=An Enthusiast.=—My apiary is located on a hill-side sloping to the
west, and hives fronting south. The Macoupin creek is ½ mile south
of it, and several sloughs within a mile, with plenty of soft and hard
maple, willows and cotton-wood. I packed rags around and on top of my
13 hives, on their summer stands, on the 25th of October. The bees
were in good condition. Only one colony gave any surplus; from that I
took 40 lbs., and left them 35. I examine my bees every week and clean
out the dead ones. They had a good flight on the 13th of December, and
again on Feb. 22d, when every colony had brood in all stages, and No.
2 was crowded full of young bees, and had a queen cell just ready to
put the egg in, which I took off. Feb. 26th was a warm day, and No. 2
sent out a swarm; it was queenless, however, so I sprinkled them with
peppermint water and united them with No. 12, which was weak. I do
not keep bees for profit in dollars and cents, but for pleasure, as I
do love them. I am a merchant, and own 275 acres of land, but being
an invalid, look to my bees for recreation. In a radius of 4 miles
from my apiary, on Nov. 1st, there were 13 bee-owners, with a total
of 73 colonies. On the 1st inst. there were 19 colonies left, and
they were in bad condition. I am the only one taking the BEE JOURNAL
here—success to it.