636 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 



Or will neither of these questions bring out the 

 truth ? But however accounted for, the dis- 

 similarity has long made and still continues to 

 make Itself very noticeable. Notice the tone 

 of those old bee-books W. P. R. has been re- 

 viewing to our edification. If you are acquaint- 

 ed with books on live stock, you can not fail to 

 he struck by the difference of the authors" style 

 and spirit. 



I am aware that the entire quota of the good- 

 ness rightfully belonging to the manipulators 

 of the royal family is not equal to 'he sum of 

 human goodness (1 am not a bee-keeper my- 

 self): but take note of the uniformly good char- 

 acter of the apiarist — big, little, and indifferent 

 — of the bee-editor: of bee-men and bee-women 

 generally: contrast it with that of the members 

 of other rural or mechanical professions, and 

 account for it if you can. Jessp: W. Newell. 



Farmersville, 111., July 10. 



NON-SWARMING ATTACHMENTS. 



E. KF.ETCHMER EXPLAINS THE CAUSE OF THE 

 REPORTED FAILURES. 



Friend Root:—l have just read some of the 

 difficulties encountered by several parties with 

 the Langdon non-swarming attachment, which 

 so nearly eorrespond with the troubles I en- 

 countered while using a similar arrangement 

 in 1891. and which, we think, we have here in 

 our apiary entirely overcome. 



One of the causes of swarming is in attaching 

 it too late after the bees have the swarming 

 fever. We now overcome this by making the 

 first change back after three days'. Another is, 

 insufficient ventilation. At first we gave addi- 

 tional ventilation by setting the bee-controller 

 ^s inch from the hive; later we constructed 

 ventilators through the controller, but we soon 

 found the chief cause of swarming arose from 

 insufficient ventilation of the supers, and evap- 

 oration of the honey in the uncapped cells. 

 When but one super is placed on the hive, the 

 vapor is removed by fanning it out at the en- 

 trance, with considerable loss of labor: but 

 think how much greater the labor must be 

 when four or five supers are placed on one hive, 

 with no increase in the size of the entrance, 

 while the amount of vapor to be removed is 

 not only fourfold in quantity, but the distance 

 from the upper super to the entrance is also 

 greater: all of it must be forced in an opposite 

 direction, which, by the action of heat and at- 

 mosphere, rises instead of falling. The bees, 

 iiuiible to stand the almost suffocating vapor, 

 desert the hive. It is not what I understand 

 the word "swarming" means, as, under the 

 circumstances above described, no queen-cells 

 are started until after the queen has left the 

 hive. I obviated this trouble by raising the 

 roof and placing a ten-penny wire nail under 

 each corner, which raises it enough for ventila- 

 tion, yet admits no bees. To show my assistant 

 what quantity of vapor does escape through 

 this creviee I placed some ice in a glass globe 

 with closed cover, and, after it became cool, I 

 held its smooth sides near the opening under 

 the roof, and I must confess it even surprised 

 me to see what a large quantity of moisture 

 condensed against the cool glass', just near the 

 opening under the roof. When this condensing- 

 glass was placed near the entrance of a colony, 

 about equally strong, with the same number of 

 supers and no upward ventilation, the amount 

 of moisture condensed against the glass from 

 the entrance was not one-fourth as much. 



I am, therefore, of the opinion that, as soon 

 as these special manipulations are more thor- 



oughly understood, we shall have fewer reports- 

 of failures. E. Kretchmer. 



Red Oak, Iowa, July 25. 



Heads of Grain 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 



THE CHEAP PAPER ESCAPE. 



The cheap paper bee-escape, described in 

 Gleanings, Jan. 1, 1893. I find will not work 

 when there is a lot of drones and very young 

 bees in the supers. I am sorry for not dis- 

 covering this fact sooner, especially since so 

 many agricultural papers have copied the 

 article. But you see I had very little early 

 honey the past two seasons, and therefore none 

 to take off until late, when every thing favored 

 the escape, such as cool nights, etc. But I am 

 glad to give you and the readers of Gleanings 

 apian that will clear supers of bees so quick 

 that' the average bee-keeper can afford (for the 

 fun of it) to stand and watch them pop out and 

 make a bee-line for home. The plan is, to place 

 the supers to be cleared of bees on a bottom- 

 board, with the entrance against that of the 

 hive (cover up securely against robbers). Now 

 for the escape: Stretch a light curtain across 

 the entrance in such a manner that it will 

 swing outward only. Probably the easiest way 

 to accomplish this is to allow half an inch or so 

 of the curtain to trail outward, or lie flat on the 

 aliffhting-board. 



To make this escape (those who have loose 

 bottom-boards handy), nothing is required but 

 a two-inch strip of very thin muslin, as long as 

 the entrance, and a stick, or a stiff wire that 

 will reach across for a roller. 



Will the editor please take a few minutes' 

 time and make one? Fasten it in front of the 

 exit of a super filled with bees: place it up 

 against, either in front or side of the entrance 

 of the hive. You will have lo wait only a few 

 minutes when you will see a sight that will 

 remind you of a lot of little pigs in a garden 

 with a dog after them, and only one place to- 

 get out. John Handel. 



Savanna, 111., July 39. 



CLEATED hive -covers, ETC. 



Friend Root: — Gleanings came to hand the 

 10th. In regard to the honey-crop in this 

 vicinity I will say that it is very spott^^d. Some 

 apiaries will make nearly half a crop, while 

 others seem to be just making a live of it. I 

 don't think the average will be a quarter unless 

 things take a very favorable turn, which is 

 hardly possible at 1:his stage of the game. My 

 own bees will probably make half a crop. 



In regard to the cleats on the hive-covers, I 

 think the present way of making them is much 

 better than the diagram published in Glean- 

 ings for July 1st. If the cleat is nailed solid — 

 that is, in more than one place on each cleat, 

 the board will not be left free, as at present, to- 

 expand and contract with the changes in the 

 weather; consequently the board will crack 

 and split. I make my covers and cleats out of 

 redwood, and have no trouble from splitting. 

 I fasten the cleats to the covers with one screw 

 in each end, which is the usual way, I think. 



In regard to the size of sections, p. .528. if Mr. 

 John Kersteiner, and a few others, will only 

 just keep quiet for a while, the whole swarm, 

 'from bee-man to buyer, will settle on the 414'x 

 IX section: then we can hive the whole lot, 

 and every thing will be lovely. Bro. Kersteiner 

 is very mathematical— too much so for my 

 bees. If a section 12x12x4.5 cm. will hold just a 



