The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1861-02-07

Oh U1OVAUlC COSuO HiSSO 0aS eoOu AAOSal
traps, ana thousands Of the grub can be
destroyed in that way.
Still better plan, or one more des.
tructive to the miller, is to fiji number
Of basins with sweetened water, and
place them near the hives It night, re.
moving or covering them in the day.
time. have taken from two basins, a
single nerning. upwards Of hundred
millcrs.
So fond arc they Of sweetcncd water
that when presented to them in = basin
At night, they rush to certain death.
II every Apiarian in the United States
would atteniively usc the "entrance
blocks" and swectened water, 70 rapid
would be their destruction that in a
very few years we might expect to see
the bee moth welt nigh exterminated.-
Old hives containing comb only Should
not be permitted to lay around in the
vicinity Of the A,iary, as the moth will
soon take possession Of It, and fill tho
hive with a mass Of webs. a few old
hives thus lying around wou1I produce
moth enough to ruin fifty good hives il
left nndisturb,d. This insect il the nat
ural enemy Of the bee, and care should
be taken to lessen their number.
Ihavc tried several plans ofwintering
bees. Those kept ont doors have done
the best. Keep none bnt strong hives
over, and give proper ventilation.
If bees are kept in common box
hive" an anger hole should be bored
through the top to give plenty Of air.
If in s'movablc comb. hive" raise the
'honey board slightly. Bees kept in
a ventilated dry hive cannot freczc-will
live in any reasonable amount of COLI
say SO or 6oo below zero (Fahrcnhcit)
if the hive be strong.
In close top lives, the heat and pres
piration Of the bees frequently cause the
water to run down the silcs of the hive
to the bottom, where it freezes, making
an "aa..tigaa' box,in the event Of with
the bees will smother in few minutes
mid all their sweetness. Many per
sons attribute the loss Of their bees in
this way to freezing. Nothing can be
more erroneous.
We shall soon have the italian Bee
among us in this State
They arc doubtless harder than our ma
tivcs. When in Cleveland last Novem-
bcr called upon Mr.. E. T. Sturtcvant
and DR.. Kirkland on different days
the weather was cold and disagree.Ible.
AT both places their Italians were car
rying in honey and pollen, while tie
black bee was nicely housed up.
The above named gentlemen are per-
fectly reliable, and are among the first
apiarians in tho United States. It is
presumed that italian Queens can be
procured from them next summer, sent
through the Express at reasonable pri
ces. Their kindness and attention to
strangers are provcrbial; and especially
is the writer indebted to Mr.. Sturtcvant
for permitting him to cage dozen Of
the Italian workers.
Mr.. Bald.i,lgc, Of Mcsadleford, n. Y.
(very good authority thinks ''The ltal
ian bee more docile, and less disposed
to use It's sting than our native" He
further remarks that " The Italians
worked in my apiary in cold days, col
lecting honey and pollen at times when
scarcely native bee was thus seen At
work. Whether they gather honey
faster than the black bees, when both
races are at work, cannot affirm, but
it appears obvious to me that rs they
work at times, when the native bees
do not, they must necessarily ,ei'hn 'he
Season, gather larger stores ofhoncy.-
Another season will probably settle this
point
The Italian may have the advantage
over tho native in this country, from
the fact tsat we have much changeablc
weather during the spring months.
There is no kind of business that
would pay so well in this State, with a
small outlay, as bee culture.
The wonder is, that farmers do no,
60 into it extensively. Iowa, Illinois
and Wiscosin, are well adapted to bee
culture. Among the grasses, the white
clover is probably tho richest i'll honey
It is Of fspontaneous growth in this State
aud springs up where the prairie grass
is killed out. Eastwood is plenty, and
produces much pure honey. Raspbcr
ry blossoms are also rich. The prairie
! towers Of this State are filed with th'