1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTQRE 



667 



Yes, here is another one containing some 

 suggestions as to the sliape and size of cards. 

 They are all good, and we will try to keep them 

 in mind when preparing cards for another year. 

 Before going ahead we want to know exactly 

 what would be the best and most suitable tag 

 for this purpose, whether of tin or manilla. — 

 Ed.] 



I see from last issue of Gleanings you pro- 

 pose to issue number cards for numbering hives. 

 I have long been in need of such cards to more 

 successfully prosecute my work in my apiary. 

 I am pleased with your proposition to furnish 

 a suitable card. There may be two forms of 

 cards needed — one to be firmly attached to 

 the hive, and the other movable. The fig- 

 ures should be at least one inch in height, on a 

 ground with enough contrast to be easily seen 

 several steps distant. I would suggest the 

 hanging moving card to be 2K inches square, 

 printed with one-inch figures, to hang by one 

 corner as per sample, of such colors for card 

 and figures as you think b-^.st. The stationery 

 card is to be same size, and printed with one- 

 inch figures, etc., as per sample, to be tacked to 

 the hives at corners. Of course, the movable 

 card can be used also for a permanent card by 

 tacking at the corners of the hives, doing away 

 with the extra card, making one card do for 

 both purposes. J. W. Winder. 



New Orleans, La., July 22. 



Br G./^.DOOLITTLE.BORODINO.N.Y. 



'•'•" llil!l»HIIIIIUIllM!HIIIIIIIH mini II III 



UNITING BEES. 



Question.— As the season of 1895 has been 

 rather unpropitious for the bees in this section, 

 where only white honey is the source of the 

 supply, I find that my colonies have not the 

 necessary number of bees for winter, nor a 

 sufficient amount of stores; hence I ask what I 

 had better do under such circumstances. 



Answer. — In all localities where there is a7iy 

 promise of fall flowers yielding honey, the better 

 plan is to wait with the hopes that they may 

 give the bees a chance to build up as to bees 

 and honey; but where there is no prospect of 

 any such yield, as in many localities with which 

 I am acquainted, the sooner the bees are at- 

 tended to the better. If the colonies were 

 strong in bees, the question might arise whether 

 it would not pay to buy sugar and feed them, 

 so as to have a greater number next spring; 

 but where colonies are both light in bees and in 

 stores there is only one correct solution of the 

 problem, which is to unite the bees till all are 

 strong; and then if stores are still lacking they 

 may be fed. If we are to unite our bees, the 

 next question which will arise is, how best to 

 do it. There have been many plans given for 



doing this, some of which are too laborious to 

 be tolerated, such as moving colonies little by 

 little each day till they are brought together, 

 carrying them to the cellar for a few days, etc., 

 the advocates of these plans claiming that, by 

 their use. none of the bees will return to their 

 former location; yet I find that the more simple 

 plans do just as well where a little precaution 

 is taken by way of removing all signs of the 

 former home from the old stand. The two 

 plans which I use, and those which have al- 

 ways worked well with me so far are as fol- 

 lows: 



Having decided that certain colonies are to be 

 united, the first thing to know is, which of 

 the two or three, as the case may be, has the 

 most valuable queen. Having ascertained 

 this, I hunt out the poorest one and kill her, 

 then leave them from two to six or eight days, 

 according to the weather and pressure of busi- 

 ness. When they are to be united I take the 

 hive or hives, from which the queen has been 

 killed, to the stand of the one they are to be unit- 

 ed with. I now select from each hive the frames 

 having the most honey in them, to the number 

 I wish to winter them on, and set them in one 

 of the hives, alternating them as they are set 

 in the hive. In moving the bees they are first 

 smoked thoroughly from the entrance, when 

 they are jarred by placing the hives on a 

 wheelbarrow in no gentle manner, and wheel- 

 ing them rapidly to the place they are to stand, 

 first having confined the bees to the hive, and 

 doing the whole on some dark cloudy day when 

 the bees are not flying, which causes them to 

 remain on their combs much better in handling 

 them than would be the case were they not 

 thus disturbed, so that, in the process of unit- 

 ing, very few bees take wing in comparison to 

 what otherwise would, and these few are so 

 bewildered that they immediately go with the 

 others into the new hive, or united colony, as 

 the fanning of wings and hum of the bees calls 

 them, saying, " A new home is found." Having 

 the hive full of combs containing the most 

 honey, I next shake the bees, which are on the 

 remaining frames of combs, off at the entrance, 

 taking one frame from one colony, and the 

 next from another, and so on, so as to mix the 

 bees up as much as possible. When all the 

 bees are inside of the hive, the work of uniting 

 is done. Remove the hives, bottom-boards and 

 all, from the stands occupied by any of the 

 united colonies previous to this, and no loss of 

 bees will occur. What few bees go back to the 

 old stands upon their first flight after this, re- 

 turn after finding their old hives gone; also the 

 mixlng-up and jarring process spoken of above 

 causes them to mark their location anew, the 

 same as does a new swarm, or when the bees 

 take their first flight in the spring. 



The other plan I use, mostly later in the sea- 

 son, and with smaller colonies, taking the 



