File:American bee journal (1884) (18113795381).jpg

Title: American bee journal
Identifier: americanbeejourn2084hami (find matches)
Year: 1861 (1860s)
Authors:
Subjects: Bee culture; Bees
Publisher: (Hamilton, Ill. , etc. , Dadant & Sons)
Contributing Library: UMass Amherst Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: UMass Amherst Libraries

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DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY. VOL. XX. CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 12, 1884. No. 11. Published every Wednesday, by THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Editor and Propbigtor, Wintering Bees in England. While in Nortli America we have had one of the cokiest winters on re- cord—with the mercury dancing around the thirties below zero, in the neighborhood of Chicago, it is refresh- ing to have English papers record the fact that they liave there had a 7nUd winter for the bees. The London Journal of Horticulture for Feb. 14 has just come to hand, and in it we find the following on the present winter for bees in England, and the loss of bees by destructive birds in the spring: This current winter has been, per- haps, the most open for many years. Bees have consequently been more or less on the move in all parts of the country ; not so much so in our own apiary as with those whose hives stand in warm sunny places. Where bees have been luuisually active the mor- tality must have been very great in winter. Bee-keepers, as a rule, are not careful enough to shade the en- trances to hives, and do all they can to keep the bees in. A flight now and then during the winter "is most in- duckve to health, and in most winters opportunities for this occur after some three or four weeks of captivity. But this season has given by far too many of such opportunities, and the consequence is that during sunny weather bees have taken longer flights than usual, and many have been out never to return. During the winter months birds are much more ready to snap up the wanderers; less food of other sort Is available. Tomtits are especially voracious at this time of the year, and we have watched them keeping a good look-out before hives for their prey. Sparrows do not seem to seek for bees as food until nesting time, when a pair of sparrows will, according to a calculation we once made, atter carefvdly watched how often the old birds returned for a bee, take a good-sized swarm during the time they are feeding up a nest of young ones. The sparrow, like the tomtit, carefully but very dexterously flrst extracts the sting before giving the insect to its young or eating it itself. Thus the inild season which furnishes food for the birds thins the hive. Much food is also consumed where bees get out often when they should be clustering at rest. Bees Suffering by Fire and Flood. The Los Angeles, Cal., Herald re- marks as follows on the recent disas- ters to bees and bee-keepers in that locality : During the recent rains, the bee ranches m the canyons have suffered severely. Bee hives and honej; houses have been swept away down into the valley and rendered nearly worthless. Frorn the Coldwater Canyon,where Mr. Levering reported a waterspout, we learn that the water carried down all the appliances of bee ranches and strewed them over the plains below. The torrent was so great that it swept the soil, sand, boulders, houses and corrals out of the canyons with such force as to tear down board fences miles away where no stream was ever known to run before, and may not run again for a century. The loss of property is very large among the bee ranchers, and although the rain will make an abundance of flowers for the use of the bees, the rain has made havoc among the bees for this year. Hereafter more care must be exercised in our mountain canyons in protecting bees from fire and flood. Some of the large apicul- turists were burned out last fall in the mountain fires, and now others are washed out. More caution is needed hereafter in looking after this great industry. ig^ The Grand Ledge Independent gives the following as a sure cure for croup : " One teaspoonful of blood- root pulverized and steeped in two ounces of sharp cider vinegar ; strain and add three ounces of extracted lioney. Dose, one-half teaspoonful as often as the case may seem to require; not to be used as a preventive. Catalogues for 1884.—The following new Catalogues and Price Lists are received: Purdy's Catalogue of small fruit, Palmyra, N. Y.—34 pages. Isaac F. Tillinghast, La Plume, Pa. —34 pages—Seed Catalogue. N. E. Doane, Pipestone, Mich.—2 pages—hives, cases and frames. II. C. White, Madison, Ind.—6 pages —Palace bee hive and apiarian sup- plies. McKallip, Margrave & Co., Hiawa- tha, Kans.— 4 pages — apiarian sup- plies. i^ The " Northeastern Bee-Keep- ers' Association," of New York, have sent a petition to the Legislature of that State, signed by over 160 bee- keepers, asking for the enactment of a law to protect them against the ravages of foul brood among bees. The law provides for the total de- struction of bees, hives, etc., where it exists, under a penalty of $.50 for the first offense, and SlOO for each addi- tional offense. 1^ A very large and beautifully executed picture of Bartholdi's great statue of " Liberty Enlightening the AVorld," has been presented to us by the Travelers'Ins. Co., of Hartford, Conn., who have been among the most liberal contributors to the Fund. The picture, which is 26x36 inches in size, gives an excellent idea of the superb work of art which is to adorn the harbor of New York. ^' Tlie Keport of the Convention at Davenport, Iowa, is exceedingly "long, and we shall be obliged to ab- breviate it, but cannot give it until the next issue. i^° Several more letters have been received during the past week, con- taining money without giving the writers' names. It is too bad to file them away in a " pigeon hole to avi'ait another letter, perhaps calling us hard names—a "swindler" most likely—for not filling the orders. However, we cannot help it; the only ' remedy is to keep on advising every one to be careful to give their names and addresses on every letter they write.

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