603 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 







[LE Fred was releasing 

 .nmself from his fixed posi- 

 tion at the door he at the 

 'same time took in the condi- 

 tion of the occupants of the 

 room. Mr. Buell was sitting 

 in an easy-chair, with a ban- 

 dage over his left eye; and 

 as Fred caught a snifE of 

 hartshorn, and began to sneeze, Mrs. Buell 

 said in an excited manner, "Just see. Fred 

 Anderson, what those pesicy bees you left here 

 yesterday have been doing. Mr. Buell is stung 

 so dangerously that his eye is swelled shut- 

 shut, Mr. Anderson. Poor Alfaretta is also 

 stung on the head, and has gone to bed weep- 

 ing. And Fido. the dear little thing, I fear is 

 dead under the barn— dead, Mr. Anderson; two 

 hen-coops demolished, the chickens killed, and 

 the corral near the barn ruined, Mr. Anderson, 

 ruined." 



Fred was amazed at so much damage being 

 done by one colony of bees: and while he was 

 trying to collect his wits, and say something, 

 Mr. Buell laughed kjndly, and said. "There, 

 there, dear wife don't get so excited. Fred will 

 think those bees were equal to a cyclone." 



"Cyclone!" said Mrs. Buell; "why, Clarence, 

 they were worse—" 



"You see, Fred," said Mr. Buell, interrupting 

 his wife, "it all happened after this manner: 

 Early in the morning I picketed old Jake on a 

 corner of the alfalfa-field. While we were eat- 

 ing breakfast he slipped his rope, and, like all 

 mules, started out upon an exploring-tonr. I 

 had just reclined in the hammock when I saw 

 him approach the bee-hive. I have no doubt 

 his mule sense led him to believe that he had 

 found the box in which I keep the barley. I 

 hastened toward him and shouted, but it was 

 too late. With a comical leer at me and an 

 expressive twisting of his ears, as much as to 

 say, 'I am managing this barley- box,' he gave 

 his no*e a gyratory movement on the cover, 

 and it went off with a thud. His nose then 

 went gyrating among the frames; but, let me 

 tell you, it was as quickly withdrawn, and with 

 a snort and a squeal he whirled around and 

 kicked that hive clear over the hedge. The 

 pieces went flying through the air as though 

 there had been an explosion." 

 " Cyclone," said Mrs. Buell. 

 "The vvliole force of bees were now getting 

 in their work," said Mr. Buell, not noticing his 



wife's interruption, "and old Jake kept kick- 

 ing, braying, and retreating down the lane. 

 The chicken-coops, and even the corral fence 

 had to go behind his heels; and the last I saw 

 of him was upon the edge of the tule swamp. 

 After Jake disappeared, the bees commenced 

 operations upon every living thing on the 

 premises; and without further comment you 

 see what the effect has been upon me." 



"Well, I declare!" said Fred, with much 

 feeling; "in all of my experience with bees I 

 never heard of one colony causing so much 

 damage. Indeed, I am sorry I left them here. 

 It is too bad, anyway;" and Fred showed real 

 anxiety. 



" Now, see here. Fred," said Mr. Buell, as he 

 arose and walked the room," "I do not wish 

 you to take any of the blame. I wanted the 

 bees: and. though we have had a rough begin- 

 ning with them, I shall not give up trying to 

 manage them. If you can not save any thing 

 out of that hive. I want another; and I tell 

 you, Fred, I am going to stick to the bees until 

 I kuovv how to conquer and manage them." 



Fred arose, and with animation said, "Allow 

 me to congratulate you, Mr. Buell, upon your 

 determination. I will give you all of tlie aid I 

 possibly can." 



"Clarence, are you really beside yourself?" 

 said Mrs. Buell, in a vexed, complaining voice; 

 " must Alfaretta and I be shut in the house all 

 s«ummer just by a few bees, cruel bees, mean 

 bees? I tell you. Mr. Buell. I shall not submit 

 to it;" and Mrs. Buell fell to sobbing hyster- 

 ically. 



While Mr. Buell proceeded, in the kindest of 

 words, to allay the fears of his wife, Fred 

 hastened out of the house, with the remark 

 that he would try to set things to rights. " I 

 declare," said he. in an undertone to himself, 

 as ho went into the shed to get some sacking 

 with which to make a smudge, " I really believe 

 Mrs. Buell is troubled with what Matt Hogan 

 terms ' mintal aberration.' " 



Fred found only the extracting-super kicked 

 off, and that was surely ruined. There was but 

 a small amount of bees or honey in the super, 

 and the colony proper, or the brood- chamber, 

 was not injured. With the smudge in hand, 

 the cover was replaced and the colony soon 

 regained its normal condition. 



The chicken-coops were next righted and 

 repaired; and the chickens, instead of being all 

 killed, were coming from their hiding in the 



