" NOVICE'S " GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



87 



PROBLEM >♦». 15 \KHSIV CIDER 

 MILLS. 



L 'HEN our bees were removed to the 

 swamp, the Quinby hive, the one 

 containing our choicest queen, and four 

 weak stocks, were left at home, and to 

 keep these from the cider mill a quantity 

 of dry sugar was spread out in the sun 

 for them. 



They very soon commenced on it lively, 

 and finally, on the second clay, became so 

 vehement about it that we feared they 

 would get to robbing each other; bul on 

 the third day were delighted to observe 

 that they were working almost as peacea- 

 bly as they did in the spring on their ra- 

 tions of rye and oatmeal, apparently hav- 

 ing decided that it was common plunder, 

 enough for all, and that there was no need 

 of quarrelling over it. 



After this there was no trouble, and 

 when our whole fifty-seven were again 

 safely on their own stands (Novice hardly 

 slept nights during the whole week they 

 were gone, and the "awful stillness" of 

 the deserted apiary during the day decid- 

 ed him to turn Problem 17 over to those 

 who have not so strong an attachment for 

 home and its surroundings,) it was with 

 some trepidation that a half barrel of su- 

 gar was temptingly spread out with a view 

 of satisfying the hosts of winged thieves, 

 whose passion for sweets had seemed sa- 

 tiable with nothing short of a whole eider 

 mill. And right here comes a note to 

 show that we have at least otic friend far 

 away who sympathzies with us fully : 



Ontario, Canada 



Mr. Novice: — You know what it is to 

 wait for the "ambrosial" receipt, and yet 

 you don't mind keeping your readers in 

 suspense about "bees are working quietly 

 on a half barrel of sugar. " 



Enquires. 



Thank you, 'Enquirer." You give us 

 courage to enter into details without fear 

 that the subject may interest others less 

 than it did us. Well, as in the first exper- 

 iment) we soon had a "hubbub." The 

 bees that found the plunder first, coming 

 home laden, put their companions in a 

 frenzy, and in their eager haste took wing 

 before they received directions (if they 

 ever do, which we are inclined to doubt.) 

 and all the premises were visited — bee 

 house, kitchen, cistern, pump —all the 

 hives in turn, until we began to almost 

 wish we bad not tried such an experi- 

 ment ; but finally most of them settled 

 down at the right spot, and labored "with 

 a will," us Mrs. Tupper has it, at the dry 

 sugar, as reported just as we were going 

 (o press last month. Very soon it was ev- 

 ident, from the number around the pump, 

 that water was in demand, and Novice 

 soon took up the idea that with water in 

 abundance they would fill up for winter 

 their own selves. Brilliant idea,! Tea- 

 kettles finally superseded. A wateringpot 



was procured, and the sugar dampened, 

 until where hundreds of bees had been 

 working before, we had thousands, and th* 

 voyaging around the neighborhood in 

 quest of the mine of sweets by bees which 

 hadn't found it, became alarming. Clus- 

 ters of bees were seen tumbling over 

 each other on the sidewalks, several 

 squares distant, and everybody was in- 

 quiring what so many bees were doing 

 everywhere and into everything; but Nov- 

 ice persevered, and dampened the sugar 

 anew, until all did really seem working 

 into the hum of honest industry. But a 

 new trouble presented itself. Such a. 

 temptation was too much for "bee sense" 

 in October, and the vagabonds wouldn't 

 stop when it was dark, nor when 'twas 

 rainy and cold, and after seeing them 

 gorge themselves at such unreasonable 

 times that they were uuable to get home, 

 the sprinkling part was omitted, and they 

 uow work on drj r sugar when 'tis pleasant 

 as quietly and happily as one could wish. 



This is really an important point, for 

 although the amount stored is small, it 

 gives at all times a steady increase of 

 stores, and prevents the possibility of any 

 colony starving, however weak they may 

 be. Our nuclei for rearing queens began 

 to improve at once, and although drones 

 were mostly gone before the experiment, 

 our queens most of them became fertile, 

 and we filled many orders for dollar 

 queens on which we had concluded to 

 return the money. We have also induced 

 them to work on meal to some extent, 

 when placed near their sugar, but not 

 briskly. This is the more desirable, as 

 we have a number of colonies so weak 

 that brood-rearing is almost our only 

 hope of saving them. In fact, we have 

 just discovered two colonies so reduced 

 that the queen has ceased laying entirely, 

 and no brood in any stage is to be seen ; 

 and this state of affairs occurs Oct. It. 

 Without some of Hosmer's skill, we shall 

 assuredly fail in wintering them. 



As they had a lair number of bees a 

 month ago, we can only attribute the loss 

 to the cider mill, for thousands of bees 

 were unavoidably worked in with the po- 

 mace. 



it is principally when making sweet ci- 

 der that they seem most demented in pur- 

 suit of the spoils. In conclusion, we most 

 earnestly urge that bee keepers and own- 

 ers of cider mills arrange troubles of this 

 kind in a friendly and neighborly way, 

 for quarrels in such matters only result in 

 increasing the annoyance on both sides. 



In removing the honey preparatory to 

 winter feeding, we found it to possess a 

 decidedly apple flavor, something like ap- 

 ple preserves, and as our cider mill neigh- 

 bor refused compensation, we sent him a 

 couple of jars of the aforesaid honey. 



Wk have retailed hundreds of lbs. of 

 extracted honey this season at 20c, while 

 exti»a nice comb honey by its side waits « 

 purchaser at 30c. 



