CALENDAR AND AXIOMS.
WORK FOR DIFFERENT MONTHS.[1]
[Footnote 1: 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 locality]
Though every live apiarist will take one, at least, of the three
excellent journals relating to this art, printed in our 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.
JANUARY.
During this month the bees will need little attention.--Should the
bees in the cellar or depository become uneasy, which will not happen
if the requisite precautions are taken, and there come 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 quiet return them to the
cellar.--While out I would clean the bottom-boards, especially if there
are many dead bees. This is the time, too, to read, visit, study and
plan for the ensuing season's work.
FEBRUARY.
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 retain about
them the packing of straw, shavings, &c. Frequent flights do no good,
and wear out the bees. Colonies that are uneasy, and besmear their
hives should be set out, and allowed a good flight and then returned.
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, syrup, or place candy on top of the frames beneath
the quilt.
APRIL.
Early in this month the bees may all be set out. It will be 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 contracted so that the frames will
all be covered, and cover well above the bees to economize heat.
MAY.
Prepare nuclei to start extra queens. Feed sparingly till bloom
appears. Give room for storing. Extract if necessary, and keep close
watch, that you may anticipate and forestall any attempt to swarm. Now,
too, is the best time to transfer.
JUNE.
Keep all colonies supplied with vigorous, prolific 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 suffer not the hot sun to strike
the hives.
AUGUST.
Do not fail to supersede impotent queens. Between basswood and fall
bloom it may pay to feed sparingly. Give plenty of room for queen and
workers as fall storing commences.
SEPTEMBER.
Remove all surplus boxes and frames as soon as storing ceases, which
usually occurs about the middle of this month; feed sparingly till the
first of October. If robbing occurs, contract the entrance of the hive
robbed. If it is desired to feed honey or sugar for winter, it should
be done the last of this month.
OCTOBER.
Prepare colonies for winter. See that all have at least thirty pounds,
by weight, of good, capped honey, and that all are strong in bees.
Contract the chamber, by using division board, and cover well with the
quilt. Be sure that one or two central frames of comb contain many
empty cells, and that all have a central hole through which the bees
can pass.
NOVEMBER.
Before the cold days come, remove the bees to the cellar or depository,
or pack about those left out on the summer stands.
DECEMBER.
Now is the time to make hives, honey-boxes, &c., 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 full register as to time of formation, age of
queen, &c., &c. 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:--Receive pleasure and make
money. I feel sure that many experienced apiarists will find advice
that it may pay to follow. It is probable that errors abound, and
certain that much remains unsaid, for of all apiarists it is true that
what they do not know is greatly in excess of what they do know.
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 disposition 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 & bee-keeper, and may safely calculate on
generous returns from your industrious subjects.
_"Keep all colonies strong."_
APPENDIX.
HISTORY OF MOVABLE FRAMES.
Movable frames have revolutionized bee-keeping, and so out-rank the
reaper and mower, and equal the cotton-gin. Few inventions have exerted
so powerful an influence upon the art which they serve. Their history
will ever be a subject of exceeding interest to bee-keepers, and their
inventor worthy the highest regard as the greatest benefactor of our
art. In writing their history, I have no personal interest or bias, and
am only impelled by a love of truth and justice. I am the more eager
to write this history, as some of our apiarists, and they among the
best informed and most influential (_American Bee Journal_, vol. 14,
p. 380), are misinformed in the premises. In obtaining the data for
this account, I am under many obligations to our great American master
in apiculture. Rev. L. L. Langstroth, whose thorough knowledge and
extensive library have been wholly at my command.
We are informed by George Wheeler, in his "Journey into Greece,"
published in 1682, page 411, that the Greeks had partial control of
the combs. "The tops" of the willow hives "are covered with broad flat
sticks. Along each of these sticks the bees fasten their combs; so that
a comb may be taken out whole."
Swammerdam had no control of the comb, nor had Réaumur. The latter used
narrow hives, which contained but two combs; but these were stationary.
Huber was the first to construct a hive which gave him control of the
combs and access to the interior of the hive. In August, 1879, 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. When
using a hive of this description, we took care to fix a 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.
[Illustration: Fig. 111.]
The first person to adjust frames in a case appears to have been Mr. W.
Augustus Munn, of England. I have in my possession a letter from Mr.
Munn, dated November 9th, 1863, in which he states that the hive "had
been in use since 1834." The first printed description of any of his
hives appeared in the "Gardener's Chronicle" for 1843. This article
was written by a lady, and signed "E. M. W." Its premature publication
made it impossible for Mr. Munn to secure a patent in Great Britain.
In 1843 he secured a patent in France. The hive patented is fully
described in his "Description of the Bar and Frame Hive," published in
London, in 1844. There is also a figure (Fig. 111). I copy from the
work which is before me, pp. 7 and 8: "An oblong box is formed, about
thirty inches long, sixteen inches high, and twelve inches broad. One
of the long sides is constructed to open with hinges, and to hang on
a level with the bottom. As many grooves half an inch broad, half an
inch deep, and about 9½ inches long, are formed 1⅛ inches apart on
the inside of the bottom of the box, as its length will admit. At the
top are corresponding grooves to those made in the bottom of the box.
The bee-frames are made of half inch mahogany, being 12 inches high,
9 inches long, and not more than half an inch broad, sliding into the
fifteen grooves formed on the bottom, and kept securely in their places
by the upper grooves," and by propolis, the author might well have
added. American apiarists need not be told that such a hive would be
wholly impracticable. Without bees in it, the changes of weather would
make the sliding of the frames very difficult; with the bees inside,
the removal of the frames would be practically impossible.
[Illustration: Fig. 112.]
In 1851 Mr. Munn issued a second edition of his book, in the preface of
which I find the following: "Having materially simplified the bar-frame
hive, by forming the 'oblong bar-frames' into 'triangular frames,' and
making them lift out of the top, instead of the back of the bee-box,
I have republished the pamphlet." The triangular hive (Fig. 112) is
described and figured, and is the same as found illustrated in Munn's
"Bevan on the Honey Bee." This hive, although a possible improvement on
the other, is costly, intricate, and still very impracticable. In the
price-list of J. Pettitt, Dover, England, 1864, I find this hive priced
at £3 3s., or about $15.00. From the figure we learn that there were
some wide spaces about the frames. These would of course be filled with
comb, and render the hives entirely unsuitable for common use. That
this hive lacked the essential requisites to success is evident from
words penned by the inventor in 1863: "The hive matters little if the
pasturage is good." And it is easy to see from the complex arrangement
of the frames, and the wide spaces about them, that as Mr. Munn said,
referring to his hive, "When left to themselves the bees shut up the
shop." Had invention stopped with Major Munn's hive, we should to-day
be using the old box hive, and sighing in vain for a better. Neighbour
well says (3d edition, p. 129): "Probably the reason of the invention's
failure was the expensiveness of the Major's fittings, which make the
hive appear more like some astronomical instrument, than a box for
bees. Be this as it may, there was no such thing as a frame hive in use
in England till 1860."
It would seem strange, that after going so far Major Munn should have
failed to give bee-keepers a hive of value. Yet with his view that
smoke injured the bees and brood (2d edition, p. 21), we can readily
see, that with his hive and black bees, a man would need the skin
of a rhinoceros, and nerves of brass, to do much by way of actual
manipulation for practical purposes. It has been truly said that "The
Huber hive can be used with far greater ease and safety, by a novice,
than can Munn's."
It will be seen by reference to "Bee Culture with Movable Frames,"
published by Pastor George Kleine, Hanover, Germany, in 1853, p. 5,
that a druggist by the name of Schmidt, in a work which he published
in Freiburg, in 1851, entitled, "The New Bee Homes," describes a hive
with the Huber leaves having prolonged tops which hung on rabbets, much
as do our frames. These Huber leaves were close-fitting, and so not
practical. Kleine regarded this as inferior to the Huber hive, in that
the combs must be taken out from above. With a side opening he thinks
it would be a material improvement. It is evident from Kleine's work,
that he knew nothing either of Munn or his hive.
In 1847, Jacob Shaw, Jr., then of Hinckley, Ohio, published in the
_Scientific American_, March 5th, 1847, p. 187, the description of a
hive devised by him. A person who has seen the hive tells me that as
described and first used, this hive had close-fitting frames, which
rested in a double-walled tin box. By turning hot water into the
chamber, the frames would be loosened. We do not wonder that, as Mr.
Shaw deposed, he only made one hive, and that he could only persuade
one colony of the several which he tried, to accept the situation, and
that this one soon perished. He got no surplus, and wisely set the hive
aside.
In 1847, the well known agricultural writer, Solon Robinson, suggested
in an article published in the _Albany Cultivator_; a tin hive made
up of unicomb apartments which should set close side by side, and be
connected by inter-communicating holes. Of course, such a hive would
only succeed in the imagination.
M. Debeauvoys published, in 1847, the 2d edition of "Guide de
l'Apiculteur," at Angers, France, in which he described a movable comb
hive, to meet the practical wants of French bee-keepers. This hive
was not only no improvement on that of Huber, but even less easy of
manipulation. The top-bar and uprights of the frames were close-fitting
to the top and sides of the hive. Says M. Hamet, editor of the French
bee paper, in his work, "Cours Pratique D'Apiculture," 1859 edition:
"The removal of the frames is more difficult than from the Huber
hive, and it has never been accepted by the practical bee-keepers of
France." Mr. Chas. Dadant describes this hive, which he once made
and used, in the _American Bee Journal_, vol. 7, p. 197. He says of
it: "The hive worked well when new and empty; but after the bees had
glued the frames, it was difficult to remove them without breaking
the combs. It would have been entirely impossible to remove them at
all, without separating the ends of the hive from the frames with a
chisel. This hive, which had gained 2,500 proselytes in France, was
very soon abandoned by all, and the disciples of Debeauvoys returned
to the old-fashioned straw hive." He adds, further, that these hives
were disastrous to French bee culture. Once misled by movable frames,
they ever afterwards refused them even for trial. Of course Mr. S.
S. Fisher, once commissioner of patents, and an expert, could see
nothing in this hive, or any of the inventor's modifications of it, to
invalidate the Langstroth patent. How grateful all American apiarists
should be, that Mr. Langstroth's invention was of a different type.
As already stated, bars were used centuries ago in Greece. Della Rocca,
in a work published in 1790, also describes bars as used by him.
Schirach used slats across the top of a box with rear-opening doors, as
early as 1771. In Key's work, "Ancient Bee Master's Farewell," London,
1796, p. 42, such hives are described, and beautifully illustrated,
plate 1, figs. 2 and 3. Bevan, London, 1838, describes on p. 82 a
similar hive, with the bars set in rabbets, which is figured on p. 83.
In 1835, Dzierzon, who has been to Germany what Langstroth has to
America, commenced bee-culture. Three years later he adopted the bar
hive, and although these bar hives were previously of little value
to practical apiculture, in his hands they became a most valuable
instrument. To remove the combs, the great German master had to cut
them loose from the sides of the hives. Yet from his great skill in
handling them, his studious habits, and invaluable researches, which
gave to the world the knowledge of parthenogenesis among bees, his hive
and system marked a new era in German apiculture.
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 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 say with H. Hamet, edition 1861, p. 166, that the improved 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. Chas. Dadant, always conceded that Mr. Langstroth was
the inventor of this hive, and always proclaimed its usefulness.
Well did the late Mr. S. 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. Langstroth 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 observing 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 conversant with this whole subject as
was Mr. Wagner. His extensive library and thorough knowledge made him
a competent judge. Now that the invention is public property, men will
cease to falsify and even perjure themselves, to rob an old man, whose
words, writings, and whole life, shine with untarnished ingenuousness.
And very soon all will unite with the great majority of intelligent
American apiarists of to-day, in rendering to this benefactor of
our art, the credit; though he has been hopelessly deprived of the
pecuniary benefits of his great invention.
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 desire to give all due credit
to other writers and inventors. 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.
While the name of the late Baron Von Berlepsch will always stand in the
front rank of apiarists, he never gave the world any description of a
movable frame hive, until Mr. Langstroth had applied for a patent, and
not until the Langstroth hive was largely in use.
It has been claimed that Mr. Andrew Harbison invented and used in his
father's apiary, previous to 1851, the Langstroth hive. In the _Dollar
Newspaper_ for January 21, 1857, a brother, Mr. W. C. Harbison, who
also lived with his father at the time the invention is said to have
been made, says: "I will venture the prediction that both Quinby's
hive and mine will ere long be cast aside, to give place to a hive
constructed in such a manner that the apiarian can have access to
every part of the hive at pleasure, without injury to the colony.
In this particular both Mr. Quinby and myself have _singly failed_.
The invention of such a hive was reserved for Mr. Langstroth." It is
significant that J. S. Harbison, another brother, who was also with his
father at the time, in his "Bee Culture," San Francisco, 1861, speaks
of the Langstroth hive, p. 149, but not of that of his brother. It
has also been claimed that W. A. Flanders, Martin Metcalf, and Edward
Townley, each invented this hive prior to Mr! Langstroth's invention.
Yet, each of these gentlemen wrote a book, in which no mention is
made of such an invention. Well might Mr. Langstroth say, "I can well
understand what Job meant when he said, 'O! that my enemy had written
a book.'" It is also stated that Mr. A. F. Moon was a prior inventor
of this hive. Mr. Moon's own testimony, that he not only abandoned his
invention, being unable to secure straight combs, but _even forgot all
about it_, till it was discovered in an old rubbish pile, shows that he
did nothing that would, in court, overthrow Mr. Langstroth's claims, or
that in the least conferred any benefit upon bee-keepers. Mr. Maxwell,
of Mansfield, Ohio, was another who is said to have anticipated Mr.
Langstroth. Yet Mr. Maxwell's own son swears that he helped his father
make all his hives, and that his father never used a movable frame
till after 1851. Solon Robinson thought his brother. Dr. Robinson, of
Jamaica Plains, near Boston, made and used movable frame hives prior
to 1852. The wife of Dr. Robinson testified that her husband bought a
right to use the Langstroth hive, and with it made his first movable
frames.
Every claim, both at home and abroad, to the invention of a practical
movable frame hive, prior to that of Mr. Langstroth, when examined,
is found to have no substantial foundation. All previous hives were
plainly inferior to the improved Huber hive as described in Bevan, p.
106. It is a sad blot upon American apiculture, that he who raised
it to the proud height which it occupies to-day, should have been
shamefully defrauded of the just reward for his great invention. But
it gives me the greatest pleasure to state, that by no possible word
could I gather that Mr. Langstroth feels any bitterness towards those
who seem wilfully to have stolen his invention, while with a mantle
of charity, great as is his noble heart, he covers the thousands who
either thought he had no valid claim, or else that the purchase of a
right from others, entitled them to his invention. As an inventor and
writer on apiculture, Mr. Langstroth will ever be held in grateful
memory. How earnestly will American apiarists desire that he may be
spared to us until he completes his autobiography, that we may learn
how he arrived at his great discovery, and may study the methods by
which he gleaned so many rich and valuable truths.
* * * * *
LECANIUM TULIPIFERÆ--Cook.
In the summer of 1870, this louse, which, so far as I know, has never
yet been described, and for which I propose the above very appropriate
name, tulipiferæ--the Lecanium of the tulip tree--was very common on
the tulip trees about the College lawns. So destructive were they that
some of the trees were killed outright, others were much injured, and
had not the lice for some unknown reason ceased to thrive, we should
soon have missed from our grounds one of our most attractive trees.
Since the date above given, I have received these insects, through the
several editors of our excellent bee papers, from many of the States,
especially those bordering the Ohio River. In Tennessee they seem very
common, as they are often noticed in abundance on the fine stately
tulip trees of that goodly State--in the South this tulip tree is
called the poplar, which is very incorrect, as it is in no way related
to the latter. The poplar belongs to the willow family; the tulip to
the magnolia, which families are wide apart. In Pennsylvania the louse
has been noticed on the cucumber tree--Magnolia acuminata.
Wherever the tulip-tree lice have been observed sucking the sap and
vitality from the trees, there the bees have also been seen, lapping
up a sweet juicy exudation, which is secreted by the lice. In 1870 I
observed that our tulip trees were alive with bees and wasps, even
as late as August, though the trees are in blossom only in June.
Examination showed that the exuding sweets from these lice were what
attracted the bees. This was observed with some anxiety, as the
secretion gives off a very nauseating odor.
The oozing secretions from this and other lice, not only of the
bark-louse family (Coccidæ), but of the plant-louse family (Aphidæ),
are often referred to as honey-dew. Would it not be better to speak of
these as insect secretions, and reserve the name honey-dew for sweet
secretions from plants, other than those which come from the flowers?
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE LECANIUM TULIPIFERÆ.
The fully developed insect, like all bark lice, is in the form of a
scale (Fig. 113, 1), closely applied to the limb or twig on which it
works. This insect, like most of its genus, is brown, very convex
above, (Fig. 113, 1), and concave beneath, (Fig. 113, 2). On the under
side is a cotton-like secretion, which serves to enfold the eggs.
Underneath the species in question are two transverse parallel lines of
this white down, (Fig. 113, 2). One of them, probably the anterior, is
nearly marginal, and is interrupted in the middle; while the other is
nearly central, and in place of the interruption at the middle, it has
a V-shaped projection back or away from the other line. The form of the
scale is quadrangular, and not unlike that of a turtle, (Fig. 113, 1).
When fully developed it is a little more than 3-16 of an inch long, and
a little more than ⅔ as wide.
Here at Lansing, the small, yellow, oval eggs appear late in August.
In Tennessee they would be found under the scales in their cotton
wrappings many days earlier. The eggs are 1-40 of an inch long, and
1-65 of an inch wide. These eggs, which are very numerous, hatch in
the locality of their development, and the young or larval lice, quite
in contrast with their dried, inert, motionless parents, are spry
and active. They are oval, (Figs. 113, 3 and 4), yellow; and 1-23 of
an inch long, and 1-40 of an inch wide. The eyes, antenna (Fig. 113,
5), and legs, (Fig. 113, 6), are plainly visible when magnified 30
or 40 diameters. The 9-jointed abdomen is deeply emarginate, or cut
into posteriorly, (Fig. 113, 3), and on each side of this slit is a
projecting stylet or hair, (Figs. 113, 3 and 4), while from between the
eyes, on the under side of the head, extends the long recurved beak,
(Fig. 113, 4). The larvæ soon leave the scales, crawl about the tree,
and finally fasten by inserting their long slender beaks, when they so
pump up the sap that they grow with surprising rapidity. In a few weeks
their legs and antennæ seem to disappear as they become relatively so
small, and the scale-like form is assumed. In the following summer the
scale is full-formed and the eggs are developed. Soon the scale, which
is but the carcass of the once active louse, drops from the tree, and
the work of destruction is left to the young lice, a responsibility
which they seem quite ready to assume.
[Illustration: Fig. 113.]
In my observations I have detected no males. Judging from others of the
bark-lice, these must possess wings, and will never assume the scale
form, though Prof. P. K Uhler writes me that the males of some bark
lice are apterous.
REMEDIES.
If valued shade or honey trees are attacked by these insatiate
destroyers, they could probably be saved by discreet pruning--cutting
off the affected branches before serious injury was done, or by
syringing the trees with a solution of whale oil, soap--or even common
soft soap would do--just as the young lice are leaving the scales. It
would be still better to have the solution hot. Whitman's Fountain Pump
is admirable for making such applications.
Fig. 1 is slightly magnified; the others are largely magnified.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Fig. 114.]
MOTHERWORT AS A HONEY PLANT.
(_Leonurus cardiaca L._)
Perhaps none of our common herbs promises better, as a honey plant,
than the one in question. It is a very hardy perennial, and once
introduced in waste places, it is sure to hold its own, until it
becomes desirable to extirpate it, when, at man's bidding, it quickly
lets go its hold, so that it is not a dangerous plant to introduce.
The blossoms appear at this place about June 25th, and persist for a
full month, and during the entire time are crowded with bees, whatever
may be the character of the weather, whether wet or dry, warm or cool,
whether the plant is in the midst of honey plants or isolated. We are
thus assured that the plant is constantly secreting nectar, and is also
a favorite with bees. Rape, mustards and borage seem indifferent to the
weather, but are not favorites with the bees. Motherwort, then, has
three admirable qualities: It is long in bloom, the flowers afford fine
honey at all times, and it is a favorite with the bees. If it could be
made to bloom about three weeks later, coming in just after basswood,
it would have nearly all the desired qualities. I think that we might
bring this about by mowing the plants in May. I am led to this opinion
from the fact that some plants which we set back by transplanting in
May, are still in bloom this August 10th, and are now alive with, bees,
dividing their attention with the beautiful cleome, which, is now in
full bloom, and fairly noisy with bees.
[Illustration: Fig. 115.]
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT.
The stalk is square (Fig. 114), branching, and when cultivated, attains
a height of some four feet; though, as it grows in waste places, it
is seldom more than three feet. The branches, and also the leaves,
are opposite (Figs. 114 and 115), and in the axiles of the latter are
whorls of blossoms (Figs. 115 and 116), which succeed each other from
below to the top of the branching stems. The corolla is like that of
all the mints, while the calyx has five teeth, which are sharp and
spine-like in the nutlets as they appear at the base of the leaves
(Fig. 115). As they near the top, the whorls of blossoms and succeeding
seeds are successively nearer together, and finally become very crowded
at the apex (Fig. 116). The leaves are long and palmately lobed (Fig.
115). The small blossom is purple.
[Illustration: Fig. 116.]
THE SOUR-WOOD TREE.
The sorrel tree (_Oxydendrum arboreum_) (Fig. 117), so called because
of the acidity of the leaves, is a native of the South, but has
been grown even as far north as New York. It often attains no mean
dimensions in its native home along the Alleghanies, often reaching
upward more than fifty feet, and acquiring a diameter of twelve or
fifteen inches.
[Illustration: Fig. 117.]
The flowers are arranged in racemes, are more drooping than represented
in the figure, are white, and with the beautiful foliage make an
ornamental tree of high rank. The bark is rough, and the wood so soft
as to be worthless, either as fuel or for use in the arts. As a honey
tree, it is very highly esteemed; in fact, it is the linden of the
South.
THE JAPAN MEDLAR.
I have received from J. M. Putnam, of New Orleans, La., flowers of the
_Mespilus Japonica_, or Japan plum. He states that it bears a most
delicious fruit, blooms from August till January, unless cut off by a
severe frost, and is proof against ordinary frosts. He states that it
furnishes abundance of delicious honey, and that, too, when his bees
were gathering from no other source.
The _Mespilus Germanica_ grows in England, and is much praised for its
fruit. From Mr. Putnam's account, the _M. Japonica_ is unprecedented
in its length of bloom. We think two months a long time. We pay high
tribute to mignonette, cleome and borage, when we tell of four months
of bloom; but this is mild praise when compared with this Japan plum,
which flowers from August first till January.
The flowers are in a dense panicle, and were still fragrant after their
long journey. The leaf is lanceolate, and very thick, some like the wax
plant. I should say it was an evergreen. The apiarists of the South are
to be congratulated on this valuable acquisition to their bee forage. I
hope it will thrive North as well as South.
* * * * *
THE STINGING-BUG.--_Phymata Erosa_, Fabr.
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.
This is a Hemipteran, or true bug, and belongs to the family _Phymatidæ
Uhr_. It is the _Phymata Erosa_, Fabr., the specific name erosa
referring to its jagged appearance. It is also called the "stinging
bug," in reference to its habit of repelling intrusion by a painful
thrust with its sharp, strong; beak.
[Illustration: Fig. 118.--_Side view, natural size._]
[Illustration: Fig. 119.--_Magnified twice._]
[Illustration: Fig. 120.--_Beak, much magnified._]
The "stinging bug" (Fig. 118) is somewhat jagged in appearance, about
three-eighths of an inch long, and generally of a yellow color; though
this latter seems quite variable. Frequently there is a distinct
greenish hue. Beneath the abdomen, and on the back of the head, thorax
and abdomen, it is more or less specked with brown; while across the
dorsal aspect of the broadened abdomen is a marked stripe of brown
(Fig. 119 _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 brown above and below. The legs
(Fig. 119, 6), beak and antennæ (Fig. 119, _a_) are greenish yellow.
The beak (Fig. 120) has three joints (Fig. 120, _a, b, c_) and a sharp
point (Fig. 120, _d_).
[Illustration: Fig. 121.--_Antenna, much magnified._]
[Illustration: Fig. 122.--_Anterior Leg, magnified--exterior view._]
[Illustration: Fig. 123.--_Interior view._]
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.
121) is; four-jointed. The first joint (Fig. 121, _a_) is short, the
second and third (Fig. 121, _b_ and _c_) are long and slim, while the
terminal one (Fig. 121, _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 peculiarity of this
insect, and the chief character of the genus Phymata, is the enlarged
anterior legs (Figs. 122, 123 and 124). 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. 122, _b_)
and the tarsus (Fig. 122, _a_) are toothed, while the latter is greatly
enlarged. From the interior lower aspect of the femur (Fig. 123) is the
small tibia, while on the lower edge of the tarsus (Fig. 123, d) is a
cavity in which rests the single claw. The other four legs (Fig. 125)
are much as usual.
[Illustration: Fig. 124.--_Claw, extended._]
[Illustration: Fig. 125.--_Middle Leg, much magnified._]
This insect, as already intimated, is very predaceous, lying in wait,
often almost concealed, among flowers, ready to capture and destroy
unwary plant-lice, caterpillars, beetles, butterflies, 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 very
color, tends to conceal the hug, and from the very 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-feeding 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 predaceous 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.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Fig. 126.]
[Illustration: Fig. 127.]
THE SOUTHERN BEE-KILLERS.
_Mallophora orcina and Mallophora bomboides._
I have received from several of our enterprising bee-keepers of the
South--Tennessee, Georgia and Florida--the above insects, with the
information that they dart forth from some convenient perch, and with
swift and sure aim, grasp a bee, bear it to some bush, when they
leisurely suck out all but the mere crust, and cast away the remains.
The bee which is thus victimized, is readily known by the small hole
in the back, through which the juices were pumped out.
The insects plainly belong to the family Asilidæ, the same that
includes the Missouri bee-killer, _Asilus Missouriensis_, the Nebraska
bee-killer, _Promachus bastardi_, and other predatory insects, several
of which, I regret to say, have the same evil habit of killing and
devouring our friends of the hive.
The characters of this family, as given by Loew, one of the greatest
authorities on Diptera, or two-winged flies, are prolonged basal cells
of the wings, third longitudinal vein bifurcate, third joint of antenna
simple, under lip forming a horny sheath, empodium, a projection below
and beneath the claws (Fig. 131, _c_), a horny bristle.
[Illustration: Fig. 128.]
[Illustration: Fig. 131.]
The insects in question belong to Loew's third group, Asilina, as the
antennæ end in a bristle (Fig. 128), while the second longitudinal vein
of the wing (Fig. 129, _b_) runs into the first (Fig. 129, _a_).
The genus is _Mallophora_. The venation of the wings much resembles
that of the genus _Promachus_, the same that contains the Nebraska
bee-killer, though the form of these insects is very different. The
Nebraska bee-killer is long and slim like the _Asilus Missouriensis_
(see Fig. 108), while the one in question is much like the neuter
bumble-bee in form.
In _Mallophora_ and _Promachus_, the venation is as represented in Fig.
129, where, as will be seen, the second vein (Fig. 129, _b_) forks,
while in the genus Asilus (Fig. 130) the third vein is forked,
though in all three genera the third joint of the antennæ (Fig. 128)
ends in a prolonged bristle.
One of the most common of these pests, which I am informed by Dr.
Hagen, is _Mallophora orcina_, Wied, (Fig. 126) is one inch long, and
expands one and three-fourths inches (Fig. 127). The head (Fig. 128)
is broad, the eyes black and prominent, the antennæ three-jointed, the
last joint terminating in a bristle, while the beak is very large,
strong, and like the eyes and antennæ, coal black. This is mostly
concealed by the light yellow hairs, which are crowded thick about the
mouth and between the eyes.
[Illustration: Fig. 129,]
The thorax is prominent and thickly set with light yellow hairs. The
abdomen is narrow, tapering, and covered with yellow hairs except the
tip, which is black. Beneath, the insect is clear black, though there
are scattering hairs of a grayish yellow color on the black legs. The
pulvilli, or feet pads (Fig. 131, _b_) are two in number, bright yellow
in color, surmounted by strong black claws (Fig. 131, _a_), while below
and between is the sharp spine (Fig, 131, _c_), technically known as
the empodium.
I cannot give the distinctions which mark the sexes, nor can I throw
any light upon the larval condition of the insect.
The habits of the flies are interesting, if not to our liking. Their
flight is like the wind, and perched near the hive, they rush upon the
unwary bee returning to the hive with its full load of nectar, and
grasping it with their hard strong legs, 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 bomboides_, Wied.
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 difficult to capture them, as they are
so quick and active.
[Illustration: Fig. 130.]
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 tinder surface, while the grayish yellow hairs are abundant
on the legs and whole under portion of the body. The color is a 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 different 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 tapering. 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
femurs and tibia. This insect belongs to the same family as the others,
and has the same habits. It is found North as well as South.
HONEY-COMB CORAL.
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.
[Illustration: Fig. 132.]
These (Fig. 132) are not fossil honey-comb as many are led to believe,
though the resemblance is so striking that no wonder that the public
generally are deceived. These specimens are fossil coral, which the
paleontologist places in the genus Favosites; favosus being a common
species in our State. They are very abundant in the lime rock in
northern Michigan, and are very properly denominated honey-stone coral.
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. It would be no greater blunder to call an oyster or a clam
an insect.
The species of the genus Favosites first appeared in the Upper
Silurian rocks, culminated in the Devonian, and disappeared 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 continents untold ages--millions upon millions of
years--before any flower bloomed, or any bee sipped the precious
nectar. In some specimens of this honey-stone coral (Fig. 133), there
are to be seen banks of cells, much resembling the paper cells of some
of our wasps. This might be called wasp-stone coral, except that both
styles were wrought by the self-same animals.
[Illustration: Fig. 133.]
GENERAL INDEX.
PAGE
A B C of Bee Culture 22
Abdomen of Insects 48
Air Tubes 28
Albino Bees 43
Alighting-Board 127
separate from bottom-board 127
Alsike Clover--see clover 228
American Bee Journal 19
Amateurs 11
Anatomy and Physiology 48
of bees 71
of insects 48
internal 56
Antenna 51
Ants 271
remedies for 271
function 51
Apiary,
where to locate 120
grounds 152
house--see house apiary 255
position of 152
Apiary Grounds 152
arrangement of 152
improvement of 153
screens for 152
shade for 153
Apiculture,
adaptation to women 15
as an avocation 15
fascination of 12
for amateurs 11, 15
for specialists 11
inducements to 12
adaptation to women 15
excellence for amateurs 15
improves the mind 17
recreation 12
yields delicious food 17
profits of 13
requisites to 18
conventions 19
enthusiasm 24
experience 18
mental effort 18
persistence 24
prompt attention 23
publications 19
study and thought 18
visits to other apiarists 18
work 11
unsuited to whom 12
Apidæ Family 34
animals of 35
instincts of 34
Apis Genus 38
animals of 40
characters of 38
Apis Mellifica 41
Aristotle 44
Articulate Branch 27
animals of 27
Artificial Colonies 177
advantages of 177
how made 177
one from one 177
one from several 178
Axioms 277
Barberry 225
figure 226
Barnes' Saw 151
Basswood 237
figure of 237
Bees,
as fertilizers 220
burying 254
how to procure 118
injuring fruit 220
kind to purchase 119
kinds in each colony 71
place in the animal kingdom 27
quieted 197
by jarring 198
by smoking 198
value of 120
when to purchase 119
who may keep 11
why keep 12
Bee-Bread--see pollen 111
Bee Dress for Ladies 197
Bee Enemies 262
ants 271
bee-hawk 269
bee-killer 267
bee-louse 268
bee-moth 262
king-bird 272
mice 272
spiders 271
tachina fly 270
toads 272
wasps 271
Bee Gloves 197
Bee Glue--see propolis 112
Bee Hawk 269
remedy for 270
Bee-Keepers' Axioms 277
Bee-Keepers' Magazine 21
Bee-Killer 267
figure of 268
remedies for 268
Bee-Louse 268
figure of 268
remedy for 269
Bee-Moth 262
cocoons of 264
figure of 264
eggs of 263
figure of 264, 265
larva of 263
figure of 264
remedies 266
silk tube of 263
figure of 262, 263
Bee Plants--see plants 220
necessary to success 218
list of 221
Bee Veil 196
figure of 196
Bees Angered 195, 201
by quick movements 195, 201
by sweat 201
Bees Subdued 197
Beeswax 106
from what 106
how separated 211
Beggar-Ticks 244
Bergamot 238
Bevan on the Honey-Bee 22
Bevel-Gauge 126
figure of 126
Bevel Joints 126
Bibliography 44, 113
Bingham Hive 140
figure of 140
Bingham Smoker 199
figure of 199
Black Bees--see German bees 41
Blackberries 236
Blood of Insects 57
Body of Insects 48
parts of 48
Bombus 35
Boneset 288
figure of 241
Bonnet 45
Books for the Apiarist 21
A B C of Bee Culture 22
Bevan's Honey-Bee 22, 113
foreign 22
Gray's Botany 244
Huber 113
Hunter's Manual 23
King's Text-Book 52
Langstroth on the Honey-Bee 21
Neighbour's Apiary 23, 118
Quinby's Mysteries 22
Books for the Entomologist 47, 113
Duncan's Transformations of Insects 113
Kirby & Spence 47
Packard 47, 113
Westwood 47
Reports 47
Fitch 47
Harris 47
Riley 47
Borage 231
figure of 230
Bottom-board 127
figure of 128
immovable 129
Box Hives 122
Boxes 142
Barker & Dicer 143
crate for 144
figure of 142, 143
Harbison 142
figure of 143
Isham 142
figure of 143
position of 144
Russell 142
special support for 142
use 142
Box Honey 142
when to secure 215
where to keep 216
Branch 27
articulata 27
of the honey-bee 27
Breathing of Insects 59
Breathing-mouths 59
Buckwheat 242
figure of 242
Button-ball 238
figure of 240
Cages
for introducing queen 184
for shipping queen 186
figure of 187
Calendar 274
Carpenter Bees 36
Catnip 232, 240
Chaff Hives 251
Chrysalids 69
Circulatory System 57
Class 28
insecta 28
of the honey-bee 28
Cleome--see Rocky M't'n bee plant 238
Clover 228
Alsike 228
figure of 229
sweet 228
figure of 230
white 228
figure of 228
Clustering Outside the Hive 153
cause of 153
how prevented 153
adding room 176
extracting 188
shading 153
Cocoons 69
of bees 98
College Course 118
Colonies,
always strong 119
how moved 187
Columella 44
Comb 108
cells in 110
worker 110
drone 110
figure of 109
for guide 208
how fastened 157, 158
how made 108, 110
transparency of 110
use of 110
what determines kind 110
Comb Foundation 203
American 204
figure of 203
history of 203
how cut 207
how fastened 209
how made 206
use of 207
Comb Foundation Machine 205
figure of 205
inventor of 205
Comb Honey 215
apparatus to secure 141
care of 216
in boxes 142
in frames 144
in what form 144, 215
marketing 215
when to secure 215
Conventions 19
Corn 235
Cotton 236
figure of 236
Cover for Frames 129
Cover for Hives 129
figure of 130, 131
Crates,
section 149
market 216
Cyprian Bee 43
De Geer 45
Digestive Organs 60
Diseases 259
dysentery 247, 259
foul brood 259
Dissection 50, 65
Dissecting Instruments 51, 65
lenses 51, 65
needle points 51
dividers--see separators 146
Dividing Colonies--see artificial
colonies 171, 177
Division-board 137
figure of 137
use of 138
Dollar Queens 186
Dorsata Bee 40
Dress for Ladies 197
Drones 86
development of 87
eggs of 87
eyes of 86
function of 83
influence of, on drone progeny 89
jaws of 86
figure of 92
leg of 86
figure of 87
longevity of 88
number of 86
tongue of 86
when in hive 86, 88
why so numerous 89
Dysentery 247, 259
Egg 67
of insects 67
of bee 96
Egyptian Bee 43
Empty Cells 188
importance of 188
how to secure 188
Entrance to Hive 128
Epicranium 48
Extractor,
of honey 188
figure of 189
Everett's 190
history of 188
how to use 194
knives for 191
figure of 191
rack for 189
figure of 190
use of 191
when to use 192
wire comb baskets for 189
figure of 189
of wax 212
figure of 213
Extracted Honey 214
market for 214
Extracting Honey 191
how done 194
why done 191
when done 192
Eyes of Insects 53
compound 54
simple 54
Fabricius 46
Family 34
apidæ 34
of the honey-bee 34
Feeder 160
figure of 160, 161
Feeding 159
amount to feed 159
use of 159
what to feed 160
honey 160
sugar 160
flour 163
Female Organs 64
Fertile Workers 77
Fertilization of Flowers by Bees 220
Figwort 238
figure of 238
Fitch's Report 47
Foot-power Saw 151
Foul Brood 259
cause 260
cure for 200
symptoms of 259
Foundation 203
figure of 203
history of 203
use of 203, 207
how cut 207
how fastened 209
how made 206
Frames 132
arrangement for surplus 147
block for making 134
figure of 135
cover for 136
figure of 133, 134
form of 132
Gallup 133
gauge for construction 135
figure of 135
inventor of 123
Langstroth 132
number of 132
section 148
small--see sections 144
space about 136
space between 136
Fruit trees 225
Gallup Frame 133
Geoffroy 45
Genus,
apis 38
of the honey-bee 38
German or Black Bee 31
Gleanings in Bee Culture 20
Gloves 197
Golden-rod 242
figure of 243
Grapes Injured by Bees 220
Grape Vines for Shade 153
Gunther 12
Handling Bees 195
Harris' Injurious Insects 47
Harvey 44
Head of Insects 48
organs of 43
Heart of Insects 57
Hexapods--see Insects 30
Hives 122
alighting-board of 127
Bingham 140
figure of 140
bottom-board of 127
figure of 128
box not good 122
chaff 251
cover of 129
division-board for 137
entrance to 128
figure of 124, 130, 155
frames for 132
Huber 138
joints of 126
square 126
figure of 125
bevel 126
figure of 130
Langstroth 123
figure of 124
lumber for 124
movable comb 123
movable frame 122
near the ground 128
nucleus 165
position of 154
figure of 115
Quinby 139
figure of 139
rabbet of 125
size of 124
Honey 104
collected, not secreted 104
defined 104
extracted 193
for food 17
granulated, how dissolved 193
how collected 105
how deposited 105
how transported 105
marketing of 213
natural use of 106
source of 105
bark lice 105, 218
honey-dew 105, 219
plants 105, 210
plant lice 105, 218
other sources 105, 219
Honey-Comb--see comb 108
Honey Extractor--see extractor 188
figure of 189
importance of 188
requisites of 189
use of 191
when to use 192
Honey Knives 191
figure of 191
Honey Plants--see plants 218
for April 223
for May 225
for July 237
for June 228
for August 242
importance of 218
list of 221
House Apiary 255
advantages of 256
are they desirable? 256
objections to 257
Huber 71
Huber Hive 138
kinds of 133
Hunter's Manual 23
Hymenopterous Insects 31
the highest 32
parasitic 32
Imago 70
Insecta 28
animals of 30
class 28
Insects, or Hexapods 30
abdomen of 30
head of 30
imago of 30
larva of 30
pupa of 30
thorax of 30
transformations of 66
transformations, complete 66
transformations, incomplete 70
Introduction of Cell 185
figure of 167
Introduction of Queen 183
Intestines 61
Italian Bees 41, 180
description of 42, 181
figure of Frontispiece
history of 41
superiority of 181
Jaws 50
figure of 92
Judas Tree 225
figure of 224
King Bird 27?
King's Text-Book 22
Kirby & Spence's Entomology 47, 113
Labium 48
Labrum 48
Ladies' Bee Dress 197
Langstroth, Rev. L. L. 123
Langstroth Frame 132
figure of 124
Langstroth Hive 123
figure of 124
Langstroth on the Honey-Bee 21
Larva 68
Latreille 45
Leaf-Cutting Bee 36
Legs of Insects 90
Linnæus 45
Ligula 49
figure of 91
Location of Apiary 120
Locust Trees 236
Lyonnet 46
Male Organs 62
figure of 63
Mandibles 50
figure of 92
Maple 224, 225
figure of 222
Market--for honey 213
crate for 216
figures of 216, 217
for comb 215
for extracted 214
how to stimulate 213
rules for 215
Mason Bees 36, 37
Maxillæ 50
Megachile 36
Melipona 35
Mice 272
remedy for 272
Mignonette 231
figure of 231
Milk-Weed 232
pollen masses of 233
figure of 233
Mimicry 31
Mouth Parts 48
figure of 49
variation of 50
Movable-Comb Hives 123
two types 123
Moving Colonies 187
Multiplying Colonies 171
Muscles of Insects 56
Mustard 233
figure of 233
Natural History of the Honey-Bee 27
Natural Method of Increase 171
Natural Swarms 171
means to save 173
implements required 173
not desirable 171
second swarms prevented 175
Neighbour, The Apiary 23
Nerves of Insects 57
figure of 58
Neuters 90
cocoon of 98
development of 96
eggs of 96
eyes of 92
figure of 90
function of 99
old workers 99
young workers 99
honey stomach of 92
figure of 60
jaws of 92
figure of 92
larva of 97
figure of 97
longevity of 99
number of 90
pollen baskets of 93
figure of 93
pupa of 98
figure of 97
size of 90
sting of 95
figure of 95
tarsi of 93
figure of 93, 94
tibia of 93
tongue of 92
figure of 91
wings of 92
figure of 38
Nymphs 69
Order 30
of insects 30
of the honey-bee 30
Osmia 37
Ovaries 64
figure of 64
Packard's Entomology 47
Palpi 49
Papers 19
American Bee Journal 19
Bee-Keepers' Magazine 21
Gleanings in Bee Culture 20
Paraglossæ 49
Parasitic Insects 32
Parasitic Bees 37
Parthenogenesis 80
in bees 80
in other insects 81
Plants 220
asters 243
figure of 243
April 223
August 242
barberry 225
figure of 226
basswood 237
figure of 237
beggar-ticks 244
bergamot 238
blackberry 236
boneset 238
figure of 241
buckwheat 243
figure of 243
button-ball 238
figure of 240
catnip 232, 240
clover 228
Alsike 228
figure of 229
sweet 228
figure of 230
white 228
figure of 228
coffee berry 226
corn 235
cotton 236
figure of 236
figwort 238
figure of 238
fruit trees 225
golden-rod 242
figure of 243
Judas tree 225
figure of 224
July 237
June 228
list of 221
locust 236
maples 221, 225
figure of 222
milk-weed 232
pollen-masses 232
figure of 233
mints 232
figure of 232
mignonette 231
figure of 231
mustard 233
figure of 233
okra 232
figure of 231
poplar 225
rape 234
figure of 234
Rocky Mountain bee 238
figure of 239
sage 232
white 226
figure of 227
sour-wood 240
Spanish needles 244
St. John's wort 240
sumac 226
teasel 235
figure of 236
tick-seed 244
tulip tree 234
figure of 235
willow 224
figure of 223
wistaria 225
American 225
figure of 225
Chinese 225
figure of 226
Pliny 44
Poison from Sting 12
innoculation of 12
Poison Sack 95
Pollen 111
function of 112
how carried 111
nature of 111
source of 111
where deposited 112
Preparation for Apiculture 117
college course 118
plan 118
read 117
visit 117
Products of Bees 104
comb 108
figure of 109
honey 104
pollen or bee-bread 111
propolis or bee-glue 112
wax 106
Products of Insects 104
Propolis or Bee-Glue 112
function of 113
nature of 112
source of 112
Publications 19
American Bee Journal 19
Bee-Keepers' Magazine 21
Gleanings in Bee Culture 20
Pupa 68
figure of 69
Queen 71
brood from eggs 78, 164
cages 184
cell 75
figure of 109, 167
introduction of 167
figure of 167
when started 164
where built 164
figure of 109
clipping wing of 168
how done 169
not injurious 168
why done 169
cocoon of 77
development of 75
eggs of 80, 81
how impregnated 81
Wagner's theory 81
fecundity of 83, 84
figure of 72
food of larvæ 76
function of 83
how procured 185
importance of 163
impregnation of 78
only on the wing 79
introduction of 183
laying of 82
longevity of 83
must have empty cells 188
never to be wanting 163, 176
never to be poor 186
no sovereign 85
ovaries of 72
figure of 64
oviduct of 64
piping of 102
rearing of 78, 163, 186
sex of 71
shipping 186
size of 72
spermatheca of 72
sterility of 83
sting of 71
tongue of 73
figure of 73
wings of 73
Queen Cells 75
figure of 109, 167
how secured 164
introduction of 167
figure of 167
Queen Rearing 163, 186
Queen Shipping 186
cage for 186
figure of 187
Queen White Ant 84
fecundity of 84
Quilt 136
Quinby, M. 138
Quinby Hive 139
figure of 139
Quinby's Mysteries of Bee-keeping 22
Quinby Smoker 198
figure of 199
Rabbets for Hive 125
of tin 125
Races of the Honey-Bee 41
Egyptian 43
German or black 41
Italian or Ligurian 41
history of 41
characters of 42
superiority of 181
other 43
Ray 44
Réaumur 45
Respiration 59
Riley's Reports 47
Robbing 258
how checked 258
how prevented 259
when to fear 258
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant 238
figure of 239
Royal Jelly 76
Russell Hive 141
Salicylic Acid 261
use of 261
Sage 232
white 226
figure of 227
Sawdust 154
Saws 151
Barnes' 151
foot-power 151
Second Swarms 102
Secretion 62
Secretory Organs 61
Sections 147
dove-tail 147
figure of 146
Hetherington 146
glassing 146
Phelps-Wheeler-Betsinger 147
figure of 147
veneer 144
glassing 145
Section Block 145
figure of 145
Section Frame 147
figure of 148
where placed 148
Section Rack 149
Doolittle 151
figure of 150, 151
Southard & Ranney's 150
use of 149
Wheeler 151
Senses of Insects 51
hearing 51
seeing 54
smelling 52
feeling 51
Separators 146, 150
figure of 146
tin 148
figure of 149, 150
wooden 146
figure of 146
Shade for Hives 153
ever-greens 154
grape-vines 153
houses 153
use of 153
prevents idleness 153
prevents melting of comb 153
Smokers 198
bellows 198
how used 201
Bingham 199
figure of 199
Quinby 193
figure of 199
Sour-wood 240
Spanish Needles 244
Specialists 11
Species of the Honey-Bee 41
Spermatheca 65
Spiders 271
Spiracles 59
Spring Dwindling 254
Starting an Apiary 117
Sting 95
figure of 95
Stingless Bees 35
Stings 201
cure of 201
St. John's Wort 240
Stomach 60
sucking 60
true 60
Sub-Order 31
Hymenoptera 31
of the honey-bee 31
Sumac 226
Sun-Flower 243
Swammerdam 44
Swarming 101, 171
after-swarms 103
clustering 103
drone-brood started 101
old colony--how known 102
preparation for 101
drone-brood 101
queen cells 101
prevented 176
when to expect 176
Swarms 172
hiving 173
easy method 172
second 172
how prevented 172
Tachina Fly 270
figure of 270
Tailor-Bee 36
Teasel 235
figure of 236
Thorax of Insects 48
appendages of 55
Tick-Seed 244
Toads 272
Tongue 49
Trachea 28, 59
figure of 28
Transferring 156
method of 160
when easiest 156
Transformations of Insects 66
incomplete 70
Trigona 35
Tulip Tree 234
figure of 235
Uniting 253
when advisable 253
Varieties of the Honey-Bee--see races 41
Veil 196
figure of 196
Virgil 44
Wagner 19
Wagner's Theory 81
Wasps 271
remedies for 272
Water for Bees 98
Wax 106
composition of 107
function of 108
how secured 211
importance of 211
source of 106
Wax Extractor 212
figure of 212
Wax Pockets 106
figure of 106
Weiss' Foundation Machine 204
figure of 205
Westwood on Insects 47
Willow 224
figure of 223
Wings 65
clipping 168
figure of 38
of drone 86
of queen 73
of worker 92
figure of 38
Wintering 246
requisites to safe 248
absorbents above bees 253
chaff hives 261
chamber contracted 253
colonies prepared 248
depositories for 252
cellar 232
house 252
house apiary 255
good food 248
late breeding 249
packing-box 250
figure of 250
protected if left out 250
why disastrous 246
excessive moisture 248
extremes of temperature 247
spring dwindling 254
too early cessation of storing 247
unwholesome food 247
Women as Bee-Keepers 15
Workers--see Neuters 90
fertile 77, 90
Wistaria 225
American 225
figure of 225
Chinese 225
figure of 226
Xylocopa 36
INDEX TO APPENDIX.
Bark Louse 286
of Tulip Tree 286
Bee Enemies 286, 293
Berlepsch 284
Debeauvoys' Hive 282
Della Rocca 283
Dzierzon 283
Dzierzon Hive 283
Fossil Honey Comb 301
figures of 301, 302
Grecian Hives 278
Harbison Hive 284
History of Movable Frames 278
Hives 278
Berlepsch 284
Debeauvoys 282
Della Rocca 283
Dzierzon 283
Harbison 284
Huber 278
Langstroth 283
Munn 279
figures of 279, 280
Schirach 283
Schmidt 281
Shaw 282
Insects 286, 293
Laphria thoracica 300
Lecanium tulipiferæ 286
Mallophora bomboides 297
Mallophora orcina 297
Phymata erosa 293
Japan Medlar 293
Kleine 281
Langstroth Hive 283
Laphria thoracica 300
Lecanium tulipiferæ 286
figure of 288
Mallophora bomboides 297
" orcina 297
Motherwort 289
figures of 289, 290, 291
Munn Hive 279
figures of 279, 280
Phymata erosa 293
figures of 294, 295, 296
Plants 289
Japan medlar 293
Motherwort 289
Sour-wood 293
Réaumur 278
Schmidt's Hive 281
Schirach's hive 283
Shaw's Hive 282
Sourwood 292
figure of 292
Southern Bee-killers 297
figures of 297, 298
Stinging Bug 293
figures of 294, 295, 296
Swammerdam 278
Triangular Hive 280
figure of 280
=COOK'S NEW MANUAL OF THE APIARY.=
=NOTICES BY THE PRESS.=
Needs no recommendation--recommends itself.--_Western Rural_, Chicago.
This work is exceedingly valuable--indeed indispensable to
apiarists.--_Voice of Masonry._
Treating the art in all its different branches in a clear, concise and
interesting manner.--_The Canadian Entomologist._
It is the fullest, most practical, and most satisfactory treatise on
the subject now before the public.--_Country Gentleman._
It contains the latest developments of science connected with
bee-culture and honey production.--_Chicago Evening Journal._
It contains the latest scientific discoveries in apiarian management
and bee-keeping apparatus.--_Prairie Farmer, Chicago._
The latest, fullest, most practical and satisfactory treatise on the
subject, now before the public.--_Lambton_, (Canada) _Advocate_.
Every point connected with the subject is handled in a clear,
exhaustive, yet pithy and practical manner.--_Rural New Yorker._
It is both a practical and scientific discussion, and nothing that
could interest the bee-raiser is left unsaid.--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._
The most thorough work on the apiary ever published, and the only one
illustrating the various bee plants.--_Lansing_ (Mich.) _Republican_.
Prof. Cook is an entomologist, a botanist, a ready writer, a passionate
lover of the honey-bee, and his new work savors of all these
qualities.--_Standard_, New Bedford, Mass.
I feel like thanking God that we have such a 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._
The honey-bee comes with the perfume of summer flowers, and one of
its best friends, A. J. Cook, has written its history and habits in a
handsomely illustrated volume.--_American Poultry Journal._
It is just what might have been expected from the distinguished
author--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.--_British Bee Journal._
It is the most complete and practical treatise on bee-culture in Europe
or America. The arrangement is successive, and every topic is lucidly
treated in the Professor's blithesome, light-hearted, pithy, suggestive
style.--_Post and Tribune_, Detroit, Mich.
The typography and general execution of the work is handsome and neat,
and altogether we have a work that may be safely recommended as the
Manual of the Apiarist--the book, par excellence, to which all may
revert with both pleasure and profit, for instruction in the management
of the apiary.--_Michigan Farmer._
It must rank with Henderson's manuals, and share with them the praise
of being an indispensable adjunct to every specialist's library. It is
a scientific, practical book, a book of "how to do" and "why to do,"
tersely written, yet fully expressed; a book to the credit of American
literature.--_Scientific Farmer_, Boston.
[Finger] It is printed in the best style of the art, on fine book paper
and superbly illustrated. Price, bound in cloth, =$1.25;= in paper,
=$1.00,= postpaid. Per dozen: cloth, $12.00; paper, $9.50.
=THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, Publishers,=
=972 and 974 West Madison Street, CHICAGO.=
[Illustration]
=THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,=
=Is an elegant fifty-two paged Illustrated Monthly,=
DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE-CULTURE,
=At $1.50 per annum, in advance; Sample Copy. 10c.=
_Capt. J. E. Hetherington Cherry Valley, N. Y., says: The readers of
the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL and its Present management are, I think, fit
Subjects for congratulation. You certainly give us a good paper, and
none of us hesitate to recommend it to the extent of saying that no
bee-keeper, great or small, can afford to do without it._
I find the Bee Journal an excellent companion and adviser.--L. M.
Wainwright, Noblesville, Ind.
The Bee Journal is the largest and best bee paper published.--D. L.
Franklin, Boone Co., N. Y.
It has saved me $56.25 in hives alone, to say nothing of the other
information.--R. Matthews, Pontiac, Ill.
You have worked up the American Bee Journal almost to
perfection.--Orion Siggins, West Hickory, Pa.
I would not do without the American Bee Journal for three times its
price.--J. E. Kearns, Waterloo, Pa.
I have learned more from it, of how to handle bees, than from all other
sources.--R. Corbett, Malden, Ill.
I consider the Bee Journal the _best_ bee publication--having read them
all.--J. E. Hunter, Jones Co., Iowa.
The Journal grows better every month. No bee man should be without
it.--John Barfoot, New Canton, Ill.
I do not see how any one can do with out it. I have had bees for 40
years.--A. M. Burnett, Valley Mills, Texas.
The Bee Journal comes loaded with good things. I can not see how it
is possible to make it so much better every month.--T. J. Ward, St.
Mary's, Ind.
If you keep on improving the Bee Journal as you have within the past
year, it must soon become the _ne plus ultra_ of bee literature the
World over.--O. W. Speer, Easton, Pa.
I am among the many who are glad that the American Bee Journal fell
into the hands of those who have no hobbies to ride nor axes to grind.
I only express the views of many others.--F. A. Snell, Milledgeville,
Ill.
_PUBLISHED ON THE FIRST DAY OF EVERY MONTH, BY_
=THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, 972 & 974 W. Madison St., Chicago.=
=THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL=
=APPRECIATIVE NOTICES.=
It is the most valuable publication on bee-culture in America.--_Sun_,
Anoka, Minn.
It is authority in all matters pertaining to
bee-culture.--_Republican_, Mason City, Iowa.
It stands at the head of American publications devoted to
bee-culture.--_Patriot_, Springfield, Mo.
It is a complete guide to those interested in
bee-culture.--_Everybody's Ledger_, Lewiston, Pa.
It is most valuable, and will always find a hearty welcome in every
apiary.--_Herald_, Los Angeles, Cal.
The American Bee Journal; is a publication of great value to all honey
producers.--_Daily News_, Danville, Va.
We recommend the American Bee Journal, as the ablest bee paper in the
United States.--_Farmers' Home Journal._
It is progressive, interesting and valuable to every one who keeps
bees, and is ably edited.--_Agriculturist_, Quincy, Ill.
It is full of useful suggestions and instructive articles to every one
interested in honey producing.--_Democrat_, Allegan, Mich.
It is full to overflowing with matters pertaining to the successful
management of the little honey producers--a thoroughly live
periodical.--_Standard_, New Bedford, Mass.
The Journal surpasses itself; each issue improves upon the last, in
the bright, cheerful appearance and instructive influence of its whole
composition.--W. Williamson, Lexington, Ky.
The American Bee Journal is increasing in influence with each number.
It is a valuable auxiliary to the bee-keeper, and should be taken and
read by all interested in bee-culture.--_Standard_, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
I hail the coming of the Bee Journal with joy. It is the greatest light
we have on bee-culture, bringing ideas, not only from the editor, but
from all the other experienced bee men of the land.--L. A. Taber,
Holyoke, Mass.
In its department of journalism, the American Bee Journal stands
without a rival. Devoted exclusively to bee-culture and the production
of pure honey, its columns are filled with such matter as a keeper of
bees can read and profit by. Its table of contents is as full as it is
interesting.--_Gazette_, Lewiston, Pa.
The American Bee Journal ought to be taken by all bee-keepers; it is
neatly printed and replete in useful information about bees and honey.
It fully describes the habits of those busy extractors of sweets from
flowers and herbs, whose products, with the yield from our cows, makes
our land literally flow with "milk and honey."--_Maryland Farmer._
The Bee Journal is pre-eminently above all its competitors. It is
full of fire, enterprise and vim; it discusses the various questions
pertaining to bee-culture with spirit and energetic thought; it is
an honor to its Editor and to the interest which sustains it. It has
no individual axe to grind, but is the fearless champion of all that
is useful and good; steadfast, unwavering, honest; never vacillating
or swerving; but true, as the needle to the pole, to the interest of
bee-keepers. It should be supported by every one interested in bees or
honey.--American Grocer.
=THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON, Publishers,=
=972 and 974 West Madison St., CHICAGO.=
=Ha! Ha! Ha! Just What I Want!=
[Illustration]
The Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association, having all the Smokers before
it, "pronounced Bingham's Patent Smoker the best."
J P Moore, of Binghamton, New York, after using one some time, said:
"My Smoker troubles are all over, and the bee-keepers owe you a debt of
gratitude."
Professor Cook, of Michigan Agricultural College, says: "It is the best
in the market."
R. M. Argo, Lowell, Kentucky, says: "It is all that any bee-keeper
could desire."
Paul L. Viallon, Bayou Goula, Louisiana, writes, April 6th, 1878: "Your
Smokers are far superior to any ever invented; and we bee-keepers owe
you a vote of thanks for your Ingenious invention. Many may try to
improve on yours, but I am positive none will make a better one."
This is the first and only bellows Smoker ever made which would burn
stove-wood. It burns anything combustible, and needs no care except
to be refilled once in one or two hours. Works easy, and will throw a
stream of smoke ten feet. It will not go out or wear out. It will save
time, stings and money, and perhaps a valuable horse.
The inventor is the only party having a right to manufacture said
Smoker, and it is safe to buy of him.
Large size, 2½ inch, by mail =$1.75=
Standard size, 2 inch, by mail =$1.50=
Small size, 1¾ inch, " =$1.00=
Address, =T. F. BINGHAM, Otsego, Allegan Co., Mich.=
* * * * *
=BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON'S HONEY KNIFE.=
[Illustration]
These knives are peculiarly constructed, and of the best steel, finish
and temper. To secure the credit of our invention and enable us to
furnish them cheaply, and of standard excellence to bee-keepers, we
have had them patented.
In use, if the combs are held upright the caps are carried away from
the combs so they never touch them after being cut off. If the combs
are laid on a table to uncap, the movable cap-catcher gathers the wide
sheet of caps in a roll, and easily carries all that the largest combs
contain without dropping one upon the comb after being cut off. The
blade is two inches wide; but as only the edge rests on the combs, they
uncap the most delicate combs without tearing, and work as easily as if
only one-fourth inch wide.
Sent singly, per express, for =$1.00,=
With Movable Cap-catcher, =$1.25.=
As knives are not carried in the mail, we make 10 per cent, reduction
from _regular retail rates_ to clubs and others who send the money for
three or more, to be sent in one package. [Finger] Send for circular.
Address,
=BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON'S, Otsego, Mich.=
* * * * *
Lansing, Mich., Feb. 11, 1879.--After a thorough trial of your honey
knife here at the College, we pronounce it decidedly superior to any
other that we have used, though we have several of the principal knives
made in the United States.
A. J. Cook.
Middlefield, N. Y., Jan. 8, 1879.--I have been using your two-inch
uncapping knife the past season. For rapidity and ease in operating,
they far excel any knife I have ever used. Its shape and beveled edges
make it perfect for uncapping uneven and crooked combs. It works
equally well with either right or left stroke. We uncapped hundreds of
combs in piece boxes, and both my associates and myself have come to
the conclusion that they facilitate the labor fully one-half, and are
perfection itself, leaving nothing to be desired.
A. G. Murphy.
Cherry Valley, N. Y., Jan. 5, 1879.--I received the knives all right,
and on account of their superiority I feel that you, and bee-keepers as
well, are entitled to a report on them. For my own use I much prefer
them to any knife I have ever uncapped with, for the reason that I
can uncap much more honey. A better test is in the hands of three or
four of my men who used them for several consecutive days, and without
exception pronounced them the best knives I owned. One even went so
far as to insist that he could uncap one-third; faster than with any
other knife I had, and when uncapping prize boxes he satisfactorily
demonstrated it. You may send me half a dozen for my own apiaries.
J. E. Hetherington.
The Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association especially recommends the Bingham
& Hetherington Honey Knife and the Bingham Smoker.
=Muth's All-Metal Honey Extractor.=
Patented Sept. 24th, 1878.
[Illustration]
Every bee-keeper is aware of the advantages afforded by a judicious
use of the Honey Extractor. The inventions of the movable comb frames
by Rev. L. L. Langstroth, and that of the Honey Extractor by Major v.
Hruschka, are the greatest achievements in the apiary. They have made
it possible to multiply our practical results tenfold, and to put a
system to bee-culture.
Quite a number of different styles of extractors have been made since
their first invention, about 10 or 12 years ago. Mine differs from
others by the slanting sides of the comb basket, arranged above a
receptacle for honey in the same tin can, and with a substantial
gearing which requires not more than the strength of a child to work
the machine all day with ease; frames of different sizes, but smaller
than the comb-basket, and pieces of comb without a frame, are placed
against the slanting sides, and without being fastened, emptied of
their contents completely, and, to the uninitiated, in an incredulous
short time.
The cells having a downward tendency, empty more readily, both in
top and bottom of frames, than when in a vertical position, as every
practical test will show, and the flying of honey, in the shape of a
fine spray, over the top of the can is prevented.
There is a receptacle for 60 lbs. or more of honey in the extractor,
according to the depth of the comb-basket, which can be made of any
size desired--for instance, for Langstroth's and Quinby's frames, the
comb-basket is 18½ inches deep, and the receiver holds about 65 lbs.
of honey. If the American frame is the largest to be extracted, the
comb-basket is only 12 inches deep, while the extractor holds about 140
lbs. of honey before it touches the revolving basket and needs to be
drawn off by the iron faucet at the bottom.
My standard size of comb-basket is 12¼ × 18½ inches, and admits the
Langstroth, Quinby and American frames. When ordering, please state the
largest size of frames used.
When, after the honey season, a number of small frames are unfinished,
six of them can be piled against each side of the comb-basket for
extraction; or, short comb-holders, which are sent with each Extractor,
may be hung on each side, and only four sections emptied at one time.
Extracting two large frames at one time is much the handiest
arrangement, and generally satisfies the most ambitious; but the
Extractor can be made large enough to hold four frames, at an
additional cost of $2.50. A close-fitting cover keeps dust, flies and
bees out when extracting is over. I was obliged to cover my improvement
with a patent, merely to protect my interest.
My Extractor is second to none for all practical purposes, and one of
the cheapest in the market in consideration of material and workmanship.
=Muth's Uncapping Knife,=
[Illustration: IS THIN-BLADED, OF THE BEST STEEL, HANDY FOR THE
PURPOSES INTENDED AND CHEAP.]
=PRICE FOR EXTRACTOR AND KNIFE, $12.00.=
For further particulars, address
=C. F. MUTH, Cincinnati, O.=
=BARNES' PATENT=
=FOOT-POWER MACHINERY.=
_Fifteen Different Machines,_
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._
[Illustration]
We give the following letter from Mr. W. P. Hogarty, of Wyandotte,
Kans., to show their usefulness. He says: "If any criticise your
circular saw, you can tell them I use it, and with one hand, made all
my bee hives for ninety-five stands of bees, including frames and
section brace, and I feel perfectly able to do the work for one hundred
and fifty stands." * * * "In order that you may know the amount of
work on each of my hives, will say, they are two feet long, by two
feet high, by about two feet wide. They are double walled and double
bottomed, with two inch intervening; and in addition to the nine
frames, there are fifteen cases, each case containing two honey boxes
and two division boards, and three boxes to contain chaff for winter
protection. You will see there is an immense amount of sawing to be
done, but I have found your saw equal to the task required of it."
We will send our illustrated catalogue FREE on application. Say where
you read this, and address
W. F. & JOHN BARNES,
_Rockford, Winnebago Co., Ill._
NEW LANGSTROTH BEE HIVE,
WITH MANIPULATING SIDE.
This Improvement in the old Langstroth Hive Is exceedingly valuable,
as it allows the closest watching of a colony with the greatest ease
and comfort. By turning the thumb-screw (L) and opening the movable
side (which takes but an instant), frames can be examined, by removing
the loose side-board (M), the bottom-board may be cleaned--giving the
advantages claimed for a loose bottom-board, without its disadvantages.
This Hive is a combination the Langstroth Hive and North Star Hive--as
pated June 5, 1877--and, no doubt, will gain universal approbation as
soon as its advantages are known.
The New Langstroth hive is peculiarly adapted for the production of
comb honey--its Honey Rack is the best in use, and is adapted to the
use of the Prize Boxes. It holds 18 Prize Boxes, with the separators
between them, marked B B in the cut. The wedge (A) holds all with a
vise-like grasp. The outer boxes are glassed as they stand on the hive
(C C C). By removing the wedge (A) any box may be instantly removed,
examined, returned, or replaced by an empty one--the spaces between the
rows readily admitting the fingers for that purpose.
=SAMPLE NEW LANGSTROTH HIVE=--Nailed, Not Painted.
No. 1.--Brood Chamber, 10 frames, portico, 7½-inch cap--no
surplus arrangement $2 00
No. 2.--Same as No. 1, with Comb-Honey Back, complete, same as
shown by the above cuts 3 00
No. 3.--Same as No. 1, but having 20 frames, and Comb-Honey
Back--a complete 3-story hive 3 75
No. 4.--Brood Chamber, 10 frames, and 7-inch story, with 7
cases containing Prize Boxes and tin Separators, for
surplus Honey, with 2-inch cap 3 00
No. 5.--Same as No. 4--but having 10 extra frames--a complete
3-story hive 3 75
No. 6.--Brood Chamber, with 10 extra frames, for extracting,
and 2-inch cap, 3 00
[Finger] _If painted, add $1.00 each._ [Finger2]
=MATERIAL FOR NEW LANGSTROTH HIVES.=
CUT, READY TO NAIL-(14⅛ × 18⅜ inches inside).
In lots of 5 No. 1--(one-story), $1 25
" 10 " " 1 20
" 25 " " 1 10
" 50 " " 1 05
" 100 " " 1 00
In lots of 5 No. 6--(two-story), $1 80
" 10 " " 1 70
" 25 " " 1 60
" 50 " " 1 53
" 100 " " 1 50
=MATERIAL FOR LANGSTROTH FRAMES.=
CUT, READY TO NAIL--(9⅛ × 17⅝ inches outside).
100 frames $1 50
1,000 frames $14 00
6,000 frames, per 1,000 $12 00
[Finger] For sale at wholesale and retail. Address
=SPERRY & CHANDLER, 974 W. Madison St., CHICAGO,=
_Or at the AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL OFFICE._
[Illustration]
PRICES TO SUIT THE TIMES. LANGSTROTH AND MODEST HIVES FOR THE MILLION!
HONEY BOXES AND SECTIONS,
Plain and dove-tailed, are large specialties.
=COMB FOUNDATION,=
We are producing in large quantities, and of superior quality. Our
facilities are such that we can supply in any quantity desired on short
notice, and all favoring us with their orders shall have prompt and
satisfactory attention.
=WAX TO BE MADE INTO FOUNDATION.=
Lots of 100 lbs. and upwards sent us, with 12½c. per lb., freight
prepaid, will be made up and cut to any size, and delivered on board
cars here.
=ITALIAN QUEENS!=
The superiority of the Queens reared in our apiaries is so well
established, we shall not here detail their merits; but to those
wishing honey-producing stock, combined with prolificness, we will say
they are not beaten.
Dowagiac, Michigan, November 20, 1878.
In regard to your bees, if you were my enemy, and I had anything to
say about your stock, I should say the truth, that I count yours worth
more than twice that or any of the numerous strains that I have tested.
They converted me to yellow bees,, notwithstanding that they are not
near as yellow as those I had formerly. I advise you not to buy, or
take as a gift, any other blood; but just stand right where you are,
and perfect the strain by carefully breeding out any imperfections
that may show themselves, and breeding in all the good qualities your
bees now possess. I shall do the same, purchasing of none but you. I
have hybrids crossed by your stock, that are quiet, good-natured, and
splendid comb-builders and storers.
Yours truly. JAMES HEDDON.
_Extractors, Smokers, Bee Veils,_
and everything needed in the apiary, supplied at the lowest living
rates. Order your goods early, remembering that large yields of honey
are only obtained by having everything ready for securing it.
=J. OATMAN & SONS, Dundee, Ill.=
=THE BEST IS THE CHEAPEST!=
COFFINBERRY'S
=EXCELSIOR HONEY EXTRACTOR!=
From Eight to Fourteen Dollars.
Having made several improvements in the EXCELSIOR EXTRACTOR for 1879,
it is now offered to the Bee-Keepers of America as the MOST PERFECT
MACHINE IN THE MARKET. The universal favor with which the EXCELSIOR
EXTRACTOR was received in 1878, has induced other manufacturers to
adopt several of its improvements. My experience and experiments of
last season, with the assistance and suggestions of skillful workmen,
have enabled me to perfect an Extractor that =cannot be excelled, and
can only be equaled by being closely imitated=.
The Excelsior is made entirely of metal, and is consequently very
light, strong and durable, with lugs at the bottom for firmly attaching
to the floor if desired.
The strong over-motion gearing, so necessary to ease in running and
speedy operating, was designed and is manufactured expressly for the
Excelsior. A child ten years of age can operate the machine as rapidly
as it can be supplied with combs.
The top or cross-band, to which is attached the gearing, is wrought
iron, three inches broad, with the ends turned down in such manner as
to thoroughly brace and strengthen the can, and holding the basket
firmly in an upright position.
The Comb Basket having vertical sides, insures the extracting power
alike for top and bottom of frames. The sides of the basket being
movable and interchangeable, greatly facilitate the operation of
dusting before and thoroughly cleaning after use if desired.
The basket can be taken from or replaced in the can in a moment, there
being no rusty screws to take out or nuts to remove.
At the bottom of the can, and below the basket, is a cone or metal
standard, in the top of which revolves the bottom pivot of the basket,
thereby giving room for sixty or seventy pounds of honey without
touching the basket or pivot below.
Nos. 3, 4 and 5 have strainers covering the canal leading to the
faucet, which obviate the delay of several hours in waiting for the
honey to settle, and the tedious and wasteful process of skimming. The
faucet being below the bottom level of the honey, renders unnecessary
the usual tipping and wrenching incident to drawing off the honey.
These also have close-fitting metal covers, which entirely exclude
dust, dirt, flies and bees when not in use.
The baskets of Nos. 4 and 5 have no center rod running from top to
bottom, which will be found very convenient by those who uncap both
sides of the comb before putting in the basket, as they can be turned
without removal.
The strong iron handles placed at the sides, a little above the center,
are completely side-braced, and add much to convenience in handling.
The wire baskets are very neat specimens of skillful workmanship,
thoroughly braced at every point where experience has proven it to be
most requisite, and nothing has been omitted that could add to its
efficiency.
The No. 4, for =three= frames, has a triangular basket, movable sides,
no center rod, runs smoothly regardless of number of frames, and is
fast superseding the demand for four-sided baskets.
=A LOWER PRICED MACHINE.=
A cheaper machine being called for by those having but few colonies,
and not making a specialty of bee-keeping, I have made a special size
to take the Langstroth frame, and one for the American, to sell at
=$8.00= each. These have no covers or strainer, and are smaller than
the $12.00 and $14.00 sizes, but for the frames named are equal to the
others for effective work, and are the =best cheap Extractors made=.
=Sizes and Prices:=
No. 1.--For 2 Langstroth frames, 10 × 18 inches $8 00
" 2.--For 2 American frames, 13 × 13 inches 8 00
" 3.--For 2 frames, 13 × 20 inches, or less
(which embraces all standard sizes) 12 00
" 4.--For 3 " " " " 12 00
" 5.--For 4 " " " " 14 00
[Finger] A liberal discount to dealers in Bee-Keepers' supplies and to
parties ordering in quantity. Address, =C. C. COFFINBERRY, Chicago,
Ill.,=
Or =American Bee Journal, Chicago, Ill.=, where samples can be seen.
REV. A. SALISBURY. JOHN M. HAYES.
=SALISBURY & HAYES,=
[Illustration]
Propagators of
FINE QUEENS AND BEES,
From Imported and Home-bred Mothers.
=Manufacturers of Comb Foundation,=
HIVES,
=Surplus Honey Boxes,=
_QUEEN SHIPPING CAGES, &c._
=Dealers in ALL NECESSARY APIARY SUPPLIES.=
All work executed in good style, and prices to suit the times.
[Finger] Send for Circular.
=SALISBURY & HAYES,=
_Camargo, Douglas County, 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 pertaining to bee culture.
* * * * *
NOTHING PATENTED
* * * * *
Simply send your address on a postal card, written plainly, to
=A. I. ROOT, Medina, Ohio.=
[Illustration]
HALLOCK & CHANDLER
DESIGNERS AND ENGRAVER
ON WOOD
89 Madison Street,
Corner of Dearborn, Chicago.
[Finger] Mr. Chandler, of the above firm, being a practical bee-keeper,
will personally supervise the execution of all designs and engravings
for bee-keepers and dealers in apiarian supplies.
[Finger] _Prices Moderate and Satisfaction Guaranteed._ [Finger2]
* * * * *
=Italian Bees and Queens,=
COMB FOUNDATION,
=HIVES, HONEY EXTRACTORS,=
_SURPLUS HONEY BOXES OF EVERY STYLE,_
=FOOT-POWER SAWS,=
BEE SMOKERS, SEEDS FOR HONEY PLANTS, CASES AND RACKS FOR HIVES,
SHIPPING CRATES. HONEY KNIVES, QUEEN CAGES,
=AND EVERYTHING USEFUL IN AN APIARY.=
[Finger] Our Illustrated Catalogue of Implements for the Apiary,
SENT FREE.
Address, =THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON,= =972 and 974 West Madison St.,
Chicago.=
=PUBLICATIONS FOR THE APIARY,=
FOR SALE AT THE OFFICE OF
_The American Bee Journal,_
=974 West Madison Street, Chicago, Ill.=
* * * * *
=COOK'S NEW MANUAL OF THE APIARY.=
This is a new edition of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary, entirely
re-written, greatly enlarged and superbly illustrated.
Being new, it is fully up with the times on every conceivable subject
that interests the apiarist. It is not only instructive, but intensely
interesting.
It comprises a full delineation of the anatomy and physiology of the
Honey-Bee, illustrated with costly wood engravings, full descriptions
of honey-producing plants, trees and shrubs, &c., splendidly
illustrated--and last, though not least, detailed instructions for the
successful accomplishment of all the various manipulations necessary in
the apiary.
This work is a masterly production, and one that no bee-keeper, however
limited his means, can afford to do without.
It is printed in the best style of the art, on fine book paper,
and superbly illustrated throughout. Price, bound in cloth, $1.25,
postpaid; in paper binding, $1.00, postpaid.
=THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE, by L. L. Langstroth.=
This is a standard volume, well illustrated and nicely printed. Price,
$2.00.
=MYSTERIES OF BEE-KEEPING, by M. Quinby.=
The author has treated the subject of Bee-Keeping in a manner that
cannot fail to interest all who read this work. Price, $1.50.
=THE DZIERZON THEORY; being a full elucidation of Scientific
Bee-Keeping.=
This "theory" presents in the form of distinct propositions, the
fundamental principles of bee-culture, and in this work the late Baron
of Berlepsch furnishes a condensed statement of the facts and arguments
by which these propositions are demonstrated. It is of untold value to
beginners and all others who desire to study the subject of apiculture.
It is just what thousands want.
It contains 60 pages and is printed on fine book paper. Price,
postpaid, 20 cents, or three copies for 50 cents.
=HONEY, AS FOOD AND MEDICINE, by the Editor of the American Bee
Journal.=
This is a pamphlet of 24 pages, discoursing upon the Ancient History
of Bees and Honey; the nature, quality, sources, and preparation of
Honey for the Market; Honey, as an article of Food, giving recipes for
making Honey Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam, Wines, &c.; and Honey
as Medicine, followed by many useful Recipes. It is intended for
consumers, and should be scattered by thousands all over the country,
and thus assist in creating a demand for honey.--Prices: Single copies,
10 cents postpaid; 15 copies for $1.00 by mail, postpaid; 100 copies,
with name and address of honey-producer printed on them, $5.00 by mail,
postpaid; 250 copies, by express, at 4 cents each; 500 or more copies,
by express, at 3 cents each. It is published in German also at the same
prices.
=WINTERING BEES; How to do it Successfully.=
This contains all the Prize Essays on this important subject that were
read before the Centennial Bee-Keepers' Association. The prize ($25 in
gold) was awarded to Prof. Cook's Essay, which is reported in full in
this pamphlet.
It contains 30 pages and is printed on fine book paper. Price, 15
cents, or five copies for 50 cents.
=SPECIAL EDITION of the Journal.=
Containing the Official Report of the Proceedings of the National
Convention, hold in New York, Oct., 16-18, 1877, with all the Essays
and Discussions,--together with a description of the implements for the
Apiary, on exhibition at the American Institute Fair.--Price 10 cents.
[Finger] _Send by Postal Money Order, Draft or Registered Letter at our
risk._
=THOMAS G. NEWMAN & SON,=
_974 West Madison Street, Chicago, Ill,_
* * * * *
Transcriber Note
Minor typos corrected. Discrepancies between the table of Contents'
section titles and that displayed in the Chapter were corrected. The
Illustrations list ended at number 110 but the volume has 133 numbered
illustrations. So, a copy of the list for numbers 111 to 133 was
appended from the Seventh Edition.