ISOO 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



? 



easy enough to talk about having only one or two 

 square inches of drone comb in a hive, but quite 

 another thing to keep the drone comb down to this; 

 for almost every year holes get in some of the 

 combs by way of mice, moldy pollen, etc., which 

 the bees fill with drone comb when they ' patch up.' 

 How is this to be avoided ? " 



To remedy this matter, my usual plans have 

 been, either to fill these holes with old worker 

 comb or with foundation, using the comb where 

 wires were not used in the frames, and foundation 

 where the frames were wired. The best time to do 

 this is when fruit-trees are in bloom ; for at this 

 season there is little honey in the hive, hence all 

 patches of drone comb are readily discovered. Take 

 all but the desired combs, which have drone-cells in 

 them, out of the hive, and substitute perfect work- 

 er combs for them. Now take these combs to the 

 shop, and, after cutting out the drone-cells, flt a 

 piece of worker comb into the hole made by re- 

 moving the drones ; or if the comb has a hole in it, 

 fill it with worker comb, thus getting the start of 

 the bees. To best do this, I have several sizes of 

 old fruit-cans, without either top or bottom, one 

 end of which has its edge filed sharp, so that it will 

 easily cut a hole through the combs by twirling a 

 little while pressing down. By using the one which 

 will just take out the drone-cells, a good job is 

 done; while by using the same to cut out the 

 "patch "of worker comb, the same will fit inex- 

 actly. These worker " patches " are always taken 

 out of Imperfect combs, which materially lessens 

 the number to be patched. For wired frames, cut 

 away the cells around one side of the hole, so that 

 the septum will be laid bare about the edge of it, 

 and press a piece of foundation on this bared edge, 

 having the foundation so warm that it will adhere 

 to the comb while doing it. 



Now, this is the best way I used to know, and the 

 only way, where the apiarist is short of combs; but 

 there is a point about it which I do not like. All 

 around the edges of this "patch" there will be 

 cells of all shapes and sizes, which the bees pur- 

 suade themselves into thinking are for drones, 

 whenever any are large enough to rear drones in, 

 so that we often have as many drones reared 

 around a large " patch " as would be reared in one 

 square inch of drone comb. To remedy this has 

 caused me some study. When I came to have a 

 surplus of combs, so I did not need all I had in 

 early spring, I thought out the following, which 

 has proved as near a success as any thing that I 

 know of. All the imperfect combs were taken 

 from the bees as before; but instead of being 

 " patched " they were hung away in a dry airy place 

 till the bees became strong enough so I could form 

 nuclei. Now, all nuclei or very weak colonies de- 

 sire only worKcr-bees, so they will build cells of 

 that size only as nearly as may be, they being al- 

 ways willing to build comb whenever there are 

 bees enough, and honey coming in from the fields, 

 or they are fed. After cutting out the drone comb, 

 or thinning the combs as I desired, they were set 

 into nuclei to be patched; and, let me tell you, the 

 patches thus put on were very pleasing to my eyes, 

 and I have here told my readers how it is done, so 

 they can share the pleasure with me, next season, 

 they having plenty of time to prepare for the same. 

 Borodino, N. F., Dec. 19. G. M. Doolittle. 



Friend D., I agree with you exactly, and I 

 want to thank you for one or two ideas that, 



so far as I know, have never before been 

 brought out. One is, that a colony having a 

 large number of drones need not be expected 

 to furnish any surplus, even thougli the sea- 

 son be extra good. Anotlier is, managing, 

 by decapitation every 23 days, so that not 

 even a/ei/; drones shall take wing from the 

 hives which we prefer shall not rear any fly- 

 ing drones at all. The third idea is, turning 

 combs over to nuclei, that contain patches of 

 drone comb, and letting the worker-bees of 

 said nuclei do the patching. Since you men- 

 tion it, I feel quite certain they would put 

 in only worker comb, but I never thought of 

 it before. 



SKUNKS AND BEES. 



THE HABITS OF THE FORMER; NOT AN ENEMY OF 

 THE BEE-KEEPER AND THE FARMER. 



What do I know about skunks? I have had a 

 great deal of experience with these animals. I 

 have caught hundreds of them in traps. Before 

 their skins became valuable for furs 1 got rid of 

 them the best way that I could. The main thing, of 

 course, is to get the life out of them without mak- 

 ing a smell. When I was trapping up on the front- 

 iers of Iowa, 30 and 40 years ago, there was no sale 

 for the skins; then I used to take them out of the 

 traps alive and let them go. Sometimes they would 

 come back and get caught the second and third time; 

 then I would shoot them. But few know how to 

 shoot a skunk and not get a smudge. If you shoot 

 his head off, there will be trouble, as their wea- 

 pons are still in good order, and will be used. If 

 you want to shoot the skunk when it is in a trap, 

 stand by the side of it, and about 10 or 1.5 feet away, 

 with a good load in your shotgun. Then shoot him 

 through thf^ small of the back. The object is to kill 

 the hind end of the animal first. By cutting through 

 the back you paralyze all the back parts, and there 

 will be no trouble. I have tried poisoning them 

 when they were in my traps. Put strychnine in a 

 bit of lard, or in a small piece of meat, and place it 

 on the end of a pole 10 feet long. Poke it out to the 

 skunk slowly. He will accept it and eat it right 

 down, and in a few minutes will be dead. But very 

 nearly all that I killed that way made the charac- 

 teristic bad odor. I never saw one die from strych- 

 nine but that I felt sorry for the poor thing, as it 

 appeared to sufi'er so much. 



Skunks are easily trapped; then if you don't want 

 to save the skins, shoot them through the back. 

 But if you want to save the fur, get the skunk into 

 water deep enough to drown him. If the water is 

 not over half a mile away you can lead him there if 

 you don't hurry too much. I have done it a great 

 many times. There is no trouble in handling a 

 skunk if you do not fight him. I can always make 

 friends with him, and then take him where I 

 please. 



When we get a skunk in a steel trap, unless some- 

 thing has been there to frighten him, or fight, when 

 we get there there is no bad smell. After he has 

 gotten into the trap, as there has been no one there 

 to plague him, he has spent all his energies in try- 

 ing to get away, and has very likely got the trap- 

 chain wound around every thing within reach, and 

 the poor thing can hardly move. Now, we want to 

 get the chain free. We can not go right up to it at 

 first. The skunk is watching, and is afraid that it 



