566 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



through the hole. In 24 hours the bees will 

 have eaten down and entered the cage through 

 the perforated zinc; in 34 hours more they will 

 have eaten all the candy out of the tunnel, al- 



lowing the queen to be liberated. This is the 

 best and only real automatic cage ever invent- 

 ed, in ray opinion. I. Ferguson. 

 Bellevue, Pa., June S. 



[Friend Ferguson has indeed introduced quite 

 a unique feature in his cage for introducing. 

 There have been cages devised heretofore, 

 making use of the candy and a piece of perfor- 

 ated zinc; but after the bees had eaten out to 

 the perforation they could get in to the queen, 

 it is true, but they could not liberate her; so it 

 was necessary for the apiarist himself to finish 

 the final operation, and release the queen. 

 Friend Ferguson has gone one step further, so 

 the bees can release the queen after a few of 

 them have had the opportunity for formal ac- 

 quaintance in the apartments of the queen.] 



HOW TO GET THE BEES OUT OF THE CORNER. 



Sometimes when I hive a swarm of bees they 

 get up in a corner, or stay in one end and build 

 out their cells all in one place, leaving the great- 

 er part of the hive empty. Would it !>■ advis- 

 able to reverse every other frame or every 

 frame, or hive them alone? 



Just now bees are in the swim; horsemint 

 in full bloom; every worker bee has a silver 

 spot on its back— a sure indication that it is 

 loaded with nectar from the mint. 



Mexia, Tex.. June 5. E. N. Swinburn. 



fWe would advise you to use full sheets of 

 foundation, and then reverse the frames from 

 end to end, as you suggest. For instance, if 

 the brood in several frames seems to be all at 

 one end. put every alternate frame, containing 

 brood, the other end to. This will spread the 

 brood.] 



TRANSFERRING BY HEDDON'S SHORT WAY ; 

 QUESTIONS ANSAVERED. 



In your footnote to G. M. Doolittle's article 

 on fastening combs in transfei-ring, you highly 

 recommend Mr. Heddon's method of transfer- 

 ring.. Now. please tell me. J. what, you do with 

 the young queen that the bees h^l't in the old 

 hive will have reared during the time the re- 

 maining brood is left to hatch. 



3. Will you get as much surplus from the 

 colony transferred as though you transferred 

 bees and brood at the same time, by using the 

 old combs, as Mr. Doolittle does'? 



3. As to the amount of surplus gathered, does 

 it make any difference what time in the season 

 they are drummed out? A Greenhorn. 



[1. The queen left in the old box hive, if one 

 should be reared may be captured at the last 

 drumming-out. If she is a better queen than 

 the old one, kill the old one, and introduce the 

 new one to the bees drummed out three weeks 

 previously. If she is no better than the old 

 queen, just let her run in with the rest of the 

 bees into the new hive, and the stronger queen 

 of the two will remain in possession. 



2. Yes, we think you would get just as much 

 honey. 



3. It would make some difference. It Is best 

 not to disturb the bees when they are in the 

 midst of a honey flow, more than is absolutely 

 necessary. It is preferable to transfer as early 

 in the spring as pos-ihie, whether by the Hed- 

 don or any other method.] 



ANOTHER correction IN SPELLING. 



Pleze tell Ellery Krum hee doant no howe too 

 spel worth schux. Thee eyedeea uv spelin 

 muncki. "'monkey!" Moast eni muncki noze 

 beter. Eye ges eye waant won ov them poker- 

 dot queans heze goin to raze. 



George Washington Billings. 



International Bridge, Can. 



REPORTS ENCOURAGING. 



Bees are doing finely here this year. 



James A. Diddle. 

 Winifred, W. Va., June 19. 



This is an "elegant" season for honey, with 

 us. Amos Evans. 



Cassville, Pa., June 19. 



R. Wilkin's boom. 

 I have 17 tons of choice honey, and 175 in- 

 crease from my 3.50 hives this season. 

 Newhall, Cal., June 16. R. Wilkin. 



My bees are booming, and bringing in the 

 nectar. Every thing points to a large honey- 

 yield. W. A. Hammond, M. D. 



Paris, N. Y., June 30. 



Bees are carrying honey rapidly for us. It 

 really seems like old times to go among the 

 hives now. We haven't had a good crop in 7 

 years. H. D. Bubrell. 



South Haven, Mich., June 19. 



We have the bi st crop of honey that we have 

 had for 10 years. Nearly every hive has 48 sec- 

 tions finished. Percy CoviNCiTON. 



Appleton, Md.. June 21. 



The bees are just rolling in the honey from 

 clover. Swarming is nearly over. I have sev- 

 eral colonies that are filling their third super. 



Flat Rock, Mich., June 24. D. I. Wagar. 



Our honey crop bids fair to be a good one 

 this year. Mr. L. A. Sawyer is taking care of 

 our bees this year. He has taken consir'erable 

 honey already. Mrs. Lucy C. Slease. 



Roswell. N. M.. June 27. 



Bees are booming; business is booming, and 

 bee-keepers are feeling tickled. It is an old- 

 fashioned honey season. I hear of a party that 

 has taken off 600 lbs. from a few colonies. Clo- 

 ver is yielding immensely. 



F. A. Salisbury. 



Syracuse, N. Y., June 27. 



