially those that have the weeping habit. Theu, early bloom is very pleasing, their summer form and fo- Fie. 126. Judas Tree. Willow. liage beautiful, while their flaming tints in autumn are inde- scribable. The foreign maples, sycamore, Acer pseudo-plata- nus, and Norway, Acer platanoides, are also very beautiful. Whether superior to ours as honey plants, I am unable to say. The willows, too, (Fig. 126) rival the maples in the early period of bloom. Some are very early, olossoming in March while others, like the white willow, Sulia alba (Fig. 126), bloom in May. The flowers on one tree or bush of the willow are all pistillate, that is, have pistils but no stamens, while on others they are all staminate, having no pistils. On the former, bees can gather only honey, on the latter only pollen. That the willow furmshes both honey and pollen is attested by the fact that I saw both kinds of trees, the pistillate anid the staminate, thronged with bees the past season. The wil- low, tov, from its clegant form and silvery foliage, is one of our tinest shade trees. It grows everywhere in the United States. May Plants. 261 In the south of Michigan, and thence southward to Ken- tucky, and even beyond, the Judas tree, or red-bud, Cercis Canadensis (Fig. 127), is not only worthy of cultivation asa honey plant, but is also very attractive, and well deserving of attention for its ornamental qualities alone. This blooms from March to May, according to the latitude. The poplars—not the tulip—also bloom in April, and are freely visite] by the bees. The wood is immaculate, and is used for toothpicks. Why not use it for sections? In California, the unique and exquisite Manzanitas (species of Arctostaphylox) together with the willows and many other flowering plants, keep the bees busy from January till May. MAY PLANTS. In May we have the grand sugar maple, Acer saccharinum (Fig. 125), incomparable for beauty, also all our various fruit trees, peach, cherry, plum, apple, etc.; in fact all the Rosacex Fig. 128. American Wistaria. family. Our beautiful American Wistaria, Wistaria_frutes- cens (Fig. 128), the very ornamental climber, or the still more lovely Chinese Wistaria, Wistaria sinensis (Fig. 129), which has longer racemes than the native, and often blossoms twice in the season. These are the woody twiners for the apiarist. 262 May Plants. The barberry, too, Berberis vulgaris (Fig. 130), comes after fruit blossoms, and is thrunged with bees in search of nectar Fia. 129, Fia. 130. Chinese Wistaria, in spring, as with children in winter, in quest of the beautiful scarlet berries, so pleasingly tart. In California, the sumac, the horehound, the famous black sage (Fig. 131), Andiberltia Palmeii, or more correctly tverhostema lanatum, (there are two other species less common, ) with its most beautiful and delicious honey, and the more common, and hardly less excellent white sage, Audibertia polystachia, (Fig. 132), keep the bees roaring with activity, in tavorable seasons, from Avril even unto June. May Planis. Fra. 131. Ball or Black Sage 264 May Plants. ” Fie. 132. Whie Sage, May Plants. 265 In the South, as I learn from that able apiarist, Dr. J. TH. P. Brown, they are no less favored. The Japan Privet, the varnish tree, the acacia, the black gum and the persimmon, stir the bees up to their best endeavor in May. ‘The banana blooms not only in May, but, as Mr. W. S. Hart, of Florida, writes me, it is in blossom the year around. So rich are the flower tubes in nectar that Mr. Hart says he could soon gather a tea-cupful by hand of clear beautiful nectar of good flavor. Fic. 133, Horse Mint. The horse-mint (Fig. 123), Morarda aristata, is sending tne bees loaded to their hives with its peculiar aromatic nectar. This with the buckthorn yields honey into June. 4d 266 June Plants. The Saw Palmetto, Sable serulata, forms a dense growth and makes clearing the land no small expense in Florida. ‘The slim trunk creeps along the ground for twenty feet and sends roots beneath for nourishment. The leaves arise from this stem, and are from four to six feet long. The clusters of small yellowish-white blossoms are immense in size. The blossoms last from the middle of April till June. The honey is yellow, thick and fine. The fruit of this palm is about twice the size of the Concord grape, and from October till Christmas the oozing nectar keeps the bees at work. This is dark honey, but very good for stimulative feeding. JUNE PLANTS. With June comes the incomparable white or Dutch clover, Trifolium repens (Fig. 134), whose chaste and modest bloom betokens the beautiful, luscious, and unrivaled sweets which Fic. 134. White or Dutch Clover. are hidden in its corolla tube. Also its sister, Alsike or Swed- ish, Trifolium hybrida (Fig. 1385), which seems to resemble both the white and red clover. It is a stronger grower than the white, and has a whitish blossom tinged with pink. This forms excellent pasture and hay for cattle, sheep, etc., and may well be sown by the apiarist. It will often pay apiarists to furnish neighboring farmers with seed as an inducement to grow this excellent honey plant. Like white clover, it June Plants. 267 blooms ail through June into July. Both of these should be sown early in spring with timothy, five or six pounds of seed to the acre, in the same manner that red clover seed is sown. By cutting Alsike clover just as it commences to bloom it may be made to come into blossom the second time, so as just to fill the vacant space in August. This is a very im- portant fact, and may well be acted upon. Sweet clover, yellow, and white, Melilotus officinalis (Vig. 136) and Melilotus alba, are well named. They bloom from the middle of June to the first of October. Their perfume scents the air for long distances, and the hum of bees that throng their flowers is like music to the apiarist’s ear. The honey, too, is just exquisite. These clovers are biennial, not blooming the first season, and dying after they bloom the sec- ond season. They perpetuate themselves, however, through the seed so as to really become perennial. A disagreeable fact is that they have little value except for honey. It is as- serted by some that they give f\\. vasturage for stock and are excellent for soiling and green inanuring. They are said to become pernicious weeds if allowed to spread. ‘The Bokhara clover is only a variety of the above, though Mr. D. A. Jones thinks it quite superior to the others. ; The other clovers—lucerne, yellow trefoil, scarlet trefoil, and alfalfa—have not proved of any value with us, perhaps owing to locality. 268 June Plants. Fia. 135. June Plants. 269 Fia. 136. Melilot Clover. Borage, Borago officinalis (Fig. 137), an excellent bee plant, blooms from June till frost, and is visited by bees even Fig. 137. Mignonette. in very rainy weather. It seems not to be a favorite, but is eagerly visited when all others fail to yield nectar. 270 June Plants. Mignonette, Reseda odorata (Fig. 188), blooms from the middle of June till frost, is unparalleled for its sweet odor, furnishes nectar in profusion, and is well worthy cultivation. It does not secrete well in wet weather, but in favorable weather it is hardly equalled. Okra, or gumbo, Hibiscus esculentus (Fig. 139), also blooms Fic. 140. June Plants. 271 in June. It is as much sought after by the bees in quest of honey, as by the cook in search of a savory vegetable, or one to give tone to soup. Sage, Salvia officinalis, horehound, Marrubium vulgare, motherwort, Leonurus cardiaca, and catnip, Nepetw cataria, which latter does ndt commence to bloom till July, all furnish nice white honey, remain in bloom a long time, and are very Fia. 141. Motherwort. desirable, as they are in bloom in the honey dearth of July and August. They, like many others of the mint family (Fig. 140), are thronged with bees during the season of bloom. The first and last are of commercin\ sraportance, while very D2 June Plants. few of our native plants afford so much nectar, are such favor- ites with the bees, and are so independent of weather as moth- erwort (Fig 141): It is crowded with bees from the dawn of its bloom till the last flower withers. By cutting it back in May it can be made to blossom just at the dearth of nectar- secreting bloom; otherwise it comes in June and early July, just when Linden is yielding its precious harvest. Few plants are more desirable to sow in waste places. The silk or milk-weed furnishes abundant nectar from June to frost, as there are several species of the genus Asclepias, which is wide-spread in our country. This is the plant which has large pollen masses which often adhere to the legs of bees (Fig. 142), and sometimes so entrap them as to cause their death. Prof. Riley once very. graciously advised planting them to kill bees. I say graciously, as I have watched these very closely, and am sure they do little harm, and are rich in nectar, Neldom a hee gets caught so as to hold it long, and Fic. 143. Fic. 142. Pollen of Milk- Weed. Black Mustard. when these awkward masses are carried away with the hee, they are usually left at the door of the hive, where I have often seen them in considerable numbers. The river bank June Plants. 2738 hard by our apiary is lined with these sweet-smelling herbs, and we would like even more. Black mustard, Sinapis nigra (Fig. 143), white mustard, Sinapis alba, and rape, Brassica campestris (Fig. 144), all look much alike, and are all admirable bee plants, as they furnish much and beautiful honey. The first, if selftsown, blooms with us July 1st, the others June Ist; the first about eight weeks after sowing, the others about four. ‘The mustards bloom for four weeks, rape for three. These are all specially commendable, as they may be made to bloom during the honey dearth of July and August, and are valuable plants to raise for seed. Rape seems to be very attractive to insects, as the flea beetles and the blister beetles are often quite too much for it, though they do not usually destroy the plants till after they have - blossomed. I have several times purchased what purported Fia. 144, Rape. to be Chinese mustard, dwarf and tall, but Prof. Beal, than whom there is no better authority, tells me they are only the white and black, and certainly they are no whit better as bee plants. These plants, with buckwheat, the mints, borage, and mignonette, are specially interesting, as they cover, or may be made to cover, the honey dearth from about July 20th to August 20th, 18 274 June Plants. The mustards and rape may be planted in drills about eight inches apart, any time from May 1st to July 15th. Four quarts will sow an acre. In this month blooms the tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera (Fig. 145)—often called poplar in the South, which is not only an excellent honey producer, but is one of our mosi stately and admirable shade-trees. Now bloom the sumacs, Fia .145 Tulip. ©) though one species blooms in May, the wild plum, the rasp- berries, whose nectar is unsurpassed in color and flavor, and June Plants. 275 the blackberry. Corn yields largely of honey as well as pol- len, and the teasel, Dipsacus fullonwm (Fig. 146), is said, not only by Mr. Doolittle, but by English and German apiarists, to yield richly of beautiful honey. This last has commercial importance. The blackberry opens its petals in June, and also the fragrant locust, which, from its rapid growth, beautiful form and handsome foliage, would rank among our first shade trees, were it not that it is so tardy in spreading its canopy of green, and so liable to ruinous attack by the borers, which Fic. 146. Teasel. last peculiarity it shares with the incomparable maples, Washing the trunks of the trees in June and July with soft soap will in great part remove this trouble. In June the Mammoth Red Clover, Trifolium pratense, comes out in one mass of crimson. This, unlike common red clover, has flower tubes short enough for even the ligula of the black bee. It is pretty coarse for hay but excellent for pasture and for green manuring. The Partridge pea, Cassia chamecrista (Fig. 147), furnishes abundant nectar, and like the Cow pea of the South has extra floral as well as floral glands. Lupine, Lupinus perennis, and gill or ground ivy, Nepeta glechoma, commenced to blossom in May and now are fully out. This last is a mint, a near relative of catnip. The Matrimony Vine, Lycium vulgare, and the beautiful honey locust, Gliditschia 276 June Plants. triacanthos (Fig. 148), are now full of life, as the bees come and go full-loaded with nectar. In California, the fig-wort, Fic. 147. Partridge Pea. Serophulavia Californiea, contributes to the honey supply. Our brothers of the South reap a rich harvest trom the great staple, cotton, Gossypium herbaceum (Fig. 149), which com- mences to bloom early in June, and remains in blossom even to October. This belonvs to the same family—Mallow—as the hollyhock, and like it blooms and fruits through the sea- son. The Cow pea (Fig. 124) is not only good for bees, but for feed, und to enrich the soil. The Stone Crop, Sedum pulchel- Tum, is another valuable honey plint of the South. In June the Magnolias (ig, 150)—there are several species in the South—are in bloom. In many parts they commence to blos- June Planis. 277 som in May. One of the finest of these is the Magnolia glau- ca (Fig. 150). One would suspect at once that it was ancar relative of the Tulip tree. Fig. 149. Loney Locust, Fic. 148. Cotton, 278 July Plants. JULY PLANTS. Early in this month opens the far-famed basswood or linden, Tilia Americana (Fig. 151), which for the profusion and Fia. 150. Sa a Magnolia. quality of its honey has no superior. Mr. Doolittle got 66 pounds of honey from this source by a single colony in three days. There is rarely a year that it does not give us some of July Plants. 279 its incomparable nectar. The tree, too, from its great spread- ing top and fine foliage, is magnificent for shade. Five of Fie. 151. = Hb Basswood. these trees are within two rods of my study window, and their grateful fragrance and beautiful form and shade have often been the subject of remark by visitors. 280 July Plants. Figwort, Scrophularia nodosa (Fig. 152), often called Rattle- Weed, as the seeds will rattle in the pod, and Carpenter's Square, as it has a square stalk, is an insignificant looking weed, with Figwort. inconspicuous flowers, that afford abundant nectar from the middle of July till frost. I have received almost as many for identification as I have of the asters and golden-rods. Prof. Beal remarked to me a year or two since, that it hardly seemed July Plants. no (oe) ms Fia. 153. by Rocky Mountain Bee-Plant, July Plants. Fig. 154. Boneset. July Plants. 283 possible that it could be so valuable. We cannot always rightly estimate by appearances alone. It is a very valuable plant to be scattered in waste places. That beautiful and valuable honey plant, from Minnesota, Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, cleome, or the Rocky Mountain bee-plant, Cleome integrifolia (Fig. 153), if. self: sown, or sown early in the spring, blooms by the middle of July and lasts for long weeks. Nor can anything be more gay than these brilliant flowers, alive with bees all through the Fia. 155 Button Ball. long fall. This should be planted in fall in drills two feet apart, the plants six inches apart in the drills. It will not grow if planted in the spring. The seeds, which grow in pods, are very numerous, and are said to be valuable for chickens. It does best on light soil. Now commence to bloom the numer- ous Eupatoriums, or bonesets, or thoroughworts (Fig. 154), which fill the marshes of our country, and the hives as well, with their rich golden nectar. These are precursors of that 284 July Plants. profusion of this composite order, whose many species are even now budding in preparation for the sea of flowers which will deck the marsh-lands of August and September. Wild bergamot, also, Monarda fistulosa, which like the thistles is of importance to the apiarist, blooms in July. As before re- Fic. 156. Sour Wood. marked this is one of the plants whose long flower tubes are pierced by the Bombus, and Xylocopa bees. Then the honey- bees help to gather the abundant nectar. This is a near relative of the Southern horse-mint which, as will be seen, it closely re- sembles. The golden honey plant, Actinomeris squarrosa, so praised by Dr. Tinker, and rattle-snake root, Nabalus altissi- July Plants. 285 mus, which swarms with bees all the day long, are also com- posite plants. The little shrub of our marshes, appropriately named but- ton-bush, Cephalanthus occidentalis (lig. 155), also shares the attention of the bees with the linden; while apiarists of the South find sour-wood, or sorrel tree, Oxydendrum arborewn (Fig. 156), a valuable honey tree. This belongs to the Heath family, which includes the far-famed heather bloom of Eng- land. It also includes our whortleberry, cranberry, blueberry, and one plant which has no enviable reputation, as furnishing honey which is very poisonous, even fatal to those who eat, the mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia. Yet, a near relative which grows at the South, Andromeda nitida, is said to fur- nish beautiful and wholesome honey in great quantities. The Virginia creeper also blooms in July. I wish I could say that this beautiful vine, transplendent in autumn, is a favorite with the honey-bee. Though it often, nay always, swarms with wild bees when in blossom, yet I never saw a honey-bee visit the ample bloom amidst its rich, green, vigorous foliage. The St. John’s wort, Hypericum, with its many species, both shrubby and herbaceous, offers bountiful contributions to the delicious stores of the honey-bee. The catnip, Nepeta cataria, and asparagus—which if uncut in spring will bloom in June— so delectable for the table, and so elegant for trimming table meats and for banquets in autumn, come now to offer their nectarian gifts. Basil or mountain mint, Pyenanthemum lanceolatum—we might almost include all the mints, the blue and white ver- vains, or verbenas, Verbena hastata, and V. stricta; the iron weeds, Vernontas the malvas, culvers root, Veronica Virginica —another of the figwort family; Indian plantains, Cucalias, and vipers’ bugloss—the so-called blue thistle—all contribute to the apiary in July; the vipers’ bugloss, Evhium vulgare, though mst common South is very abundant at Beeton, Canada. Mr. Jones has it growing all about his apiaries. I have never seen itin Michigan. It isa near relation of borage, and dves not belong even to the family—Compositze—of the thistles. In California, the blue gum and the red gum, Eucalyptus globulus, and E. rostrata, introduced from Australia, furnish soney from July and August till December. The catalpa, a very repid growing tree, throws its large, 286 July Plants. showy biossoms to the breeze and bees in July. It is rapidly growing in favor as a shade tree, and is incomparable for posts. It lasts for a great many years when imbedded in the earth. But, ‘‘the noblest Roman of them all” is the cabbage palmetto, Chamerops palmetto (Fig. 157), as Mr. Hart, of Florida, says, Tia. 157. on a fi Gattn j SSS SS BSS RSS es Cabbage Palmetto. this is the linden of the South. It yields abundant honey, which, as all who saw and tasted it at the late Convention at Cincinnati, can vouch, is unsurpassed in flavor. Mr. Muth well said that he wished no finer. This tree grows to the heighth of seventy feet. The trunk is leafless to near the top, and varies little in size from the earth to the top. The small, white blossoms nestle among the long palm leaves in profusion, and are rich in both nectar and pollen, from June Ist till August. The tree is found from the Carolinas to the Gulf. At the same time with the above, the white blossom of the black mangrove, Avicennia tomentosa, and its near relative, Avicennia oblongifolia, come forth with their abundant and in- comparable nectar which hangs in drops. The honey from this and the cabbage palmetto is clear, and as fine and beauti- July Plants. 287 ful as that of white clover. This tree is confined to the Penin- sula of Florida, where it is regarded as the best honey plant that grows in that locality. Here we see the danger of common names. This is not a mangrove at all, though the Icaves resemble those of the true True Mangrove. mangrove, they are more tomentose or hairy, and, like that tree, grows down to the very waters’ edge, so is not affected 288 August and September Plants. by drouth. This is an evergreen, and forms an impenetrable thicket on the muddy shores of the sea. It belongs to the same family as our verbenas—the vervain family. The true mangrove (Fig. 158) has yellow blessoms, and like the renowned Banyan tree, sends numerous stems to the earth, cach of which takes root. This tree belongs to the mangrove family, and is [thizophora mangle. AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER PLANTS. The cultivated buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum (Fig. 159), usually blooms in August, as it is sown the first. of July —three pecks per acre is the amount to sow—but hy sowing the first of June, it may be made to bloom the middle of July, Fic. 159. Duckwheat, when there is generally, in most localities, an absence of nectar- secreting flowers. The honey is inferior in color and flavor, though sume people prefer this to all other honey. The silver- leif buckwheat blooms longer, has more numerous flowers, and thus yields more grain than the common variety. Now come the numerous golden-rods. The species of the genus Solidago (Fig. 160), in the Eastern United States, number nearly iwo-score, end oceupy all kinds of soils, and August and September Plants. 289 are at home on upland, prairie and morass. These abound in all parts of the United States. They yield abundance of rich, golden honey, with flavor that is unsurpassed by any other. Fortunate the apiarist who can boast of a thicket of Solidagoes in his locality. The many plants usually styled sunflowers, because of their resemblance to our cultivated plants of that name, which deck the hill-side, meadow, and marsh-land, now unfurl their Fic. 160. “l) Frc. 161. A Golden-Rod. Aster. showy involucres, and open their modest corollas, to invite the myriad insects to sip the precious nectar which each of the clustered flowers secretes. Our cultivated sunflowers, I think, are indifferent honey plants, though some think them big with beauty, and their seeds are relished by poultry. But the asters (Fig. 161), so wide-spread, the beggar-ticks, Bidens, and Span- ish-needles of our marshes, the tick-seed, Coreopsis, also, of the low, marshy places, with hundreds more of the great family Composite, are replete with precious nectar, and with favor- able sa make the apiarist who dwells in their midst jubi- 290 August and September Plants. lant, as he watches the bees which fairly flood the hives with the rich and delicious honey. In all of this great family, Fic. 162. Spider Plant. the flowers are small and inconspicuous, clustered in compact heads, and when the plants are showy with bloom, iike the Practical Conclusions. 291 sun-flowers, the brilliancy is due to the involucre, or bracts which serve as a frill to decorate the more modest flowers. The great Willow Herb, or Fire Weed, Epilobium angustifo- lium, is often the source of immense honey harvests. The downy seeds blow to great distances, and finding a lodgment, their vitality makes them burst forth whenever brush is burned or forests fires rage. Hence the name, Fire Weed. Another excellent fall honey plant of wide range is the Coral Berry or Indian Currant, Symphoricarpus vulgaris. The honey prod- uct of this plant is worthy its name. I close this account with mention of another Cleome, the famous Spider Plant (Fig. 162), Cleome pungens. This plant thrives best in rich, damp clay soil. It is only open for a little time before night-fall and at early dawn; but when open its huge drops of nectar keep the bees wild with excitement, ¢alling them up even be- fore daylight, and enticing them to the field long after dusk. I have thus mentioned the wost valuable honey plants of our country. Of course there are many omissions. Let all apiarists, by constant observation, help to fill up the list. BOOKS ON BOTANY. I am often asked what books are best to make apiarists botanists. I am glad to answer this question, as the study of botany will not only be valuable discipline, but will also fur- nish abundant pleasure, and give important practical informa- tion. Gray’s Lessons and Manual of Botany, in one volume, published by Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman & Co., New York, is the most desirable treatise on this subject. A more recent work by Prof. C. E. Bessey, and published by Henry Holi & Co., is also very excellent. PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS. It will pay well for the apiarist to decorate his grounds with soft and silver maples, for their beauty and early bloom. If his soil is rich, sugar maples and lindens may well serve a similar purpose. The Judas and tulip trees, both North and South, may well be made to ornament his home. For vines, obtain the wistarias. 292 Practical Conclusions. Sow and encourage the sowing of Alsike clover and silver- leaf buckwheat in your neighborhood. Be sure that your wife, children, and bees can often repair to a large bed of the new giant or grandiflora mignonette, and remember that it, with figwort, spider plant, Rocky Mountain bee plant, and borage, bloom till frost. Study the bee plants of your region, and then study the above table, and provide for a succession, remembering that the mustards, rape, and buckwheat may be made to bloom almost at pleasure, by sowing at the proper time. Do not forget that borage and the mustards seem com- paratively indifferent to wet weather. Be sure that all waste places are stocked with motherwort, catnip, figwort, cleome, viper’s bugloss, asters, etc. The above dates, unless specially mentioned, are only cor- rect for Michigan, Northern Ohio, and similar latitudes, and for more Southern latitudes must be varied, which, by com- parison of a few, as the fruit trees, becomes no difficult matter. Wintering Bees. 293 CHAPTER XVIII. WINTERING BEES. This is a subject, of course, of paramount importance to the apiarist of the Northern States, as this is the rock on which some of even the most successful have recently split. Yet I come fearlessly to consider this question, as from all the mul- titude of disasters I see no occasion for discouragement. If the problem of successful wintering has not heen solved al- ready, it surely will be, and that speedily. So important an interest was never yet vanquished by misfortune and there is no reason to think that history is now going to be reversed. Of course this chapter has no practical value to the apiarists of the South and Pacific Coast. There safe wintering is as- sured, except as the careless bee-keeper permits starvation. THE CAUSES OF DISASTROUS WINTERING. I fully believe, and to no branch of this subject have I giv- en more thought, study, and observation, that all the losses may be traced to either unwholesome food, failure in late breeding of the previous year, extremes of temperature, or protracted cold with excessive dampness. I know from actual and wide-spread observation, that the severe loss of 1870 and 1871 was attended in this part of Michigan with unsuitable honey in the hive. The previous autumn was unprecedent- edly dry. Flowers were rare, end storing was largely from insect secretion, and consequently the stores were unwhole- some. I tasted of honey from many hives only to find it nau- seating. Again, suppose that after the basswood season in July, there is no storing of honey, either from want of space, or from lack of bloom; in this case brood-rearing ceases, yet if the weather is dry and warm, as of course it will be in August and September, the bees continue to wander about, and death comes apace, and by autumn the bees are reduced in numbers, old in days, and illy prepared to brave the winter and perform the duties of spring. I fully believe that if all the colonies of our State and country had been kept breeding by proper use of the extractor and feeding, even till into 294 Wintering Bees—Good Food. October, we should have had a different record, especially as to spring dwindling and consequent death. In the autumn of 1872, I kept my bees breeding till the first of October. The following winter I had no loss, while my neighbors lost all of their bees. Extremes of heat and cold are also detrimental to the bees. If the temperature of the hive becomes too high, the bees become restless, eat more than they ought, and if confined to their hives are distended with their feces, become diseased, besmear their comb and hives, anddie. If when they become thus disturbed, they could have a purifying flight, all would be well. Again, if the temperature becomes extremely low, the bees to keep up the animal heat must take more food; they are uneasy, exhale much moisture, which may settle and freeze on the outer combs about the cluster, preventing the bees from getting the needed food, and thus in this case both dysentery and starvation confront the bees. That able and far-seeing apiarist, the lamented M. Quinby, was one of the first to discover this fact; and here, as elsewhere, gave advice that if heeded would have saved great loss and sore disap- pointment. Ihave little doubt, in fact I know from actual investigation, that in the past severe winters, those bees which under confinement havc been subject to severe cxtremes, were the ones that invariably perished. ad the bees been kept in a uniform temperature, ranging frozn 35° to 45° F., the rec- ord would have been materially changed. Excessive moisture, especially in cases of protracted cold, is always to be avoided. Bees, like all other animals, are con- stantly giving off moisture, which of course will be accelerat- ed if the bees become disturbed and are thus led to consume more food. This moisture not only acts as explained above, but also induces fungous growths. The mouldy comb is not wholesome, though it may never cause death. Hence another necessity for sufficient warmth to drive this moisture from the hive, and some means to absorb it without opening the hive above and permitting a current, which will disturb the bees, and cause the greater consumption of honey. THE REQUISITE TO SAFE WINTERING—GOOD FOOD. To winter cafely, then demands that tho bees have thirty pounds, by weight not guess—I have known three cases when Secure Late Breeding. 295 guessing meant starvation. of good capped honey (coffee A sugar ig just as gool). If desired this may be fed as previ- ously explained, which should be done so early that all will be capped during the warm days + October. © The bees should be able to pass over or through the combs. Hill’s device—bent pieces placed above the frames so as to raise the cloth cover—will permit the first, while small holes cut through the combs will enable the bees to pass from one comb to another without having to pass around, These holes may be cut with a knife, or a tin tube the size of one’s finger may be driven through the comb, and left in if desired, in which case the comb should be pushed out of the tube, and the tube should be no longer than the comb is thick. This preparatory work I always do early in October, when I ex- tract all uncapped honey, take out all frames after I have given each colony the thirty pounds, by weight, of honey, con- fine the space with a division-board, cover with the quilt and chaff, and then leave undisturbed till the cold of November calls for further care. I prefer that the combs have no pollen in them, and that they be so full of honey thaésix or eight will be enough. Pollen usually does no harm, though sometimes it is iajurious. The combs may well be one-half inch apart. If the bees have been neglected, and mid-winter finds them destitute of stores, then they should not be fed liquid honey, though this has sometimes been done with success, but either the Good or Viallon or some other solid candy should be placed on the frames just above the cluster. Or we may run the candy into a frame and hang it in the hive. SECURE LATE BREEDING. Keep the bees breeding till the first of October. Except in years of excessive drouth, this will occur in many parts of the country without extra care. Failure may result from the presence of worthless queens. Any queens which seem not to be prolific should be superseded whenever the fact becomes evident. J regard this as most important. Few know how much is lost by tolerating feeble, impotent queens in the apia- ry, whose ability can only keep the colonies alive. Never keep such queens about. Here, then, is another reason for always keeping extra queens on hand. Even with excellent 296 Box for Packing. queens, a failure in the honey yield may cause breeding to cease. In such cases, we have only to feed as directed under the head of feeding. TO SECURE AND MAINTAIN THE PROPER TEMPERATURE. We ought also to provide against extremes of temperature. It is desirable to keep the temperature between 35° and 50° F., through the entire winter, from November to April. If no cellar or house is at hand, this may be accomplished as follows: Some pleasant, dry day in late October or early No- vember, raise the stand and place straw beneath; then sur- round the hive with a box a foot outside the hive, with movable: »p, and open on the east; or else have a long wooden tube, opposite the entrance, to permit flight; this tube should be six or eight inches square to permit easy examina- tion in winter. The same end may be gained by driving stakes and putting boards around. Then we crowd between the box and the hive either cut straw, chaff or shavings. After placing a good thickness of cut straw above the hive, lay on the cover of the box, or cover with boards. This pre- serves against changes of temperature during the winter, and also permits the bees to fly, if it becomes necessary from a protracted period of warm weather. I have thus kept all our bees safely during two of the disastrous winters. This plan usually succeeds well, but will fail in a very severe winter like that of 1880-81. As some may wish to try, and pos- sibly to adopt it, I will describe the box used at our College, which costs but one dollar and is convenient to store away in summer. BOX FOR PACKING. The sides of this (Fig. 163, a, a) facing east and west are three and a half feet long, two feet high at the south end, and two and a half feet at the north. They are in one piece, which is secured by nailing the boards which form them to cleats, which are one inch from the ends. The north end (Fig. 163, 6) is three feet by two and a half feet, the south (Fig. 163, 6), three feet by two, and made the same as are the siies. The slanting edges of the side (Fig. 163, a, a) are made by using for the upper boards, the strips formed by sawing diagonally from corner to corner a board six inches wide and Box for Packing. 297 three feet long. The cover (Fig. 163, g), which is removed in figure, is large enough to cover the top and project one inch at both ends. It should be battened, and held in one piece by cleats (Fig. 163, h) four inches wide, nailed on to the ends. These will drop over the ends of the box, and thus hold the cover in place, and prevent rain and snow from driving in. When in place this slanting cover permits the rain to run off easily, and will dry quickly after a storm. By a single nail at each corner the four sides may be tacked together about the hive, when it can be packed in with cut Fia. 163. IE aS straw (Fig. 163), or fine chaff, which should be carefully done, if the day is cold, so as not to disquiet the bees. At the cen- tre and bottom of the east side (Fig. 163, c), cut out a square, eight inches each way, and between this and the hive place a bottomless tube (the top of this tube is represented as removed in figure to show entrance to hive), before putting in the cut straw or chaff and adding the cover. This box should be put in place before the bleak cold days of Novem- ber, and retained in position till the stormy winds of April are 298 Chaff Hives. passed. This permits the bees to fly when very warm weather comes in winter or spring, and requires no attention from the apiarist. By placing two or three hives close together in autumn—yet never move the colonies more than three or four feet at any one time, as such removals involve the loss of many bees —one box may be made to cover all, and at less expense. This will also be more trustworthy in very cold winters. Late in April these boxes may be removed and packed away, and the straw or chaff carried away, or removed a short distance and burned. CHArF HIVES Messrs. Townley, Butler, Root, Poppleton and others, prefer chaff hives, which are simply double-walled hives, with the four or five inch chambers filled with chaff. The objections to these I take to be: first, they are not proof against severe and long- continued cold, like the winter of 1880-81; second, such cum- brous hives are inconvenient to handle insummer; and, third, they are expensive. ‘That they would in part supply the place of shade, is, perhaps, in their favor, while Me A. I. Root thinks they are not expensive. Mr. O. O. Poppleton, one of our most intelligent bee-keep- ers, shows practically that the first vbjection given above is not valid. So very likely the failure in so many apiaries in 1880-81 was rather due to improper use. Mr, Poppleton claims numerous advantages for these hives: 1st. In his hands, success. 2d. They permit early preparation for winter. 3d. They give entire freedom from care of the bees from September till March. 4th. Preparation for winter requires only slight labor. 5th. We can easily get at the bees at any time. 6th. he bees are not excited by a slight rise in tempera- ture, and so are not Jost by flying on cold days; do not breed in winter and spring when they need quiet, and do not ‘‘dwindle” in spring. 7th. They are valuable aids in building up nuclei and weak colonies at cold periods at any one time of the year. 8th. They are specially desirable to protect the bees in April and May, and prevent ‘“‘spring dwindling.” ; Chaff Hives. 299 RULES FOR THEIR USE. Mr, Poppleton urges the following important points: 1st. Pack early in Autumn before cold weather, and do Fie. 164. ay not remove the packing till the warm weather has come to stay. Fic. 165. 2d. Have five or six inches on all sides of bees, of fine chaff—timothy is best—entirely freed from straw. 3d. Be sure and have the chaff below the bees as well as above and on the sides. 4th. Do not put the chaff above the bees on loose, but con- fine in sacks. This is for convenience and neatness. 300 Wintering in Bee House. 5th. Have as much empty space as possible inside the hive and outside the packing; and never let the cover to the hive rest immediately on the packing. 6th. Crowd the bees on to a few frames—never more than eight—and the packing close to the bees. 7th. Winter passages should be made through all the combs. Mr. Jones prefers that the outer wall of the chaff hive (Fig. 164) should be of narrow boards so as to be more per- vious to dampness. He also uses fine dry saw-dust instead of chaff. Mr. Rost in his two-story hives (Fig. 165) uses a thicker layer of chaff below, but carries it to the top. Of course the double wall need not extend on the sides of the frames. The division boards on the sides of the frames may make the double wall. WINTERING IN BEE HOUSE. As Mr. D. A. Jones has tested bee houses on a very large scale, and met with success, I will quote directly from him: ‘‘The house should be so constructed that the out-door temperature cannot affect that of the bee-house; and in order to accomplish this its walls should be packed tightly with two feet of dry sawdust or three feet of chaff, packing overhead same thickness, and the bottom so protected that no frost can penetrate. Next, it should have a ventilating tube at the top, of not less than one square inch to each colony of bees. It should have sub-earth ventilation by means of a tube laid below the depth frost will penetrate, and from one to three hundred feet in length, coming in contact with outside atmos- phere at the other end; as air passes through this tube it is tempered by the distance through the earth, and comes into the house at an even temperature. By means of slides at these ventilators, the temperature can be arranged in the bee house, which should stand from 48° to 46°, and in no case should it fall lower than 42°. There should be tight-fitting triple doors, which will make two dead-air spaces. ‘« When the bee house is filled, and during warm weather in the spring—the bees should not be let out on the summer stands until the first pollen appears (which is generally from the Tag Alder or Black Willow)—it is necessary that the temperature of the room be kept at the wintering standpoint. This may Wintering in Cellar. 301 be done by means of an ice-box or refrigerator, filled with ice or snow, and suspended at top of room in close proximity to the ceiling. The bottom of the box must be so constructed that while the warm air may be allowed to pass up through the refrigerator, the drippings will not drop to the floor and create noisture. This latter may be prevented by means of a tube running from the box down through the floor. ‘« Winter passages should be made through combs, between which a space of half an inch should be left. During the last sunshining days in fall remove the lid and cloth from hive and allow the sun to shine in; this purifies and driesthem. Then put on cloth free from propolis; that same evening carry bees carefully into the house, placing them on a bench 10 to 12 inches from the floor or ground; this keeps them out of the carbonic acid gas, which is given off by the bees in the hive, and which sinks to the lowest part of the bee house. The lids should be removed, and only cloth or cushion of chaff or saw- dust allowed to remain on hive. Leaveentrance wide open. “If more than one row of hives are placed in the house, place them one above the other, arranging so that the hives shall break joints. Place the weaker colonies at the top and keep two thermometers in the room, one at the level of the lower row and the other on a line with the highest hives.” WINTERING IN CELLAR. With only a few colonies, a cellar is not only more conven- ient, but I think it is safer than a house entirely above ground. In fact, I fully believe that a good cellar, thoroughly ventilated with a sub-earth ventilator, so as to always give a uniform temperature, is unsurpassed for wintering bees. Our cellar thus arranged has given perfect success. We have yet to lose our first colony in it. I know of several similar cases. I know of no exception. A cellar in which we are sure of our ability to control the temperature needs to be dark and quiet, and ventilated as described above. As already stated, the ventilator to bring air may well be made of tile, and pass through the earth for one ur two hundred feet and then open at the bottom of the cellar. If possible, the ventilator that carries the foul air off should be connected with a stove-pipe in a room above, with its lower end reaching to the bottom of the cellar. 302 Wintering in Cellar. This arrangement secures perfect ventilation, and as the fresh air is brought through the earth below the line of frost, it is warmed in winter and cooled in spring, so that the refriger- ator mentioned above is not necessary. This makes a cellar much superior toahouse. The pipe should join the stove-pipe in the room above, go high as not to destroy the draft to the stove. I would have this pipe four inches in diameter, and the sub-earth pipe at least six inches. The College apiary cellar is grouted throughout, which makes it more dry andneat. Ofcourse it should be thoroughly drained, and entirely mouse-tight. The colonies should be put into the depository when the hives are dry, before cold weather, and should remain till April; though in January and March, if there are days that are warm, they may be taken out and the bees permitted to fly, though never unless they seem uneasy and soil the entrances to their hives. Such uneasiness shows that either our cellar or our preparation is faulty. Always, when taken out, they should be placed on their old stands, so that no bees may be lost. Towards night, when all are quiet, return them to the cellar. I would not remove bees till towards night, as it is better that they have a good flight, and then become quiet. When moved out it is very desirable to brush away all dead bees, which is an argument in favor of a movable bottom-board. In moving the hives into the cellar, great care should be exercised not to jarthem. It were better ifthe bees should not know that they were beimg moved at all. That the moisture may be absorbed, it may be well to cover the bees with a bag filled with chaff, or fine dry saw-dust, even in the cellar, though I doubt if this is necessary. I make the bag so long that the chaff or saw-dust may not only cover above, but extend close down outside the division-boards. I partially or wholly remove the cover to the hive while in thecel- lar. With others, I have found that water in a cellar is not injurious, especially if the room be well ventilated. In fact, water which may be contained in a cistern or pass into and out of the cellar through tile, with the outlet a little higher than the inlet, serves admirably to preserve a uniform tem- perature, which is of the greatest importance. It not only keeps the temperature up in severe weather but down in spring, and saves all expense of sub-earth ventilation. nn Burying Bees. 303 T have found it advantageous, when preparing my bees for winter, in October, to contract the chamber by use of a divis- ion-board. This is very desirable if wintered out doors, and with frames a foot square is very easily accomplished. By use of eight frames the space (one cubic foot) is very compact, and serves to economize the heat, not only in winte: but in spying. By thus using division-boards with only three frames Ihave been very successful in wintering nuclei. We have only to guard against low temperature. . Perhaps I ought to say that all colonies should be strong in autumn; but I have said before, never have weak colonies. Yet for fear some have been negligent, I remark that weak colonies and nuclei should be united in preparing for winter. To do this, approximate the colonies each day, four or five feet, till they are side by side. Now remove the poorest queen, then smoke thoroughly, sprinkle both colonies with sweetened water scented with essence of peppermint, put a sufficient number of the best frames and all the bees into one of the hives, and then set this midway between the position of the hives at the commencement of the uniting. The bees will unite peaceably, and make a strong colony. In case of nuclei I usually unite three for winter. Uniting colonies may pay at other seasons. It may seem rash to some, yet I fully believe that if the above suggestions are carried out in full, I may guarantee successful wintering. But if we do lose our bees, having all our hives, combs, and honey, we can buy colonies in the spring with a perfect certainty of making 200 or 800 per cent. on our investment. Even with the worst condition of things, we are still ahead, in way of profit, of most other vocations. BURYING BEES, OR CLAMPS. In principle this is the same ascellar wintering. There are two serious objections to it. First, we do not know that the temperature is just right, and secondly, if aught goes wrong we know nothing of it—the bees are away out of sight. If this is practiced, the ground should be either sandy or well drained. If we can choose a side-hill it should be done. Beneath the hives and around them, straw should be placed. I should advise leaving the entrance well open, yet secure against mice. The hives should all be placed beneath the surface 304 Spring Dwindling. level of the earth, then form a mound above them sufficient to preserve against extreme warmth or cold. A trench about the mound to carry the water off quickly is desirable. In this arrangement the ground acts asa moderator. I would urge the suggestion that no one try this with more than a few colonies, for several years, till repeated successes show that it is reliable in all seasons. SPRING DWINDLING. As already suggested, this is not to be feared if we keep our bees breeding till late autumn, prepare them well and ear- ly for winter, and use a good cellar for wintering. It may be further prevented by forbidding late autumn flights, fre- quent flights in winter, when the weather is warm, and too early flying in spring. These may all be curtailed or prevent- ed by the packing system as described above, as thus prepar- ed the bees will not feel the warmth, and so will remain quiet in the hive. Iam aware that this matter of spring dwindling is most stoutly urged as an objection to cellar wintering, and as an ar- gument in favor of chaff hives. I have had excellent success in cellar wintering, and never yet lost a colony by ‘‘ spring dwindling.” Crowd the bees up onto a few frames in Septem- ber or early October; cover warmly above and at sides of di- vision boards with generous bags of saw-dust, and leave these on the hives till the next June if the weather remains cool, and bees from the cellar—a good cellar—will come through the spring in excellent condition. In the winter of ’81—82, I put some chaff hives into my cellar alongside of my single walled hives, arranged as just described, and the bees in them did no better in spring after removal from the cellar than in other hives. Be sure in carly spring that the bees have no more combs than they can cover, and spring dwindling will lose its terror. The division board and saw-dust pillow are antidotes for this malady. Never set bees permanently on their summer stands from the cellar till the flowers and warmth will enable them to work. I have little doubt but that bees will do better if no breed- ing takes place in winter. Perfect quiet should he our desire. If the bees have no pollen, of course no breeding will take place, and so I advised its removal. It is not for winter use. How to Build a Bee House. 305 CHAPTER XIX THE HOUSE APIARY AND BEE HOUSE. The House Apiary is a frost-proof house in which the bees are kept the year through. The entrances to the hives are through the sides of the house, and all manipulation of the bees is carried on inside. From what I have said about win- tering, it at once appears that such a house should preserve a uniform temperature. As many such houses were built a few years ago, and are now, with very few exceptions, used for other purposes, I will only say that if such houses are ever desirable it is only when queen rearing is to occupy the chief attention of the apiarist. BEE HOUSES. As a good and convenient bee-house is very desirable in every apiary of any considerable size, I will proceed to give a few hints in reference to its construction. First. I should have a good cellar under the house, entire- ly frost proof, mouse and rat proof, thoroughly grouted, and ventilated as already described. I would have three doors to this from the north, the outer one inclined. I should have the entrance an inclined plane, which, especially if the apiary is large, should be so gradual in its descent that a car could ass down it into the cellar, on a temporary track. The cel- ar should be well drained, or if water be permitted to pass through it, this should be kept in prescribed channels. In case of large apiaries the track and car make the removal of the bees to and from the cellar an easy matter. The first floor I should have, if my apiary was large, on a level with the ground. This (Fig. 166) should contain three rooms, onegon the north for a shop, one on the south-east for comb honey, and one on the south-west for extracting, and storing extracted honey and brood combs. For 100 colonies of bees, this build- ing need not be more than twenty by twenty-four feet. The room for comb will then be eight by twelve feet, that for extract- ing, eight by sixteen, and the shop in the form ofan L. A chim- ney should pass from the attic at the common angle of these 29 306 How to Build a Bee House. three rooms through the roof. Wide doors on the south, if the apiary is large, should permit the car to enter either of the rooms on an extemporized track, whenever extracting or taking off comb honey is in operation. The house should be so constructed as to be always free from rats and mice. In summer, wire gauze doors should be used, and the same material should he tacked on the outside of the window casing of the two south rooms. This gauze should extend from four to six inches above, and be held out Fic. 166, d ' iS " | a : | a | op | —_ om s 8x12 . a | d a Bee House. from the wall by one-fourth inch strips. This permits all bees to leave the house, while the character of the opening pre- cludes outside bees from entering. Inside doors should per- mit our passing directly from any of these rooms to the others. The position of the chimney makes it easy to have a fire in any of the rooms. This would be desirable in the shop, in winter, when hive making, etc., is in operation, or when visit- ing with other bee-keepers was in progress. The ripening of honey or late extracting makes it often desirable to have a fire Car and Tracks. ' 307 he ’ in the oxtracting room. If comb-honey is kept in the desig- nated room late in the season, it may be desirable to warm that room. Of course a large stove in the shop might be made to heat any or all of the rooms. JI would have the comb-honey room very tight, and ventilated by an easily reculated slide into the chimney for the purpose of easy fumi- gation. Platforms a little out from the wall on which the honey may rest for a time are desirable, as the honey will not be so fine if immediately crated for market. The extractor room should have close, moth proof cupboards for receiving brood combs. Those in our house are high enough for three rows of frames, and wide cnough to just re- ceive the top-bar of a frame cross-wise. Cleats nailed on to the inside hold the frames, which are turned diagonally a little to pass them to the lower tier. This room ought also to have a table for work, and large open tanks, open barrels, or ex- tractor cans, to hold the honey while it ripens. If the build- ing is painted dark, this room will be warmer in summer. The warmer it becomes the more rapidly the honey thickens.- A chamber above costs but little, and serves admirably as a place for storage. This may be entered by stairs from the shop. Ke neat bench (Fig. 166, b), and sharp tools, all convenient- ly placed, make the shop a very desirable fixture to every aplary. ‘ I have spoken of a car and track in large apiaries; such an arrangement, which costs but little, is exceedingly desirable. The tracks run close to the rows of hives, and by means of simple switches, the car can be run anywhere in the apiary- _ 308 Robbing. CHAPTER XX. EVILS THAT CONFRONT THE APIARIST. There are various dangers that are likely to vex the apia- rist, and even to stand in the way of successful apiculture. Yet, with knowledge, most, if not all, of these evils may be wholly vanquished. Among these are: Robbing among the bees, disease, and depredations from other animals. ROBBING. This is a trouble that often very greatly annoys the inex- perienced. Bees only rob at such times as the general scarcity of nectar forbids honest gains. When the question comes: Famine or theft, like many another, they are not slow to choose the latter. It is often induced by working with the bees at such times, especially if honey is scattered about or left lying around the apiary. It is especially to be feared in spring, when colonies are apt to be weak in both honey and! bees, and thus are unable to protect their own meager stores. The remedies for this evil are not far to seck: First. Strong colonies are very rarely molested, and are al- most sure to defend themselves against marauders; hence it is only the weaklings of the apiarist’s flock that are in danger. Therefore, regard for our motto, ‘‘Keep all colonies strong,” will secure against harm from this cause. Second. Italians,—the Cyprians and Syrians are even more spirited in this work of defense than are the Italians— as before stated, are fully able, and quite as ready, to pro- tect their rights against neighboring tramps. Woe be to the thieving bee that dares to violate the sacred rights of the home of our beautiful Italians, for such temerity is almost sure to cost the intruder its life. But weak colonies, like our nuclei, and black bees, are still eazily kept from harm. Usually, the closing of the entrance so that but a single bee can pass through, is all sufficient. With the hive we have recommended, this is easily accom- ae by simply moving the hive back or using the triangular ocks, Foul Brood. 309 Another way to secure such colonies against robbing is to move them into the cellar for a few days. This is a further advantage, as less food is eaten, and the strength of the indi- vidual bees is conserved by the quiet, and as there is no nec- tar in the fields no loss is suffered. In all the work of the apiary at times of no honey gather- ing, we cannot be too careful to keep all honey from the bees unless placed in the hives. The hives, too, should not be kept open long at a time. Neat, quick work should be the watch-word. During times when robbers are essaying to practice their nefarious designs, the bees are likely to be more than usually irritable, and likely to resent intrusion; hence the importance of more than usual caution, if it is desired to introduce a queen. Working under the bee-tent (Fig. 101) prevents all danger of inciting the bees to rob. DISEASE, The common dysentery—indicated by the bees soiling their hives, as they void their feces within instead of without— which so frequently works havoc in our apiaries, is, without doubt, I think, consequent upon wrong management on the part of the apiarist, as already suggested in Chapter X VIII. As the methods to prevent this have already been sufficiently considered, we pass to the terrible FOUL BROOD. This disease, said to have been known to Aristotle—though this is doubtful, as a stench attends common dysentery— though it has occurred in our State as well as in States about us, is not familiar to me, I having never seen but one case and that on Kelly’s Island, in the summer of 1875, where I found it had reduced the colonies on that Island to two. Of late I receive samples of this affected brood each season. It is causing sad havoc in many regions of our country. No bee malady can compare with this in malignancy. By it Dzierzon once lost his whole apiary of 500 colonies. Mr. I. Rood, first President of the Michigan Association, has lost his bees two or three times by this terrible plague. The symptoms are as follows: Decline in the prosperity of the colony, because of failure to rear brood. The brood seems to putrefy, becomes ‘‘brown and salvy,” and gives off a stench 810 ' Foul Brood. which is by no means agreeable, while later the caps are con cave instead of convex, and many will have a little hole through them. There is no longer any doubt as to the cause of this fearful plague. Like the fell ‘‘Pebrine,” which came so near exter- minating the silk worm, and a most lucrative and extensive industry in Europe, it, as conclusivel~ shown by Drs. Preusz and Shénfeld, of Germany, is the result of fungous or veg- etable growth. Shénfeld not only infected healthy bee larvze but those of other insects, both by means of the putrescent foul brood and by taking the spores. Fungoid growths are very minute, and the spores are so in- finitesimally small as often to elude the sharp detection of the expert microscopist. Most of the terrible, contagious dis- eases that human ftesh is heir to, like typhus, diphtheria, cholera, small pox, etc., etc., are now thought to be due to microscopic germs, and hence to be spread from home to home, and from hamlet to hamlet, it is only necessary that the spores, the minute seeds, either by contact or by some sustaining air current, be brought to new soil of flesh, blood, or other tissue —their garden spot—when they at once spring into growth, and thus lick up the very vitality of their victims. The huge mushroom will grow in a night. So, too, these other plants— the disease germs—will develop with marvelous rapidity; and hence the horrors of yellow fever, scarlatina, and cholera. To cure such discases the fungi must be killed. To pre- vent their spread the spores must be destroyed, or else con- fined. But as these are so small, so light, and so invisible— easily borne and wafted by the slightest zephyr of summer, this 1s often a matter of the utmost difficulty. In ‘‘Foul Brood” these germs feed on the larve of the bees, and thus convert life and vigor into death and decay. If we can kill this miniature forest of the hive, and destroy the spores, we shall extirpate the terrible plague. Some of the facts connected with ‘Foul Brood” would lead us to think that the germs or spores of this fungus are only conveyed in the honey. This supposition, alone, enables us to understand one of the remedics which some of our ablest apiarists hold to be entirely sure. Foul Brood—Remedies. 811 REMEDIES. If we can find a substance that will prove fatal to the fungi and yet not injure the bees, the problem is solved. Our Gvr- man scientists—those masters in scientific research and discov- ery, have found this valuable fungicide in salicylic acid, an extract from the same willows that give us pollen and nectaz. This cneap white powder is easily soluble in alcohol, and, when mixed with borax, in water. Mr. Hilbert, one of the most thoughtful of German bee- keepers, was the first to affect a radical cure of foul brood in his apiary by the use of this substance. He dissolved fifty grains of the acid in five hundred grains of pure spirits. One drop of this ina grain of distilled water is the mixture he ap- pied. Mr. C. F. Muth, from whom the above facts as to err Hilbert are gathered, suggests a variation in the mix- ture. Mr. Muth suggests an improvement, which takes advantage of the fact that the acid, which alone is very insoluble in water, is, when mixed with borax, soluble. His recipe is as follows: Eight grains of salicylic acid, eight grains of soda- borax, and one ounce of water. This remedy is applied as follows: First, uncap all the brood, then throw the fluid over the comb in a fine spray. This will not injure the bees, but will prove fatal to the fungi. Mr. Muth found on trial that though this method would cure, the labor and danger of spreading the disease in the operation was so great that actual cremation of all affected stocks was often to be preferrea. An improvement which is just as successful and without the ob- jections, is suggested by Mr. Muth as follows: Drum the bees all out into a clean hive, filled with foundation, shut them in this hive and feed them honey or syrup, after adding to each quart one ounce of the above compound, except that sixteen grains each of the salicylic acid and soda-borax are used, thus making the solution of double the strength. The honey should be extracted and boiled, the old combs melted into wax, and the hive scalded or burned. Great caution should be exercised that none of the honey be eaten by bees till it has been scalded. Mr. D. A. Jones is successful with what he terms the star- vation method: The bees are removed to an empty hive, and given no food for three or four days till they have digested 312 Enemies of Bees—Moths. all honey in their stomachs. They are then given founda- tion and food, and the combs, honey, and hive treated as de- scribed above. It would seem that the spores are in the honey, and by taking that the contagion is administered to the young bees. ‘The honey may be purified from these noxious germs by subjecting it to the boiling temperature, which is generally, if not always, fatal to the spores of fungoid life. By immers- ing the combs in a salicylic acid solution, or sprinkling them with the same, they would be rendered sterile, and could be used without much fear of spreading contagion. It is better however, to melt themat once. The disease is probably spread by robber bees visiting affected hives, and carrying with them in the honey the fatal germs. (I have found that a paste made of gum tragacanth and water is very superior, and I much prefer it for either general or special use to gum Arabic. Yetit soon sours—which means that it is nourishing these fungoid plants—and thus becomes disagreeable. I have found that a very little salicylic acid will render it sterile, and thus preserve it indefinitely. ) ENEMIES OF BEES. — Swift was no mean entomologist, as is shown in the following stanza: “The little fleas that do us tease, Have lesser fleas to bite them, And these again have lesser fleas, And so ad infinitum.” Bees are no exception to this law, as they have to brave the attacks of reptiles, birds, and other insects. In fact they are beset with perils at home and perils abroad, perils by night and perils by day. THE BEE MoTH—Galliria cereana, Fabr. This insect belongs to the family of snout moths, Pyralide. This snout is not the tongue, but the palpi, which fact was not known by Mr. Langstroth, who is usually so accurate, as he essayed to correct Dr. Warris, who stated correctly that the tongue, the ligula, was ‘‘ very short and hardly visible.” This family includes the destructive hop moth, and the nox: icus meal and clover moths, and its members are very readily recognized by their usually long palpi, the so-called snouts. Enemies of Bees—Moths. 313 The eggs of the bee moth are white, globular and very small. These are usually pushed into crevices by the female moth as she extrudes them, which she can easily do by aid of her spy-glass-like ovipositor. They may be laid in the hive, in the crevice underneath it, or about the entrance. Soon these eggs hatch, when the gray, dirty looking caterpillars, with brown heads, seek the com’ on which they feed. To Fic. 167. Fic. 168. better protect themselves from the bees, they wrap themselve: in a silken tube (Fig. 167) which they have power to spin. They remain in this tunnel of silk during all their growth, en- larging it as they eat. By looking closely, the presence ol’ these larvee may be known by this robe of glistening silk, as it extends in branching outlines (Fig. 168) along the surface of the comb. A more speedy detection, even, than the defaced comb, comes from the particles of comb, intermingled with the powder-like droppings of the caterpillars, which will al- ways be seen on the bottom-board in case the moth-larvee are at work. Soon, in three or four weeks, the larve are full grown (Fig. 169). Now the six jointed, and the ten prop- legs—making sixteen in all, the usual number possessed by cat- erpilars—are plainly visible. These larve are about an ineh 314 Enemies of Bees—Moths. long, and show by their plump appearance that they at least can digest comb. They now spin their cocoons, either in some crevice about the hive, or, if very numerous, singly (Fig. 170, a) or in clusters (Fig. 170, 6) on the comb, or even in the drone-cells (Fig. 170, ¢), in which they become pupz, and in two weeks, even less sometimes, during the extreme heat of summer, the moths again appear. In winter they may re- Fia. 169. main as pupee for months. The moths or millers—sometimes incorrectly called moth-millers—are of an obscure gray color, and thus so mimic old boards that they are very readily paszeu unobserved by the apiarist. ‘They are about three- touruis of an inch long, and expand (Fig. 171) nearly ons Fia. 170. ig. 171, and one-fourth inches. The females are darker than the male, possess a longer snout, and are usually a little larger. The wings, when the moths are quiet, are flat on the back for a narrow space, then slope very abruptly. They rest by day, yet, when disturbed, will dart forth with great swiftness, so Reuamur styled them ‘nimble-footed.” They are active by night, when they essay to enter the hive and deposit their one or two hundred eggs. If the females are held in the hand Enemies of Bees— Moths. 315 they will often extrude their eggs; in fact, they have been known to do this even after the head and thorax were severed from the abdomen, and, still more strange, while the latter was being dissected. It is generally stated that these are two-brooded, the first moths occurring in May, the second in August. Yet, as I have secn these moths in every month from May to Septem- ber, and as I have proved by actual observation that they may pass from egg to moth in less than six weeks, I think under favorable conditions there may be even three broods a year. It is true that the varied conditions of temperature—as the moth larvee may grow in a deserted hive, in one with few bees, or one crov.ded with bee life—will have much to do with the rapidity of development. Circumstances may so retard growth and development that there may not be more than two, and possibly, in extreme cases, not more than one brood in a season. It 1s stated by Mr. Quinby that a freezing temperature will kilt these insects in all stages, while Mr. Betsinger thinks that a deserted hive is safe; neither of which assertions is correct. I have seen hives whose bees were killed by the severe winter, crowded with moth pupe or chrysalids the succeeding summer. I have subjected both larve and pups to the freezing temper- ature without injuring them. I believe, in very mild winters, the moth ana the chrysalids might be so protected as to escape unharmed, even outside the hive. It is probable, too, that the insects may pass the winter in any one of the various stages. HISTORY. These moths were known to writers of antiquity, as even Aristotle tells of their injuries. They are wholly of oriental origin, and are otten referred to by European writers as a ter- rible pest. The late Dr. Kirtland, the able scientist, and first President of our American Bee Convention, once said in a let- ter to Mr. Langstroth that the moth was first introduced into America in 1805, though bees had been introduced long before. They first seemed to be very destructive. It is quite probable, as has been suggested, that the bees had to learn to fear and repel them; for, unquestionably, bees do grow in wisdom. In fact, may not the whole of instinct be inherited knowledge, which once had to be acuuired by tha animal? Surelv bees and other 316 Enemies of Bees—Moths. animals learn to battle new enemies, and vary their habits with changed conditions, and they also transmit this knowledge and their acquired habits to their offspring, as illustrated by setter and pointer dogs. In time, may not this account for all those varied actions, usually ascribed to instinct? At least, I be- lieve the bee to be a creature of no small intelligence. REMEDIES. Ir Europe, late writers give very little space to this moth. Once a. serious pest, it has now ceased to alarm, or even dis- quiet the intelligent apiarist. In fact, we may almost call it a blessed evil, as it will destroy the bees of the heecless, and thus prevent injury to the markets by their unsalable honey, while to the attentive bee-keeper it will work no injury at all. Neglect and ignorance are the moth breeders. As already stated, Italian bees are rarely injured by moths, and strong colonies never. Ags the enterprising apiarist will only possess these, it is clear that he is free from danger. The intelligent apiarist will also provide not only against weak, but queenless colonies as well, which from their ab‘ect dis- couragement are the surest victims to moth invasion. Know- ing that destruction is sure, they seem, if not to court death, to make no effort to delay it. As my friend, Judge J. H. Andrews, asserts, no bees, black or Italian, will be troubled with these insects so long as all the combs are covered with bees. In working with bees an occasional web will be seen glisten- ing in the comb, which should be picked out with a knife till the manufacturer—the ruthless larva—is found, when it should be crushed. Any larva seen about the bottom board, seeking place to spin its cocoon, or any pups, either on comb or in a crack, should also be killed. If, through carelessness, a col- ony has become thoroughly victimized by these filthy wax de vourers, then the bees and any combs not attacked should be transferred to another hive, after which the old hive should be sulphured by use of the smoker, as before described, then by giving one or two each of the remaining combs to strong colonies, after killing any pups that may be on them, they will be cleaned and used, while by giving the enfeebled colony brood, and if necessary a good queen, if it has any vigor remaining it will soon be rejoicing in strength and prosperity. Enemies of Bees—Robber Flies. 317 We have already spoken of caution as to comb noney and frames of comb, and so need not speak further of them. ‘TWO DESTRUCTIVE BEETLES. There are two destructive beetles that often work on the comb, more, however, for the pollen and dead bees than for the wax. One of these, Tenebrionellus molitor, Linn., is the common flour or meal beetle. It is dark brown in color, and five-eighths of an inch (16 mm.) long. The larva or grub is of a lighter color and when fully developed is one inch (25 mm.) long. It resembles very closely the larva of our Elater beetles—the wire worms. The other is the bacon beetle, Der- mestes lardarius, Linn., which is a sore pest in museums, as it feeds on all kinds of dried animal tissues. The beetle is black, while nearly one-half of the wing covers, next to the thorax, are yellowish gray, lined in the middle with black. The bee- tle is three-eights of an inch (10 mm.) long. The larva is some longer, very hairy, and ringed with brown and black bands. ‘These beetles are not very troublesome in the apiary and can be readily destroyed by use of bisulphide of carbon. Care is necessary, however, in the use of this very explosive liquid. ROBBER FLIES. There are several of these flies that prey upon bees. The 1G. 172. most common is Asilus Missouriensis, Riley. This is a two- winged fly, of the predacious family dAsilide, which attacks 318 Enemies of Bees—Robber Flies. and takes captive the bee and then feeds upon its fluids. It is more common in the southern part of our country. The fly (Fig. 172) has a long, pointed abdomen, strong wings, and is very powerful. I have seen an allied species attack and overcome the powerful tiger-beetle, whereupon I took them both with my net, and now have them pinned, as they were captured, in our College cabinet. These flies delight in the warm sunshine, are very quick on the wing, and so are not easily captured. It is to be hoped that they will not become very numerous. If they should, I hardly know how they could be kept from their evil work. Frightening them or catching with a net might be tried, yet these methods would irritate the bees, and need to be tried before they are recommended. I have re- ceived specimens of this fly from nearly every Southern State. During the past summer this same fly has been well employed here in Michigan. It has been observed to kill the cabbage butterflies by scores. I have also a fly of the same family, with the same hee-de- stroying habits, a species of Erax (Fig. 173). In form it re- Fic. 173. Fie. 174. a Tia. 174, sembles the one referred to above. The wing (Fig. 174), as will be seen, is quite different in its venation. I received this species from Louisiana. Fig. 174, a, shows the antenne magnified. The Nebraska bec-killer, Promachus bastardi, is the same in general appearance as the above. The second vein of the primary wing, not the third, as in case of Asilus, forks. In Erax. as seen in the figure, this branch is disconnected. Enemies of Bees—Robber Flics. 319 There are two other insects of this family, Malloy ora orcina and Mallophora bomboides, which differ greatly in form from those mentioned above; they look more like bumble-bees, for which they have been mistaken. I have received these insects from several of our enterpris- ing bee-keepers of the South—Tennessee, Georgia, and Flor- Fig. 175. Ira. 176. ida—with the information that they dart forth from some con- venient perch, and with swift and sure aim grasp a bee, and bear it to some bush, when they leisurely suck out all but the mere crust and cast away the remains. The insects in question belong to Loew’s third group, Asilina, as the antenne end in a bristle (Fig. 175), while the sec- Fic. 177. ond longitudinal vein of the wing (Fig. 177, 6) runs into thy frst (Fig. 177, «.. 320 dinemies of bees—Robber Flies. ‘The genus is Mfallophora. The venation of the wings much resembles that of the genus Promachus, though the form of these insects is very different. In Maliophora and Promacus the venation is as represented in Fig. 177, where, as will be seen, the second vein (Fig. 177, b) forks, while in the genus Asilus (Fig. 172) the third vein is forked, though in all three genera the third joint of the antenne (Fig. 175) ends in a prolonged bristle. One of the most common of these pests, which I am informed by Dr. Hagen is Mallophora orcina, Weid, (Fig. 178) is one inch long, and expands one and three-fourths inches (Fig. 179). The head (Fig. 175) is broad, the eyes black and prom- inent, the antenne three-jointed, the last joint terminating in a bristle, while the beak is very large, strong, and, like the eyes and antennze, coal black. This is mostly concealed hy the light yellow hairs, which are crowded thick about the mouth and between the eyes. The thorax is prominent and thickly set with light yellow hairs. The abdomen is narrow, tapering, and covered with Tic. 178, Fic. 179. yellow hairs except the tip, which is black. Beneath, the in- sect is clear black, though there are scattering hairs of a gray- ish yellow color on the black legs. The pulvilli, or feet pads (Fig. 176, b), are two in number, bright yellow in color, sur- mounted by strong, black claws (Fig. 176, a), while below and between is the sharp spine (Fig. 176, ¢), technically known as the empodium. The habits of the flies are interesting, if not to our liking. Their flight is like che wind, and perched near the hive, they rush upon the unwary bee seturning to the hive with its full ioad of nectar, aad grasping it wita their hard strong legs, Enemies of Bees—Stinging Bug. 321 they bear it to some perch near by, when they pierce the crust, suck out the juices, and drop the carcass, and are then ready to repeat the operation. A hole in the bee shows the cause of its sudden taking off. The eviscerated bee is not always killed at once by this rude onslaught, but often can crawl some distance away from where it falls, before it expires. Another insect nearly as common is the Mallophora bomboid- es, Weid. This fly might be called a larger edition of the one just described, as in form, habits, and appearance, it closely resembles the other. It belongs to the same genus, possessing all the generic characters already pointed out. It is very dif- ficult to capture them, as they are so quick and active. This fly is one and five-sixteenths inches long, and expands two and a half inches. The head and thorax are much as in the other species. The wings are very long and strong, and, as in the other species, are of a smoky brown color. The abdomen is short, pointed, concave from side to side on the under surface, while the grayish yellow hairs are abundant on the legs and whole under portion of the body. The color isa lighter yellow than in the other species. These insects are powerfully built, and if they become numerous must prove a formidable enemy to the bees. Another insect very common and destructive in Georgia, though it closely resembles the two just described, is of a dif- ferent genus. It is the Laphria thoracica of Fabricius. In this genus the third vein is forked, and the third joint of the antenna is without the bristle, though it is elongated and taper- ing. The insect is black, with yellow hair covering the upper surface of the thorax. The abdomen is wholly black both above and below, though the legs have yellow hairs on the fe- murs and tibie. This insect belongs to the same family as the others, and has the same habits. It is found North as well as South. THE STINGING-buG.—Phymata Erosa, Faby. This insect is very widely distributed throughout the United States. I have received it from Maryland to Missouri on the South, and from Michigan to Minnesota on the North. The insect will lie concealed among the flowers, and upon occasion will grasp a bee, hold it off at arm’s length, and suck out its blood and life. 21 22 Enemies of Bees—Stinging Bug. [ey] This is a Hemipteron, or true bug, and belongs to the fam- ily Phymatide, Uhler. Itisthe Phymataerosa, Fabr., the spe- cific name erosa referring to its jagged appearance. It is also ealled the ‘‘stinging bug,” in reference to its habit of repelling intrusion by a painful thrust with its sharp, strong beak. The ‘‘stinging bug” (Fig. 180) is somewhat jagged in ap- pearance, about three-eighths of an inch long, and generally of a yellow color, though this latter seems quite variable. Fic. 180. Fic. 182. Fic. 181. Side view, natural size. Magnified twice. Beak, much magnified. Frequently there is a distinct greenish hue. Beneath the ab- domen, and on the back of the head, thorax, and abdomen, it is more or less specked with brown; while across the dorsal Fic. 183. Tia. 184. Interror view. [erterior view. Antenna much magnified. Anterior leg magnified. aspect of the broadened abdomen is a marked stripe of brown (Fig. 181, d, d). Sometimes this stripe is almost wanting, sometimes a mere patch, while rarely the whole abdomen is very slightly marked, and as often we find it almost wholly Enemies of Bees—Stinging Bug. 323 brown above and below. The legs (Fig. 181, b), beak and antenne (Fig. 181, a), are greenish yellow. The beak (Fig. 182) has three joints (Fig. 182, a, b, e), and a sharp point (Fig. 182, d). This beak is not only the great weapon of offense, but also the organ through which the food is sucked. By the use of this, the insect has gained the soubriquet of ‘stinging bug.” This compact jointed beak is peculiar to all true bugs, and by observing it alone we are able to distinguish all the very varied forms of this group. The antenna (Fig. 183) is four-jointed. The first joint (Fig. 183, a) is short, the second and third (Fig. 183, 6 and c) are long and slim, while the ter- minal one (Fig. 183, d) is much enlarged. This enlarged joint is one of the characteristics of the genus Phymata, as described by Latreille. But the most curious structural pecu- liarity of this insect and the chief character of the genus Phy- mata, is the enlarged anterior legs (Figs. 184 and 185). These, were they only to aid in locomotion, would seem like awkward, clumsy organs, but when we learn that they are used to grasp and hold their prey, then we can but appreciate and admire their modified form. The femur (Fig. 184, 5) and the tarsus (Fig. 184, a) are toothed, while the latter is greatly Fic. 187. Fic. 186. Claw, enlarged. Middle leg, much magnified. enlarged. From the interior lower aspect of the femur (Fig. 186) is the small tibia, while on the lower end of the tarsus (Fig. 185, d) is a cavity in which rests the single claw. The . other four legs (Fig. 187) are much as usual. This insect, as already intimated, is very predacious, lying in wait, often almost concealed, among flowers, ready to cap- ture and destroy unwary plant-lice, caterpillars, beetles, but- 324 { Enemies of Bees—Bee-Hawk. terflies, moths, and even bees and wasps. We have already noticed how well prepared it is for this work by its jaw-like anterior legs, and its sharp, strong, sword-like beak. It is often caught on the golden rod. This plant, from its color, tends to conceal the bug, and from the character of the plant—being attractive as a honey plant to bees—the slow bug is enabled to catch the spry and active honey-bee. As Prof. Uhler well says of the ‘‘stinging-bug:” ‘‘It is very useful in destroying caterpillars and other vegetable-feed- ing insects, but is not very discriminating in its tastes, and would as soon seize the useful honey-bee as the pernicious saw- fly.” And he might have added that it is equally indifferent to the virtues of our friendly insects like the parasitic and pre- dacious species. We note, then, that this bug is not wholly evil, and as its destruction would be well-nigh impossible, for it is as widely scattered as are the flowers in which it lurks, we may well rest its case, at least until its destructiveness becomes more serious than at present. BEE-HAWK.—Libellule. These large, fine, lace-wings are neuropterous insects. They work mostly in the Southern States and are called Mosquito- hawks. Insects of this genus are called dragon flies, devil’s darning-needles, etc. These are exceedingly predacious. In fact, the whole sub-order is insectivorous. From its four net- ted, veined wings, we can tell it at once from the asilus flies before mentioned, which have but two wings. The Bee or Mosquito-hawks are resplendent with metallic hues, while the Bee-killers are of sober gray. The Mosquito-hawks are not inaptly named, as they not only pray upon other insects, swooping down upon them with the dexterity of a hawk, but their graceful gyrations, as they sport in the warm sunshine at noon-day, are not unlike those of our graceful hawks and fal- cons. These insects are found most abundant near water, as they lay their eggs in water, where the larvee live and feed upon other animals. The larvie are peculiar in breathing by gills in the rectum. The same water that bathes these organs and furnishes oxygen, is sent out in a jet, and thus sends the insect darting along. The larvie also possess enormous jaws, which formidable weapons are masked till it is desired to use Enemies of Bees—Tachina Fly. 325 them, when the dipper-shaped mask is dropped or unhinged and the terrible jaws open and close upon the unsuspecting victim, which has but a brief time to bewail its temerity. A writer from Georgia, in Gleanings, volume 6, page 35, states that these destroyers are easily scared away, or brought down by boys with whips, who soon become as expert in cap- turing the insects as are the latter in seizing the bees. One of the largest and most beautiful of these is Anax junius. It has a wide range in the United States, North and South, and everywhere preys upon the bees. TACHINA FLY. From descriptions which I have received, I feel certain that there isa two-winged fly, probably of the genus Tachina (Fig. 188), that works on bees. I have never seen _these, Fig. 188. though I have repeatedly requested those who have to send them tome. My friend, Mr. J. L. Davis, put some sick look- ing bees into a cage, and hatched the flies which he told me looked not unlike a small house-fly. It is the habit of these flies, which belong to the same family as our house-flies, which they much resemble, to lay their eggs on other insects. Their young, upon hatching, burrow into the insect that is being vic- timized, and grow by eating it. It would be difficult to cope with this evil, should it become of great magnitude. We may well hope that this habit of eating bees is an exceptional one with it. The affected bees will be found dead at early dawn in front of the hives. BEE-LOUSE.— Braula Ceca, Nitsch. This louse (Fig. 189) is a wingless Dipteron, and one of the uniques among insects. It is a blind, spider-like parasite, 326 Enemies of Bees—Bee-Louse. and serves as a very good connecting link between insects and spiders, or, stil: better, between the Diptera, where it belongs, and the Hemiptera, which contains the bugs and most of the lice. It assumes the semi-pupa state almost as soon as hatched, Fic. 189 Imago. Larva. and, strangest of all, is, considering the size of the bee on which it lives and from which it sucks its nourishment, enor- mously large. Two or three, and sometimes as many as ten, are found on a single bee. When we consider their great size, we cannot wonder that they soon devitalize the bees. These have done little damage except in the South of Con- tinenta] Europe, Cyprus and other parts of the Orient. The reason that they have not been naturalized in other parts of Europe and in America may be owing to climate, though I think more likely it is due to improved apiculture. Mr. Frank Benton, who has had much experience with these bee lice in Cyprus, writes me that the Braula is no serious pest if the bees are properly cared for. ‘‘In fact, if hives are kept clean inside, and colonies supplied with young queens and kept strong, the damage done by the Braula is very slight if anything. In old immovable-comb hives, where the combs are black and thickened, and in case the gueens are old, or where through some extraneous cause the colonies have become weak, these lice are numerous on queensand workers. Ihave nut uvticed them on the drones. Since they are found on workers as well as the queen, their removal from the latter will brig eut temporary relief. About ten is the greatest number Enemies of Bees—Ants, Cow-Killev. $27 that I have seen on one queen. I have only thought it neces- sary to remove them in case there were three or more on a queen. The only way to remove them is ty pick them off with a knife, scissors, forceps or similar instrumeut. They are quick-footed and glide from one place to another like the wax- moth. I hold the queen between the thumb and first finger of the left hand,and with pocket-knife or clipping-scissors shave off the parasite. It is no easy matter to get them the first time, as when you attempt their removal they glide around to the other side of the queen so adroitly that you have to turn the queen over to try again.” Mr. Benton says that it is not practicable to remove these lice by lessening the size of the en- trance to the hive. He thinks that with the attention given to bees in America, the Braula will never become a serious pest, if introduced here. ANTS. These cluster about the hives in spring for warmth, and seldom, if ever, I think, do any harm. Should the apiarist feel nervous, he can very readily brush them away, or destroy them by use of any of the fly poisons which are kept in the markets. As these poisons are made attractive by adding sweets, we must be careful to preclude the bees from gaining access to them. As we should use them in spring, and as we then need to keep the quilt or honey-board close above the bees, and as the ants cluster above the brood chamber, it is not difficult to practice poisoning. One year I tried Panis green with success. There are several reports of ants entering the hives and killing the bees; even the queen is said to have been thus destroyed. In such cases, if they occur, it is best to put a sweet poisonous mixture in a box and permit the ants to enter through an opening too small to admit bees, and thus poison the ants. Or we may find the ants’ nest, and with a crowbar make a hole in 1t, turn in this an ounce of bisulphide of carbon, and quickly plug it up. The liquid will kill the ants. This better be done when the ants are mostly in their nest. THE COW-KILLER. This ant-like insect, Mutilla coccinea, has been sent me from Illinois and the South as far as Texas. It is a formidable 528 Enemies of Bees—Praying Mantis. enemy of the bees. The male has wings and no sting. The female has no wings, but is possessed of a powerful sting. She is an inch (25 m, m) long, very hairy, and black, except the top of her head and thorax, and a broad basal band and the tip of the upper part of her abdomen, which are bright red. A central band of black divides the red spaces of the abdomen. The entire under part of the body and all the members are black. So hard and dense is the chitinous crust of these insects, that they enter the hives fearlessly, and unmindful of stings deliberately kill the bees and feed on the young. The males are said to sting. This is certainly a mistake. The sting is a modified ovipositor—an organ not possessed by males. These insects belong to the family Mutillide, so called because the females are wingless. They are closely allied in structure to the ants, which they mucn resemble. THE PRAYING MANTIS. This strange insect I have received from Indiana and other Southern and Western States. Its scientific name is Mantis Carolina, Linn. It is very predacious, and the female has been known to eat up her mate immediately after the sexual act. No wonder that they make our friends of the hive con- tribute to their support. This insect (Fig 190) is a sort of Tia. 190. non-descript. In the South it is known as Devil’s Race- Horse. It is a corpulent ‘‘walking-stick” with wings. In fact is closely related to our own “‘ walking-sticks” of the North. Its anterior legs are very curious. As it rests upon them, it ap- pears as if in the attitude of devotion, hence the name Pray- ing Mantis. It might well be preying mantis. These pecu- Enenvies of Bees—Blister Beetles. 829 liar anterior legs, like the same in Phymata erosa, are used to grasp its victims. It is reported to move with surprising rapid- ity, as it grasps it prey. Tts eggs (Hig. 191) are glued to some twig, in a scale-like mass, and covered with a sort of varnish. Some of these Fia. 191. hatched out in one of my boxes, and the depravity of these insects was manifest in the fact that those first hatched fell to and ate the others. BLISTER BEETLES. I have received from Mr. Rainbow, of Fall Brook, Califor- nia, the larvee (Fig. 192, a) of some blister beetles, probably Melée barbarus, Lec., as that isa common species in Califor- Fic. 192. ria. Mr. Rainbow took as many as seven from ene worker bee. Fig. 192, 6, represents the female of Melée angusticollis, a common species in Michigan and the East. As will be seen, 830 Enemies of Bees— Wasps, Spiders. the wing covers are short, and the beetle’s abdomen fairly drags with its weight of eggs. The eggs are laid in the earth. The larvee when first hatched crawl upon some flower, and as occasion permits, crawl upon a bee and tkus are borne to the hive, where they feast on eggs, honey, and pollen. These in- sects undergo what M. Faber styles hyper-metamorphosis, as the larva appears in four different forms instead of one. The Spanish fly—Cantharides of the shops—is an allied insect. Some of our common blister beetles are very destructive to plants. WASPS. I have never seen bees injured by wasps. In the South, as in Europe, we hear of such depredations. I have received wasps, sent by our southern brothers, which were caught de- stroying bees. ‘The wasp sent me is the large handsome Stizus speciosus, Drury. It is black, with its abdomen imperfectly ringed with yellow. The wasps are very predacious, and do immense benefit by capturing and eating our insect pests. I have seen wasps carry off ‘‘currant-worms” with a celerity that was most refreshing. As the solitary wasps are too few in numbers to do much damage—even if they ever dv any—any great damage which may occur would doubtless come from the social paper-makers. In this case, we have only to find the nests and apply the torch, or hold the muzzle of a shot-gun to the nest and shoot. This should be done at nightfall when the wasps have all gathered home. Let us not forget that the wasps do much good, and so not practice wholesale slaughter unless we have strong evidence against them, SPIDERS. ‘These sometimes spread their nets so as to capture bees. If porticoes—which are, I think, worse than a useless expense —are omitted, there will very seldom be any cause for com- plaints against the spiders, which on the whole are friends. As the bee-keeper who would permit spiders to worry his bees would not read books, I will discuss this subject no further. THE KING BIRD—Tyrannus Carolinensis. This bird, often called the bee-martin, is one of the fly- catchers, a very valuable family of birds, as they are wholly Enemies of Bees—King-Bird, Toads, Mice. 33] insectivorous, and do immense good by destroying our insect pests. The king bird is the only one of them in the United States that deserves censure. Another, the chimney swallow of Europe, has the same evil habit. Our chimney swallow has no evil ways. I am sure, from personal observation, that these birds capture and eat the workers, as well as drones; and I dare say, they would pay no more respect to the finest Italian queen. Yet, in view of the good that these birds do, unless they are far more numerous and troublesome than L have ever observed them to be, I should certainly be slow to recommend the death warrant. TOADS. The same may be said of the toads, which may often be seen sitting demurely at the entrance of the hives, and lapping up the full-laden bees with the lightning-hke movement of their tongues, in a manner which can but be regarded with interest, even by him who suffers loss. Mr. Moon, the well known apiarist, made this an objection to low hives; yet, the advantage of such hives far more than compensates, and with a bottom-board, such as described in the chapter on hives, we shall find that the toads do very little damage. MICE. These little pests are a consummate nuisance about the apiary. They enter the hives in winter, mutilate the comb, irritate, perhaps destroy, the bees, and create a very offensive stench. They often greatly injure comb which is outside the hive, destroy smokers, by eating leather off the bellows, and it they get at the seeds ot honey plants, they never retreat till they make complete the work of destruction. In the house and cellar, unless they are made as they should always be—mouse propf, these plagues should be, by use of cat or trap, completely exterminated. If we winter on the summer stands, the entrance should be so contracted that mice cannot enter the hive. In case of packing as I have recommended, I should prefer a more ample opening, which may be safely secured by taking a piece of wire cloth or per- forated tin or zinc, and tacking it over the entrance, letting it come within one-fourth of an inch of the bottom-board. This will give more air, and still preclude the entrance of these miserable vermin. aie) we) bo Enemies of Bees—Shrews. SHREWS. These are mole-like animals, and look not unlike a mouse with a long pointed nose like the moles, to which they are closely related. They are insectivorous and have necdle shaped teeth, quite unlike those of the Rodentia which in- cludes the true mice. I have received from Illinois and Mis- souri species of the short-tailed shrews—Blarina—which enter the hives in winter and eat the bees, only refusing the head and wings. They injure the combs but little. As they will pass through a space three-eighths of an inch wide, it is not easy to keep them out of hives where the bees are winter- ed on their summer stands. I have received a short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda, Gray, which was taken in the hives by Mr. Little, of Illinois. CALIFORNIA BEE KILLER. Mr. J. D. Enas, Napa, California, has sent me specimens of a curious bee enemy (Fig. 193) which he finds quite a serious enemy of bees. This is a Datames, possibly D. Californicus, Simon, though Fia. 193. it does not quite agree with the description of that species. It belongs to the sub-class Arachnida or Spiders, and is related to the scorpions. The group of animals are known as the Family Solpulgids or Galeodides. As will be seen the head, thorax, and abdomen are separate, as in true insects. = The abdomen is long and California Bee Killer Insect. segmented, a shield-like (Jaws or falces, and posterior leg.) Plate covers the head, and the eyes are far forward, small, and globular. The most peculiar organs are the jaws or falces, which are immense, and armed with formidable teeth, spines, hairs, ete. The family is small, little known, and except in one case, Datames Pallipes Say, which is said to live in houses in Colorado and to feed on bed-bugs, the habits have not been described. Enemies of Bees—Bee Killer, Bee Mite. 333 Mr. Enas finds this species in his hives, killing and eating the bees. The remedy must be hand picking which will not be very difficult. A BEE MITE. It has long been known to chicken fanciers that our poultry often suffer serious injury from a small mite. Other mites attacked the cow, the horse, the sheep, ete. During the past Spring a lady bee-keeper of Connecticut " t, discovered these mites in her hives while 2 investigating to learn the cause of their rapid depletion. She had noticed that the colonies were greatly reduced in num- ber of bees, and upon close observation she found that the diseased or failing col- onies were covered with these mites. The strong and prosperous colonies were exempt from the annoyance. So small }are these little pests that a score could take possession of a single bee, and not be near neighbors either. The lady states Fic. 191. that the bees roll and scratch in their vain attempts to rid themselves of these annoying stick-tights, and finally, worried out, either fall to the bottom of the hive or go forth to die outside. The bee-mite is very small, hardly more than five m. m. (1-50 of an inch) long. The female is slightly larger than the male, and somewhat transparent. The color is black, though the legs and more transparent areas of the females appear yellow- ish, REMEDIES. The fact that what would be poison to the mite would prob- ably be death to the bees, makes this question of remedy quite a difficult one. I can only suggest what Mrs. Squire has tried —frequent changing of the bees trom one hive to another, after which the hive can be freed from the mites by scalding. Of course, the more frequent the transfer the more thorough the remedy. I would suggest placing pieces of fresh meat, greased or sugared paper, etc., in the hives in hopes to attract the pests, which when massed on these decoys could easily be killed. 334 i alendar, CHAPTER XXI. CALENDAR AND AXIOMS. WORK FOR DIFFERENT MONTHS. Though every apiarist will take one, at least, of the several excellent journals relating to this art, printed in out country, in which the necessary work of each month will be detailed, yet it may be well to give some brief hints in this place. These dates are arranged for the Northern States, where the fruit trees blossom about the first of May. By noting these flowers, the dates can be easily changed to suit any local- ity. : JANUARY. During this month the bees will need little attention. Should the bees in the cellar or depcsitory become uneasy, which will not happen if the requisite precautions are taken, and there comes a warm day, it were well to set them on their summer stands, that they may enjoy a purifying flight. At night when all are again quict return them to the cellar. While out I would clean the bottom-boards, especially if there are many dead bees. This is the time to read, visit, study, and plan for the ensuing season’s work. TEBRUARY. No advice is necessary further than that given for January, though if the bees have a good fly in January, they will scarcely need attention in this month. The presence of snow on the ground need not deter the apiarist from giving his bees a flight, providing the day is warm and still. It is better to let them alone if they are quiet. MARCH. Bees should still be kept housed, and those outside still re- tain about them the packing of straw, shavings, ete. Fre- quent flights do no good, and wear out the bees. Colonies that are uneasy and besmear their hives should be set ont and allowed a good flight and then returned. Calendar. 335 APRIL. Early in this month the bees may all be set out. It willbe best to feed all, and give all access to flour, when they will work at it, though usually they can get pollen as soon as they can fly out to advantage. Keep the brood chamber contract- ed so that the frames will all be covered, and cover well above the bees to economize heat. The colony or colonies from which we desire to rear queens and drones should now be fed, to stimulate breeding. By careful pruning, too, we may and should prevent the rearing of drones in any but the best colonies. If from lack of' care the previous autumn, any of our stocks are short of stores, now is when it will be felt. In such cases feed either honey, sugar, or syrup, or place candy on top of the frames beneath the oil-cloth cover. MAY. Prepare nuclei to start extra queens. J eed sparingly till bloom appears. Give room for storing. Extract if necessa- ry, and keep close watch, that you may anticipate and fore- stall any attempt to swarm. Now, too, is the best time to transfer. JUNE. Keep all colonies supplied with vigorous, vrolific queens. Divide the colonies as may be desired, especially enough to prevent attempts at swarming. Extract if necessary, or best, adjust frames or sections, if comb honey is desired, and be sure to keep all the white clover honey, in whatever form taken, separate from all other. Now is the best time to Italianize. JULY. The work this month is about the same as that of June. Supersede all poor and feeble queens. Keep the basswood honey by itself, and remove boxes or frames as soon as full, Be sure that queens and workers have plenty of room to do their best, and do not suffer the hot sun to strike the hives, ATIGUST. Do not fail to supersedeimpotent queens. Between passwood and fall bloom it may perv tc feed sparingly. Give plenty of room for queen and workers, as fall storing commences. 336 Calendar. SEPTEMBER. Remove all surplus boxes and frames as SOON A8 Stdving ceases, which usually occurs about the middle of this month ; feed sparingly till the first of October. If necessary tr feed honey or sugar for winter, it should be done the last o this month. OCTOBER. Prepare colonies for winter. See that all have at least thir- ty pounds, by weight, of good, capped honey, and thatall are strong iv bees. Contract the chamber by using division boards and cover well with the cloth coverand chaff cushion. If the bees are to be packed, i should be done in October. Be sure that the frames of comb haye a central hole through which the bees can pass. NOVEMBER. Before the cold days come, remove the bees to the cellar or depository, or place them in the clamp or earth. DECEMBER. Now is the time to make hives, honey-boxes, etc., for the coming year. Also labels for hives. These may just contain the name of the colony, in which case the full record will be kept in a book; or the label may be made to contain a ful: register as to time of formation, age of queen, etc., et Slates are also used for the same purpose. I know from experience that any who heed all of the above may succeed in bee-keeping—may win a double success—re- ceive pleasure and make money. I feel sure that many expe- nienced apiarists will find advice that it may pay to follow. it, is probable that errors abound, and certain that much re- mains unsaid, for of all apiarists it is true that what they do not know is greatly in excess of what they do know. Axioms. 337 AXIOMS, The following axioms, given by Mr. Langstroth, are just as true to-day as they were when written by that noted author: There are a few first principles in bee-keeping which ought to be as familiar to the Apiarist as the letters of the alphabet. First. Bees gorged with honey never volunteer an attack. Second. Bees may always be made peaceable by inducing them to accept of liquid sweets. Third. Bees, when frightened by smoke or by drumming on their hives, fill themselves with honey and lose all disposi- tion to sting, unless they are hurt. Fourth. Bees dislike any quick movements about their hives, especially any motion which jars their combs. Fifth. In districts where forage is abundant only for a short period, the largest yield of honey will be secured by a very moderate increase of stocks. Sixth. A moderate increase of colonies in any one season, will, in the long run, prove to be the easiest, safest, and cheapest mode of managing bees. Seventh. Queenless colonies, unless supplied with a queen, will inevitably dwindle away, or be destroyed by the bee-moth, or by robber-bees. Eighth. The formation of new colonies should ordinarily be confined to the season when bees are accumulating honey ; and if this, or any other operation, must be performed when forage is scarce, the greatest precautions should be used to prevent robbing. : The essence of all profitable bee-keeping is contained in Oettl’s Golden Rule: KEEP youR stocks stronG. If you cannot succeed in doing this, the more money you invest in bees, the heavier will be your losses; while, if your stocks are strong, you will show that you are a bee-master, as well as a bee-keeper, and may safely calculate on generous returns from your industrious subjects. ‘* Keep all colonies strong.” GENERAL INDEX. A BCof Bee Culture .. Acacia .......... of bees... of insects... Anatomy of insect: external.... internal..... Apiary— arrangement of.... grape vine...... ‘ figure of 154, 155 z location of... eel - position of starting an Apiary ground arrangement of. for each colony. Apide.. description of... larva of..... pi Apis dorsata. - nativity of search for.. Aristotle ...... Arthropoda. Articulate an Artificial increase Asparagus Asters... Albino Bees... .. lg board . Amateur Bee-keepers American Bee Journal. Anatomy and physiolo; Ss. BACON BeCtle.-vesscce «sveeceevssseavsssaes janana Barberry ....... .. 262 figure ot. Bark louse.. waxing . 213 Basil—Mt. 285 Bass-wood 278 Bee bread (see pollen).. Bee glue (see prop lis). Bee hawk.. Bee house. Bee-keepers Exchange. Bee-keepers’ Guide... Bee- EReapers! and Poultry Jour- na. Bee keeping how to commence. form a plan... 114 get bees... . 114 kind of hives ~ 116 kind to buy... . 115 price to pay . 116 when to Bay where to locate.. as to forage.. as to market.. as to society... inducements to a adaptation to amateurs... 5 adaptatio to women...... 5 adds wealth to the coun- 5 7 7 3 recreation 2 requirements i 8 aid from associations...... 9 9 experience 8 enthusiasm - 4 mental effort. - 8 persistence , 15 Index. promptitude... visits to others Bee killers.. Louisiana. figure of. Missouri... figure o Nebraska Bee louse..... history of imago of... figure larva of.... remedies for.... Bee papers (see papers).... Bee poison-~ inoculation With... 2 Bees— , collections of... 380 how to move. 204 induced into sections kinds in each colony. never injurious to bloom sold by the pound species of. to quict.... by smoke other ways. valuable to plants who may keep. amateu™ speciaiis who should not keep Beetles... destructive Beggar ticks .... Benton, Frank.. effort to get A. dorsata. 32 experience with other be 34 importing bees 32 Bergamont. 284 Bevel gauge - 125 figure of.. - 125 Bibliography Jy 1) Bingham smoker. « 222 figure of.. Black bees.... points of superiority. Blackberry... Black gum. Black sage.. figure of.. Blister beetles figure of.. Blood of insects. Blood root.. Blue thistle Bombus ... Bonnet.. Boneset.... figure of Books AB oF Bee Culture . . Apiary, or Bees and Honey. Bee-keeper’ Guide Book...... Bees and Honev 3evan on the Honey Bcee...... Blessed Bees. Dzierzon’s Rational Bee Keeping King’s Text Book. Langstroth on t Bee.. Manual of bee Keeping. Mysteries of Bee Keeping Quinby’s Mysteries........ Rational Bee Keeping Text Book... On Botany... On Entomolog, ay’s Gotten board. figure of.. stationary. 30x hives....... Branch arthropoda Branch of the honey Bee Breathing system figure of........... British Bee Journal Buekthorn.... Buckwheat .. figure of Bumble Bec Burying Be Button bush figure of.... Cages.. Pee figure of, Caging queens Judge Andre Calendar. Candy... Good.. 203 Viallon 203 Carniolan Bees 38 Carpenter Bees.... Index. PAGE ring Chaff hives ......... advantages of figure of...... rules for use. Chloroform......... to introduce queen.. to quiet bees.... Circulatory organs. Clamps for wintering Clark cold draft smoker figure Of... J Class of the honey-be Clipping queens. why done... how done... Clover— BO Oe 0S NASH W SE Mammoth. Sweet... White... Cold draft smoker figure of Colonies— how to move.. Cover— for frames. cloth.. honey-bo: for hive figure of.. figure of.. function of .. how to fasten.. figure of.. figure of... Comb foundation. 26 American . ? figure of. 226 history of .. 226 machines roller.... figure of PIess ......... 229 figure of.. 229 Gomb-honey......... 243 apparatus for procuring. 141 desirable ... 214 fumigation 3 high priced.. how secured marketing of.. rules for.... shipping crate for stored before shipping. Comb stands... Valentine’s figure of . PAG ih Young’s........ figure of. Conventions aid markets . valuable . Coleoptera. Columella.. Corn...... figure of. Cow pea..... figure of.. Cow killer. Cuvier........ importation of. points of superiority.. Dadant pamphlet of Dalmatian Bees. Dandelion. De Geer.. Digestive figure of.. Diptera...... Diseases of bees Dissection of insects microscopes for.. figure of.. Dividing ......... Division boards figure of of perforated zinc figure of. Dollar Queens rearing of. Doolittle—incom DONE... srssainnednnsee development of.. organs of .. figure of .. pure if queen is. ss Dunham foundation machine. figure of Dysentery Dzierzon.. theory of. Dzierzon’s Rational Bee- ing... Eggs of insects Sean Dix figure of....... Inde fgyptian Bees... Enemies of bees. bee hawks. bee killers... blister beetles. cow killer.. king bird. 330 louse ....... 825 317 331 319 328 332 spiders. 330 stinging : 321 tachina fly. 825 toads. 331 wasps 330 Entomolio; 2 YO8 ssscet tescese 30 of insects 49 ene 49 49 ' 30, figure of.. 31 Extracted honey.. 212 barrels for.. 213 granulation of 242 prevented.. 342 reduced... 242 how kept... 212 marketing. 241 rules for . 241 ripening of .. 242 tin cans for.. 213 vessels for.... .. 241 figures of 242 jars... se Extracting and the extractor)... Extractor (see honey extractor) figure of aS Wax (see wax extractor) 308 Fabricius... figure of.. 247 Family Apide ........ 25 Family of ideal B 25 Feeders.. 163 can... . 165 close b 08: - 167 division poard ssceeaededes 165 figure of.. 165 Shuck’s.. 166 figure. 166 SimplLc'ty. 166 figure of.. 166 Smith’s...... 5 f#eeding caution in ...... eeusteencesees how much.,. how done... in winter... reason for.. what Female organs figure of..... Fertile worker: remedy for _ when found. Foreign books and p . Apiary, or Bees and Bee Cu ture Bee Keepers’ Guide Bouk., British Bee Journal........ Manual of Bee Keeping. Modern Bee Keeping... Rational Bee Keeping Fossil honey comb....... figure of.... Foul brood cause... remedy... symptoms Foundation... American, cutters ..... history of. how cut.... how fastened... how made... in wired a ears use of.. wax sheets for how made Fountain pump Frames......... cover for D. A. Jones figure of.. figure of... for sections. figure of. Gallup.......... figure of... guide for making figure of.. how made ... Langstroth .. figure of.. large....... Quinby... PAGE PAGG FIZUIO Of... crcsccecssrerrersvres 180 new idea...... seve LAT uniform not patented 118 LIB eivvinnearastevevwvessneraes observing. 141 2 figure o Genus apis. species 0 Genus of the Geoffrey............ German Bees .. story and on 129 Gill or ground ivy figure of... .122, 123 Given press.. DWO SOL Y sep sisisievcocssstscessinsscsetic 128 figure of.. figure of . Glands of insect s. Hives and sections. Gleanings in Bee Culture Hiving swarms. Gloves... figure of .. ne Glucose ........ Honey ..._... a Golden honey plant .. as food.... oe Golden rod.... changed nectar. ~ 10; figure of.. composition of. . 98 Good candy..... granulated .... 100, 216 Grapes and Bees... how to melt. . 210 Gum— test of purity. 100 blue .. ripening of .. 210 red.... source of... 9, 249 Honey-comb . . 103 Handling Bees. fossil ........ .. 106 rules for.. figure of. 106, 107 Harbison ..... Honey extractor.. .. 205 great honey yield of. 3 how to use.. 211 Heathe~ington ........... modern..... . 206 honey secured by figure of. . 206 Head of insects........ origin of.... 205 Z styles of . 206 use of........ 208 when to use.... . 209 wire attachment. 207 figure of.... 207 Honey knives.. . 208 figures of 208 Honey locus 275 Hearing of insects figure of Q77 Heart of insects Honey plan 249 Heath Bees............ April 259 Herzegovinian Bees .. May. 201 Hexapoda... 22 June 26 Hives......... 118 July .... 278 alighting board o August. . 288 table of..... 257 Honey ViNeCZaAL ......cecessceresseeceeeeee 246 Horehound. 271 Horse mint. . 265 figure of. . 126 figure of. . 205 stationary . 127 | House apiary. . 805 DOX ........ a . 118 | Huber hive.... . 187 cover of... . 127 Bingham style.. . 138 DeBeauvoy’s . 120 figure of... . 140 Dzierzon ...... . 120 Quinby style.. 138 early frame.. . 119 figure of.... . 138 entrance to.. . 126 | Hunting bee trees. ~ 162 height of... . 127 | Hymenoptera...........6. . 23 Huber....... . 137 highest of insects.. 24 Langstroth . . 120 parasitic, 24 figure of.. . 122 . 118 | Ichneumon fiies.. . 119 | Indian currant 19, 120 ! Indian plantain... movable comb .. figures of Index. Imago of insects 23, 65 Increase of colonies 182 alviding...... . 189 to prevent.. 184 Iron weed... . 285 Insecta . 20 intestines of bee... Italians ............... importation o: origin of... superior Atalianizing... Japan privet. . 266 Jars for honey. : figure of... Jones, D. A.... importing bees Judas tree... figure of... dCKansas bee keeper 11 Kegs for honey 242 figure of 242 King bird 3e Lamarck . Lamp nur: ; Langstroth, L. L. Langstrotn frame. figure of ... Langstroth hive. figure of size of ...... Longstroth on the honey bee Larva of insects r figures of.. j Latreille. 41 Leach .... 2 Legs of insects. 51 figure of... 1, 89 Lepidoptera... 24 Ligurian (see Italian). 35 Linneeus... 259 Liver leaf. 40 Locust ... 275 honey.. 275 figure of 277 Locust borer.. 275 remedy fo. 275 Lupine... 275 Lyonnet.... 41 Magnolia... figure of Mailing queens 204 Male organs. 58 figure of. 58 Mangrove. 286 Manual of bee keeping.. Manzanita Maples... sugar. figure of. Marketing... bees by th how caged... figures of comb honey. crates for extracted honey.. rules for.. 239 Mason bees... 29 Mating of queen. 72 delay in.......... 93 in confinement. 73 marks of. 73 only once.. 73 on wing..... 73 Matrimony vine 275 MeOaliicasissesens 169 feeding of.. 169 Meal beetle . 817 Megachiie 28 Melipona 27 MIC varessss 331 Microscopes . . 46 figure of.. 46 Milk weed.. 272 pollen o 272 figure . 272 Mignonette.. 276 figure of.. . 269 Mimicry . 23 Mint... 271 figure of . 270 Mites .......... ee Modern Bee Keeping 13 MOUSE Sixccastivescsscsecs 20 Moth (see b . 812 Motherwort . . 271 figure of... » 271 time of bl) . 272 Mountain laurel . 285 Mouth organs.. 43 variable . 45 Movable frame hive 128 Munn hive. 119 Muscles of insects 52 Mustard . 273 black .. 273 figure of 272 Chinese. 273 white ¢ Muth C.F Myriapods. Mysteries of ping. 12 Natural History of Bee... . 19 INGCUAB i csccssessesl sores . 249 from bark lice. . 249 from cotton.. . 253 from cow pea.. senses 203 figure of.. from flower: from plant lie ) from sap .. Nerves of insects. Nomada . Nuclei... hives for. how formed.. Nursery. lamp queen. Observing hive.. . 141 figure of . ll Okra... . 270 figure of... . 270 Order of honey « 28 Osmia ; 29 Packing box. figure of... Pails for honey.. figure of... Palmetto... cabbage ... figure of Bee-Keeper’s xchange . Bee-Keeper’s Guide...... Bee and Poultry Journal.. British Bee Journal Gleanings in Bee Culture.. Kansas Bee-Keeper 11 Parasitic Bees .... 29 Parthenogenesis 74 seer in ants and wasps . 7A true of drones... true of plant lice.. Partridge pea Periodicals (see papers) 9 Persimmon........ 265 Piping of queen. - 98 Plant lice ...... 250 apple tree 251 figure of.. 251 beech.. 250 elm. 250 lare 250 sycam 251 ig 251 251 Plants... 249 acacia 265 alsike clover. figure of.. asparagus ASLETS «....00008 figure o1.. 289 banana, barberry . bass-wood . figure of.. beggar ticks. benefited by bees bergamont... blackberry black gum blood root.. Bokhara cl Gone eeaeysee figure of.. buck thorn .. button bush figure of buckwheat. figure of.. cow pea ..... figure of.. culver’s root dandelion.. figwort.... California.. fire weed...... gill, ground ivy. golden honey plant.. golden rod. grapes.. gum, blue and black. honey lucust... figure of.. for ornam honey poisono s. horehound..... Indian currant. Indian plantain irom weed.. Japan privet. Juda. tree.. figure of.. Magnolia figure of.. Mangrove black true... Malva........ Manzanita maples. .. sugar... pollen maasses of. figure of.. mignonette.. mountain laurel.. mustards... black.... figure of.. 272 Chinese 273 white. 273 okra........ 270 figure of.. 270 palmetto... 286 cabbage .. 286 figure of.. 2386 BAWesesosersveee 266 partridge pea.. 275 figure of.. 276 persimmon.. 265 poplar..... 261 Tape. 273 figure of.. 273 raspberry ........ 274 rattle-snake weed 284 figure o 281 sage......... 271 black . «- 262 ig 263 white......... 262 figure of.. 264 saw palmetto.. 266 skunk cabbage 259 sour wood, sorre 285 figure of.. 284 cpider plan 291 sumac... Calif i sun-flower... figure of.. 289 sweet clover 267 figure of.. 269 teasel ......... 275 figure of.. 275 tick-seed ... 289 tulip tree.... figure of.. varnish tree... verbena-vervain.. viper’s bugloss. Virginia creeper .. wheat. .....0... white clover. figure of.. ‘wild plum... Wistarla......00+ American.. . 26 figure of. 261 Chinese........ + 261 figure of. .» 262 . 39 .. 274 .. 285 . 107 how collected 108 how carried. - 108 function of - 108 source of... . 108 substitute f . 169 Pollen baskets . 30 Pollen masses’... . 272 figure of milkweed.. . 272 Poplar ..........00008 . 261 Praying Mantis. 328 figure of........ 3828 Products of bees 99 comb.. 103 honey 99 pollen . 107 propolis . 109 WAX ass sccass . 101 Profits uf bee-keeping. 3 Propolis.......... function of... how collected. soluble in.. source of Protozoa...... Pupa of insects figure of............ QUICO Moi assess seteeccaee . 66 clipping wing o development of drone eggs eyes Of ........-0 fecundity of figure of.. food of.... from fecundate function of.. edt low caged. .17 in sections . 216 introduction of. 196 longevity ot... 76 lmating of....... . 175 how controlled. 175 entrance guard. 176 figure of. 176 marketing of....... 245 aided by fairs. 246 organs of...... . 67 figure of. . 59 ovaries of .... . 67 figures of 59 rearing of ... 169 how done. . 169 why important, seve 169 Index. sent by mail... shipping of..... reparation for. sterility of sting of... tongue of. figure of.. when active.... where to obtain... young virgin. easily introduced Queen cage.. figure of. Queen cell. transfer figure of.. select carefully. why necessary Queen register... diagram of .. ng qucies ’s Smoker figure of. Races of bees 35 black or German. 35 Carniolan..... . 38 Caucasian 39 Cyprian... . 37 Dalmatian 38 Egyptian, 38 heath......... 38 Herzegovinian .. 38 Ttalian or Ligurian 35 Smyrnian.. 39 Syrian.. 37 Radiates . Rape........ figure of Raspberry Rational Bi Rattle-snake root y.. Reaumur............0000 Register for queen figure of.............. Reproductive organs. 58 female............. 60 ; figure of. 59 male........ 58 figure of. 58 Respiratory organs 54 figure of..... 21 Robber flies.. figures of Robbing.......... when to expect.. Rocky Mountain bee-plant. figure Of... when to plant Royal jelley....sss.. Sage white and sage). Saws horse power (see Saw Palmetto Saw table. Secretory or gans. figure of... Sections.......... dove-tailed.. form of.. fumigating.. getting bees from getting bees into.. glassing ... in crates .. one removal of... separators for. figure of. smal veneer bloc figure of Sense in insects hearing . smell .. Separators evergreens BYOVE.... grape vine figures of Shipping...... colonies. Sir John Lubbock .. hearing in ants, etc Skunk cabbage.... Smell in insects Smoker .. Bingham... Index PAGE figure of.. k Smyrnian bees oe Sour wood..... . 28 figure of.. . 284 Specialists as “pee-keepers.. 3 Sh Spermatneca....... . 60 discovery of. . 60 fu.ction of . 60 Spider plant.. . 291 figure of . 290 Spiders........ 22, 330 Spring dwindling. . 804 preventive 304 Starting an api 113 Sterile queens . 77 Sting of worker. figure of... how used. Stinging bug. figure of .. Stingless bees . Stings— how to cure how to prevent.. . 218 bee tent... 212, 225 bee veil... . 219 chloroform .. 223 dress for ladies 220 gloves ...... 219 smoke . 221 St. John’s wort. Stomach of insects Stone crop.. 276 Storing 216 side . 216 top .. Sub-class of insect: Sub-class of the honey-bee .. Strong colonies... how secured . imperative to comb h Sumac... Califo Sunflower... figure of Swarming... abnormal cut short... preparations for prevented...... undesirable when it occur. why it occurs Swarming fever. prevented ho by manipulat Heddon’s method. Miller’s method. Swarmmerdam Swarms... after . piping before. 98 how secured .. 185 figure of.. 186 second undesirable 187 prevented 188 Sweet clover. 267 figure of... Syrian bees. importation of.. superior how Tachina fly figure of.. Tailor bee.. cells of . 28 Teasel...... 275 figure of . 275 Telephone to Test for honey 00 Thorax ......... 50 muscles 0 50 figure of.. 51 organs of. 50 legs .... 51 wings. 50 Tick seed. 289 Toads..... 331 Tongue ... 45 of queen 68 figure of.. 67 of worker.. 84 figure of.. 85 Trachea........ 21 figure of 21 Transferring. 158 Hedaon’s way 158 old method......... 159 Transformations of insects......22, 61 complete 22, 61 incomplete . 22, 65 Trigona... a Tulip ... figure of.. 274 Tulip tree bark 249 figure of.. . 249 Uniting BeOS .......sccccccrsrnsscscssceees 803 Varnish tree. WVieilericsesscess figure of... Verbena-vervain . Viallon candy. 203 Viper’s buglo . 285 Virgin queens. . 73 drone layers. 78, 74 Virginia creeper . 285 Vinegar 246 Virgi 39 composition of.. PAGE expensive.. 102 from carb 102 pockets .. 101 figure of.. 101 save all......... 235 how done.. 236 SCALOS,.....cc00 101 figure of..... 101 secretion voluntary . 103 Wax extractor ..... 236 Swiss ......... . 236 figure of 236 Jones......... 237 figure of.. 237 White clover.. 266 figure of.. 266 Willow....... 260 figure of.. 260 Wings of bees 80 figure of..... - 30 of insects 50 White sage... 262 figure of.. 264 Wintering ... 293 by packing 296 figure of.. 297 disastrous why. 293 bad food wees 293 extremes of temperature 294 moist atmosphere in hive 294 old bees. 293 in bee house in cellar.. figure of..... method of in clamps. requis. 00. fate breeding... Ero per temperature 10W secured . Wire for foundation.... Wistaria ess 261 American, 261 figure of. 261 Chinese .... . 261 Worker bees ............. development of figure of.......... food of larvee.... from impregnated egg function of.... old bees .... 95 young bees.. 95 glands of..... 8&6 figure of. 87 how they sip. 86 jaws of ........ 88 legs of figure of. longevity of. mouth parts of. sometimes fertile .. sting of........ figure of. 90 how used.. 91 stomach of.. 92 tongue of.. 84 figure of. 85 very numer 83 Worms i 19, 20 Xylocopa 28 TIC sev cicisoas weayeca perforated .. THE BEE-KEEBPERS’ GUIDE: —oR— MANUAL OF THE APIARY. By A. J. COOK, Lansing, Michigan. Prof. of Entomology in the Stale Agricultural College, 12,000 SOLD IN SEVEN YEARS. 850 PAGES. 195 ILLUSTRATIONS. This is a new edition of Prof. Cook’s Manual of the Apiary, enlarged and elegantly illustrated. The first edition of 3,000 copies was exhausted in about 18 months—a sale unprecedented in the annals of bee.culture. The tenth 1,000 was thoroughly revised, much new matter and many costly illustrations added, and it has been produced with great care, patient study, and persistent research. It comprises a full delineation of the anatomy and. physiology of the honey bee, illustrated with many expensiye wood engrav- ings; the products of the honey bee; the races of bees; full descriptions of honey-producing plants, trees, shrubs, etc., splendidly illustrated; and last, though not least, detailed instructions for the various manipulations neces- sary in the apiary. The 10th 1,000 Sold in Four oy eee Sold in the Last Year and a Half. Read the following opinions of the book: I believe yours the best practical work in the world.—JL. L. Langstroth. I feel like thanking God that we have sucha man as Prof. Cook to take hold of the subject of bee-culture in the masterly way in which he has done it.—Gleanings in Bee Culture. It is a book which does credit to our calling; one that every bee-keeper may welcome as a fit exponent of the science which gives pleasure to all who are engaged in it.— American Bee Journal. It is just what might have been expected from the distinguished auther,— a work acceptable to the ordinary bee man, and a delight to the student of scientific apiculture.—Bee- Keepers’ Magazine. Cook’s new ‘“ Manual of the Apiary’’ comes with high encomiums from America, and certainly it appears to have cut the ground from under future book-makers for some time to come.—Sritish Bee Journal. Prof. A. J, Cook’s ‘‘ Manual of the Apiary’ contains, besides the descrip- tion of the anatomy and physiology of the honey bee, beautifully illustrat- ed, the products and races of the bees, honey plants—the instructions for the different operations performed in the hives. All agree that it is the work of & master, and is of real value.—L’ Apiculteur, Paris. I have read with a good deal of interest the copy of Cook’s Manual you sent me, and I intend to publish extracts from it in the “ Bulletin” of the Society of Apiculture of the Department of the Somme, so that our apiarists may be aware of the value of this estimable work. It is a credit to the author as well as the publishers. I have never yet met with a work, either French or foreign, which I like so much.—L’ Abbe L. DuBois, al La Malmai- son, Aisne, France. : Every point connected with the subject is handled in a clear, exhaustive, yet pithy and practical manner.— Rural New Yorker. The most thorough work on the apiary ever published, and the only one illustrating the various bee plants.—Lansing (Mich.) Republican. : Treating the art in all its different branches in a clear, concise, and inter- esting manner.— The Cunadian Entomologist. It is the fullest, most practical, and most satisfactory treatise on the sub- ject now before the public.—Country Gentleman. I have derived more practical knowledge from Prof. Cook’s new Manual of the Apiary than from any other book.—Z. H. Wyncoop. . : With Cook’s Manual Iam more than pleased. It is fully up with the times in every particular. The richest reward awaits its author.—A. #. Wenzel, We have perused with great pleasure the vade mecum of the bee-keeper. It is replete with the best information on everything belonging to apiculture. To all taking an interest in this subject we say, Obtain this valuable work, read it carefully, and practice as advised.—Agriculturist, Quebec. I regard it as the best work on bees in the world.—P. L. Vialion. 7 eS greatly superior to all the other works that I recommend no other. —D. A. Jones. Price, by mail, $1.25. Liberal discount made to dealers, and to newspapers who may desire to send it as a premium. - Ae J. ooK,. Agricultural College, Michigan, Author and Publisher. The Slew York Gribune, LARGEST REPUBLICAN CIRCULATION OF ANY HEW YORK PAPER. To its Agents and Friends: The course of politics has favored THE TRIBUNE this year, and the hearty work of over ten thousand agents has added over 120,000 names to the subscription list of the paper. Cordial assurances have been received from every part of the country indicating that a large proportion, if not all, of the new readers of THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE will become its permanent patrons. We say frankly that we desire them to become so. The Republican masses, the plain people, the brains and bone and sinew of the Nation, who are now laboring to place in power a Repub- lican Executive and a Republican Congress, who wish to follow the Administration as reported in the columns of the paper that now stands in the forefront of the fight and is faithful to the principles of the party. From no other paper will they secure reports which will be more can- did, accurate, and complete. Of THE TRIBUNE itself little need be said. The price per year is $1.25; in clubs, $1. At either price, little is risked in claiming that it is the best bargain in the subscription field. There are weeklies of smaller practical value which cost $3 and $4a year. Its agricultural pages are an encyclopedia of valuable information; and a smart farmer ought no more to plough his fields and plant his grain and gather in his crops without implements to work with than some such paper as THE TRIBUNE to guide his hands and head. For the general reader, the paper is complete; tor the family it is unequalled. Free from the con- troversies and embarrassments that beset a local newspaper, THE TRI- BUNE is able to devote its space wholly to matters of general and wide- spread interest; and the citizen who subscribes for it will be brought continually into contact with all that is best in the current life of the world and with much that is of great immediate value to himself. TERMS: DAILY, per year, : : , Pi 5 rs $8.50. Daiuy, without Sunpay, per year, ‘ ‘ - ‘ : 7.00 WEEKLY, in clubs of ten, per year, - a . : 6 1.00 SEMI-WEEKLY, in clubs of ten, per year, . ‘ ‘ , ‘ 2 00 Agents for THE TRIBUNE wanted in every farming township. THE TRIBUNE, New York. Bellows, baokers, and Honey Kuives! The Original Six years of use have convinced all the largest BINGHAM and most scientific Bee-Keepers that it is Bee Smoker ECONOMY fee To use BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON’S UNCAP. EI PING KNIVES and BINGHAM'S SMOKERS, While we receive hundreds of COMMENDING Letters every season from Bee-Keepers who have used our implements for years, we have never yet reccived a single letter of COMPLAINT. |OVER FIFTY THOUSAND Patented, 1875, HAVE BEEN SOLD. Send card for free circular to Bingham & Hetherington, Abronia, Mich. FOMONA APIARIGS, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. J. H. P. BROWN, Proprietor. Imported and Home-Bred Italian Queens, Nuclei and Full Colonies, Bees for PURITY and FOR BUSINESS. Dundham and Vandervort Foundations manufactured from PURE BEES. wax—wholesale and retail—cut to any desired size. If you want Hives, Smokers, or Apiarian Supplies of any kind, send for catalogue and price list. [ ESTABLISHED IN 1864.] We will furnish Everything Needed in the Apiary Of Practical Construction, at the Lowest Price. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. Senp your address on a postal card and we will send you free our large Illustrated Catalogue. E. KRETCHMER, Coburg, Iowa. STANLEY’S AUTOMATIC HONEY EXTRACTOR. We can furnish this machine for any number of frames desired, and we now have comb hooks to throw the honey from partly filled sections with no danger from breaking combs. The ‘‘Automatic” is superior to all other Honey Extractors for the following reasons : First. The combs are reversed simply by reversing the motion of the crank. SEconpD. They are made from very best material throughout. THIRD. They willdo double the work of any Extractor now in market. Fourtu.—They will throw the honey out closer than other machines. Firrg. They will not break the combs though run at a very high rate of speed, and combs cannot drop down. Our prices are low, ranging from $12.00 upward, and all goods are warranted to give satisfaction. Write, giving outside measure of frame to be used, and state how many comb baskets are wanted, and we will give prices by return mail. We are also manufacturers of S'TANLEY’S DOLLAR SMOKER. This is a large bellows smoker, with three inch bowl, and is made of very best material, and equal to the best high-priced smokers, Price, $1.00; by mail, $1.25, or if ordered with Extractor, 75c. Address all communications to G. W. STANLEY & BROTHER, Wyoming, N. Y. WHITMAN’S FOUNTAIN PUMP. After trying all known methods for arresting abscona- ing swarms I have found nothing efficient except Wbhit- man’s Fountain Pump. About seven years ago I pur- chased one for each of my two apiaries, and the first season I saved six swarmsthat I think otherwise would have gone to the woods, besides capturing two which came by eur apiary. I have never lostaswarm when I have been on hand with the pump since I purchased it. —JAMES HEDDON. Sometimes it is very desirable te cause swarms to alight that have just taken wing en route for their pros- pective heme. This can be done easily, surely, and quickly, by one of Whitman’s Fountain Pumps. This ae ; Pumpis invaluable for many 1” purposes.-PROF. A. J. COOK. The Fountain Pumps are used for showering bees << when swarming, to cause CR them to light and cluster. SANS A lady or child can use it AWASAN easily. Washing buggies, T= sprinkling plants and vines. used in any position. 4aP Send for large Illustrated Circular. J. A. WHITMAN, Patentee and Manufacturer, PROVIDENCE, R. I. Eureka Safety Power. ECONOMICAL! _NON-EXPLOSIVE | > —) Tested (9 WD) Povo Progen! The Dangers that are Possible and Probable, Overcome. THEY CANNOT BE EXPLODED. 2-Horse Eureka Boiler end Engine, $175. 4-Horse Eureka Boiler and Engine, $275. 6-Horse Eureka Boiler and Engine, $350. Complete with all Fixtures except Stack. || Send for Circulars, =i B. W. PAYNE & SONS, ~ Drawer 3, Elmira, N. Y. 2 Coe CL EG. Practical Bee-Keepe LOW’ A Cll yy... DOW 2a a Pure Italian Bees for sale. New Hives, straight 106 Colonies Combs. Everything in best condition. cs Single Colonies, $9.09; Ten or more to one Person, $8.00 Each. Instruction in Bee-Keeping! I give instruction te Ladies and Gentlemen in all the branches of mod. ern Bee-Keeping. My students have found the course interesting and profitable. EXTRACTED HONEY! The most superior White Clever Honey, can be sent by express in pails, or by freight in kegs or barrels. Send for Circular. MUTH'S HONEY EXTRACTOR AND UNCAPPING KNIFE! This Extractor is @RnB second to none in | ease of extracting Wik and durability, while the slanting sides of its comb- pasket makeitsex- tracting power su- perior to all others, as centrifugal force isaided by gravity. li Saal fill Hh il i i | iW A ‘ rG onl = DIME JAR. 4g LB. HONEY. 1 Ls. Honey. The above JARS speak for themselves Their neatness cannot be excelled and has made them a successful stimulant in the honey market. We havea full supply always on hand, as well as a general assortment of Bee-keepers’ supplies. ‘‘ Practical Hints to Bee Keepers” will be mailed on receipt of 10c. Circulars mailed on application. Apply to Cc. F. MUTH, 976 and 978 Central Ave., CINCINNATI, 0. BARN EHS’S Foot Powerae j Re DetinC ue on Hs arose COMPLEaTESE CUTFItTS, With which Builders, Cabinet Makers, Wagon Makers, and Jobbers in Miscellaneous Work can compete as to quality and price with Steam-Power Machinery. WILL SEND MACHINES ON TRIAL IF DESIRED. Every Bee-Keeper should have an Outfit from these Machines for Hive-making. ‘HIOA JOYIO JO jeep yeois @ puv ‘sexoq AsuoY 00'S ‘SoweIy peoiq QO ‘syoer Aouoy OOT ‘sdvo yout-y yIIA seary Beyo OG ‘19jUTA 4seT ‘souTGO ‘ATT NJWOodsoy “vUl poulquiod ino& jo euo YIM 4no 4nd eA —‘NEWATLNTD ‘amy fsana 911m 92 hos nok 170 op 771M IT ACS SIU} TFT Te JI Op 03 yoodxe pue ‘ayeU 07 ‘'0J9 ‘soAty-90q “DT ‘paofyooy ‘so1g soudng ‘sussapy ‘AN ‘uojopreyO ‘EINTUV ‘I ‘pe Jo qunowe oY} STQNOp eAey 9A JOJUIA SIT, ‘KN ‘NOLGTUVHO We will send our Illustrated Catalogue FREE on application. Say where you read this, and address W.F & JOHN BARNES, No. 2094 Marin STREET, ROCKFORD, WINNEBAGO CoO., ILL. FOUNDATION MILL. PELHAM’S PATENT The rolls of the PELIFAM MILLS are made of cast type.metal sections, as shown by the above copie sof the pate nt drawings. These Mills are giving general satisfaction, and the quality of the founda. tion made on them is highly pri 1 by hundreds of bee-keepers who have used it. Send for samples and price-list. W. C. PE LITAM, Maysville, Mason Co., Ky. U.S. STANDARD HONEY EXTRACTOR. FOR SALE BY 2s EW LS: de CO:, Dealers in Apiarian Supplies, TOLEDO, OHIO. This Extractor contains many im- provements overallothers, It has the best gearing made, which is hinged to the can, and can be turned back in such a way that all the inside parts of Extractor muy be instantly removed for cleaning without removing ascrew or bolt. Both sides of the comb may be extracted without removal from the wire busketor Extractor. Adjust- uble frame rests to hold long or short frames any beight. When the cover iy inverted it becomes an uncapping pan with a rest for the end of the frame while removing the cappings, »Extractors took first premium hio, Michigan, and Indiana State Fairs, in September, being the only places in which they were exhib- ited, a Mr. E. T. Lewis:—In the ready re- moval of comb-basket, and turning of combs without removal from the ex- tractor, permitted by your extractor, you have made two important im- provements, A. J. COOK, BEE-KEEPERS, LOOK HERE Having fitted upa shop with steam power, I am pleased to inform my old customers and the public generally that Lam ready to fill all orders for Hives, Sections, Extractors, Comb Foundation, and All Other Supplies Needed by Bee-Keepers, Of the best quality and the lowest possible prices consistent with first-clasg stock and work. y Annual Illustrated Catalogue is ready and will be sent free on application. Choice Bred Italian Queens and Full Colonies a specialty. Address J. B. MASON. MECHANIC FALLS, MB. From Imported and Home- Bred Mothers. eae al Price-List of Italian Queens for 1885. ~ April. | May. | June. | July. | Aug. Sept. | After June 10. Best Tested, each..| $3.50 | $3.00 | 32.50 | $2.00 | $2.UU0 | $2.00 6 fer $11.00 Untested, each.... 1.50 1.00 1,00 1.00 90 90 | 6 for $5.00 Untested Cyprians and Syrians (also Known as Holy Lands) one-fourth more than Italians. Italian Nuclei, 75 cts. for each L. frame of Bees and Brood. Price of Queen to be added. No Queen-hatching in a lamp nursery; all are bred in full colonies. The best of Queens. Safe delivery from May lst to Oct. 1st, if cage and bees are returned at once when they arrive dead. In 1884 I sent by mail Queens safely to Can- ada and California. Cook’s Manual of the Apiary, postage paid, $1.25. Root’s A BCin Bee- Culture, postage paid—cloth, $1.25; paper, $1.00. EXCELSIOR POULTRY AND BEE YARD! 20 Varieties Land and Water Fowls. Italian Bees, Queens, Lancashire and Registered Poland China Swine. Job Printing neatly and promptly executed. Illustrated and descriptive circular free. Address J. T. FLETCHER, West Monterey, Clarion Co., Pa. Headquarters for Pure Italian Queens, Colonies, & Nuclei, Extractors, Bellows-Smokers, Knives, Foundation, Veils, Gloves, Bee Books, Sample Knives, Etc. Being only 2% hours from San Francisco, my facilities for shipping Colo- nies by sea cannot be equalled. Can_superintend all Celonies on board steamer at San Francisco if required. For particulars and price list address J. D. ENAS, Sunnyside. Napa P. O., Cal. Orint YourOwn Cards, Envelopes, &., &. Press. $3.00. Pi OT hoi 3 ‘i Kowriawsai Large sizes for circulars, EXCELSIOR etc., $8 to $90. For pleas- ure, money-making, young or old. Everything very easy by printed in- structions. Send 2 stamps for Cata- logue of Presses, Type, Cards, etc., to the factory. KELSEY & CO., Meridan, Conn. DADANT’S FOUNDATION Is attested by hundreds of the most practical and disinterested bee. keepers to be the cleanest, brightest, quickest accepted by bees, least apt to sag, most regular in color, evenness, and neatness of any that is made. IT IS KEPT FOR SALE BY MESSRS. A. H. NEWMAN, Chicago, II. Cc. F. MUTH, Cincinnati, Ohio. JAMES HEDDON, Downagiac, Mich DOUGHERTY & MCKEH, Indianapolis, Ind. CHAS. H. GREEN, Berlin, Wis. CHAS. HERTEL, JR., Freeburg, Ill. WM. BALLANTINE, Sago, O. ARTHUR TODD, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. E. L. ARMSTRUNG, Jerseyville, Il And numbers of other dealers. Write for Samples Free and price-list of supplies, accompanied with 150 COMPLIMENTARY AND UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS From as many bee-keepers in 1883. We Guarantee Every Inch of Our Foundation Equal to Sample in Every Respect. CHAS. DADANT & SON, Hamilton, Hancock Oo., Ill. BEE. KEEPERS! Send for our descriptive circular and price-list of Eclipse, Langstroth, and New American Bee Hives, Honey Extractors, Knives, Sections, Smokers, Veils, Books on Bee Culture, etc., etc. Circulars free. Address BF. A. SNELL, Milledgeville, Carroll Co., Ill. BEES AND QUEENS! I will mail my 20-PAGE PRICE-LIST of Italian, Cyprian, and Holy Land Bees and Nuclei Colonies, Either in the American or Langstroth Frame. CHOICE TESTED, WARRANTED, AND DOLLAR QUEENS AND APIARIAN SUPPLIES, To all who send me their name and address written plainly on a postal. H. H. BROWN, Light Street, Col. Co-, Pa. — THE — American Apiculturist, —-) A 32-Page Monthly, DEVOTED TO SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL APICULTURE. Edited by a Practical Bee-Keeper. ASSISTED BY A CORPS OF CONTRIBUTORS UNEQUALLED BY THAT oF ANY OTHER BEE JOURNAL PUBLISHED, MANY OF WHOM WRITE FOR No OTHER. The Leading Apiarists publicly endorse it as the best Bee Journal published in the English language, and The Northeastern Bee-Keepers’ Association and North American Bee-Keepers’ Association Endorse its platform and recommend it to bee-keepers. As an Advertising Medium it is unsurpassed, and our advertisers testify that they have never had so good returns from any other Bee Journal. If you are in any way interested in hee-keeping, you have but to examine one number to become a life-long subscriber. Sample Copy Sent Free. ADDRESS SILAS M. LOCKE, Editor and Proprietor, SALEM, MASS. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $1.00 PER YEAR. al OOD, Medina, Ohio, Manufacturer of and Dealer in APITARIAN IMPLEMENTS AND SUPPLIES, And Jobber in HOUSEHOLD CONVENIENCES. A 40-Page Price-List FREE on Application. OvR CUSTOMERS now number about 200,000, and goods are shipped to all parts of the world. To keep pace with late improve- ments and new inventions, our price-list is kept constantly standing in type, and new editions are printed in the busy season, frequently as often as once a month. Pur i p p OF PEE-(ULTURE, A book of 318 pages and 162 illustrations, is also kept standing in typo in the same way. Our Journal, GLEANINGS IN BEE-CULTUREH, Gives reports semi-monthly of the State of bee-culture in almost all regions of the globe where civilization extends. The Only Weekly Bee Paper in the World TEE OLDEST BEE PERIODICAL IN AMERICA. TWO EDITONS—WEEKLY AND MONTHLY. Weekly, $2 a year; Monthly, $1 a year, in advance, Three or Six Months at the same rate. A Sample Copy of either free upon application. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, established in 1861 as 4 Monthly, was, in 1881, also issued Weekly, and has not only fully sustained its former reputation, butis always advancing progressive ideas upon the various topics of Bee-Culture. It is the most Thoroughly Practical Publication on Bees in the World, The most successful and experienced Bee-Keepers in the World comprise its Corps of Contributors. As an Advertising Medium it is Unsurpassed. THOMAS GG. NEWMAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR, 925 WEST MADISON STREET, CHICAGO, ILL. ALFRED H. NEWMAN, DEALER IN ALL KINDS OF SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS SUCH AS Melilot, White and Alsike Clovers, Mammoth Mignonette, Cleome, Mustard, etc. Tin Pails for Marketing Honey. Bee Keeners Supplies INCLUDING Kees for Extracted Honey, _ The Excelsior Honey Extractors, Comb Foundation—all styles, Bee Hives—nailed and flat, Sections, Crates and Frames, Smokers, Honey Knives, Bee Veils, Gloves, etc. tF SEND FOR MY NEW ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE. .& 923 West Madison Street, CHICACO, ILL. FRIENDS, If you are in any way interested in BEES OR HONEY We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of our Monthly Gleanings in Bee Culture, With a Descriptive Price-list of the latest improvements in HIVES, HONEY EXTRACTORS, ARTIFICIAL COMB, SECTION HONEY BOXES, All Books and Journals, and Everything Pertain- ing to Bee Culture. NOTHING PATENTED. Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly to A. TI. ROOT, MEDINA, OHIO. SCOVELL BEE SMOKER! Scovell’s Hinged Nozzle Cold- Blast Bee Smoker is the result of years of experiment, practically applied by a practical mechanic and well-bred bee master. The first “Scevell Smoker” was made in the spring of 1875,and was the first bee smoker—of which we have any record—to use the open or direct draft principle. Our smokers are of the largest size in use, of the best material, well made, and nicely finished. Read what the people say. TESTIMONIALS, DEAR StR:—Your smoker will soon become very popular here. 1 never saw one that I like better. W. H. ANDREWS, McKinney, Texas. I think I have tried every smoker made except the “Quinby Double Draft,” and find none better than yours. I shall take pleasure in recom. mending it. F. L. Wrieu', Plainticld, Mich. I have given the smoker three days’ trial while extracting, and my little son who runs the smoker says ‘it beats Clark’s Bingham’s, or the celebrat- ed Root Simplicity, which in principle it resembles. It isthe best smoker I ever used.” B. F. CARROLL, Dresden, ‘Texas. It is simple in construction and not liable to get out of repairs, and com- pletely ‘cold blast,” as by no possibility can a blast of hot air be thrown from it. I consider it the ne plus ultra of smokers. J. E. Ponn, JR,, Foxboro, Mass. Smoker came O. K. and it’sadaisy. KE. B. VINCENT’, M. D., Sumner, Ind. The successful use of cotton seed as a smoker fuel, and a smoker to burn the same, is a valuable acquisition to the bee-keeper, where good smoker fuel is scarce, especially in the South, where cotton seed isso plentiful. You lave indeed a vaJuable invention. Many thanks for the smoker sent. Yours, etc., Dr. WM. R. HOWARD, Kingston, Texas. It costs nothing to give our smoker atrial. If it don’t give satisfaction, notify us in ten days, by postal card, and we will return all moneys paid for it. Regular retail price, $1.00; by mail, $1.25. Address SCOVELL & ANDERSON, Columbus, Kansas. the Kansas Bee-RKeepor. (ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ) ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. A Live Monthly Magazine Devoted Exclusively to Bee-Culture. Among its contributors and regular correspondents it has some of the most practical apiarists and ablest writers on bee-culture in America. JAMES HEDDON, of Dowagiac, Mich., will furnish a series of practical articles for 1885. J. E. POND, JR., Foxboro. Mass., will continue his series of hints to beginners. The Question Department will be conducted by the editors, whose aim will be to make it of special value to those yet in the A B C of bee-culture. H. SCOVELL, Columbus, Kan., J. E. POND, JR., Foxboro, Mass., Editors and Proprietors. Address SCOVELD & POWD, 49 Sample Copies Free. Columbus, Kansas. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL —AND— BEE-KEEPERS’ ADVISER. ESTABLISHED 1873. Conducted by the Hon. Secretary of the British Bee-Keepers’ Association. THE BRITISH BrE JOURNAL has hitherto been published monthly. Owing to the increased knowledge of Bee Culture, the formation of numerous County Bee-Keepers’ Associations, and the development of the industry of Bee-Keeping generally throughout the United King- dom of Great Britain, it has been found necessary to increase its payes, and to publish it at more frequent intervals. A new volume commences on May Ist of each year. On AND AFTER MAY Ist, 1883, The BRITISH BEE JOURNAL will be Published on the 1st and 15th of Every Month. Price, Threepence; Post-Free, Threepence, Halfpenny. Tut British BEE JouRNAL is devoted to the interests of Bee- keepers, the promotion of Bee-keeping, and Bee-keepers’ Associa- tions and Clubs throughout the United Kingdom, It vives the full- est Reports of all Shows, Meetings, and Lectures, and contains the best artic.es by the highest authorities upon all subjects bearing upon Bees and Bee-kceping. A principal feature of THE BriTISH BEE JOURNAL is the depart- ment alloted to ‘‘Echoes f om the Hives” and ‘‘Queries,” under various headings. Its readers resort to the Editor in all cases of difficulty in the management of their Bees, and no trouble or expense is spared to obtain answers from the best authorities. SCALE OF CHARGES FOR ADVERTISEMENTS: SINGLE COLUMN— £ s a APO GIMES posed shawreeccta etteucoteceveaice 0 1 6 Per line afterwards. oc ccc: sscece coee cece 0 0 6 TNChi Ob Space a 25245 sees ect else eee es ees 0 3 =«6 Quarter’ COlUMN oa sec 3 eee oene ge eae nats 0 8 0 Half Ox ses Ge se ecandoaauets eoeeees 0 15 #O Whole COs eeesenaearn. cee eemiacteieoeces, 1 5 0O DOUBLE COLUMN— PARC areca isd dinrd Pavicinee- ceils Asists cease even ve 2 10 0 Halt pacers akc sic one nsteees aoe e cea Le ot 86 PEDIPO DAC Oy ses. es aracuek occ cyese se aacuees ll LO 30 Quarter page. .. men Ou tell 6 Letters to the Editor should be addressed “The Editor, BRITisH BEE JOURNAL, care Strangeways & Sons, Tower St., Upper St. Mar- tin’'s Lane, London, W. C.” ’O5 IMPORTED CARNIOLANS. 'S85 They are the gentlest bees in the world, very prolific, good honey-gat her- ers, winter remarkably well, beautiful silver-gray in color. Queens sent by mail, and safe arrival gnaranteed, at any office within twenty-one days of Munich. Price of Queens Reared In Carniola. Spring. | June. ess | Fall, I. Finest Selected Queens, each.... ........ $7 00 | #6 00 | $5 00 | #4 50 II. Fine Prolific Queens, each.. ............... 6 00 5 00 4 50 4 00 DISCOUNTS.—On six Queens, 5 per cent; ten Queens, 10 per cent; twenty Queens, 12 per cent; forty Queens, 15 per cent. Ten per cent may be deducted from the above prices if cash is sent in before Jan. 1st. SAME PRICES FOR IMPORTED ITALIANS. Cyprians, Syrians, and Palestine (so-called) Holy Land Bees Raised at My Apiaries in Syria and on the Island of Cyprus, Queens of any of these races warranted pure, and their safe arrival at any place in the United States guaranteed. Full particulars sent upon applica- tion. Remit by greenbacks in registered letter, draft on Munich Bank, or postal order. FRANK BENTON, MonicH, GERMANY. w. T. FALCONER, MANUFACTURER OF APIARIAN SUPPLIES, Jamestown, IW. Y.- SEND FOR ILLUSTRATED PRICE-LIST FREE. rr. J. WILSON, Breeder of Italian Queens, MORTONSVILLE, WOODFORD CO., KY. DEALER IN APIARIAN SUPPLIES. SEND FOR CIRCULAR. JOB PRINTING sf Win. 100 Letter Heads, name and business on, 35 cents. Envelopes and Busi- ness Cards same price. All kinds of Job Printing for Bee-Keepers. Price- lists, Labels, Circulars, etc., equally low. Our Paper, BOYS AND GIRLS, 25 Cents a Year, with Premium. Agents wanted. Send for specimen. ROBERT M. RULISON, Flushing, Michigan. ARTHUR, 1O1) i Kitchen’s Lane, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. FES. QUEENS, HIVES Foundation, Extractors, Smokers. Wes A FULLLINE OF BEE-KEEPERS’ SUPPLIES IN STOCK, es6y Honey on Commission. I invite correspondence with a view to shipments of Comb and Extracted for sale in this market. My trade in Honeys is daily increasing, and I can promise best attention to interests confided to me. References if desired. Russian Prickly Comfrey. (Symphytum Asperrienum.) Having imported and cultivated this wonderful plant, I am now in a position to supply plants or root cuttings as desired. It bears a profusion of blossoms very rich in honey, and as a fod- der plant, cut green, is unexcelled, yielding from 80 to 150 tons to the acre annually. ARTILUR TODD, GERMANTOWN, PHILADELPHIA, Pa. Established in 1853. —l + Sunny Side Apiary BALITMORE, MD. HIVES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION, ‘OUT ying © ‘serddne 5, redaoyeog Bellinzona Drone Magnifled. QUEENS! QUEENS! Bellinzonas, Lambardy, Carniolian, Albino, Cyprian Syrian and Italian. CHAS. H. LAKE, P. O. BOX 383. Yes Send Stamp for Circular and Price List. Soars ae Rs ae, <==