254 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 1. 



last use. Very little honey is eaten except as It 

 is combined in different cakes, gingerbread, 

 etc., and syrups are also unknown, as are buck- 

 wheat cakes, warm biscuit, etc. 



Stimulative feeding is practiced in the spring 

 quite early, with a view to getting early and 

 frequent swarms. The honey (Stampfhonig) 

 used for this pui'pose contains much pollen, and 

 is, therefore, better than cane sugar as a stimu- 

 lus to brood-rearing. The number of stocks is 

 usually trebled or quadrupled by August, and 

 all are" taken to the buckwheat Kelds of Central 

 and South Carniola, where strong ones are gen- 

 erally able to acquire a weight of (iO or 70 

 pounds — bees, combs, honey, and pollen. But 

 those sulphured, probably do not yield, on the 

 average, more than n third of this, as all very 

 light after-swarms are included in the con- 

 demned lots, since, of course, such would not 

 winter. But after-swarms weighing (combs, 

 bees, and honey) twelve to fifteen pounds, are 

 frequently wintered. But those heaviest in the 

 fall are. other things being equal (age and qual- 

 ity of queens, character of combs, populousness. 

 etc.). the ones that, hy all odds, winter best. 



Naturally, where such a system of bee-keep- 

 ing is followed, the extractor and sections being 

 known to very few, and the popular idea being 

 that honey could be harvested only in the fall 

 after buckwheat had done blossoming, it was 

 an astonishing thing for some one to show a 

 quantity of light-colored honey from locust- 

 trees, fnun chestnut, or even the amber-colored 

 honey from horse-chestnut and from pine-trees, 

 all gathered and harvested before July. And 

 the absence of the buckwheat flavor was con- 

 sidered remarkable, as honey without that was 

 unknown, so to say. Nor was it clear why " my 

 bees made honey " that was fre^^ from the rank 

 flavor of pollen and much other material even 

 less appetizing, which their crushed-comb prod- 

 uct always hnd. Fkank Benton, 

 Apiarist U. S. Dept. Agriculture. 



HINTS TO BEGINNEKS. 

 HOW TO start; how to winter; comb honey, 



ETC. 



Dear Cousin Will:— I am glad to learn that 

 you are to have some bees. I think five colo- 

 nies just about the right number to start with, 

 as it will pay you to buy an extractor and some 

 other conveniences for that number. Don't be 

 in a hurry to move them home. Wait till it is 

 warm enough so they can fly next day after 

 moving. When it is warm enough so the bees 

 work on the maple will be a good time. In the 

 mean time you should get a good hand-book on 

 bees, and post up. Root's A B C is the best 

 thing for beginners that I know of. After you 

 have read it through, don't lay it up and forget 

 you have it. It should be your daily adviser. 

 In my first season with five colonies my ABC 

 book was consulted every day — yes. many times 

 a day; and, as a result, I got fli^O for my crop, 

 besides increasing the five to thirteen, all of 

 which wintered well. 



As it is only three or four miles, you can drive 

 over with your spring wagon, toward night, 

 when the bees are all in. Tack a strip of wire 

 cloth over the entrance, and tie on the cover 

 and bottom securely with taired twine. Now 

 drive up with your wagon, and, having previ- 

 ously found out which way the frames run in 

 the hives, load them so the frames will be cross- 

 wise of the wagon; then the jerks will be end- 

 wise instead of sidewise. The jerks sidewise 

 in a wagon are worse than endwise. 



On arriving home you should place them 

 where they are to stand. Make a separate 



stand for each hive. An inverted box six inches 

 deep and two or three inches longer than the 

 hive, will do. Don't put them too near the 

 driveway, nor in the calf-lot nor hen-park; and 

 don't put them away out of sight behind some 

 building, or back in the orchard. 



A little shade is a good thing, but it should 

 not be too dense. Have them in plain sight of 

 the house, especially the kitchen and sitting- 

 room windows. 



To give them cheap protection from the sud- 

 den changes of temperatui'e this spring. I 

 would group them close together like the ac- 

 companying sketch; you can then make an 



WINTER CASE FOR FIVE COLONIES. 



outer rim of rough boards, two or three inches 

 larger all around than thegioup. and pack with 

 dry sawdust all around and in all crevices be- 

 tween the hives. A sort of mattress can be 

 made of burlap stuffed witii a mixture of saw- 

 dust and excelsior or straw. This will do to 

 cover the tops of the hives, and you can make 

 a good roof of shoe-boxes, which you can buy 

 cheap. 



When it is' settled warm weather, along the 

 last of May, this outside arrangement is to be 

 taken ott' and the hives spread about a foot and 

 a half apart. 



But to return to the present. You want to 

 order your supplies and implements right oft'. 



In addition to your hand-book, already men- 

 tioned, you want, first, a good smoker. Jiing- 

 ham's is the best and most dtn-able, but Root's 

 can be had for less money, and is good for the 

 price. Then get two yards of cotton tulle and 

 make two veils. You will find directions in 

 your book. Then get ten one-siory hives, with 

 wired frames and wood-zinc queen-excluders. 

 You want 50 extra wired frames for yoiH- old 

 hives, to use in the upper stories, or. if they 

 will not fit, you must get 5 more hives. Now 

 you want light brood foundation — ^enough to 

 fill all these frames full, perhaps 15 lbs. You 

 also want a wire-imbedder to fasten it in with. 



Now, there are many implements for sale; 

 but I will just mention those I think most use- 

 ful. These are, first, a honey-extractor, and I 

 recommend the new Cowan; also a wax-ex- 

 tractor. The cheap 35-cent one might do if you 

 want to economize; and half a dozen each of 

 West's cell -protectors and cages. Then you 

 will want a comb-bucket. Tin is the best, but 

 you can make one of wood, if well made with 

 dripping-pan in the bottom. 



To hold your honey. I know of nothing cheap- 

 er than large open tin cans. Mine hold 300 lbs. 

 of honey, and nest like sap-pails. They cost 

 me $>1.35 apiece. One of these does nicely for 

 an uncapping-can. I liave a large sieve made 

 to just fit the top. The sides are tin, and the 

 bottom is wire cloth, 4 meshes to the inch. A 

 wooden rack is made to go across the top to hold 

 the comb while uncapping. This lets the hon- 

 ey drain into the can below, while the cappings 

 remain in the sieve. 



You will want a knife with a slim blade, for 



