1874 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



81 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 



MESSRS A, I. ROOT & Co.— In March we had a 

 fine flow of honey, but I being a beginner had 



weak stocks and did not reap lull benefit, but 

 it was of great service in building up and we had much 

 nice honey. I raised Queens in March and was care- 

 ful to put no comb in except pure Italian, but to my 

 surprise I found three Black Queens, or nearly so, and 

 1 have not vet seen any workers from them with yel- 

 low bands. All other Queens raised th en and since. 

 are bright. I live <>n Vermillion River out of reach of 

 over flow. Drvest ground is right on bank. How far 

 off would you put an Apiary? How far off will it be 

 sale to keep black drones f will soon have none and no 

 neighbor within half mile. When and how can I 

 move bees 100 yards safely ? J. B. RXMSEY M. D. 



Abbeville, Vermillion, La. 



We are inclined to think the Queens men- 

 tioned came from common brood by some 

 means. 



We are too little acquainted with the South 

 to be able to advise intelligently as to locating 

 au Apiary, but would remark generally, that 

 we would choose the lowest ground we could 

 rind, that was not too wet to be in danger of 

 •drowning the bees; our reasons are 1 hat they 

 might be sheltered from high winds; if sur- 

 rounded by hills, rocks or tall forests, all the 

 better ; secondly, we would have the bees de- 

 scend, when going home laden. On going 

 home before a storm and perhaps wearied, they 

 would sail down into the quieter valley almost 

 by gravity alone, whereas were their home on 

 a "hill top," the hardest part of the battle 

 would be to ascend in the face of the blast, 

 when laden with pollen and possibly honey 

 too, besides the fatigue usually resulting after 

 a day of labor. We should pay but little at- 

 tention to proximity of water, for this can be 

 easily secured artificially. 



Bees are reported to go home, even after 

 having been removed as far as 2 miles ; careful 

 observation however is needed to be aware of 

 this ; but we think drones should be kept two 

 miles away, or more if possible. 



We know of no way of moving a colony of 

 working bees during the working season, 100 

 yards, without loss. We have made careful 

 experiments in the matter, have smoked, and 

 drummed, and clustered them with their Queen 

 apart from their combs, yet go home they 

 would a great part of them, in spite of us. 



Thoughtless people may claim there is no 

 loss, but if they put a similar hive on the 

 original spot, they can easily determine how 

 many are lost; if no such hive is used, they 

 scatter about in a way that would likely be 

 unnoticed, but careful inspection of the shrub- 

 bery, grass, etc., at night or early in the 

 morning, will generally reveal the homeless 

 wanderers. Moving them one foot a day is the 

 safest plan we know, but 'tis a great bother, 

 and after all a considerable damage to their 

 labors. 



If any one can direct us in a better way, 

 'twill be a favor. Of course by confining the 

 bees to the hive, or after a spell of bad weath- 

 er of a week or more, they can be moved with- 

 out much loss, but careful observation shows 

 that even then, the older bees are many of 

 them missing, and in some cases the loss is 

 considerable. We once pun hased a colony of 

 a neighbor in January ; they had no weather 

 enabling them to fly reel; ttil March, but 



even then so many bees w T ent back that they 

 froze outright, the first cold night ; and exam- 

 ination showed a great part of them scattered 

 about on the ground at their old home. That 

 such is not always the case we are well aware, 

 but it should be borne in mind that such re- 

 sults may frequently be expected. 



I put 50 colonies in cellar last fall, in Lnngstroth 

 hives— uneasy all winter—thermometer between 3."° 

 and 50°. Two died with dysentery— more had it— ha> e 

 united until I have 10 left. Bound to have all strong 

 if have to do so some more. Some had brood in ten 

 combs— will average about eight. Cold bad spring. 



Adams, Wis. May 30th, 1874. J. L. Wolfenhen. 



Have just examined the stock of black bees, trans- 

 ferred from "big hive" and find that the Queen has 

 laid more eggs than any two Italian Queens in the 

 Apiary, since I transferred them. Think Adair is 

 quite right on the dwarfing hive system. 



Dowagiac, Mich. May 15th, 1874." James Reiidox. 



Mr H. sent us an account of transferring a 



colony of blacks, from an extra large box hive, 

 so. large in fact that it was never filled with 

 comb, but it contained an unusual number of 

 bees. The letter has "got away" somehow but 

 the above is a further report from it. 



I had enough Queen cells to start 4 nuclei, which I 

 formed in about lo days, well they hatched out. but no 

 drones. I looked everywhere for instruction as to 

 what would be the result. Langstroth page 36, says, 

 "retarded impregnation of Queens results in produ- 

 cing drone laying Queens.*' Of course this would not 

 do, and I could find nothing contrary to this in Bee 

 Journals or Gleanings; in fact they did not even 

 treat on the fact that such was the case". I have often 

 seen the remark that it would not do to raise Queens 

 too early, but I have never seen thi reason why. 

 Please do not think 1 am scolding our .Editors, but 

 you know it is best to tell our troubles sometimes. 

 Well, Thursday last I killed two of those Queens, and 

 one flew away. Did I do right ? S. J. M. 



Elyria, O. 



Tell us your troubles by all means, and we'll 

 help as far as we know. 



Our Queens usually commence to lay when 

 from ten days to two weeks old, and occasion- 

 ally not until three weeks of age. A Queen 

 now in our Apiary that has proved herself 

 quite prolific, did not commence to lay until 

 after she was a month old, but as a general 

 thing we do not think it pays to keep them 

 over three weeks. When Queens are reared 

 in the spring before drones have made their 

 appearance, we should most certainly keep 

 them if any sealed drone brood could be found 

 in the hives at the time they were hatched. 

 There would however, be some probability of 

 their proving only drone layers, and we should 

 be careful to sec some of their brood sealed 

 over before deciding positively they were 



fertile. 



Value of bitti-e attentions to bees. 



I noticed to-day that one or two bees commenced 

 carrying water, but it was so cold they sipped a little 

 and then stopped. I warmed the water to see the 

 effect and it was amusing as well as interesting to see 

 how soon the bees lound it out; in about 20 minutes 

 there were from 40 to 50 eagerly at work. No doubt 

 we can save bees much labor by attending to their 

 wants. Think for instance of bees carrying off a 

 handful of debris as line as sawdust, a particle at a 

 time, when the Apiarian can sweep off the whole in 

 a moment . D..C. MlLLETT. 



Holniesbtirg, Pa. March 21st, 1871. 



We carried the above in our pocket several 

 weeks, proposing to try it before it was pub- 

 lic ed. Notwithstanding we met with no de- 

 cided success in feeding the warm water we 

 fully approve of the general sentiment of the 

 letter. 



