1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



517 



the compliment Bro. Doolittle pays to my style of 

 writing; but the fact is, that, in so many things, as 

 in the present case, I am so ignorant of just where 

 the truth lies, that I dare not be very positive. I 

 sometimes say, " There are a few things 1 know all 

 about, but bee-keeping isn't one of them." But 

 about that distance. I wish we could have a series 

 of very full tests of what bees themselves would do 

 under different spacings. I don't think I believe in 

 following nature quite as much as Bro. Doolittle— 

 we kill off most of our roosters, and cut out drone 

 comb— still, when there is no special reason on the 

 other side, nature is a pretty safe guide, and na- 

 ture and Doolittle together make a strong team. I 

 never thought of the cappings in measuring, and 

 who but Doolittle would have thought of measur- 

 ing them as he did? The question the hardest to be 

 decided is, how much space is needed between 

 combs to allow bees enough to get up the re- 

 quisite heat in the spring? As suggested, the 

 changing-about of frames makes more room neces- 

 sary than if each comb always remained in the 

 same place. But, say: With the Keeiiey method 

 of wiring, or, perhaps better, with Hatch's plan of 

 leaving out one diagonal, we can have the septum 

 of the comb exactly in the middle of each frame; 

 and then if spaced at fixed distances each comb 

 will exactly fit wherever it is put, except where 

 bulged with honey. That l,'^ of nature is hard to 

 get over. But doesn't nature make allowance for 

 corrugated combs and for drone comb? I just 

 measured a piece of new drone brood sealed, and it 

 was 1% in thickness. I didn't suppose it was so 

 thick. Is it all so thick? For such comb l'/4 would 

 seem close spacing. 



What has now been brought out by Doolittle's ar- 

 ticle leaves the matter in somewhat clearer lisrht, 

 and we have these data : Sealed comb is at least 

 one inch thick, and workers stand i% high on it. 

 Allowing the workers to stand back to back makes 

 two layers of bees ?i, making If necessary if spac- 

 ing is exact and the bees just touch. But spacing 

 is not exact, and the bees should not be allowed to 

 rub the feathers off their backs, so it seems a little 

 more than l-'g is needed. Nature has IK, so no more 

 than 154 is needed; and as that allows corrugations 

 and drone comb, neither of which we want, we can 

 get along with a little less. Now, Bros. Doolittle 

 and Root, you have made the matter clear enough 

 so that for the present I'm going to settle down on 

 l/o till somebody comes along and knocks me off 

 from it. I'm rather sorry for it, because all my 

 plans are made for 1^. All the same, I thank you 

 for the light you have given. 



After I had written the above I read it over at 

 the breakfast-table, when my assistant said, in a 

 rather vehement manner, "I don't care, I'm with 

 Ernest; If is all right, nature or no nature. Look 

 at the nice frames of brood we have with 1?8 spac- 

 ing, filled clear to the top-bar, instead of having a 

 big margin of honey all around." And then she 

 took a big bite of bread to emphasize her position. 

 I tried to make a compromise something after this 

 fashion: " Ves, I think there is something in that, 

 and our present spacing makes it much easier to 

 get out the dummy. I don't suppose it makes 

 much difference in hot weather whether the spac- 

 ing is too wide or too close, so for convenience in 

 handling we'll let the frames remain as they are; 

 but when it comes to the last spacing of the season 

 we'll put the dummy close to the side of the hive or 



take it out altogether, and leave l/c through the 

 winter and spring." 



GETTING BEES STARTED IN SECTIONS. 



In reply to your question, friend Root, on page 

 493,1 may have had bees "that cram the brood- 

 nest and leave the 63ctions untouched," but I have 

 not observed it. If you ever again find such a colo- 

 ny, try it with a good bait section; and if they 

 leave it untouched, please report it. I think the 

 very best bait is a section partly filled, taken bees 

 and all from a hive where the bees are at work in 

 the super. That idea I got from you, but ordinari- 

 ly the empty comb answers every purpose. 



BEES FILLING OLD SECriONS. 



By the way, I've watched pretty closely about the 

 bees finishing these baits; and although up to July 

 3d no sections are entirely finished, the sealing is in 

 all cases more advanced on the baits; and if I ever 

 find a case in which the empty foundation is finish- 

 ed before the bait, I promise to report it. You can 

 now go to super after super, and find sealing com- 

 menced on the bait, but on no other section. 



Marengo, 111., July 3. C. C. Miller. 



Very likely, friend M., you liave no trou- 

 ble with bees that won't work in sections, 

 so long as you make it your invariable cus- 

 tom to use the baits ; and right here is a 

 pretty good hint for some of the rest of us. 



THE DIAMOND RATTLESNAKE. 



PROF. COOK IS HAPPY IN THE POSSESSION OF A 

 LOT OF POISONOUS RATTLESNAKES. 



Dear Friend i?oot:— I wish I could invite all the 

 readers of Gleanings into my laboratory and 

 show them our beautiful rattlesnake. It comes 

 from Mr. S. A. Preston, Burnet, Texas; and consid- 

 ering its long journey it is very agile and sprightly. 

 It is very handsome. The colors are a rich brown, 

 and the light diamond-shaped spots on the back 

 are very beautiful. He brought his rattle-box all 

 the way from Texas with him, but refuses to shake 

 it either for his own or others' amusement (?). Per- 

 haps he mourns for the (?) he left behind him, and 

 so he has no heart for amusement. His appetite 

 also seems to be wanting, for he refuses to eat 

 even frogs, with the delicate hind legs that are so 

 coveted by epicures. Possibly he will break his 

 fast after a night's rest. 



And just now a telephone dispatch says I have 

 another rattlesnake at the express office, from 

 W. H. Rempfer, Swales, Pa. I shall have him in the 

 cage with the other very soon. We shall be glad to 

 learn how the rattlers of Texas and Pennsylvania 

 take to each other. Heigh-ho : Another reader of 

 Gleanings from Louisiana sends a third rattle- 

 snake. I shall put them all in the box together, 

 and will report later to the readers of Gleanings 

 how they behave. I can give a very interesting pa- 

 per on these terrible reptiles, which I will do for your 

 readers as soon as 1 have had a chance to become 

 better acquainted with these new arrivals. Now 

 for a good large live copperhead and moccasin. 

 Who will send them? I want the finest cage of poi- 

 sonous snakes in America. Thanks to Gleanings 

 and its readers for the prospect. 



THE HELLGKAMMITE. 



Mr. C. F. Thomas wishes me to report on a large 

 lace-wing which he has sent to me. The lowest or- 

 der of insects is the neuroptera, or lace -wings. 



