1890 



GLEANINGS IN UEE CULTTRE. 



715 



for a wct'k oi- more licfoic tlw old one was de- 

 posed. This I know to he fact, for I have seen 

 both at the same time, sometimes hotli on the 

 same eomb at woi'k laying, not seemiiifi to care 

 for one another. " .\irnni: F. Hitow.x. 



Huiitinston. Fhi.. Ang. S. 



IX) \VIN(JS OF fl.UM'p;!) QUKENS KVKH (iP.OW 

 Ot'T A(!.VIN? 



An old ac(iuaintance who has kept bees for 

 years is nnder the impression that (|ueens" wings 

 that have been clipped will grow out again, and 

 beccmn' lu-rfect: and I have Ix'en puzzled more 

 than once to find queens with perfect wings 

 where I was sure I had clip|)ed them. ()n 

 s<'arching the combs 1 faili-d to iind the cells 

 where young queens were hatched. I am sat- 

 isfied, from consid(M-able expeiience. that, when 

 th(^ qu(>en"s wings ai'e clipped (init<' close to the 

 body, they dou"t grow out again: but when the 

 ti|)s onlv are cut otf. I'm not sui'e about it. Can 

 you clear the matter up? AKfii. Dfxc.VN. 



Wyoming. Out.. Sept. 11. 



Friend D.. we think you are mistaken: nev- 

 ertheless, it may be well to watch carefully and 

 see wlietlier queens with the ends of their wings 

 clipi)ed. or. say. with the thin gauze-like part 

 cut otf. ev»n- do liave it grow again. I have 

 clipped queens" wings in almost all sorts of 

 ways, and 1 never noticed any change after- 

 ward. 



stC'CKSsKri, WITH doolitti.e's plan of ukah- 



ING QTKKNS. 



I have been very successful in queen-rearing 

 the past season witli Doolittle"s plan, with the 

 exception of one batch of :50 cells, which doubt- 

 less got chilled. The bees have commenced to 

 drive out the greatly abused drones. My bees 

 are in the best possible condition— plenty of 

 st(»res, and gathering sufficient honey for brood- 

 rearing. 



BEE-KSC.^l'KS A SUCCESS. 



The wire cone bee-escai)e has worked nic(>ly 

 excepting where the bees were (piite young. 

 Such bees are seldom in a huriy to leave theii- 

 loating-place. 



THE THICK OK HEAVV TOI'-l!AK FKAMKS 



have the i)reference in my ai)iaiy — no brace- 

 combs nor sagging to contend with. 



Reineisville. ()., Aug. :.'".'. .1. A. (!oi,I)KX. 



I'OIJ.EX ox THE HACKS OF KKES. 



Inclosed Iind s('\('i'al l)eeSA\ith yellow spots on 

 theii' baclvs between theii' wings. This apjiears 

 to be a sort of scab, or hard substance. Several 

 of my coloni(^s show these spots moic or less. 

 The bees ai)i)ear as lively as any in the colony. 

 Is this a diseas(>. or what is it'.' If a disease, 

 what will cure it? I saw some cori'esijondeuce 

 a while ago in (ri.EAXixcis inquii'iug w hether 

 bees lose their stings when they sting each 

 oth(>r. I saw a case of this kind a few days ago. 

 An Italian was trying to g<'t into a nucleus of 

 black bees. One of tlie blacks clinched him. 

 and they went spinning around, top fasiiion. and 

 soon they were trying to pull ajiart. The Ital- 

 ian had stung the black' bee in the abdomen: 

 and in getting ai)art. the Italian lost his sting. 

 leaving it in the black bee. SrnscmHEU. 



West Troy. X. V.. Se|)t. i». 



Surmising that the yellow spots, or lum|)s, 

 might be i)ollen. we forwarded the lettei' to 

 I'rof. Cook. \\ho re|)lies: 



The spots on the backs of the ix^es in (|uestioii 

 are simply masses of ])ollen. I have often seen 

 just such curious plastfMS. At this season oui' 



bees are often plastered up w ith the w bite uol- 

 len of tliPi snap-dragon. The yellow pollen 

 gi'ains on these bees ai'e spherical. 1 do not 

 know what the kind of pollen is. It does no 

 harm to the bees. They will be cleaned u|) aftei" 

 nightfall, and the jioUen sa:V(Hl for bee-br<'a(l. 

 Agricultural College, Mich. A. .1. Cook. 



KLACK WKEVII, IX THE WHEAT. AXI) MOW lO 

 DESIHOV: SI'!X(il,ESS KEES. Krc. 



What is th(> b(>st w ay to keep the black weevils 

 out of wheat? We ai'e pestered very much with 

 them. Is tliere anv prev<'ntive for it ? 



I will t(>ll you how the S3.(M) (pieen I bought of 

 you the first of August. ISS'i. has done. 1 have 

 iiad three swarms and two extra (pieens from 1 

 lb. of bees and (lueen in a little over one year. 

 How dtx'S that do for a beginner? I haven't 

 taken any honey this yeai'. as there hasn't been 

 anv thing foi' bees to work' on hei'e sincc^ the first, 

 of April. It is all the liees could do to find 

 enough to live on. I love to read (JLEAXixcis. 

 and am always anxious to have it come. Tell 

 us more about those stingless bees you spoke of. 



11. N. .loHNSTO.X. 



.Mooresville. N. C.. Aug. 30. 



Thanks for your kind words. The stingless 

 bees hav<' all "petered out.'" The cold nights, 

 or something else due to this climate, does not 

 seem to agree with them. In regard to the 

 weevils, we forwaided the item to Pi'of. Cook, 

 who re])lies: 



Th(^ only way I know of to keej) weevil out 

 of wheat "is tVi put the wheat in tight, vrnj 

 tight, boxes. This is quite imi)i-acticable. and so 

 we must b(^ able to kill them when they are 

 onci> in. Ky the nse of bi-sulphide of carbon, as 

 described in my late Uulletin. this can be 

 cheaply and effectively, and. with due caution, 

 safelvdone. This can be got at wholesali' of 

 Kdwaid Taylor. Cleveland. C). As this w ill not 

 injui-e anything about the mill, and will kill 

 all insects^ it is the s|)ecific. .\. .1. Cook. 



Agricultural College. ^Mich. 



FKOF.VNITV AMONG KAII.ROAI) MEN. 



You seem to think railn.ad men are more 

 given to profane language than any other class 

 of people. I do not think so. Very few of the 

 railroad nu'n with w hom 1 conu' in contact (and 

 1 have been one for fifte<'u years) use pro- 

 fane language. I never swore an oath in my 

 life, and have a bi-other in the I'ailroad businc^ss 

 who does not swcai'. Neither is a professing 

 Chi-istian. or. at least, we belong to no church. 1 

 think I would report any railroad nuiii should 

 I hear him use as ))i-ofane language as I have 

 heard doctors, law yers. aiul drummers use. It 

 is something very disagreeable to nu". thei'efore 

 I notice it pi-oliably moi-e than most jx'ople 

 wduld. Whv do von address that icipiest to 

 railroad men? W. II. IttTi.Ki;. 



Clifford. Ind., Sept. i:i. 



Friend H.. 1 am very glad indeed to get your 

 i-e|)ort. I addressed my request to railroad men, 

 because in our Stale, and. in fact, almost every- 

 w here else w here I have ti-aveled. there was 

 mon^ swearing among the laili'oadei's than 

 among any other class: perhaps I should say. 

 I'ather, among the men who luindle freight, the 

 men who construct our railways, and tlu' cheai)- 

 er help emi)loye(l all along the line. Perhaps it 

 is more true that men are more given to sweai'- 

 ing w ho do heavy work that does not nHjuire 

 \ery much skill, and conse((uently does not af- 

 f(;j(l very much pay. .\ud w bile I am w riting. 



