56 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May| 



MANURE ON THE BRAIN. 



fc-pv EAR NOVICE :— You're a goose ! Do you think 

 .1 :) you can put a pile of manure around a bee hive 

 9 in the fall and have it keep up heat by fermen- 

 tation till spring? When the lire burns out won't the 

 hive get cold ? 



lint for all that, Gleanings for April is a splendid 

 number. Chicago, 111. C. C. Miller. 



Now friend M., that's all theory, (your latter 

 observation, not the one about Novice) for did 

 you never observe that the ground rarely if ev- 

 < r freezes under a very slight covering of sta- 

 ble manure, say six inches ? If you think we 

 haven't any facts to "fall back on" just read 

 the following: Supposing it does get cold ; if 

 it keeps the ground from freezing would it not 

 keep the hive at a low, eveu temperature? 



DEAR NOVICE:— Vol. 2, No. 3, is at hand, and as I 

 see you have manure on the brain, 1 am willing to 

 give my experience in wintering bees in manure. 1 

 commenced more than 10 years ago to winter bees 

 that way, though not on the principle that the German 

 lady puts her cheese in the manure pile to cure, or as 

 \ our wagon load of manure would be to keep them 

 hot, but to freeze them in. I have never failed when 

 1 put them up in good season and paid proper atten- 

 tion to them. I put up a late swarm that was so light 

 that 1 thought they were not worth destroying for the 

 honey, or wintering for the bees, but as an experiment 

 I did it; they came out all right and made a good 

 swarm. Thus ; place the hive on the ground in a suit- 

 able place where the water will not settle around 

 them, wlih the front south. Take long damp manure 

 that will freeze solid, and cover three sides and top, 

 not more than one foot thick at the bottom, and less 

 at top, then take a wide board that will cover the 

 front of the hive when set considerably slanting (so as 

 to give a good air chamber) then cover that up the 

 the same as the rest of the hive; disturb them no 

 more until the first pleasant day (with the mercury at 

 (•0°) after the middle of March, then remove the front 

 covering and give them a good flight; you will see 

 them fairly dance. Alter they have all'gone in, set 

 the board lip in front of the hive to prevent the sun 

 inducing them out in unfavorable weather, and re- 

 move the top covering and commence stimulating, 

 using plenty of quilts. Wjiat bees want is a long 

 sleep, a strong sleep, and a quiet one. There are 

 more bees cooked to death than are frozen to death, 

 nowadays. B. I. Talbot, 



Viola, Iowa. March 1st, 1874. 



EAKLY QIEENS FROM THE SOUTH. 



EAR NOVICE:— 1 think you are mistaken in 

 iOi saying that Miss Anna Saunders can sell all her 



*^ J Queens. Too many, learned in everything but 

 Bee lore, who are opposed to progress and reading, 

 even denying I he Queen bee story, would be slow- 

 to believe the large yields of honey that can be had 

 here, even though they saw it. One Gent, could not 

 take Gleanings, but could pay £30.00 for 3 patent 

 moth trap hives, who of course must tail tor want of 

 To cts. worth ol other peoples experience. 1 am sorry 

 to go to -masted Hopes.'' Do help us. 



Simplicity hives made last spring of hard pine, 

 stood all summer and tall all right, but have warped 

 all to pieces this spring. Bee quilts almost rotten, 

 frames and under side of hive mouldy, combs nice; 

 am now using for quilts single thickness of aew 

 Brown Domestic, is it good? Will paint straighten 

 my hives or prevent their warping in future? How 

 can 1 clean paint and varnish brushes, and keep them 

 ready lor use? Can you furnish Buzz Saws, Table 

 <>uages etc.. lor making Simplicity hives, and the 

 price? Lost 3 colonies bees, very strong, all 10 combs 

 tilled with brood even in Ihe corners, March 30th. 

 They brought in honey March 10th. but incessant rain 

 and cold winds ever since. Nary drop of honey in the 

 hive. Other bees are now changing their combs of 

 ollcnsive brood. 



Wintered on natural stores on summer stands, no 

 disease, only starved by sudden check of honey and 

 large family" to teed. 1 had Queens fertilized every 

 mouth of the year except Jan. I tear there is no mar- 

 ket South for honey, 1 look 40 lis. premium honey to 

 State Fair, got no oiler for it. Have advertised Queens 

 in State, paper at Si. ami S3., and nary order. I fear 

 'twould noi pay Ik. able and freight to ship honey to 

 Chidago and don't want the sleepers in my house 



broken with tons of honey, for I'll surely beat yoi.r 

 last year's crop any year, I think. 



Wife says my bees will starve us yet, for I give ail 

 my time, talk and provisions, to my bees and bee 

 friends. Am out over £300.00 cash, and took in nary 

 cent. Italians very far aheads of black in mv hands. 



Can rear Queens from Feb. to Dec, don't see why 

 all. will not be pure with no black bees within a mile 

 of me. Please tell me minutely how to ship them 

 safely and cheaply long distances, as I wish no Queens 

 lost bv my ignorance. W. F. Standefei;, 



Dry Grove, Miss. April 13th, 1874. 



If Queens can be sent safely to the North, 

 and we haven't a doubt of it, there is a market 

 for ten thousand instead of one. A postal card 

 from you dated April 13, was in our hands the 

 16, and Queens might go nearly as quickly. 

 Our cages of last season, although roomy and 

 convenient, in several cases proved of insuffic- 

 ient strength, also in long distances, water in 

 a sponge, dries out, as we prepared them in 

 the fall, with a piece of candy. All things con- 

 sidered, we believe we would adopt the "Alley" 

 cage for long distances viz : a block of wood* 

 about 1x2x3 inches ; bore two holes in one side 

 nearly through. These holes should be of diff- 

 erent sizes, say inch, and inch and a half, and 

 should cut into each other so as leave an open- 

 ing between them of about % of an inch. A 

 piece of old, stout comb, containing sealed 

 lioney or syrup is to be securely waxed into 

 the smaller one, and after the Queen with a 

 dozen bees, young ones are preferable, is placed 

 in the other, wire cloth is tacked over both. 



Miss Annie should be able to get a carpen- 

 ter to make them complete, for her, for 50 cts. 

 per dozen; if 'twasn't for the "awful" express 

 charges we would make them for her cheerful- 

 ly. Any boy .or man can make his own, rainy 

 days and evenings. Sometimes a piece of 

 sponge, saturated with honey is preferred, but 

 we think it more expensive and no better. 



We fear you did not "halve in" the corners 

 and cover to your Simplicity hives, and nail 

 them from both ways ; when properly made, 

 they stand the weather better than any hive 

 we have ever seen, when used unpainted. 

 They should always be painted, at least one 

 coat, before being used. If your hives are not 

 too bad, lift the combs and bees into an extra 

 one, and take them one at a time and draw 

 them up with nails, as well as you can, serving 

 the next the same way and so on. They can 

 be painted very well after the bees are in them. 

 We think turpentine will soften your brushes. 

 We always keep ours in the paint, and even if 

 a little stiffened, we paint away until it gets 

 limbered. 



We fear our Southern friends* are too liberal. 

 We have many letters like the above from 

 those who are endeavoring to disseminate eu- 

 lightened bee culture. Will those who have 

 written us so many letters for "dollar Queens," 

 early in ihe season, please send their orders to 

 friends Standefer and Miss Annie. In that 

 way we can aid them, and help ourselves too, 

 •—♦ — • 



In a few cases, we have displeased, by using 

 matter for publication not so intended. We 

 may say that we regard all ordinary commu- 

 nications sent us on bee culture, as matter 

 from which we are free to select, unless the 

 writer makes a request to the contrary. We 

 are also willing to keep back the names when 

 so directed, but to secure notice, the full name 

 and address must be sent us in all cases. 



