W74. 



CLEANINGS IK BEE CULTURE. 



79 



DEPOSITORY OF 



Or Letters From those who hare made Bee 

 Culture a Failure. 



E PEAKING of bees etc.— I got my Extractor after 

 swarming time last year. Had suffered by too 

 - much swarming, nevertheless pitched in with It, 

 and took about 400 lbs. honey, leaving however, eight 

 ■out of twenty hives for cap honey, and realized noth- 

 ing from them. I was taken violently sick the last of 

 August, and was unub'e to do anything more, until 

 tobacco, corn, and seeding wheat were on hand de- 

 manding my whole attention, contenting myself in 

 looking at raj bees working industriously on back- 

 wheat, taking for granted that they were doing well. 

 In Dec. I examined my hives and found but little 

 honey, no pollen, and bees greatly reduced in number. 

 * t'd them freely with a mixture of ryejtour sugar and 

 honey, (some weak hives had been fed before "with 

 lea-kettle feeder)- Young bees were soon found in 

 comb, but alas ! the ice spell in Jan. swept off a num- 

 ber of hives, and the next cold snap, some more. 

 Human like, Novice had to bear the blame, (extract- 

 ing) but when 1 examined the hives unextracted, 

 found that in proportion (most of these my best) they 

 had lost more in number, so Novice and Extractor 

 had to be cleared of the charge. 



Conclusion— want of bee bread and inattention on 

 my part in time, reduced the numbers of the bees so 

 that they could not keep up a sufficient heat in ice 

 spell. Food, though scarce in the combs, was in 

 abundance on top of the frames, immediately pver 

 the cluster and was used freely by the bees until the 

 See spell closed their labors. Bees died in solid clus- 

 ter on the combs just under the feed. Hives wintered 

 ■on summer stands. Several weak stands have united 

 and with same feed are now safe. 



THE DOL.LAKS VIEW. 

 Interest and labor on 12 stands $10. each, ext'd $15.00 

 400 lbs. honey at 12% cts 50.00 



llain by Extractor $35.00 



Interest and labor lost on 8 hives for box honey 10.00 



(!lear gain by Extractor $45,00 



Or if all had been extracted, and yielding at the 



same rate, then, 660 lbs. atl2)i cts $82.50 



I nterest, labor etc 22.50 



eiain by using Extractor with 20 colonies bees, one 



-s.'«snn $60.00 



Ked Hill, Va. J. B. TQWA'IJSV. 



wwRIEND NOVICE —In relation to bee matters I 

 |n -■ am in the same boat with yourself. I set out 26 

 *■=* swarms in March, 22 of them were strong and 

 Wealthy. I now have six swarms, and two of these 

 ■,ire weak, and one has an old Queen not very prolific 

 I had two Italian swarms, both dwindled down to a 

 mere shadow, and only one Queen was saved. She is 

 on duty now. 



Te> say tlrat I was blue would convey but a faint lelea. 

 I was however soon cheered op by learning from a 

 neighboring bee-keeper who had loo swarms in com- 

 mon box hives, that he had lost 25 and they were still 

 «oing it, at last accounts full half of the lob had "peg- 

 ged out." iUy own ami this gentleman's 100, were 

 wintered in the cellar. 



Now I have come to this conclusion ; that bee-keep- 

 ing is one of the most uncertain pursuits a person can 

 engage in. It is nothing to winter a swarm of bees, 

 but from March until flowers come, there's the rub; 

 especially when we have snow until the 3rd of May. 

 Had I not set out with the determination to succeed I 

 Would throw up the pursuit in disgust. But I will 

 wait a little longer and see if the good time won't 

 come sometime. 



It is the old established custom in this neighborhood 

 in set out maples for shade, I have done a wonder- 

 fully foolish thing to some minds— have planted the 

 roadside the whole length of our farm, 116 rods, to 

 Basswood. "We shall never give up until we see bees 

 fathering nectar from our "Linden Avenue.' 1 



Bv the way is Mr. Bolin entitled to a great deal of 

 credit for wintering, or I should say, springing his 

 ico colonies. I know of bee-keepers with lithe oi no 

 experience who have lost none this past spring. 



There are so many varying circumstances may nol 

 Mr. Bolin yet find his "Waterloo ?" J. II. ^i 



Hartford, N. Y. June 6th, 1874. 



There, ft'iend Bolin, what do you think of 



that? 'Twas no fault of your's that your bees 

 didn't die, it only "just happened so," and may- 

 be you'll "ketch it" next time. We should feel 

 more inclined to console ourselves in this man- 

 ner however, were it not, that others had lost 

 bees in friends B's neighborhood, all around 

 about him, during both the past winters. Let 

 us see if he can do it again next winter. 

 Frieud M. is right too, tor we have seen many 

 instances of bees wintering nicely where no 

 care was taken at all, and circumstances seem 

 ed decidedly unfavorable. 



FKIEND NOVICE :— I have just been perusing the 

 Glkanings, and there is something very remarkable 

 in all this; you and I have had exactly ('he same expe- 

 rience in spring management. 



Our bees have dwindled down precisely in the same 

 manner. Some of our most populous hives, when set 

 out, are now non est. We had two Italian Queens, one 

 got lost, the other, in a very strong stock in early 

 spring, escaped destruction by the '-skin of her teeth. " 

 I will not venture to put her in a strong colony, so she 

 lays about a dozen eggs In each cell. I first "thought 

 something was wrong with her, but find that all she- 

 desires is "elbow room." Out of 68 colonies— same 

 number as yours— we have now twenty nine; three 

 are yet Queenlcss, and one has a young Queen just 

 laying. 



In regard to our neighbors, they were just like yours. 

 Those that call eggs "nits" and swarms "young bees" 

 seem to have lost none; ami open their eyes wide 

 when I tell them of my loss. I presume they go off 

 thinking, "well, them don't know much about bees, 

 I'll bet a chaw terbaccer." I guess the reason our 

 bees die, is, that they are civilized and refined and 

 consequently can't stand such treatment from the 

 Weather King. Yours in sympathy, 



Berlin, Wis. June 8th 1874. J. D. Kkuschke. 



P. S.— I think in a few days I can get some to work 

 in boxes if the weather keeps favorable. 



We too, are satisfied now, that the fault was 

 no fault of our Queens ; for all they seem to 

 need, is bets. Even now (June 19th) they per- 

 sist in going over their ground the second or 

 third time i. e. putting two or more eggs in a cell. 



fiHE Queen I received from you last fall is all 

 right so far, but too early to say much about her 

 — . purity. 



The 8th of June last, I bought three stocks of bees 

 in box hives, transferred in about ten days and re- 

 ceived from them during the season 670 lbs. of nice 

 honey, and eloubleel my colonies. They are alive and 

 strong at the present time. I think that is not so bad 

 considering the somewhat poor season of 1873. 

 Port Sanilac, April 27th, 1874. Wm, Speddinu. 



DEAR NOVICE :— My bees are getting me into 

 trouble, they are making too much honey; they are 

 tilling every comb in their hives so there is harelly any 

 room for brood. I have been taking frames out, but 

 they fill the new combs as fast as they build them. 



Retreat, Ind. June 8th, 1874. John Baxter. 



FRIEND NOVICE:— We are now In the hight of 

 honey harvest, the fields are snowy white with clover 

 anil the bees are almost breaking their little necks 

 carrying in honey. I have a good time with my knife 

 you sent me, anil my extractor. I have four ol my 

 Blacks Italianized, got two more to Italianize to-mor- 

 row. I extracted from two e",olonies of Italians yester- 

 day 3% gallons of honey. Made three new swarms, 

 pure Italians. I am using a 30 inch hive, frames 16% x 

 10 deep ; don't want anything better for the working 

 season, and they are just right to winter two colonies 

 in by using a division board. I think I will reach six 

 hundred lbs. honey this season. I have sold some ex- 

 i racted honey at 30c. per lb., how will thattlo for fruit 

 blossom honey? N. W r . Kershaw, Hope, Ohio. 



P.S.— Will honey extracted before the bees com- 

 mence capping it over, sour if it is kept in a cool dry 

 place ? 



It is liable to, if extracted when very thin, 

 and it becomes very unpleasant even if kept 

 where i1 does not sour. Be very careful not 



