Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-09-07
Bee Notes.
TOADS AND BEES.

bee Notes.
ToADs AND BEES.
The Canadian FARM says: Those
who keep bees need to ,ook out sharp
~ for toads. Go among the hives in
the "gloamin'," and ten to one you
will see a solemn toad beside each OF
them, with face upturned heavenward.
as though praying, So he is, phonet.
ically speaking; but photography,
with all lis advantages, fails here, for
you must spell that word with an &C.
He proving on your bees, and if YOU
watch him closely you will see him,
every now and then, dart ont his long,
shiny tongue, and gather them in with
a celebrity and gusto perfectly marvel
Gus. Tosds are valuable in garden,
but destructive in an apiary.
HOW WINTER BEES SUCCESSFULLY.
After % years experience with tue
movable comb beehive, my success
has depended on judgment AS regards
the winter, whether mild or severely
cold for long time, and the condition
! find my bees in. First, how To pre-
pare them for winter, and the treat
ment thereafter. There has been so
much written upon this point. | will
only say see that each colony has 90 to
% pounds of honey in Septemb Der
whether gathered early or late makes
no difference, so it is ripe, with proper
winter passages through the combs.
| regard it as essential, when the bees
are having their last flights in the fall,
to remove the cloth or honey board
and place two sticks across the frames.
then piece of coffee sacking single
or double lay thereon two very dry
bricks, not too hard burned ; now /
use clover.chatf, sawdust, fine straw
end rest leaves well mixed together,
with which | cover the sacking and
brick four inches deep. This Will ab.
sorb all the moisture arising from the
bees. Thus treated, we will hear no
more about taking out the top packing,
drying it, aud putting it back again.
The above preparation will do for in or
outdoor wlnterlng,
| have tried the following expert.
ment several times. with success in
saving my bees A few years ago the
bees were nearly all dying off with
dysentry in this neghborhood. | ex-
ahmed my sixty-tve colonies in the
house, and found nearly all uneasy,
very wet, and bodies distended. pro
cured stove, set it up in the house
aud removed the top cloth and front
block and heated the room quite
! warm. All the bees that were affected
with dysentry came out all over the
hives. | done this twice, from evening
till midnight, keeping it dark they al
dried oil, and clustered quietly back
in their hives again. They had dis
charged their feces, coming out and
going back. The result was, | eavec
all but two queens. | will practice this
again 1t any become uneasy, and Civ,
the result in the spring g. W. IlM
HERMAN, in 4 M. Bee Journal
A WASH FOR FRUIT TREES. William
Saunders, of Washington, ID. c., wei
kno Nn to Patrons of Husbandry, gives
the following wash for fruit trees that
we know has been used with good re-
suits in several places: Fer the past
twenty years | have used mixture of
lime and sulphur as wash for the
prevention and destruction of fungoid
growths on all kinds of fruit trees, and
with decided beneficial elects. it is
now well ascertained that many of the
diseases Of both vegetables and animals
are due to fungoid growths, and sui
phur is the best known and one of the
most potent antidotes for the mycelium
and spores Of microscopical fungi, and
tn" most practical mode of using it If
as an ingredient in the ordinary lime
wash, applied to fences and external
rough woodwork. AS "A sanitary auxll-
iary in cities, its employment will be-
come general rs its usefulness in the
prevention Of zymotic diseases becomes
known. Ii every fence, tree-box, out
building or rough wooden structure in
this city could at once receive a coat
ing Of this wash, it would greatly check
malarial disorders. 1t is not costly, ana
the sulphur imparts additional adhe-
sive qualities to the mixture. The
wash is prepared by placing half n
bnshel Of fresh burned lime and eight
pounds of powdered sulphur in a tight
barrel, Stacking the lime with nearly
boiling water, the mouth Of the barrel
being covered with a cloth. When cool
it is ready for use as ordinary white
wash"