Valparaiso, Ind., March 15, 1881.
=Death Reigns among the Bees.=—Having made some inquiry concerning
the bees within a radius of about 2 miles, I find some bee-keepers,
some who keep bees, and those that let the bees keep themselves. Mr. H.
had 3 colonies, all are dead; Mr. L. had 7, one left; Mr. D. left his
11 colonies without protection and now has 11 empty hives for sale;
Mr. B. let the winters’ blast try his 20 colonies and now has 12 empty
hives; Mr. F. packed 37 in chaff and has 11 left; Mr. A. put up 57 in
complete order, but with all his precaution all are dead; Mr. B. put
into winter quarters 73 colonies of fine Italians, 58 of them are dead.
I packed in clover-chaff 101 colonies, and 23 have gone the way of all
the earth. My bees were confined in their hives from Oct. 20 until
March 6. I packed 24 in Langstroth hives with space the whole width of
hive left open, to give plenty of fresh air, yet at the same time warm,
with a due amount of packing, and in this lot have not lost one colony,
and very few bees; but the end is not yet. To-day I found young bees
with brood in all stages.