GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



713 



do not see how such a thing could happen 

 unless the hole in the hive did not match the 

 hole in the non-svvarmer. 



Sealed covers are not a failure, but we want 

 plenty of bottom ventilation, and enough pack- 

 ing on the sealed cover to keep it warm. Then 

 we shall not be troubled with dampness or 

 mold. Egbert R. Magoon. 



Malone, N. Y., Aug. 22. 



DRONE-CEr,I,S vs. QUEEN-CUPS; FURTHER EX- 

 PERIENCE SHOWS THEM TO BE A COM- 

 PLETE SUCCESS, SAYS J. D. 

 FOOSHE. 



I mail you three cup queens by to-day's mail. 

 These queens are as tine as I can raise in the 

 swarming season. I hav(; no doubt now about 

 the drone comb for cups. I had about 200 wax 

 cups on hand when I found it out, but have 

 never used one of them since. The bees never 

 tear them down in upper stories as they some- 

 times do the wax cells. I was troubled a good 

 deal with that with the wax cups. Bees will 

 build cells or larvit in any kind of cells, when 

 they are in proper condition— that is, queenless 

 and broodless, whether there is jelly or not; 

 but the jelly facilitates the transferring of the 

 larva so ranch that I would not dispense with 

 it; and then the bottoms of the cells are so thin 

 the larva on the end of the instrument used 

 will not come off without a little pressure, 

 which is liable to puncture a hole in the bot- 

 toms of the cells; but with thi- jelly it takes 

 off the larva. I am elated with this plan, as it 

 does away with making cups, which took a 

 good deal of wax. J. D. Fooshe. 



Coronaca, S. C, Aug. 25. 



[A full description of the drone-comb plan 

 referred to by Mr. Fooshe is given on page 63.5 

 of our Aug. 15th number. It strikes us that 

 our correspondent has contributed something 

 exceedingly valuable and practicable; and 

 were our own queen-rearing operations not at 

 the close we would try it in preference to any 

 other method that has been produced.] 



SERIOUS RESULTS FROM A SINGLE BEE-STING. 



The following, clipped from the Express, of 

 Monticello, la., under date of Aug. 11, gives 

 another example of the occasional serious ef- 

 fects resulting from a single bee-sting. Why 

 do we publish it? Simply because we wish to 

 give the bad as well as the good— indeed, the 

 whole truth. 



Miss Jeaiiette Himebaiifih, a young- lady, the 

 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. L. Himebaugh, who 

 lives four uiiles south of Monticello, was nearly 

 killed by tlie sting- of a bee last week. Within five 

 minutes after being- stung she was in spasms, and 

 there was little hope of saving her life. Slie was in 

 the yard when stung, and started dli-ectly for the 

 house, with the exclamation that she had been 

 stung by a bee, and that she felt its effects through 

 her entire body. Before she had walked three rods 

 she needed the assistance of her mother, who 

 laid her upon a sofa, and, to ttie liorror of the mem- 

 bers of the family present, slie was attacked by 

 spasms 111 a few minutes. These were so violent 

 that it was not supposed she could live until a pliy- 

 siclan could be summoned. Her uncle, however, 

 started to Monticelk) for a doctoi-. and in less than 

 an hour from the time of the stinging. Dr. Mirick 

 was at the side of the unfortunate girl. Ten mln- 

 nutes before his arrival. Miss Hiniebaugh revived 

 sufWclently to whisper the request that her arms 

 be put about her father's neck, but she immediately 

 relapsed into an unconscious condition, and the 

 doctor found it was impossible to force any medicine 

 or stimuliint into her mouth. Antidotes and ri^me- 

 dies were administered by means of hj'podermic 

 injections into the arm. Slie was wholly insensible 

 to the pain thus produced; but aftei- a time the 

 medicine thus in.iected into the blood took effect, 

 and the jaws rela.xed siillicieiitly to allow the ad- 

 ministration of brandy. After three hours of work. 



Dr. Mirick brought the patient out of danger. Slie 

 was aljed for se^eral d;iys. Mr. Hlmebaugh. in 

 speaking of the niatter, says that the poison acted 

 much llKC a i';itt lesnake bite, and that tlie treatment 

 was nui(-h the same as pursued in such cases. Miss 

 Hlmebaugh was stung directly over the eye, but 

 not until after her return to consciousness was the 

 locality known. Her hands and feet commenced to 

 swell Immediately, but the wound did notcommence 

 swelling until a day or two later. fe: C d_ 



We are assured by a subscriber that the facts 

 are correctly stated. This does not prove that 

 the bee-business is a dangerous one, any more 

 than it would argue, on a similar line, that 

 horses and railway trains are dangerous because 

 of the occasional deaths which they occasion. 

 It simply goes to show that there are some peo- 

 ple in rare instances who are affected very 

 seriously. 



Following the above is an item which we 

 clip from the last issue of the American Bee 

 Jounuil: 



The daughter of Mr. J. B. Frith, Secretary of the 

 Oxford Bee-keeiiers' Association, living at Prince- 

 ton, Ont., died suddenl.v after having received a bee- 

 sting on the temple. 



Reports Discouraging. 



My bees have not made any thing for four 

 years ; and the prospect is, they won't get 

 enough to winter on, as it is so dry the Spanish 

 needle is almost all dead, and that is our only 

 source here. Luke Snow. 



Lamar, Mo., Aug. 11. 



This has been a very poor season for bees 

 here. I have not used a section that I got of 

 you. I had 45 stands in the spring, and at 

 present I have 70 and little honey. Bees will 

 starve in the spring if there is no feeding done. 



Deshler, O., Aug. 28. Thos. Oberlitner. 



I had 50 colonies, spring count, and they have 

 not stored one pound of surplus up to date, and 

 at present there is very little honey in the 

 brood-chambers, and I had but one natural 

 swarm. If they get no honey from fall flowers 

 I shall have to feed sugar syrup. 



Brookfield. Mo., Aug. 17. J. D. Blood. 



Bees did very poorly this season in this part 

 of the country. They scarcely made a living 

 after July 1st. The drouth was partly the 

 cause. It was the poorest season in four years. 

 I went into winter quarters with 48. and lost all 

 but 3 in my old reliable chaff hives. 



Portage Creek, Pa., Aug 29. R. R. Wells. 



The honey crop in Northeastern New York is 

 poor— not any better than last year: the same 

 in Vermont, so far as I can learn. There were 

 lots of clover-blossoms, but the dry weather cut 

 the crop short, and basswood did not amount to 

 much. Others are giving such good reports 

 through (Ile.\ning.s I suppose commission 

 merchants will take advantage of it and start 

 the sale of honey low. E. L. Westcott. 



Addi.^on .1 unction, N. Y.. Aug. 21. 



I see In Gleanings reports of some wonderful 

 crops of honey in nearly all the Middle and 

 Western States, but can find nothing from the 

 South. The crop has been a complete failure 

 in this immediate neighborhood, and I should 

 like to know how it is in other parts of the 

 Southern States. I got about 1.50 lbs. of honey 

 from .50 colonies. The very few other bee- 

 keepers in the county have fared about as well. 



Americus, (ia. D. P. Holt. 



[The season has been poor throughout almost 

 the entire South.] 



