1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



383 



frames filled with fdn., 1 think we shall get 

 the upper hand of the matter before very 

 long. 



WHAT KIND OV BlilCS DO Wr. WANT? 



ALSO SOMETniNO ABOUT AN APIAHY OF NINE 

 HIVES. 



^^ ^|I1.\LL wc not roll up our sleeves, shako 

 ^§y bauds, iuid then pitch into the work that 

 is to be done?" The forcffoing is one of 

 the most apt sentences that I have found in Glean- 

 ings during our short aciiunintancc. It matters lit- 

 tle of what color bees are, if they possess the recjui- 

 site substantial l)usinoss qualities; viz., inilustry, 

 hardiness, and fecundity, sullicient to maintain a 

 good strong working force, ami not exhaust the 

 most prolltable part of the season every year, in 

 swarming. Gentleness isan admirablelrait, if there 

 is not too muoh of it. I find, generally, my Fnmrtest 

 workers to be the smartest fighters when their com- 

 bativeness is thoroughly aroused. Heauty is not ob- 

 jectionable. If thf re are any who think otherwise, 

 let them hold a frame of comb, covered with young 

 Italians, in a position to receive the full rays of the 

 sun, and observe their movements a few moments. 

 If they are not convinced that an insect "of bfauty 

 is a joy for ever," they must bick the faculty of per- 

 ception. Although not favoring the dcchiration 

 that "there are no two-banded" bees among Ital- 

 ians (if mine are pure), my reading and observation 

 will not warrant a settled conviction that the^' are 

 a " fl.\ed race of primitive origin." 



WHAT WK ARE DOING. 



Well, early spring found us with nin(' strong 

 healthy colonies, and, with the exception of a little 

 moM on some of the combs (the consequence of our 

 overcare), in perfect condition. We wintered with- 

 out loss. With the exception of two very late last 

 year's swarms, all had honey enough to last them 

 until the season of bloom. Those that were defi- 

 cient in stores, we gave combs of sealed honey from 

 last year's surplus, and from the hives of those hav- 

 ing more than was necrssary tocarry them through. 

 At the same time, we fed all with sugar candy, and 

 supplie' them with all the rye meal they would use. 

 This treatment carried them through the cold, 

 stormy period, fr(jm the middle of April till the 

 first of June, when we found ourselves with hives 

 full of bees, and combs well stocked with brood — 

 very little honey, no sections adjusted, apple-blos- 

 soms about two weeks late, and one colony prepar- 

 ing to swarm. During the first week in June, the 

 apple-trees began to bloom, and the 6th found us 

 hiving our first swarm for the season, a fine large 

 one of blacks — la'ge both in workers and queens, as 

 no less than seven of their majesties accompanied 

 the would-be-fly-aways. Having obtained sight of 

 one good-looking (juccn, and "seen her home," we 

 felt content, as did our new family, to all appear- 

 ances. I went oiit next morning to look after them, 

 and found a perfect be(e)dlam, with a dead q\ieenon 

 the alltfhting-board. Some of the be's were stand- 

 ing about the entrance of the hive, with their backs 

 up; some were clustcrrd in small squads on its 

 front, as though discussing the condition of things, 

 while others were busy at work. I concluded we 

 had injured the queen while hiving the swarm; 

 went to tbe old hive, found a young queen, eight 

 empty queen-cells, and one containing a queen. 



This gave us a clew to the cause of the trouble, and, 

 deciding that no harm could result from the opera- 

 tion, we took the frame of comb containing the 

 queen-cell, and gave it to the new swarm. 



On visiting them the second morning, wo found 

 another dead (lueen that had been lugged out during 

 the night. I opened the hive and found the queen- 

 cell, that we had put in the day previous, torn open, 

 and a young (lueen in the hive; I then concluded to 

 lot them work out their destiny without further in- 

 terference. In the afternoon, two more dead queens 

 were bi-ouglit out. During the third day, two others 

 were removed, and the dynasty apparently estab- 

 lished. On the fifth day we found them doing their 

 "level best," with a young queen installed; apple- 

 trees in full bloom, but no eggs in the combs. On 

 the lllth I opened the hive and fouml five full frames 

 of foundation nearly worked out and well stocked 

 with eggs, and every thing prosperous. 



Perhaps my proceedings may not be considered 

 orthorlox by veterans in the pursuit; but, keeping 

 " an eye to the m;iin chance," I let the bees man- 

 age their affairs to their satisfaction, t)elioving their 

 knowledg-e of the "survival of the fittest" to be su- 

 perior to any other. 



.7^i(/ic 23.— White clover, blackberry, raspVjerry, a'd 

 locust are beginning to yield honey, and the way the 

 bees rush out and in anrl crowd the sections does 

 not, at presr-nt, porten'] an application for a berth 

 in Dlastctl Hopes. Comb-building in the boxes i^ 

 kept back by the cold nights; as the bees go down 

 into the l)rood-chrmber, very few are found in the 

 sections early in the morning. 



■/(tfy fi.— It is getting warmer, and one hive has 24 

 1-lb. sections nearly ready to take off, while three 

 others have not donc^ any thing in the ujoper sec- 

 tions, and very little in the side ones; though strong 

 in I (;es, they arc inclined to store in the brood- 

 combs. The How of white-clover and alsike honey 

 continues good, and the bees are making the most of 

 it; l)ut they are behind hand in swarming, as but 

 one colon)', the one before mentioned, has cast a 

 swarm. 



POISONI.NG BEES. 



It is tob3 hoped that the two instances of bees be- 

 ing poisoned, mentioned on page 3>!» of the July 

 number of Glbanincjh, miy prove a mistake, al- 

 though I have had the same argument forced on nie 

 tjy my neighbors, i.e., that bees must injure the 

 fruit crop l)y extracting the nectar from the blos- 

 soms, and evrn going to the ridiculous extreme of 

 maintaining that the potato crop is injured in the 

 same manner. I have noticed quite a large number 

 of dead bees in front of my hives, in the morning, 

 more than usual, butat;ril)uted it to the large honey- 

 Hows exhausting the old bees; and I hope the sup- 

 position is correct. Jas. F. Latham. 



Cumberland, Me., July 10, 1885. 



Friend L., T am a believer, to a certain 

 extent, in the doctrine of the survival of the 

 fittest, but I also believe God intended man 

 should have a part to play in the matter. If 

 lam correct, you saved only one queen out 

 of a lot of nine, reared, too, under tlie swarm- 

 ing impulse, and you indirectly intimate that 

 the one you saved was as good, or the best, of 

 the whole lot. My experience is, that she 

 was just as it happened to be, and probably 

 no better nor worse. Had you divided the 

 swarm into nine parts, and given each one a 

 comb, some bees, and one of the (|ueens, you 

 might have builded up quite a little apiary 



