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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Feb. 15 



get a temperature of from 30 to 40°, and place them in a 

 bee-cellar where I already have 70 colonies? Would 

 you expect it to cause a great loss owing to bees filling 

 themselves or wou d it not be just as bad in early 

 spring when roads are rough, owing to the greater ac- 

 tivity of bees at that time? 



I have another yard of 60 colonies snowed half under 

 before I could gt-t them in ihe cellar. They are in or- 

 dinary dovetailed hives, Colorado covers, so I left 

 them, thinking the snow was as good as any protection 

 to bees. Would you put them in the cellar the last 

 two months, as I now have a cellar empty ready for 

 bees? Neils A. Nelson. 



Dike, Iowa, Jan. 18. 



[It is perfectly feasible to move bees during cold 

 weather when sleighing is good, although we would 

 select a time when it is just below freezing. We would 

 not advise waiting until spring when the roads are 

 broken up. If they be moved now and put into a cel- 

 lar the disturbance would cause notiouble— at least, 

 reports where precisely this same thing has been done 

 in the past have not shown any bad results. 



Yes, snow, if banked up around the hives, is a decid- 

 ed protection. The more we can have the better, pro- 

 viding it does not melt around ihe entrance and freeze, 

 sealing the entrance hermetically. That is the only 

 danger arising from too much snow. An ordinary 

 light snow baiiked up around the entrance will do no 

 harm; but should there come a thaw, then a severe 

 freeze-up afterward, the apiarist would do well to look 

 to his entrances. — Ed.] 



coming clogged. Those bees you see coming out are 

 probably seeking a chance to fly. They chill and die 

 when they come outside. Bad food is one of the causes 

 that induce spring dwindling. — Ed.] 



CAN THE DOOLITTLE PI AN OF NON-SWARMING BE WORK- 

 ED WITH THE CHAFF HIVE? FEEDING BEES WITH A 

 SYRUP MADE FROM SCRAPS OF CANDY. 



Will you please inform me how to work the Doolit- 

 tle plan of non-swarming? I have all double-walled 

 hives with tight bottoms. Could I put a single-walled 

 hive on top? Can I shake No. 2 hive into No. 1 instead 

 of No. 1 into No. 2? 



I also should like your opinion of feeding scraps of 

 candy to bees in the spring in syrup form, such as 

 horehound, anise, tartaric acid, menthol, peppeimint, 

 butter-scotch, leaving out medicated cough drops, 

 burnt sugar, etc. PHILIP F. Debbold. 



Clinton, N. Y., Jan. 19. 



[There is no reason why you should not work the 

 Doolittle system of non-swarming with a double-wall- 

 ed chaff hive, providing such hive is built on the mod- 

 ern plan, so that a single-walled hive or super can be 

 set on top. If you consult the bee-supply catalogs you 

 will find in most cases that sii gle-walled supers and 

 hive-bodir-s can be used on top of double-walled chaff 

 hives of the same frame capacity. 



We would not advise you to give bees syrup made 

 from scrap candy during cold weaiher. You can use 

 this to good advantage toward spring when the bees 

 will have a litt'e opportunity for a cleansing flight. 

 As a general thing we would not recommend anything 

 for winter food except the best of honey or granulated- 

 sugar syruu. 



Burnt sugar would be almost sure death to a colony, 

 although it could be used safely enough in warm 

 weather when the bees can fly. — tD.] 



BEES GETTING CHILLED AT THE ENTRANCES OF THE 

 HIVES. 



I Started bee-keeping in the spring of 1908 with one 

 colony. I increased this colony to four fairly strong 

 colonif s, which are provided with good stores, apd are 

 in single-walled hives, packed warmly in winter cases. 

 The bees wintered well last winter; but this winter, al- 

 though the conditions are the same, I find a handful 

 of dead bees every few days around the entrances, 

 both outside and inside. They seem to run to the en- 

 trance and get chilled so that they are unable to get 

 back. Is the hive too warm or too cold? We have had 

 zero weather lately, and I had the entrances >8x2 

 inches, but have lengthened them to 6 inches and in 

 some cases to 8; but the bees come out and die just the 

 same. If this keeps on I shall lose all before spring, 

 as a handful every other day is too much loss tor any 

 colony. P. J. HOEVEL. 



Bradentown, Fla. 



[Mortality of bees is greater during severely cold 

 winters than mild ones. This is one reason why >ou 

 find more df ad bees in front of the entrances this win- 

 ter than last; but probably the greatest reason for mak- 

 ing the bees come out is the character of the food. If 

 there is much honey-dew in your hives many bees 

 will become uneasy on account of their intestines be- 



NEW MEXICO WELL ADAPTED TO BEE-KEEPING. 



As I have not seen any thing from our country, I 

 venture to report. I live in the northwest corner of 

 New Mexico, in what is known as "The Sunny San 

 Juan Co." This is a great fruit country— one of the 

 best in the West. It is a new country, with a delight- 

 ful climate, and one of the very best for bees. 



I have been in the bee business for a number of 

 years, and I have made it my leading business. I can 

 say that, so far, I have never made a failure. Failures 

 do come, but I have been so fortunate as to escape. 



I started with bees in this place one year ago by pur- 

 chasing 140 coionies. Of these I lost 35 in the spring; 

 and as I had to feed, things looked discouraging; but 

 the willows began to bloom, the b^es took courage, 

 and we got a good honey-flow. Afterward the swarms 

 came till I now have 170 colonies. 



I had a large swarm July 4 that filled the hive and 

 made me seven 24-section cases of honey that sold at 

 home at $2 75 a case. 



I have kept a strict book account, and I find that an 

 investment of <528 for bees and all supplies has brought 

 a return of $895 in twelve months, and I now have more 

 bees and supplies on hand than I started with. 



I did equally well when in Colorado; but I think 

 this the best country for bees that I have seen yet. I 

 have been in a number of States. 



REV. T. D. Saffell. 



Farmington, New Mex., Dec. 20. 



HOW TO MAKE SYRUP SO THAT IT WILL NOT CANDY. 



Several years ago my father kept bees at Quiiicy, 

 Michigan, and one winter he was obliged to feed his 

 bees quite a little syrup. He experienced some diffi- 

 culty with the first he made in keeping it from candy- 

 ing. He was a subscriber to Gleanings at that time; 

 and as I remember it he wrote you to learn how to 

 make the syrup properly. I do not keep be«rs, but have 

 occasion to make syrup from granulated sugar fre- 

 quently, but have not been successful in makmg it so 

 it will not candy. The syrup we make we prefer to 

 have quite heavy. E. D. RiCKETSON. 



Muson City, Iowa, Jan. 19. 



[Our practice is to put nothing in the syrup to pre- 

 vent candying; but there are some who find it neces- 

 sary, especially if the syrup is thick, say two 2^2 parts 

 of sugar to one of water. To prevent candying. Dr. 

 Miller recommends a teaspoonful of tartaric acid to 

 every 20 pounds of sugar. Doolittle uses honey in 

 place of acid in these proportions: 15 lbs. of water, 30 

 lbs. of sug-ir, a d after the mixture h s been thorough- 

 ly heated he adds 5 lbs. of extracted honey, making in 

 all50 1bs. of feed— Ed.J 



IS THERE ANY LAW REGULATING THE DISTANCE OF 

 BEES FROM THE HIGHWAY? 



Will you please inform me if there is any law as to 

 how far bees may be set from the hives of our neigh- 

 bors^also from the street? WM. H. MoRSE. 



North Girard, Pa., Jan. 19. 



[There is no law in any of the States that we know 

 of that regulates the distance that bees shall be kept 

 from the general highway. As a matter of precaution, 

 however, we would advise putting all bees in the back 

 end of a town lot, or, if they are to be located in the 

 country, at least 100 feet from the general highway, 

 and the same distance from the line fence, especially 

 if there is a cultivated ticld in which horses may be 

 driven in plowing or cultivating.— ED.] 



A SUCCESSFUL WAY OF KILLING RATS. 



There are many ways to catch rats: but most traps 

 are useless so far as getting the " old timers " is con- 

 cerned. An experiment of mine has proved success- 

 ful with both the old and the young rats. I take two 

 tin pans: fill one with meal aiid dry plaster of Paris, 

 half and half, well mixed together, and the other one 

 with cold water. I put them where the rats can get to 

 them easily, and then watch if possible. The rats eat 

 the meal and then drink the cold water. The planter 

 causes them to drink a good deal of water, which sets 

 the plaster and causes death. I have found rat- after- 

 ward almost as hard as a stone. W. HACKING. 



Idaho Falls, Idaho. 



[This looks as if it might work well. If any reader 

 tries it we should like to have him report.— ED.] 



