766 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Dec. 1 



probably be all right. The wooden handle 

 of the device is made the exact shape of 

 my cell-form, and it is just right also for 

 dipping in melted wax to make artificial 

 cell cups, according to Doolittle's way. 



To use my device, shave the comb down 

 to within % inch of both sides (less than 

 that is better still, say j\ over all), then 

 press the plunger down right over the larva 

 if using old tough comb. If the comb is 

 comparatively new the inside plunger is sel- 

 dom necessary. Then press the cutter down 

 firmly, twist it slightly as dough is cut with 

 a cooky-cutter, and withdraw it from the 

 comb. Lower the cutter until it rests on 

 the shoulder inside the artificial cell-cup, 

 then press the plunger down gently but 

 firmly, and after it is turned a little it may 

 be withdrawn. 



Denver, Col. 



[Our Mr. Bain says he has often thought 

 he would like to make some such device as 

 this, and he is prepared to believe that it 

 will be a good thing. The illustration is 

 faulty in that it shows the transferred cell 

 attached to a bar rather than placed in an 

 artificial cell-cup. If a wooden cell were 

 made just the right shape it would hardly 

 seem that any artificial wax cell would be 

 necessary. — Ed.] 



COMMENTS ON RECENT DISCUSSIONS. 



BY J. S. PATTON. 



As the editor has asked the readers to give 

 their experience on several different ques- 

 tions I will try to throw a little light on 

 some of them as I view them from this 

 southern location. 



SHADE HAS NO EFFECT ON THE SWARM- 

 ING PROBLEM. 



Several years ago I built a bee shelter 

 running east and west on the south side of 

 a house, and I also located some hives on 

 the north side of the house. There was a 

 good deal of shade, and the sun shone only 

 on the hives that were on the south side of 

 the shelter. Most of my colonies are out in 

 the hot sun, and I see no difference in the 

 results. Colonies made as much honey and 

 swarmed as much in the shade as did those 

 in the sun. 



COTTON HONEY FINE. 



Cotton honey, when it is thoroughly 

 ripened, is about the color of good castor 

 oil, and has a fine flavor. However, we sel- 

 dom get much of it here, as the bitterweed 

 nearly always blooms at the same time. 



SEALED HONEY MAY NOT ALWAYS BE RIPE. 



My experience last year was exactly in 

 line with that described by Mr. Doolittle, 

 page 71, Feb. 1. The weather was very dry 

 during our first honey-flow, and the honey 

 was almost ready to extract when first 

 stored. Later, during the second flow we 

 had very wet weather, and the honey was 

 not fit even when it was all sealed. 



HONEY-DEW FROM PINES. 



Three or four years ago my bees gathered 

 honey-dew from the pines, which was like 

 that described by Dr. Gates, p. 91, Feb. 1. 

 The flavor was very good. I had never seen 

 such honey before, nor have I since, and I 

 have never known bees to be on the pines 

 at any other time. 



QUEEN-EXCLUDERS INDISPENSABLE. 



A good deal has been said for and against 

 the use of queen-excluders. We could not 

 produce extracted or bulk comb honey here 

 at all if we did not use them, for the queens 

 will fill every comb full of young brood ev- 

 ery chance they get. 



VARIATION IN QUEENS. 



After reading what F. Dundas Todd has 

 to say, p. 152, March 1, and also what Louis 

 H, Scholl says, p. 246, April 15, I will give 

 my experience. I have bought but two 

 tested queens, and they were almost com- 

 plete failures. Of the untested, one died 

 soon after she began to lay; about two-thirds 

 of them were fine layers. I can not see why 

 anybody should think that he can buy bet- 

 ter queens than he can rear at home. 



LITTLE HONEY FROM PEAS. 



Mr. Boyle Dillard, p. 235, April 1, wants 

 information in regard to pea honey. In 

 this locality bees work on peas to some ex- 

 tent, but I can not see that what they get 

 amounts to very much. Possibly it is be- 

 cause there are not enough peas raised close 

 to the apiary. 



GEESE KEPT IN THE APIARY TO KEEP THE 

 GRASS DOWN. 



Some have asked about a way to keep 

 grass out of a bee-yard. I have found that 

 the best thing to do is to keep geese; but it 

 will not do to allow goslings near the bees. 

 Hogs, too, are all right for this purpose. 



EARLY DRONES. 



On page 272, April 15, Mr. Stock refers to 

 drones which might have wintered over. 

 When I kept bees in box hives, so that 

 there was plenty of drone comb. I frequent- 

 ly saw drones in February or the fore part 

 of March; but I think it was because of the 

 great amount of drone comb in the hives. 



ITALIANS SWARM MORE THAN BLACKS. 



What Mr. W. C. Mollet says, p. 286, May 

 1, interested me very much, as did also the 

 article by Dr. Bonney, page 293, May 1, and 

 the discussion on the subject of "The Best 

 Bee," p. 296, May 1, by D. M. MacDonald. 

 When I began working with bees as a little 

 boy, in the 80's, I had the common black 

 bees; but in 1900 I began with the yellow 

 bees. In looking back over my experience 

 with both kinds, I find that the Italians 

 have earned the reputation that Mr. Mollett 

 gives them in regard to swarming. I had a 

 good many colonies of blacks that would 

 not swarm for three or four years, and there 

 was one black colony that did not swarm at 

 all, although I had it for seven or eight 

 years in a box hive. This swarming ques- 

 tion is becoming a serious one with me. 



