48 



''novice's" gleanings in bee culture. 



PROBLEMS. 



MO. 12. Can bees raise brood without 

 pollen if all other requisites be sup- 

 plied, viz: Honey or sugar syrup, sum- 

 mer temperature, eggs, etc ? Our recent 

 experiments seem to indicate they cannot; 

 ibr instance, we placed several weak col- 

 onies in our bee house during the late 

 cold storms and warmed it with a stove to 

 the proper temperature. Eggs were laid 

 in abundance, but none of them were 

 hatched into larvae until a warm day oc- 

 curred, enablingthem to gather natural 

 pollen, this was quickly gone and unseal- 

 ed brood was found ; there came more 

 bad weather and when the pollen was 

 gone we had the same thing over again. 

 'Even strong colonies destitute of pollen, 

 during the bad weather, had only eggs and 

 sealed brood, although fresh eggs were 

 found daily, none seemed to hatch until 

 pollen was secured. 



No. 13. "Novice" has so far "gone wild" 

 on pollen that he insists on our offering a 

 reward of $5.00 to the bee keeper who will 

 give us a substitute at an expense of not 

 exceeding 5c. per lb., that bees will use 

 from an empty comb during bad weather 

 and thus cause brood to be reared when 

 desired. He reasons that one pound of 

 pollen would produce more brood than ten 

 lbs. of honey or syrup fed daily in small 

 quantities, and the latter is certainly la- 

 borious compared with giving them a like 

 quantity all at once. 



We have tried the unbolted meal that 

 they work on freely when they can fly out, 

 but have never been able to induce them 

 to use anything of the kind in the hive; 

 but "Novice says, a comb of old pollen 

 even will insure a comb of unsealed lar- 

 vae immediately, and so his "last hobby" 



is PURE SUGAR SYRUP FOR WINTER DIET, and 



then in March or April, or whenever brood 

 is deemed desirable, combs filled with 

 pollen are only to be inserted to secure 

 brood rearing up to any limit short of the 

 number of eggs the queen can furnish, 

 and observation shows that very few in- 

 deed of the eggs laid are allowed to hatch 

 during the months mentioned. We do 

 not think much brood rearing desirable 

 before March, and cannot find it any pos- 

 itive advantage to have much brood rear- 

 ed very late in the fall. Who will get the 

 15.00 ? 



ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS. 



FROBLEM 9. We have had two pie- 

 ces of comb from Mr. McGaw, neither 

 of which produced any larvae, owing to 

 the frosty weather during the time they 

 were on the way we suppose. Mr. McG. 

 writes May 19th, thus: 



YourJ comb goes by way of Chicago, 

 and it is several degrees colder there than 

 here. In June, if you want a virgin 

 queen, let me know and I will send you 

 one, I mean free. I sell them at one dol- 



lar each, and guarantee safe arrival. 



In answer to Problem No. 10, I use a 

 hinge constructed as follows: Take four 

 common screw picture rings with :{ inch 

 screw and about \ inch ring; screw two 

 into the upper edge of the hinge at proper 

 distance apart, and two into lower edge 

 of corner, so they will set close inside the 

 lower rings and the rings opposite. Pass 

 a l'ound strait hard wood stick through 

 the rings and you have a hinge that costs 

 but a trifle and can be taken apart in a 

 second. Will this do until you find some- 

 thing better? Yours, &c, 



Scientific. 



Thanks friend Scientific, your device is 

 very cheap, (rings can be purchased for 

 40c. per gross,) and we think will an- 

 swer every purpose. We would suggest 

 smaller rings and a galvanized wire put 

 through with the ends bent enough to keep 

 them in place. These would be less in 

 the way and we think will prove all that 

 could be desired. One-eighth inch rings 

 would do, and we shall think it a favor if 

 any one can find a sample of such in the 

 market and lowest wholesale rates. 

 • » » 



Our bees will persist in rearing hosts ol 

 drones. It is true "Novice" slices their 

 heads off; ("P. G." refuses, as she says, 

 . "'tain't in her department,") but is it nut 

 a great waste to get up drones for decapi- 

 tation? We can, with considerable trouble, 

 get comb enough all worker for a few 

 hives, but the best will have some drone 

 comb intermixed. Can we not have arti- 

 ficial Comb all worker? Will not some 

 one put them in the market? 



ADVERTISE3IENTS. 



Advertisements will be received at 10 cents 

 per lino each insertion, cash in advance: 

 and we require that every Advertiser satisfies 

 us of his responsibility and intention to do 

 all that he agrees, and that his goods are 

 really worth the price asked for them. 



PURE ITALIAN QVEEN BEES.— Send 

 for circular and price list. Address J. 

 SHAW & SON, Chatham Center, or I. E. 

 DANIELS. Medina Co., O. 



HONEY JARS.— One lb. per gross, $5.75; 

 corks, 60 cts. Two lbs. per gross, $8.75 ; 

 corks, TO cts. One-quart Fruit Jars with Tin 

 Caps, per gross, $9.50. Other styles furnished 

 if desired. Address 



Nl'NN BROS.. Oberlin, O. 



W 



ANTED — 300 hives of bees to be used 

 as nurses in rearing Italian Queens. 

 Address. R. WILKIN. 



Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio. 



TTALIAN BEES.— We offer for sale about 

 X 200 colonies of Italian Bees in the Ameri- 

 can Movable-Comb Hive. Also Queens 

 throughout the season. Purity and safe ar- 

 rival guaranteed. For further particulars, 

 prices, &c, send for circular- 



BALDWIN BROS.. 

 2-'J Sandusky, N. Y. 



