730 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1. 



should like to see your antics if you had to roll 

 up in a blanket and sl(>ep in the shelter of some 

 friendly rock. Still, some very well-regulated 

 people find health and pleasure in so doing in 

 this country. 



That was an unfair proceeding on the part of 

 Bro. Schaeflfle, in relation to smiling Betsy. He 

 withheld a very important item. Those na- 

 tives have a superstition that, if they allow 

 their photos to be taken, they will not live 

 long. Poor smiling Betsy, after the camera 

 episode, went into decline, and died in about six 

 weeks. Vale Betsey. 



Cyprian bees are at a discount in this portion 

 of the State. Their vindictive nature and the 

 swarming impulse are undesirable qualities to 

 the majority of bee-keepers. Mr. D. A. Wheel- 

 er, of Riverside, having several hundred colo- 

 nies of this race, has resolved to requeen his 

 apiaries. Mr. F. A. Lockhart, of jLake George, 

 N. Y., is filling an order on this job for 300 

 queens, Italian and Carniolans. Cyprians must 

 go. 



I do not consider that Mclntyre- Holly test a 

 fair one: for a hive with loose frames, and 

 seven inches deep, can not be considered a Hed- 

 don principle at all ; and if Mr. Holley is satis- 

 fied with the test, I think an important portion 

 of his education in relation to the Heddon hive 

 was neglected. With a frame 5% deep, with 

 proper spaces, I have found a prolific queen 

 ready to occupy three chambers. But I will 

 say nothing further upon this vexed question. 

 I suppose, in spite of all I may say, these 

 friends will persist in sticking to their jumbo 

 barrel. 



A lawyer, reared in the backwoods, as the 

 story goes, began to rise in his profession, and 

 his increasing circle of friends found that he 

 used a common flour-barrel in which to store 

 his documents, letters, etc. If a document was 

 needed he would plunge his hand into the bar- 

 rel, and seldom failed to bring forth the right 

 paper. His well-meaning friends made him a 

 present of a new up-to-date secretary, with an 

 adequate supply of pigeon-holes. The docu- 

 ments were transferred from the barrel to the 

 new-fangled thing; but it was not adapted to 

 the man, and he soon returned to the use of the 

 barrel again. It strikes me that this is the 

 reason why Bro. B. Taylor failed with the di- 

 visible-brood-chamber hive. 



On page 642, under "market gardening." the 

 pit, or vault, under water-closets, is condemned, 

 and justly. But here is a point that I have 

 observed that is not mentioned. Many such 

 pits in some of our lively towns here in Cali- 

 fornia, and probably elsewhere, are subject to 

 being flushed with water during the irrigation 

 of land near by. A period of several weeks 

 elapses before more water is turned in, and be- 

 tween times the water becomes stagnant, and a 



breeding- place for millions of mosquitoes. 

 Then people go around wondering where all 

 the mosquitoes come from; put up screens, burn 

 buhach, and make a great fuss. It all comes 

 from that nasty pit; and if it must be used, the 

 throwing in of a little chloride of lime occa- 

 sionally would cure the mosquito nuisance if 

 not the stench. 



THE SIZE OF HIVES. 



THE RELATIVE ADVANTAGES OF LAKGE AND 

 SMALL SIZES DISCUSSED FUKTHER 



By Miss Emma Wilson. 



The hive question bothers me a great deal. I 

 am like the boy who wanted to eat his cake and 

 keep it too. I don't want to give up the eight- 

 frame hive, it is so nice to handle, and such a 

 comfort when hauling-time comes. And yet — 

 and yet— I fear it is not big enough. In fact, I 

 feel certain it is not, take it all the year round. 



And now comes in the point Dr. Miller and I 

 do not agree upon. I very much object to tier- 

 ing up. Lifting off and on upper stories is too 

 hard work. I very much prefer having all my 

 frames in one story. He rather favors holding 

 on to the eight-frame size, and giving extra sto- 

 ries when needed. I think that would be a good 

 plan too, as our queens go readily from one sto- 

 ry to the other, even if it were not for the great 

 amount of hard lifting that is involved in it. 

 Just think a minute about it. For every colo- 

 ny that is examined, that upper story has to be 

 lifted off and then lifted back again, and the 

 upper story is always the heavier one. After you 

 have lifted off' and on upper stories all day, you 

 begin to think there is not much enjoyment in 

 bee-keeping. 



Another point in favor of one story is. I think 

 I can find queens a little quicker with one story 

 than with two. With two stories she has a lit- 

 tle more chance to get out of your way. 



Then the matter of wintei'ing comes in for 

 consideration. With the eight-frame hive there 

 is always a little uncertainty as to whether 

 they will have stores enough or not. In fact, 

 you may feel pretty certain that most of the 

 strong colonies will need feeding either fall or 

 spring. With a larger hive there will be chance 

 for extra frames of honey, to be used if needed, 

 and I do believe that bees do just a little better 

 in spring if they have an abundance of stores. 



I feel very sure that we've had more swarm- 

 ing with the eight-frame hive than we used to 

 have with the ten-frame hive. I don't know 

 whether the smaller hive is entirely to blame 

 for it or not. I don't have as much faith that 

 plenty of room will prevent swarming as I used 

 to have. It may help, but a good many of our 

 colonies have made preparations for swarming 

 with sixteen frames, and certainly no queen 

 ought to feel badly crowded with that number. 



If all our bees were kept at home, and we had 



