436 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Sept. 



A screw in each end holds the frame steadily in the 

 center. 



Care should be taken in stocking such a hive, not 

 to get in too many bees; just enough to cover the 

 comb evenly. The queen can be seen readily by 

 even an inexperienced person. This hive at our 

 fair was a decided success. Tliore was a group 

 around it nearly all of the time. Much instruction 

 can be given to the public with such a hive as this. 



Hartford, N. Y , Aug. 9, 1882. J. H. Martin. 



The liive described by friend Martin does 

 not differ materially from the one illustrat- 

 ed in the May No. of our .Ju\'enile, only it 

 has the swivel arrangement, so as to revolve 

 freely on its center. It surely does form an 

 instructive and entertaining feature for a 

 fair; and as some one is almost always near 

 who can " explain things," it is usually the 

 means of giving the great wonder-loving 

 public much knowledge in regard to our pur- 

 suit. 



^ i«i ^ 



BBES ON A RAinPA*;!:. 



WHAT TO DO, AND WHAT NOT/rO DO. 



B'J WRITE for information as to the management 

 of ci'oss bees. I know but little aljout bee- 



' keeping. A year ago T bought two swarms of 

 black bees. After they had reared considerable 

 brood I divided them and made three hives; then I 

 sent to Kansas City for two Italian queens, and in- 

 troduced them with success. From them I have live 

 Italian stands. Yesterday I undertook to rob one of 

 the old stands, assisted by a man who is pretty good 

 at handling bees. I got along tolernbly well for a 

 while, when all at once they became angry and drove 

 us away, and became so enraged that all the evening 

 it was impossible to go home. They filled my house, 

 drove wife and baby out, and then attacked my 

 neighbors, and entered their houses. No person 

 could pass the street without being badly stung; 

 they drove the chickens out of the yard, and hogs in 

 the street were assailed; they took possession of the 

 printing-office, and drove the inmates out. I could 

 not go to my house to stay until after dark, and 

 never succeeded in clearing it until this morning. I 

 have been thinking of sending for another queen; 

 but if they all prove to be of that disposition I don't 

 want any more of them, and will put sulphur to 

 those I have as soon as they fill up the hive again 

 with honey, if there is no way of subduing them. 

 They are good workers, and make plenty of nice 

 honey, but I can't stand their temper; besides, I 

 fear they will become a pest to my neighbors. 



If you know any successful way to manage them, 

 please state it. I have never seen any thing that 

 would compare with them in the way of hostile bees. 

 This hive has given two swarms this season; the old 

 imported queen came off with the first swarm. 



Mason, Texas, Aug. 8, 1882. "W. Holland, 



By no means sulphur your bees, friend II. 

 If you really want to get rid of them, take 

 away the queens and get some that are test- 

 ed for gentle bees, and you will very soon be 

 rid of them, without any such loss as you 

 would have if you killed them with sulphur. 

 I think there are plenty of our readers who 

 will buy the queen you mention, and I don't 

 think that they will ever get into such a 

 scrape with them as you did either. It is 

 possible that they have a trace of Cyprian 

 blood in them ; but I am by no means sure 



of it, for Italians will often act much the 

 same way when once they get aroused and 

 get the upper hand. Give me a good smo- 

 ker, in nice working order, and I think I 

 could bring any such colony into peaceable 

 terms in a short time ; but woe to you if you 

 run and leave them, and let them find out 

 they are master and you are the slave. If 

 you will excuse the liberty, my friend, I 

 think an experienced hand would have 

 known trouble was coming, and stopped 

 proceedings before he got where you were. 

 When you find the bees are getting excited 

 and aroused, never by any means push on 

 with the work. Before they make an at- 

 tack such as you describe, they usually 

 range themselves along the tops of the 

 frames, and by their buzz and motions you 

 can, if used to them, divine pretty accurate- " 

 ly that they will soon make a desperate on- 

 slaught, if you do not hold on. In such a 

 case, either cover the hive up quickly, or 

 get a large volume of smoke, and oblige ev- 

 ery bee to go back and down, even at times 

 driving them clear out of the entrance. 

 Horses, cattle, and wild beasts, all behave 

 much in the same way. When they find 

 they can chase you, you'd better look out. 

 They must be conquered and subdued, and 

 kept in subjection. The Rarey system of 

 training horses is right in this same line. 

 Only yesterday neighbor II. had to give his 

 little mustang pony a course of lessons not 

 unlike we have to give the bees sometimes. 

 Slie had for some time been getting more 

 and more unmanageable, until finally a 

 strange hand attempted to use her for some 

 little service, when she just broke out in 

 open rebellion. Of course, next time II. tried 

 to drive her, she did the same way, and 

 tried to break the buggy all to "flinders." 

 lie took her out of the buggy, threw her 

 down by the well-known Ilarey method, put 

 her head down in the dirt, and quietly sat 

 on it to hold her there. This was so utterly 

 new in her experience, either on the wild 

 prairies or since her domestication, that she 

 was both frightened and surprised almost 

 out of her poor little wits. When she found 

 she could not get up, nor hardly move, she 

 began whining and neighing, and finally 

 gave all the promises of good behavior that 

 any horse could well promise. She kept it, 

 too, for when he next drove up to the facto- 

 ry she would stand perfectly quiet until he 

 had told his last story, even if it was after 9 

 o'clock ; and Avhen he stepped into the bug- 

 gy she stood like an obedient child until he 

 gave her liberty to "skim the ground." In 

 telling of it, he said he came pretty near 

 getting mad ; but, my friends, the one who 

 tames horses or bees, or wild beasts, must 

 by no means think of getting mad. If you 

 aren't boss of your own passions, how can 

 you ever expect to be boss of themV 



Now, you may think this a pretty long 

 story, but I wanted to get the idea clear, of 

 the way in which you must get and keep the 

 upper hand of your bees. Don't court a 

 quarrel; but when one comes, put them 

 down under your foot, and hold them there 

 until they promise. It has been said, you 

 cannot conquer the Cyprians with smoke; 

 but I think I should try the smoke at all 



