43 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



April. 



DEAB NOVICE:— I am an amateur Bee-keeper and 

 and honey raiser, [if amateur means for the love of 

 the thing,) with 20 swarms in movable frames. 1 was 

 humbugged into buying a Patent hive some four years 

 ago. Although the hive is a good one, the "patent" 

 part is of no use to any one not a " bee master." I now 

 wi-.li to sell lull eolonies, but the patent man lives 

 near, and warns all who wish to purchase, that they 

 must first buy a $6.00 right from him. and so my neigh- 

 bors with American and Langstfoth hives, sell bees 

 and I sell none. This is a feature of the patent hive 

 business, I would like you to suggest, in Cleanings 

 a remedy for. 



Pay no attention to the patent ; when you 

 wish to sell bees tell your purchasers you will 

 stand between them ami all trouble, and if any 

 trouble is made send us the date and name of 

 the patent hive. If we cannot find fraud and 

 humbug in the claim, somewhere, we really 

 believe it will be the first patent hive we have 

 overhauled that was Hot an empty pretense. 



Is a honey quilt, of two thicknesses of ducking, 

 warm enough for spring months, and out-door winter- 

 ing, with no other covering except caps ? 



We use batting between the two always. 

 We are at present inclined to give the straw 

 mat the preference for winter and spring ; 

 with a loose cover over the mat to keep out 

 rain ; witn straw first, and then coarse stable 

 manure to cover the whole hive, we have some- 

 thing that comes very near straw hives for 

 wintering. We have yet to learn of an unfa- 

 vorable report from bees wintered in the old 

 straw hives. 



My experience confirms what you say in regard to 

 sealed brood being in no danger from careful extract- 

 ing, but eggs and larva; are "slung" for all they are 

 worth. 



With a proper Ext., there isn't a particle 

 of need of throwing out unsealed brood. We 

 never knew <gjs could be thrown out. Had'nt 

 you better let your wife turn it? We fear you 

 have too much strength to be trusted with 

 such work. 



My clipped Queens, for some reason, are soon su- 

 perceded. Others may be as short lived, as J have no 

 way of marking except by clipping. I never have 

 seen a clipped Queen over i years old, although I do 

 not doubt that others have. 



We have given the matter for several years 

 careful attention, and find short lived Queens 

 and long lived Queens both among the clipped 

 and undipped in such equal proportions, that 

 we feel sure it has no other effect than to 

 somewhat mar their beauty. 



Is Quinby's Queen yard practicable ? I do not find 

 ii so, as the bees cluster and fill it, and the Queen es- 

 capes by crawling over the cluster. 



Many things contribute to make it a failure, 

 yet some report quite favorably in regard to it, 

 when they depend on natural swarming. As 

 for ourselves we should find such an obstacle 

 a i ways in front of our hives, an intolerable 

 nuisance, and to those who are in the habit of 

 walking among their bees as much as we do, 

 the danger of being constantly liable to put 

 "ones foot in if might be provocative of a 

 tendency to profanity. Again, should some 

 of our lady visitors make an ungraceful stum- 

 ble and land in the " Queen-yard"' we might 

 find our profound explanations unpleasantly 

 interrupted. 



How am I to make a cool dark dry place in July and 

 August, to store comb, and honey in frames ? 



Don't have a cool, dark, dry place at all, but 

 put your combs in a hive that will shut up 

 tightly, (we know the patent ones never do) 

 and you can keep them safely as long as you 



like, only observing this caution : Combs re- 

 moved from the hive in warm weather are 

 liable to contain eggs of the moth; therefore 

 they should only be removed in the fall whin 

 it is cool, and if kept shut up they will be safe 

 until needed, or during all the next season if 

 you choose. They never mould unless wet or 

 damp. Freezing, always kills all eggs of the 

 moth as has been abundantly proved. We 

 keep our hives containing empty combs in the 

 barn. As for comb honey ; extract the honey 

 and put the combs back in the hive. 



I want- some idea of a Queen Nursery, without buy- 

 ing another "patent." I once owned half a Peabody 

 Extractor, but contrived a rude one myself, that 

 works far better, and sold my half of old Pea. for 5S.no. 

 twice tiie cost of the one I "now have. I use a tent to 

 extract in, and winter in a pit. I depend on the ex- 

 tractor for honey, and artificial swarming for increase, 

 shall try the New Idea plan next season. I have 

 tried the two story plan, in connexion with Hosmer's, 

 •■ Feeding 10 stimulate breeding," and failed, on ac- 

 count of tendency to swarm as soon as stroug. I 

 would give something to know how to certainly pre- 

 vent a strong colony from swarming. When you get 

 the Photo of my apiary (if you ever do,) you will see 

 my wife in Bioomers, helping me handle the frames 

 aiid so on, as fearless as myself, although two years 

 since she was as much afraid of a bee as of a rattle 

 snake. Yours truly, 



Wyoming, Wis. It. L. Joinek, 



Nothing more than extracting is needed to 

 prevent swarming. 'Tis the rarest fun for us 

 to have a colony so strong they begin to think 

 of swarming ; give them empty combs one at a 

 time, and room as fast as they can use it, and 

 your trouble will cease. Tell your wife we 

 are proud to learn there is at least a few who 

 dare be useful by their husband's side. Perhaps 

 there are more than we know, but too many are 

 afraid of stings, or rather they think they are. 



I have (5 colonies of bees all in movable comb hives, 

 and 4 different kinds of hives. Now I want to get a 

 hive that is right and stick to it, I am tired and sick of 

 so many kinds. I cannot divide my bees for the 

 frames are all different sizes. 



Tecumseh, Mich. W. COMFORT, 



We wonder how many of our friends know 

 from past experience just how " Comforf-able 

 it is to have four different kinds of frames and 

 only six hives at that. We wonder if our 

 friend wont sro for a universal Standard. 



Messrs. Eds. Gleanings :— Please give us the best 

 information you can in regard to uniting different 

 colonies of bees that stand at a distance from each 

 other. Dunlap, 111. D. G. Hekvev. 



There are several ways, but all troublesome 

 we believe. As a general rule we would try 

 and build up weak stocks before winter that 

 there may be no occasion for uniting. Not- 

 withstanding what has been written about two 

 colonies united, consuming less honey than 

 when separate, such has not been the case 

 with us, but quite the contrary, and besides 

 the double colonies were no better in the 

 spring than the rest. Moving the two stocks 

 gradually near to each other, is too laborious 

 and slow, when the distance is great, or there 

 are many. We think the readiest way is to 

 wait until the weather is tolerably cool, so the 

 bees do not fly ; smoke both and lift the combs 

 and bees from one into the other, rejecting 

 such combs as contain least stores and pollen ; 

 if no warm weather ensues for a week after, 

 they are all right, if suitable weather for flying 

 should occur soon, fasten them in for a week, 

 or what is better put them in the cellar for 

 that length of time. 



