GLEANiNGa IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



better than a wing or any soft fibrous sub- 

 stance. 



How muchi more extracted iioney can we get 

 from tlie bees than we can of comb honey V 

 Much depends on the season and management. 

 Butlthinliwe can get more than double— in 

 fact, I am sure thiat is the case; and then, it is 

 less work to handle the bees for extracted 

 honey; and when we get it, it is easier tai<en 

 care of. Just put it into a good barrel, and 

 then it is ready for market. We can keep it if 

 we don't sell right off: worms won't spoil it, 

 and it is a great deal safer to handle. I3ut, 

 how much more can we get? Let me tell you 

 what happened with us this year. When we 

 extract, from the first hive tliat is opened in 

 the morning, we take the combs and carry 

 them all into the extract! ng-tent and shut the 

 hive up without combs. Then we open up an- 

 other hive, take out the combs, take them to 

 the tent., then take the first set of combs, which 

 will be extracted by this time, and put them 

 into the second hive opened. We leave the 

 first hive empty until the close of the day's 

 work, then the first hive gets the last set of 

 combs. Well, it just happened that we used 

 up one set of combs more than we counted on 

 in making new colonies, and one hive was left 

 empty of combs. The bees were there. Now, 

 when we came again all the hives were tilled 

 with honey— that is, the combs were. The 

 yard averaged 2.5 lbs. of extracted honey to the 

 colony. That empty hive had to build combs 

 for their honey. They did not have 5 lbs of 

 combs, all told — honey, bees, and all making a 

 difference of five to one. It was as good a col- 

 ony as the average — I think better. How is 

 that, R. C. Aikin? 



TWO OR MOKE SWAKMS IN THE AIR AT A TIME. 



When two, three, or more swarms are out on 

 the wing, with no queens among them, they 

 are pretty sure to return to one of the hives 

 that has cast a swarm. The question is asked, 

 " What is best to be done to prevent them from 

 all going into one hive, or on to it, as they can 

 not all get in ?" We have had just such cases 

 happen with as many as six swarms at one 

 time. When they began to return, all hovered 

 over one hive and would all have gone there. 

 But when we thought the hive had its share 

 we drove the others away with smoke. Then 

 they soon pitched at another hive. We let as 

 many go in as we thought best, then drove 

 them away from there with smoke. We kept 

 smoking and driving until they were all settled, 

 and were pretty evenly divided. You want a 

 smoker and some one to use it at each hive, or 

 they will get the start of you. 



SMOKER FUEL. 



We have used planer-shavings, both pine 

 and hard-wood— old rotten wood, straw alone, 

 straw and tobacco-stems mixed; planer-shav- 

 ings and tobacco-stems mixed. I have tried 

 almost all things that have been recommended, 

 but have settled down to straw and tobacco- 

 stems mixed. The tobacco-stems that I use 

 are leaf-stems — the refuse from cigar manu- 

 factories. We can get all the stems we want 

 for nothing— in fact, we have hauled several 

 two-horse loads of them for manure. The 

 tobacco makes a strong smoke; the straw helps 

 to burn the tobacco. If you use the smoke 

 strong with tobacco, don't use smoke too freely. 

 Just a little«ivill make the bees scamper. 



NO USE FOR BEE-ESCAPES. 



When the bees are run for extracted honey, 

 can the escapes be used to advantage ? Some 

 say yes, some say no; and I say no. I have 

 never used them and don't want to when 

 working for extracted honey. Contrary ? No, 



I am not. There is no one more ready to take 

 to any useful improvements than I am when I 

 am convinced that the thing is useful. I have 

 had something to say on this subject before, 

 and one man who makes bee-escapes sent me 

 some samples for trial. They came during the 

 exti'acting season; but to use them I sfiould 

 have to make escape-boards, and I could not 

 afford the time during the busy season. They 

 may bean advantage wlien raising comb honey, 

 but I donbt it even then. I should like to work 

 against time with any man in taking off ten 

 supers of sections of comb honey, he to use 

 escapes and I use smoke. But it is only when 

 extracting honey that I thought to direct my 

 remarks. First, to use escapes we have to be 

 bothered with and have the expense of escape- 

 boards and escapes; then we must put those 

 escape-boards under the supers; bees have to be 

 smoked, super lifted, and board put under, 

 llow long will that take, and how many bees 

 will be killed in doing it? I should call itia 

 heavy job to lift those supers off and on again, 

 full of honey. Mine would weigh, super and 

 honey, 50 lbs., most of them more, after the 

 boards are on; then wait awliile for the bees to 

 get out. One man says, " Send a couple of 

 boys the day before the extracting is done, to 

 put on the escapes — that is, for an out-apiary." 

 That is pretty good. Two boys and a team one 

 day cost, say, $4.00. That is nothing, if you 

 tliink so; but I don't. When tlie extracting is 

 done, the escape- boards must be stored away 

 until the next time. All makes work, and 

 takes up valuable time. We have in mind the 

 L. frame when we are talking. Now, I will 

 tell what I can do without the bee-escapes. I 

 work my home yard in three-story L. hives. 

 When I was extracting I took my tools, cart, 

 and smoker. I would go to a hive, raise the 

 cover, pry up the honey-board, give the bees a 

 smoke, then scrape the burr-combs off the 

 honey- board, then loosen the combs in the 

 upper set, smoke the bees down again, then 

 take the combs right out, brush the few bees 

 off, put the combs into my carriers on the cart, 

 then take off the upper super, and then smoke 

 the bees down from the second story, and take 

 those combs out, the same as I did the third 

 story; put those into my carrying-boxes on the 

 cart, ready to go to the extractor, 18 frames in 

 all. I was particular to get every bee off. Now, 

 how long does it take to do that? Just five 

 minutes — that is all. I have done it by the 

 watch, time and time again, and can do it any 

 time. Once I got them out and on the cart in 

 just ■i}4 minutes; once it took me 6 minutes; 

 but some of the boys were talking to me about 

 some other matter, and bothered me. I have 

 timed myself on over 20 hives, and can do it in 

 .5 minutes. Now tell me if it can be done 

 quicker with escapes. I don't want to inter- 

 fere with any man's business in making and 

 selling escapes. That is not the object of this 

 article; but let the truth be told. 

 Platteville, Wis., Sept. 18. E. France. 



[Our very practical friend Mr. France seems 

 to describe exactly the Coggshall bee-brush, 

 the implement recommended by W. T. Cogg- 



U .-= 



shall, of West Groton. N. Y., a prominent ex- 

 tracted-honey man of that State. We have 



