64 



NOVICE S GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



ing sure that each colony had prolific 

 queens last fall. The stock lost in June 

 war, this way: Their queen failed in 



April or May, and 10 keep them up one 

 irom another weak colony was given them 

 that failed also. Hatching brood, of 

 course, would have saved them, hut it 

 would have been too much like dividing 



tocks under the circumstances, so we 

 gave them a queen cell and they held out 

 until not more than a dozen Italians were 

 left, and these few guarded their ample 



'. es of sealed syrup until none were 

 left but' the sentinels who stood guard at 

 thejr domicile until the last. May we 

 not learn from them a lesson oi perse- 

 verance ? 



No. 85.— Judging from present behavior, my 

 bees will only take advantage of basswood to 

 raise more brood, begin more queen cells, 

 and keep mc continually anxious and contin- 

 ually at work trying to circumvent them. If 

 between "plenty of pollen" and plenty of 

 brood there be the relation of cause and effect, 

 it is clear enough why they thus behave— for 

 all the season through (thus far) there has 

 been a js»j7frabundance of pollen stored. I 

 1 had a comb in one frame that as to contents 

 was literally nothing but pollen at one time. 

 I wonder if they don't make mistakes in this 

 direction sometimes ! I am sure my bees 

 will never use all the pollen they store. 



Lucy A. Wilkin, Farwell, Mich. 



We hope our friend ere this meets her 

 eye will have had ample proof that such 

 a thing as loo much brood is impossible, 

 i. e. if there be honey to gather, and we 

 have sometimes thought a powerful colo- 

 ny of Italians would almost store honey 

 when there was none. If a colony should 

 contain an unusual number of bees after 

 the season of surplus we should make 

 them raise queens and divide them in the 

 fall into two or even three stocks. We 

 should prefer that each stock contained 

 plenty of bees however. (See prepara- 

 tions for winter in next number.) 



No. 86.— I went to Kentucky three weeks 

 .-inee and brought home 85 hives of bees, I am 

 now in a few days going to risk shipping lliu 

 or more hives of bees to (lallup's neighbor- 

 hood for the fall pasture. AVill I lose the 

 whole thing ? The Gleaning's system" is my 

 hobby now. R. Wilkin, Cadiz, 0. 



May all manner of success attend friend 

 W., although we have great fears that his 

 project may end no better than ours did 

 several years ago, viz: We carried a doz- 

 en stocks and set them in a buckwheat 

 field where they made the air resound with 

 their busy hum, but while they came near 

 starvation, their companions at home 

 had gathered nearly enough for winter. 



No. 87.— I lost all of my bees last winter. 

 Now I know of a swarm in an old box hive 

 that I am going to get to-night and bring 

 homo. Shall I transfer them this late? I 

 think it will do, but my wife tries to discour- 

 ag2 mc. What says Novice? 



E. HUNTER. Manchester. Mich. 



July 3d, 18.73. 



Transferring can be dime at almost any 

 season, but a hot day in July and the hive 

 full of honey would be almost sure to re- 

 sult in a general sticky muss. Don't do 

 it unless your wife agrees, and further 

 more agrees to help. It is almost, wo- 



man's work', and if you and she both can 

 save all the comb containing brood, and 

 get them intoframes without breaking the 

 heavy combs of honey and having it run 

 all about we shall think you both quite 

 skillful. Save out the heaviest combs of 

 honey for yourself unless honey should 

 fail when you will be obliged to feed it 

 back. Please report your success. 



No. 88. — Your notion of making at least ten 

 stands contribute to the making of one new 

 one coincides exactly with my opinion. Hon- 

 ey and swarms don't go together. You prac- 

 tice on Bonaparte's rule— of having an over- 

 whelming force at the right time and place. 

 Yours, &c, J. B. TOWNLEY. 



Red Hill. Mo. 



Thank you Mr. T. for the illustration. 

 Could we have had "an overwhelming 

 force" June 1st. in all our hives, we 

 should have had more than only one ton 

 of honey from fiftj r -six colonies: however 

 should there be no fall pasturage, we feel 

 impatient to see if we cannot do better 

 through another winter. Twenty-rive col- 

 onies with extra queens and plenty of 

 pollen we feel sure would have done far 

 better than the fifty-six. 



No. 89. — Some time since I wrote you how 

 I thought handles or recesses were cut in 

 boards for the lingers, by the circular saw. I 

 have just seen the arrangement, which is a 

 saw about six inches in diameter with a wab- 

 bling motion ; this is got by slitting a one 

 inch pine wheel at an angle and placed inside 

 collars. R. H. DIXON. Canadaigua, N. Y. 



Thanks, friend D. We have never made 

 any such cuts in our hives, because we 

 have found them quite easy to handle by 

 taking hold under the lower edge, (we nev- 

 er carry the bottom boards with them.) 

 It has been said they would sting the fin- 

 gers, but such has not been our experi- 

 ence. 



— m — ♦- 

 Photo, of our Apiary (8x10 size) is now 

 ready to mail and will be sent on receipt 

 of 30c. Or to any subscriber sending us 

 one new name beside;, his own. Of course 

 same names cannot be counted twice. 



ADVE 1 FFlH 1 1 3 1 1 1 : N r J?S . 



Advertisements will be received at 10 cents 

 per line 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. 



HOXEY JARS.— One It., per gross, $5.75: 

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

 corks. 70 cents. Other styles furnished it 

 desired. Address 



NUNN BROS.. Oberlin, O. 



man: price for itai.iv> «ieee>s 



J after the 1st of August, will be for 

 Tested Queens, > n 



Warranted Queens, 2.00 



.1. SHAW & SON, Chatham Center. 

 I. E.DANIELS, Lodi, 



Medina Co., 0. 



VERY COKfVEBflEBJT Queen Cages for 

 shipping, introducing or hatching cells 

 on the "Nursery plan." Printed directions 

 pasted on each cage. Price 10 cts., or $1.00 

 per doz. By mail 2 cts. cajch. cxtra^ & ^ 



