1895 



GLEANINGS IN'BEE CULTQRE. 



743 



coated metal. Honey, when in actual contact 

 with iron, is an excellent rust preventive, and 

 it is possible such tanks as you describe, and 

 not coated with wax inside, would do very 

 well.— Ed.] 



STAMPED NUMBER-TAGS FOR HIVES. 



To those who want a hive-number, and are 

 not afraid to pay for a good article, I will say 

 any stamp-works can furnish you brass checks, 

 li<( to 2 in. in diameter, ;V. thick, with number 

 stamped on, and a hole to put a screw through. 

 These will last 100 years, and then be good for 

 100 years more. Drive a brad in the front of 

 the hive to hang them on. I use them. Cost 

 is nominal. F. H. Richardson. 



LaClede, Mo., Sept. :}. 



queen. Forty-five days might be long enough 

 during the busy part of the summer; but I 

 should expect to find a few back fellows in the 

 hive all suuimer. If the queen be introduced 

 in the fall, you will likely find black bees in the 

 hive all through the following spring. As to 

 how to Italianize, we would refer you to first 

 column of page 33 of our catalog, third para- 

 graph; or, better, the A B C of Bee Culture. 



HANS MOURNS THE LOSS OF HIS BEES. 



W. J. C, Ofcla.— Bees will work on a ripe wa- 

 termelon that has been broken. During a scar- 

 city of honey they are quite apt to take any 

 broken fruit while the juice is running. They 

 would not gather enough in any case from a 

 watermelon to do any perceptible harm to the 

 winter stores. 



H. M. S., 0.— Years ago, as you may have no- 

 ticed in the ABC book, we lost quite heavily, 

 owing to the fact that the honey made from ci- 

 der killed the bees during the winter, a safer 

 way would be for you to extract all the cider 

 honey, and feed sugar syrup. The cider mix- 

 ture may be given them next spring, when it 

 will do no harm. 



/. B., Va. — If you have difficulty in finding 

 your queens, use queen entrance-guards, illus- 

 trated and described on page 11 of our catalog. 

 Attach one in front of the hive, and shake all 

 the bees down at the entrance. As the bees 

 pass in, watch for the queen. She will be bar- 

 red out by the zinc, and can be easily caught. 

 This plan is often used in finding black queens; 

 and if you have defective eyesight it is one that 

 you could probably use to good advantage. 



W. W., S. C— We usually advise bee-keepers 

 to stay where they are. Bees do pretty well in 

 almost any locality of the United States. Cal- 

 ifornia (at least the southern part of it) stands 

 at the head ; then comes Colorado, Arizona, 

 Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. But 

 certain portions of the States named are barren 

 of honey. If you have any particular locality 

 in view you had better write to some person at 

 the postoffice, and learn whether bees are kept; 

 and, if so, whether they pay. 



O. R., Ky.— It all depends upon the season of 

 the year as to how soon the black bees will dis- 

 appear after the introduction of an Italian 



I haf mucl) truble mit mine bees, 



Day haf die vinter most all freeze; 

 Dey gets all ofer f rose. 



From der het down to der toes; 

 Und I say, " Hans, 



Tou know yust liow der niuney goes, 

 Ven you py some more bees." 

 Oh my ! I veel so ■^ery sad ; 



Dis vinter use mine bees so bad. 

 I denk I take der rest 



To pet mit me 

 Und cuver dem yup mit der close 



To keeps dem from geding any more frose. 

 Mine vif e Beky says she yust knows 



Der bees no like to be shut up mit der close. 

 I denk, " Hans, you nose not 



Vot you bees apout. 

 Or you deach does bees 



Rite away to eat some krout," 

 Den, oh my I you shmell dot hunyes 



Yust forty miles away. 

 I yust vait und see 



Vat mine vif e Beky haf to say. 

 Mine wife Beky say I make someding out. 



Ve yust swheep dot room and clean It oud, 

 Und bring in does bees, 



Und dot b;irrel of krout, 

 Und does bees makes honeys 



All de vinter oud. 

 Dot vife Beky she bees so shmart 



I yust lofe her mit all mine hart. 

 Ven we bring does bees in, 



Von dakes mine vife on der chin. 

 I say, " You look aliddle out," 



Ven von sthii'ks her on der shnout. 

 She runs to dut banel of krout — 



Dot dakef dei- pain already oud; 

 I haf no dout does liddle bees 



Yust would like some limberger cheese. 

 I see all does big bee mons 



Gifes problems to make oud; 

 Und I yust gife dot problem 



Apout der bees und krout. 

 Dey can yust tole me 



If dot hunyes don't bee so vei'y fine 

 I denk I ot to uo dot, 



Ven I eats him all der time. 

 I denk if does bee mons 



Solf dot problem oud 

 Apout mine bees und krout, 



Dey will hafe to shaipen der prain, 

 Und shweep the cobwebs oud; 



But I bees so happy, 

 Und ven I dakes der hunyes oud 



I can yust shmell 

 It bees flavored up mit krout. 

 I feed mine bees limberger cheese und krout, 



I denk I peets all der bee mons 

 Geding der liunyes oud. 



Der bees none flafered so nice as mine, 

 I denk it bees so vfry tine. 



Ah. Hans, old poy, you bees slmiart; 

 Of does bee mons you gets der sthart; 



I yust lofes dot Iiunyes mit all my hart. 

 Vots der madder mit dot Rambler ? 



He says such f uny dings. 

 He no likes the vimens— 



Dey bees angles 

 Mit der liddle vings; 



I denk if he bees a noin, 

 Der liddle wings dey bees a groin'. 



Hans Vonderblinken. 



