132 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



suggested by some of our York State bee- 

 keepers. If I am right, it works sometimes, 

 and at others it don't. Did you not have 

 fertile workers, and hordes of these useless 

 drones, as a result of keeping them queen- 

 less, with no means of rearing a queen V 



CYPRIANS, ETC. 



HOW THEY WINTER. 



^ip HAVE been experimenting- with bees, and read- 

 Jl ing up bee literature for a few years, but have 

 had no honey. Commenced with blacli bees, but 

 the moths crippled them, and the robbers cleaned 

 me out last spring. Last June I bought two nuclei 

 of Cyprians, of three combs each, one in a Lang- 

 stroth and the other in what is called here a Mitchell 

 hive; filled both with frames furnished with fdn. 

 In an incredibly short time both hives were filled 

 with bees and honey, and they commenced storing a 

 surplus, when the dt-ought closed their labors in that 

 direction. I left them, for the winter, on their sum- 

 mer stands, setting up a few boards, to break off the 

 north and west winds. The Langstroth had its 

 honey-boxes on, and the other a super, -with three 

 frames, the ones immediately below them being un- 

 covered. 1 was careful not to disturb these upper 

 arrangements Hfter the close of the propolis season, 

 as the bees would not then be able to shut off up- 

 ward ventilation. Remembering Mr. Langstroth's 

 experience, I provided them with a large amount of 

 downward ventilation, the Langstroth having an en- 

 trance of ?i of an inch, the width of the hive, and 

 the other 7 by % inches. Yesterday they cleaned 

 out their hives, and are very busy to-day cleaning 

 each other off. There were but few dead bees in the 

 Langstroth, and about three times as many in the 

 other. Both hives feel about as heavy as they did in 

 the fall. 



The Cyprians are certainly great honey-githerers, 

 and their courage and pluck are simply wonderful. I 

 no longer fear either moth or robbers. While very 

 carefully handled, they are as gentle as kittens; but 

 upon the slightest false move they boil out and 

 " pitch in." Smoke is of little account, as they make 

 no provision for retreat, ever ready "to die" upon 

 the wound, and leave the sting behind. I think they 

 are just the bees to keep for storing honey in boxes 

 or glasses above, and, for this purpose, I will change 

 all my hives to Langstroth. This will require but 

 little handling of them; and while my sheep are 

 lying in the shade in the heat of the day, I can hive 

 the swarms that come out — if they will let me. 



I want some of those " flat-topped glasses," repre- 

 sented on pagcBlof Gleanings, when you get them; 

 and, also, with them a pair of gloves, which latter, 

 surely, is admissible in handling, ever so little, these 

 spunky little yellow jackets. 



In former years this was a " land of honey," and 

 may be again. C. S. Callihan. 



Jem, Clark Co., Mo., Ftb. 6, 1882. 



And this reminds me, friend C, that the 

 strongest colony in our apiary is the Holy- 

 Land one we have mentioned. They are al- 

 most the only ones that are wintering on 

 natural stores, just because they had abund- 

 ance of stores without any sugar feeding. 

 Well, as a matter of course they spot their 

 hive, while the others do not ; but for all 



that, they are still the strongest colony in 

 the apiary. With 200 all like this one, I 

 almost feel as if I could supply the market 

 with bees by the pound, without buying any, 

 even if friend Burch does not come forward 

 and help at all this season.— So, friend C, 

 you are expecting to avoid the stings by 

 using large glasses and gloves. I presume 

 you will let the glasses stand on the hives 

 until the frosty weather has driven the bees 

 all out of them, and then you can quietly 

 march off with your spoil. To do this, you 

 will need to set your bell-glass on a thin 

 bottom of wood, having only one opening in 

 the center. When it is to be lifted off, just 

 revolve the glass around this center, and it 

 will come loose quietly, and can be raised 

 without irritating their "majesties." i\. 

 house apiary would be beautiful for this 

 work, and it would then be a splendid place 

 to show to visitors. I have submitted the 

 glasses to two glass-factories for prices. 



CASTliES IN THE AIK, ETC. 



planning your work for the coming season. 



^P|n N reading Banner Apiary Notes in Feb. No. of 

 ^M Gleanings, I see that there was some one 

 else besides myself going after that " forty- 

 colony " craze. Somehow it makes me think that I 

 have something on my mind which seeks an outlet 

 in Gleanings. On turning to my note-book I find 

 the following under the head of specialties:— 



"Select six best colonies, and make three divisions 

 of the same. No. 1 to be run f..r comb honey, as that 

 is the oldest method of obtaiuing honey from bees. 

 No. 3, for extracted hone;, the next step in order 

 after comb honey. No. 3 for that ' bonanza,' eighty 

 colonies from the two, although I do not expect to 

 get much above one-fourth of that number, which will 

 be doing very well, if I could realize six dollars 

 apiece for the twenty in the fall, providing expenses 

 were not too heavy. If I were in the queen business 

 I should have a No. i. As it is, I shall leave that to 

 W. Z. Hutchinson or some one else." 



Now for No. 3, as reviewed from notes. 

 HOW to increase to the greatest number op 



GOOD colonies POSSIBLE. 



I will speak of only one colony, as an illustration. 

 Keep the colony together until the hive seems a 

 little crowded; then remove three frames with ad- 

 hering bees, two of sealed brood, one of eggs; place 

 them together with one empty comb, in an empty 

 hive on a new stand. If there does not seem to be 

 bees enough at No. 2, shake one or two frames in 

 front of it (a good many bees will return to the old 

 stand, so be sure to have enough); leave queen at 

 No. 1, and fill vacancy with empty combs or fdn. 

 Now give to No. 3 a queen-cell about ready to hatch 

 (these queen-cells I shall take from other colonies, 

 for the reason that, if I were running enough colonies 

 on the principle of "make as many as you can," one 

 colony would furnish queen-cells for a number of 

 new ones); let them remain in this state until No. 3 

 has a laying queen: then add 3 more frames of 

 brood and bees from No. 1 ; this would give to each, 

 seven frames of brood and honey. Fill space in 

 each hive as before. In a few days the same can be 

 gone over with, working on both No. 1 and No. 3, 

 which should be kept about equal in strength; and 



