1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



4oo 



THE VEXED QUESTION — CHANOINO WOKKER EGGS 

 TO DRONES. 



I believe in the Dziciznn theory, and from my ex- 

 periments I believe the worker bees ean change a 

 worker egg to drone efry, but not a drone to worker; 

 but they are not apt to when there is plenty of 

 drones flying. Last FL-bruiiry I gave a queenless 

 hive a frame of worker brood, and the bees changed 

 at least two-thirds of it to drones — all that was not 

 hatched. After the egg hatches, they seem to have 

 no power to change the sex. 1 think they do it by 

 destroying the male embryo; but the drones are not 

 as large, and I think ha\-e a kind of female appear- 

 ance, and I don't think they are as good as natural 

 drones. Geo. W. Stites. 



Spring Station, Ind., Aug. 7, 1882. 



DRIVING OFF ROHBERS WITH KEROSENE. 



I examined a rather weak nucleus the ot;her day, 

 and scon after closing their hive I noticed that the 

 robbers were making a regular raid on them, him- 

 dreds of them going in and taking otf their honey 

 undisputed. I blockf'd a wire queen- cage against 

 the entrance, thus giving them air, and preventing 

 those from the inside passing honey to those outside. 

 In a few moments larsrc knots of robbers were col- 

 lected in different places about the hive. I took 

 pieces of cloth, saturated them with kerosene oil, and 

 pinned them to the hive, and laid them where the 

 robbers collected, being careful not to place any 

 near enough the entrance to affect those inside, 

 and you ought to have seen how every robber "got 

 up and dusted." In a few moments I removed the 

 cloths and opened the hive. Those inside had ral- 

 lied and killed the robbers in there, and business 

 went on as merrily as if nothing had happened. 



Portland, Mich., Aug. 9, 1883. S. C. Perry. 



This has been given before, friend P., but 

 it may be new to many of our present read- 

 ers. Any powerful, disagreeable scent, will 

 have much the same effect. One friend 

 drove away robbers by putting some bones 

 from putrid meat about the robbed hive. 

 After a little, the demoralized inmates will 

 get into line and "hold the fort." Wet 

 grass or wet cloths will sometimes do as 

 well. I think I rather prefer the tent de- 

 scribed in the August Juvenile, for circum- 

 venting robbers. 



A NEW SWARM SENDING OUT A SWARM. 



On the 18th of June I had a new swarm. I hived 

 them, and to all appearance they were contented; 

 but after two days they came out and left for parts 

 unknown. In the evening I examined the emptied 

 hive (as I supposed), and found about one quart of 

 bees, several pieces of comb, and some eggs; soon 

 I noticed queen-cells started, and in due time a 

 queen was hatched, and now it is a very good colony. 



Now, as this was the first swarm that I ever had 

 leave after being hived any time, I want to know if 

 a queen always makes provisos for the bees that 

 may be in the field or left behind, as this one did. 



Pharisburg, O., Aug. 13, 1882. E. M. Sheneman. 



A case like the one you mention is quite 

 unusual ; but bees will sometimes get such 

 a mania that they will desert the hive after 

 eggs are laid, and every thing well started. 

 In your case it would look much like a case 

 of natural swarming, within two days' time 

 after the swarm was hived. Had they all 

 gone, and left no part of the swarm at all, it 



would not have been so strange. I think in 

 this case it was more accident, than that the 

 queen had any purpose of providing for 

 those that were left. 



THE FIRST COMPLAINT. 



I have been using Bingham's smoker for the last 

 year, so highly recommended by him ("never the 

 first complaint, never goes out, burns cord-wood, 

 etc"). I have been more perplexed with it than any 

 other. It goes out easily, is hard to start, heats 

 awfully, the leather has broken, also the spring. If 

 mine is the first complaint, let it go so. 



Honey has been coming in from basswood and clo- 

 ver since the 20th, very plentifully; 23d, 3iS lbs.; 

 34th, 3'; ; 2.-)th, S'^; 36th, 3; 37th, 3; i; 28th, 3 lbs. 



N. A. Phudden. 



Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Co., Mich., July 28, 1882. 



I think, friend P., your experience must 

 be rather an exception, for friend Bingham 

 has advertised for a long time that no com- 

 plaints had ever been received; and very 

 few indeed that could be justly called much 

 of a complaint of his smokers have ever 

 come to us. 



jrccH TO be thankful for, after all. 



The report from bee-keepers generally, from this 

 part of Indiana, is, very little or no honey. Our own 

 60 colonies have been very strong in bees since Apr. 

 1, but gave us only 500 lbs. surplus. They are now 

 well provisioned for winter; have worked on red 

 clover about as much as on white, all through clover 

 season. Although disappointed in a honey crop, yet 

 I think we have many things to be thankful for. 

 This part of the State has a magnificent crop of 

 wheat; the hay crop was simply grand, and most 

 other crops are fair to good. This has been rather 

 an exceptionally good season for queen-raising, and 

 the demand has been fair. There being no honey to 

 take care of, it gave me plenty of time to work in 

 the harvest field. I do not know but I'd rather 

 drive four horses to a binder, in wheat that will 

 make 30 bushels per acre, than to rim the " honej- 

 slinger." However, I feel sorry for those who were 

 depending on their bees for means of support. I 

 hope you will arrange to attend the convention at 

 Cincinnati, and stay through all its sessions, and not 

 slip off as you did last year, before one can shake 

 hands with you. Jonas Scholl. 



Lyons Station, Ind., Aug. 12, 1883. 



Thanks, f jiend S. I expect to be at the 

 convention ; and if so, I will try to stay long 

 enougli to shake hands with all who would 

 like to see me, if I do not do any thing 

 more. Your report would rather encourage 

 what is called mixed farming, or having 

 some other business, rather than the one 

 specialty of bees only. 



SWAPPING COMBS WHILE EXTRACTING. 



I should like to know, if in extracting it is proper 

 to put the combs of one hi\e, after extracting, into 

 some other hive. I have been in the habit of ex- 

 tracting from all the fianies in the brood-chamber, 

 regardless of larvai. My plan is this: From No. 1, 

 take all the frames that have honey; carry this in, 

 and let my wife extract while I remove the honey 

 from No. 3. I then carry these in for my wife, and 

 take the empty frames from No. 1 out to No. 3. 

 When I take the second frame from No. 3, 1 put one 

 in from No. 1, until No. 3 is emptied of its honey, 

 and filled with frames from No. 1, and so on through 



