Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1876 — Experience With Bees. [ARTICLE]

Experience With Bees.

Julia M. Wheelock, in wilting to the Patron's Helper on her experience with bees, says: Many persons who have kept bees on the old plrfn have a strong impression that they should not be meddled with, and think that the little workers can and will do all their “ house cleaning” in spring, attend to all their family matters, increase at their own pleasure, and Lay up stores for future need, better without any assistance than with it. A case of this kind came under my observation this season,' the relation of which may be of benefit to some of your readers. Neighbor A. had, by the advice and success of has friends who were controlling their bees advantageously, been iuduced to adopt such hives as were convenient for examining bees, and really seemed to lee! that be was trying the “new way” of bee-keeping, but for some reason, he had not visited them this year, and it was then near the middle of June. He had walked near the hives, and discovered that some of them were not so busy as were some others; and wisely mistrusted that there might be one hive at least without a queen, in which case, as apiarians well know, the whole family must sooner or later die. At this time we were induced to examine neighbor A.’s bees —some less than fifteen swarms—and found many swarms apparently doing well as to honey, and raising brood, but having never “ cleaned house’’ this spring. The dead bees were from one to two inches thick on the bottom (A most of the Jrires, in the midst of which were brown moths, cockroaches, ants and some other insects, drawing sustenance from this filthy mass, which the bees had not been able to remove. The hives were then carefully cleaned, but this is not the object 1 had in telling this, but simply to urge upon those who think that bees should never be disturbed, the importance of ascertaining whether they need assistance or not. In the case referred to, the bees could not have removed the rubbish, however annoying it must have been to the little laborers, whose strength is limited, except in selfdefense. They undoubtedly, in some cases, throw dead bees and other filth from the hives, but they do not always do it, even when they are strong in numbers and rich in stores. I have seen many .colonies this year which had dead bees etill clinging in the comb, where they had died last winter or spring, and, contrary to our general supposition, had not been removed by the living bees. Whether the hooey came earlierln flowers, and they considered their time demanded in the field or not, we cannot tell, but suppose the labor requisite for house-cleaning must have been beyond theirabilities, as they are supposed to have a just estimate of wha they ean perform. In raising brood, they have such correct estimates of their strength and capacities that the increase of honey will cause the queen to lay more eggs, or a decrease of honey will cause her to diminish the Quantity- And in cases where dearth of honey comes suddenly, from drouth, or grasshoppers, or other cause, bees have been known to destroy some of their brood, where they had more than they could feed and take good care of. r—,, r The bee-keeper should always carefully examine his bees in spring, and remove all dead bees (or anything else which may become offensive) from the hives. Some-

times it is best to remove moldy combs as worthless, although the bees sometimes clean such combe; but it is a question whether they could not build new. comb nearly as quick, and with more safety to themselves, as mold Is known to be very poisonous, and must have a deleterious effect on the bees, while removing it from their combs.