The time of year is coming to think of wintering bees, and I want to build a wooden house large enough to accommodate one hundred hives. I wish some of the knowing ones would give us, through the Journal, proper directions for building such a house.
Now, a few words in conclusion. Inclosed you will find my subscription for the Journal for this year; and please accept my thanks for the valuable instruction I have received from the American Bee Journal, and my best wishes for its success. May its contributors and readers grow wiser and sweeter every year.—J. W. Taylor.
Brooklin, Ontario, August 20.—Bees have done exceedingly well in this Province, this season; better than they have done for several years. Though the loss was fearful last year, it has nearly been made up. This Province is not abundant in forage for bees, and we never expect to realize the figures of Novice; yet some have taken from my hive four boxes of virgin honey, eighty (80) pounds; and one hundred and forty-two (142) from the body of the hive, with the Extractor—making two hundred and twenty-two (222) pounds from one colony. Another writes me he has taken this season over two thousand (2,000) pounds in boxes, and five hundred (500) pounds with the Extractor.—J. H. Thomas.
Ghent, Ohio, August 22.—I have read and re-read every number of the Journal, and find it instructive and profitable. My bees wintered well, last winter, in my house as described in Vol. V. page 100, of the Journal. Last winter was with us mild and nice for wintering on summer stands. I have realized two hundred and fifty (250) dollars from thirty hives this season, and have two hundred (200) pounds of honey on hand. It was all box honey. The increase was twenty-five (25) good strong natural swarms. They are all black bees except one, a hybrid queen sent to me last fall, as pure, from an Eastern queen breeder. They are not very sociable. The season was all one could wish for. Bees have done well. The spring opened just right, and continued favorable throughout. Success to you and the readers and columns of the Bee Journal.—T. Pierson.
Eliza, Ills., August 22.—Bees have done well here this season up to this time. I have some in Langstroth hives that have stored one hundred and twenty-five (125) pounds of honey to the hive. I enclose two dollars for the Bee Journal, as I cannot do without it.—J. Bogart.
Leroy, Ills., August 23.—This is the first year that I have kept bees, and find it a very pleasant business. Bees did not swarm here until August, and then but little. I divided my old stocks in June, all of which, both old and new, are doing finely. I should like to have some older head than mine give me his opinion as to the plan of reducing the number of my stock to one-half this fall, in order to have them stronger and to have plenty of spare comb to commence with in the spring. And, again,—as I am asking favors—I should like to have the plan given on page 109, Vol. IV., B. J., for out-door wintering republished, for the benefit of new beginners generally as well as myself. The August number came just in time for me to try the new plan of controlling the fertilization of queens. I succeeded in every thing but having the queen mate in the wire case. Will some one else give us his experience? I say three cheers for the American Bee Journal, for I take time to read and re-read every article in it, and find it, together with Mr. Langstroth’s valuable book, to be the staff for new beginners to lean upon for apiarian knowledge.—P. Young.
Rising Sun, Ind., August 26.—We have a neighbor at Vevay, Mr. W. Faulkoner, who has had great success this season, with his bees. I called on him last week, and had the pleasure of seeing 3,500 lbs. of white clover honey, which with 1,500 lbs. that he has already sold, makes five thousand (5,000) pounds for this year. He had but forty-eight stands in the spring, so that his hives have averaged over one hundred pounds each. His increase is fifteen stands, making now sixty-three, which is as many as he wants to manage. His hives are a modification of the Langstroth, allowing the use of surplus boxes on the sides of the frames.—N. H. Shaw.
Shreve, Ohio, August 26.—As I have seen no communication from this place, I have concluded to write and let the readers of the Bee Journal hear of my success in the bee business. I commenced four years ago with the old black bee in the old fashioned way. For a few years I made only slow progress, till of late I have taken more interest in it, and have now increased my stock to seventy-six colonies, all Italians, in good condition.
I was surprised when I read Novice’s report of honey this season; but when I came to think over how much I had taken from a few hives with the honey-emptying machine, and as the season was, I think I too could have had a right smart crop, if I had attended to the bees as I should have done in the honey season. As it is, I shall probably not get much over one thousand (1,000) pounds, principally box honey. I will just state, for the benefit of the bee-keeping public, that I have tried a Peabody machine, which works to perfection, and is what every bee-keeper that uses movable frames needs. As far as the different hives are concerned, there is not so much difference as some suppose. I think a plain frame in a simple hive of convenient form is all that any one needs. As far as reliable queen raisers are concerned, I will just state that I have dealt with a good many, and have found Adam Grimm, of Jefferson, (Wis.,) perfectly reliable and prompt in filling orders. I have got quite a number of queens from him this season by mail, post paid. I inclose a photograph of my apiary, and if any of the readers of the Journal wish one, I will send it on receipt of forty cents, or send one on receiving one for exchange. In conclusion I wish the Journal success, and all its readers good luck and much pleasure in the pursuit of so profitable a business as bee-culture.—G. W. Stinebring.
Edgefield Junction, Tenn., August 29.—This season, thus far, has been the poorest, both for swarming and honey, of any for more than twenty-four years that I have been in this State. We had a drouth in May, followed by frequent and severe cold rains for more than three weeks, by which time our clover harvest for bees was nearly past. As a general thing July and August do not furnish much forage for bees, but we have every prospect for honey this fall. The last two seasons we had a honey harvest from almost the first of April till late in the fall; and on both occasions, late in the fall my hives were so filled with honey that in many of them there were not a hundred empty cells. I removed from one to three frames of honey, placing the remaining frames half an inch or more apart for winter. By doing this, and protecting my hives from the cold winds, I saved them all—one hundred and sixty-four in number last year, and sixty-eight the year before. This season being a poor one, I have not increased stock so much, though I have made fifty-one good colonies. In July I had to feed a few colonies, and found it difficult to keep up my nuclei.—T. B. Hamlin.