668 



(iLEAXlXUS IN BEE CULTURE 



Oct. 15 



Heads of Grain 



from Different Fields 



Uniting a Bee-tree Colony with a Weak Colony in 

 a Hive. 



A few days ago I learned that some log-cutters 

 about a week before had cut a bee-tree. When I 

 reached the place I found that all the combs and 

 honey had been taken. I placed a box above the 

 hole in the log. removed what little comb there 

 was left, and placed it in the box. Then with my 

 hands I took out all the bees which I could get and 

 put them in the box. I then cut a hole above the 

 place where the bees were, blew some smoke in. 

 and the way the bees carae out and went into that 

 box was certainly amusing. I wrapped the box up 

 In a sheet and carried it home. 



'l"o unite these bees from the tree with another 

 weak colony that 1 had, 1 poured half a teaspoon- 

 ful of peppermint into half a gallon of water and 

 sprinkled both lots of bees, making them pretty 

 wet. I then bumped the bees from the tree on to 

 the frames, and with a soft brush got them all 

 down into the hive. I expected to see them fight, 

 and watched them for about an hour, but could see 

 nothing of the kind. To-day this colony is the very 

 strongest one I have. It is doing finely in every 

 way. The peppermint gives all the same odor, so 

 that they do not know one from the other. 



The queen ovight to be removed when the uniting 

 Is done. 



Columbia City, Ind. Frank Langhor. 



[The only trovible when two lots of bees are unit- 

 ed is that the scent is ditferent. and there is danger 

 of the bees fighting. Usually, gentle bees like Ital- 

 ians or Carniolans can be united without any trou- 

 ble. We do not attach very much importance to 

 peppermint water. There is no harm in using it if 

 one cares to. Smoke is much more convenient: 

 and where it is necessary to give two lots of bees 

 the same scent we would put a little tobacco in the 

 smoker. 



If there is any danger of the bees fighting before 

 tuiiting. trouble can usually be averted by shaking 

 both lots of bees out in front of the entrance oi the 

 permanent hive they are to occupy. Shake one 

 frame from one hive and then one frame from an- 

 other, and so on. This very act of shaking and dis- 

 turbing will have a strong tendency to cause the 

 bees that are moved to stay in their new location 

 like a natual swarm; in fact, we would usvially rec- 

 ommend uniting in this way, especially if it be in 

 the fan.— Ed.] 



Bees Kept in a Cellar Adjoining a Furnace. 



December 23, 1909, I placed 31 colonies of bees in 

 my cellar, and took them out last spring, on March 

 23, without the loss of a single colony. In May I 

 looked them over carefully, and found every thing 

 in excellent condition, which I think speaks well 

 considering our cold Wisconsin weather. I have 

 been experimenting for several years on the prob- 

 lem of wintering indoors, and I believe I have an 

 ideal cellar. I can furnish plenty of fresh air, and 

 I also have a small pipe that runs through the cel- 

 lar from the furnace, which I vise in cases of ex- 

 tremely cold weather. The bee-room, being adja- 

 cent to the furnace-room, makes the air very dry, 

 which I consider absolutely necessary. 



Tlirough the wint r I leave the extracting supers 

 on the hives, but place them under the brood-cham- 

 bers rather than on top, for the bees ijrefer the up- 

 per story where it is warm, and they are never dis- 

 turbed or made uneasy, as they are so far from the 

 entrance. I use a cushion for each hive, 354 inches 

 deep, and filled with basswood planer-shavings. 

 This cu.shion is so constructed that there is a half- 

 Inch space above the top-bars. A piece of ordinary 

 wire cloth is u.sed first, and then a piece of burlap 

 above it to keep the shavings from rattling down 

 on the combs, the purpose of the wire cloth being 

 to keep the bees from giiawing the burlap. I use 

 sla'.s over the shavings. In the spring I also u.se 

 this cushion to keep the brood from chilling, and 

 find it a great protection. 



Hartford, Wis. F. H. Bl chanan. 



Seventy Colonies Diseased with Paralysis. 



I have read carefully about bee paralysis, and 

 find my bees have all the s.vmptoms of it. I have 

 about 70 colonies, and nearly all have the disease. 

 Some are bad, though none have died out entirely 

 so far. The entire apiary is beginning to smell 

 pretty bad. The honey-flow is practically over, 

 and robbers are ready to make trouble. I haven't 

 enough healthy stocks to take care of the brood 

 from the diseased ones, nor to form nuclei to build 

 them up with. Shall I sprinkle sulphur on the 

 brood-combs and all until the disease is killed out, 

 then unite two or three stocks, or put them on to 

 super combs? I have plenty of them with lots of 

 honey in them. Or is there a better way to treat 

 them at this season of the year? What would you 

 advise me to do? One bee-raan advises me to let 

 them alone till next spring; but I am afraid too 

 many will die off. 



Salinas, Cal. W. O. Kirk Patrick. 



[The nucleus plan for treating colonies diseased 

 with bee-paralysis is to be preferi'ed; taut if you have 

 not enough healthy colonies with which to form 

 nuclei, perhaps the only thing you can do is to use 

 the sulphur plan. Requeening with vigorous stock 

 sometimes effects a cure. After the sulphur plan 

 is carried out you would undoubtedly have to do 

 some uniting. — Ed.] 



Heating Wires by Electricity for Imbedding Comb 

 Foundati':)n. 



In heating the wire in a frame for imbedding it in 

 foundation, what is the best voltage to use for heat- 

 ing all the four wires at once? I want to get a 

 small transformer to do this work, and should 

 greatly appreciate this information. What would 

 be the flow of current (amperage)? 



Clinton, la., Sept. 5. C. S. Fritschel. 



[This was referred to our electrical engineer, Mr. 

 Eckart,' who replies;] 



It requires four amperes of eight volts to heat the 

 four wires of a brood-frame for imbedding founda- 

 tion. In case you heat only one wire at a time, it 

 will require two volts. It is necessary, of course, to 

 have all connections good, so that there will be no 

 drop in voltage in any of them. We note that you 

 are about to buy a transformer for this purpose, 

 and will offer the suggestion that you use your 

 lamp circuit, using a bank of lamps for resistance. 

 If the voltage is 110 you could use a bank of eight 

 16-candle-power lamps or four 32-candle powers. We 

 believe this would be much cheaper than the pur- 

 chasing of a transformer, since the time that the 

 current is in use is very short, and M'ould amount 

 to bvit very little, even at the highest commercial 

 rate.— B. E. E. 



Blacks Store from the Sugar-cane while the Ital- 

 ians do Not. 



Our main honey-flow and sugar-making are coin- 

 cident in this island, so that bees have no reason 

 for frequenting boiling-houses, and they do not. 

 But in this locality there is an estate close by that 

 begins cane-grinding months before the usual sea- 

 son. Because of the large number of wild blacks in 

 this neighborhood I had decided to give over trying 

 to keep my stock pure, but changed my mind sud- 

 denly this week, for I have been taking off my 

 crop of honey, and I find that my Italians have 

 stored beautifiil honey while the greater part of 

 what I have taken from the blacks and hybrids is 

 cane syrup. 



This circumstance adds proof to a claim that is 

 made, namely, that Italians, only under famine 

 pressure, will store product from raw sugar. I ob- 

 served this peculiarity years ago when I fed with 

 raw sugar, and found that blacks and hybrids came 

 to it, but not Italians. To secure honey in this lo- 

 cality, with sugar-making going on out of the regu- 

 lar season, I must have Italian.?. 



W. G. Hutchinson. 



St. Joseph's Rectory, Barbados, W. 1., Aug. 26. 



A Case of Propolis-poisoning. 



In the spring my hands, arms, and face became 

 poisoned. Supposing it to be from ivy or some 

 similar source I applied salt and soda and water; 

 but this did not have ntuch effect in curing it. 

 Then I contracted an additional dose of the poison- 

 ing after handling the supers and cleaning out the 

 house, and this convinced me that it came from 



