188 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



April 



cerningr tho warm-footed little creatures. Pirst, 

 does tbc old queen go out with the first swarm, and 

 leave a young queen? and if said swarm send out an- 

 other swarm in ten daj's, does the young queen left 

 ten days before come out with this second swarm, 

 and leave a queen younger? I've heard persons re- 

 mark, when a swarm came out early and returned 

 to the hive, that the queen was not quite strong 

 enough to lly yet; others say the old queen goes out 

 with new swarms. Second, If you don't wish to 

 have bees send out hut one swarm in a season, is it 

 the right way to keep a queen-cell cut off the rest of 

 swarming time. I did so to three swarms, and kept 

 cells clipped, but to no avail; they burst out one 

 sultry July day at noon, and filled a space in the air 

 as big, seemingly, as a forty-foot barn. I'm sure I 

 did not miss any queen-cells. As soon as tho swarm 

 had left, and quietness reigned, 1 opened up the 

 hives, but found no queen-cells or queens, but sights 

 of brood and newly laid eggs. The section boxes 

 were stored full of bees instead of honey; they did 

 not seem to want to lay up honey above, but kept 

 raising bees. I've purchased two swarms of bees at 

 my own expense, and want them to pay interest on 

 the money this coming summer. Will some one 

 please tell me the best way to make bees pay — to 

 sell honey or bees? 



"SHINGLES" FOR BEE FEED. 



The 1st of March they carried in a quantity of 

 pollen. We did wonder where they got it, but read 

 in Gleanings of their gathering it from sawdust. 

 Well, we have a pile of new pine shingles, and they 

 were working on it lively; but I can not think what 

 gustenance they contain. Is pollen and bee-bread 

 the same thing? Please excuse this writing, for 

 tending a four-months baby, and composing a letter 

 for a journal, is rather out of the general custom. 

 Mrs. Minnie S. Haynes. 



Winfleld, Mich., March 113, 1882. 



You have got things a little wrong about 

 the swarming, my frieud. The old queen, 

 as a rule, goes out with the lirst swarm ; but 

 instead of leaving a young queen, she leaves 

 only queen-cells, and, with the Italians, not 

 even that. The after-swarms are of course 

 led out by young queens, but it may be any 

 one of them, as it happens. Young queens, 

 with perfect wings, usually liy very lively, 

 and it is the old ones with ragged wings, or 

 heavy with eggs, that fail to keep up witli 

 the swarm, or to get started with tliem. 

 Thus you see, cutting out queen-cells would 

 make little or no difference with first swarms, 

 but it might have the effect of preventing 

 any swarms after the first.— I believe the de- 

 mands of the market have much to do with 

 deciding which will pay best, to sell bees or 

 honey.— This matter of sawdust, and similar 

 substitutes for pollen in early spring, is a 

 little mysterious. "What nutriment can there 

 be in sawdust, sure enough, or in the fuzzy 

 dust they should get from shingles? I am 

 inclined to tliink tlie bees know what they 

 need, and that, after their long confinement 

 and lack of pollen or woody vegetable matter, 

 they need it something as a grain-fed animal 

 needs hay or straw. Horses and cattle seem 

 to crave woody fiber in the spring, and why 

 should not beesV— Somebody has said, the 



first year of a child's life has much to do 

 with shaping its future character. My 

 friend, you liave a little liuman life tliere 

 with you to mold and fashion ; and who 

 knows but that your four-months-old baby 

 may not some time be a writer for our bee 

 journalsV May God help us to take care of 

 the babies I 



^n^^nil^ §^liavin(^nh 



Evi-ry yrirl or boy, under 12 years of apre, who writes a letter 

 for this department will receive one of David Cook's excellent 

 5cent Sunday-school books. Many of these books contain the 

 same matter that you tiud in Sunday-school books costing from 



JJl.OU to $1.50. 



BM-Y pa has never lost any bees in the winter. He 

 (M has six colonies now, and I have one in a 



' chaff hive. I got it for watching pa's bees 



last summer while ho was drawing hay. I have an 

 empty hive ready for next swarming-time. I made 

 a chaff division-board and put all the sections and 

 brood-racks together for pa. How will that do for a 

 boy not quite 8 years old? Pa quit chewing tobacco 

 New Year's day, because you said so much against 

 it in Gleanings. He does not need a smoker, but I 

 should like one to handle my bees with. Ma says 

 children and bees are similar. If that is true, I hope 

 I am a worker and not a very cross one either. 



Louis C. Brooks. 



Brighton, Livingston Co., Mich., Feb. 10, 1883. 



[Very good, Louis. We will send you a smoker on 

 your pa's account, if he will promise to pay for it 

 when he commences to use tobacco again.] 



My brother has 64 swarms ol' black bees; 26 of thom 

 are in Simplicity hives. He takes Gleanings. 



Anna R. Lengfeld. 

 West Chazy, N. Y., Jan. It, issa. 



lam a boy of 13. Pa has 15 stands; began with 

 3; bought 3. I goto temperance meeting every Sat- 

 urday afternoon. Charles W. Schaeffer. 



Corydon, Iowa, Feb. 10, 1883. 



Pa has 11 swarms, and ma one. Pa has been keep- 

 ing bees for about .5 years. He takes Gleanings, 



and it comes in Mr. Davis' name. 



Jessie Gullev. 

 North Salem, Ind., Dec, 1881. 



I am 11. Papa keeps his bees all in the cellar. 

 He has kept bees ever since I can remember. I have 

 a little sister three years old. Her name is Harriet 

 Elizabeth. Frances E. Watkins. 



Charlton, N. Y., Feb. 10. 1883. 



I got a pretty book as a prize for head marks at 

 school. My pa keeps bees. He has 11 swarms. He 

 said he wouldn't let more than lor 2 hives swarm 

 next summer. Zellie E. Ebv. 



North Robinson, O., Jan. 11, 1883. 



I am 8 years old. Pa has 13 boxes of bees; he has 

 great big chaff hives, and big chaff cushions that 

 look like bed-ticks. Tell Blue Eyes may be I'll write 

 her a letter. Eddie Duff. 



Flat Ridge, Guernsey Co., O., Feb. 11, 1883. 



My father has 13 hives of bees; 3 are in chaff 

 hives. My brother has six; he is going to get chaff 

 hives for all his bees. He takes Gleanings. 



FiNLEV E. Simon. 



YouDgstown, Mahoning Co., O., Jan. 31, 1883. 



