210 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



and they will make such a bungle of it they 

 will complain of an overstocked honey-market. 



I believe it is second nature for the most of 

 us to do as little labor as possible, and get good 

 returns for the same; but in this case it seems 

 to me we must please.our customers whether we 

 are just suited or not. 



New London, O. 



[For further suggestions on this subject see 

 Editorials.— Ed.] 



MISCHIEF IN THE APIARY. 



THIEVES AND OUT-YAEDS; WOULD IT BE AN 

 ADVANTAGE TO HAVE AN OUT YARD? 



By Dr. C. C. Miller. 



On page 903, last year, is a condition of affairs 

 which rouses my sympathy, as a somewhat 

 similar experience has more than once roused 

 my indignation to such a pitch that I'm afraid 

 it wasn't always "righteous indignation." I 

 suspect, Ernest, that the experience reported on 

 page 903 is perhaps the first you have had in 

 that line. I've had a number of experiences, 

 and practically can give you the experience of 

 four different men, for I've had experience in 

 four different neighborhoods, and experience 

 that I suppose would have been just the same 

 if the four apiaries had belonged to four differ- 

 ent men. 



The first feeling on finding that thieves or 

 marauders have been at work is that the case 

 is a very desperate one, and that desperate 

 measures must be taken; for, having once com- 

 menced work, the villains will promptly repeat 

 it, and perhaps keep repeating till nothing is 

 left of the apiary. That's the thought; but as 

 the years go by you find it doesn't turn out that 

 way, and you learn to feel that only once in 

 about so often will there be any trouble, and 

 you may as well take it philosophically and 

 hold your temper. 



In the Belden apiary a hive was taken, super 

 and all, and the river near by used as a bee- 

 escape to get the bees out. The trouble was 

 not repeated, and that's the only time in the 

 three or four years that bees were kept there 

 that they were ever disturbed. 



During the ten or more years that bees have 

 been kept in the Hastings apiary there has been 

 trouble only once. A super was taken off— I 

 think it was in day time, when the folks were 

 away. The sections were taken out by means 

 of breaking them, but they were nearly empty. 

 As that was several years ago, with no repeti- 

 tion since, making the average loss per annum 

 in that apiary less than ten cents. I don't think 

 it would be wise to think about a house-apiary 

 there — at least, unless for some other reason 

 than security from thieves. 



The Wilson apiary has not got off so clear. 

 At three different times thieves have been 

 there, making a total loss of two colonies and a 



super full of honey. That's the work of fifteen 

 years. 



The home apiary counts the largest number 

 of raids, perhaps six or eight during its 35 years' 

 history. As nearly as I can remember, the loss 

 has been two full colonies, and at the other 

 times the loss has been trifling. At two or three 

 times a comb or two has been taken from the 

 brood-nest, and at other times the venture 

 seems to have been a failure, the bees apparent- 

 ly entering some earnest protests. One fall a 

 hive was covered with a horse-blanket, asd 

 apparently started on a journey; but the jour- 

 ney was a short one, as I found the hive, still 

 covered, about six feet away from its place. 

 The blanket has never been called for. 



Perhaps I might have been saved all this if 

 the bees had been kept in a house-apiary; but 

 is it absolutely certain that a house-apiary 

 would never be broken into? Even if it were 

 entirely thief-proof, it's a good deal cheaper to 

 stand the losses I've had than the greater ex- 

 pense of buildings. Judging the future by the 

 past, I may as well expect some trouble now 

 and then, count it as one of the regular con- 

 comitants of the business, and not do any wor- 

 rying over it, any more than a farmer need 

 worry over a drouth or a flood. My assistant 

 is not entirely of the same mind, grieving much 

 over any loss, and often trying to make me 

 believe that a hive has been taken, until I 

 show her by the record-book that there was no 

 hive on that spot to be taken. If I used little 

 slates on hives instead of keeping a record- 

 book she'd make life a burden for me, as she'd 

 find a vacancy where a hive had been taken, at 

 each visit to the apiary. 



Except in one case I've never taken any steps 

 to bring the guilty parties to justice. I tJkiink I 

 know some of them, and possibly the time may 

 come when I may have proof clear enough to 

 follow up; but at present they're worrying 

 over it more than I. The single case in which 

 I did act was the case of two boys, perhaps 12 

 or 14 years old. About the middle of the day, 

 when we were all at home, they started to 

 carry off a hive between them. On being seen 

 they made a very rapid flight. I went to their 

 mother, and in presence of the older -r- the 

 younger hid when he saw me coming— I tried 

 to make her see that her sons were not starting 

 on a promising career. I'm not entirely cer- 

 tain how fully she was convinced, but I think 

 the boys never came back. The boy persisted 

 in asserting his innocence, in spite of having 

 been seen in the act, but promised he would 

 never do so again. 



SWEET CLOVER. 



E. F. T. writes: " How deep do you plow 

 sweet-clover seed in? Would it grow on sandy 

 soil ? In what month do you generally sow it? " 

 C Without paying any attention to the order 

 of answering, I may say that I don't generally 



