f874 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



131 



uess, but do not we implore you, intimate that 

 we have been so shiftless as to fail to mail 

 OiiEAnings as heretofore. Should Novice get 

 sick, you can depend upon it that P. G. or 

 someone else will mail something, if it be no 

 more than a printed postal card informing you 

 what's the matter. In other words we pledge 

 ourselves to let you hear something from us 

 the first of every month. 



If you wish to "stir up" Novice, ask him on 

 ;t "postal" if any Gleanings was sent out for 

 Oct. or April as the case might be, "cause why" 

 you didn't get any. That they are promptly 

 printed we are sure of but to avoid making a 

 single mistake in mailing, we find more diffi- 

 cult for we occasionally do blunder; but by 

 far the greatest source of mischief is the fail- 

 ure of subscribers to give the Counties. If you 

 don't get every paper at the usual time, don't 

 fail to drop a postal, and we will with pleasure 

 make it right no matter who is to blame, but 

 please don't ask any more "if we printed any." 



I thought some of trying Bidwell's plan of winter- 

 ing. For a beginner, have had excellent success du- 

 ving the summer— increasing from 4 stocks (purchased 

 of A. Grimm) to 12 Simplicities. Most of them contain 

 hut S frames. Purchased 20, so they have built me 

 .some 50 combs. Took very little honey (ext'd) as my 

 aim was increase. Am fearful for winter, but will 

 .make all necessary provision for the safety of the 

 valued little fellows. 



Geo. G. Scott, Dubuque, Iowa. Oct. 14th, 1874. 



We are glad to know that Independence, 

 Iowa, can boast of pretty girls, as well as the' 

 rest of the world. We were made aware of 

 the fact by a Stereoscopic view of his Apiary, 

 sent us by E. A. Sheldon. In going into an 

 Apiary we always see the girls first if there 

 are any — those in the view may be all married 

 women for aught we know but that don't 

 make a particle of difference; they have as 

 ijood a right to be pretty as any body else. 

 And now we think of it bee-keeper's wives are 

 generally remarkably pretty women, that is 

 when they are not afraid of the bees, if they are, 

 we never see them — as we were sa}'ing we al- 

 ways see the ladies first and the bee hives next, 

 then if there's a proprietor we generally make 

 his acquaintance. In the above picture the 

 <-haps that take our eye are the ones in their 

 shirt sleeves. A bee-keeper certainly wants 

 his coat off when among the bees. The old 

 ijentleman reading his paper in his arm chair, 

 as well as others scattered among the hives 

 throughout the Apiary seem perfectly uncon- 

 scious that bees can sting, and we presume 

 friend Sheldon has so cared for them that such 

 tears are entirely unnecessary. We see extra 

 width hives as well as hives of only half the 

 ordinary width, the latter presumably for 

 Queen rearing, and the small trees planted so 

 as to furnish a partial shade, give a very 

 pretty effect to the whole Apiary. As our 

 friend uses the extractor we venture to say 

 that his labors would be considerably lessened 

 if his hives were grouped at more regular dis- 

 tances; also we would want the grass kept 

 down a little more in front of the hives. How- 

 ever, if he gets a large yield of honey as it is, 

 perhaps it is just as well. 



Would the warmth of the sun's rays prevent damp- 

 ness ami mouldy combs in the cold frame arrange- 

 ment? If so I should say the cold frame is just what 

 we have been looking for. 



Jos. A. Savage, Cincinnati, O. Oct. 21st, 1*71. 



We think it will without doubt. Our house 

 keeps everything as dry as it well can be, and 

 damp or mouldy combs dry out in the warm 

 sun and become sweet with the greatest facili- 

 ty. Our only trouble at present is to have the 

 bees get back into their hives. Very likely 

 Mr. Bidwell's plan of having the sash only 3 or 

 4 feet from the ground would insure the bees 

 all getting back better, but that they should 

 all find their men hives seems to us very im- 

 probable. 



What is your advice in case bees have no pollen in 

 their hives ? Will feeding Rye flour during winter 

 when they fly out be sufficient ? 



W. F. Coats, Columbus, Ind. 



We hardly know that we have any advice to 

 offer at present. Bees will not work on the 

 meal in the winter unless we have weather 

 quite warm and pleasant ; such as we usually 

 have here in March or April. We have known 

 them however, to work on meal briskly in 

 Feb., but seasons permitting much of it are 

 unusual. If we could make the plan mention- 

 ed last month, of getting them to carry in 

 meal under glass, work, we would be all right. 

 There are plenty of days during March and 

 April which furnish ample sunshine, if we 

 could only keep oft' the cold winds. Our bees 

 will pay no attention to the meal under the 

 glass at present. We have written Mr. Pal- 

 mer for further particulars of his experiment. 



DEAR NOVICE :— I wintered 32 hives, lost one in 

 winter and the rest were all in condition to become 

 strong stocks by the end of May. In April we had 

 one day they coidd fly out in full liberty, the rest were 

 so cold that it was only at mid-day that some ventured 

 to come out ; no bees could get at the meal until the 

 flrst of May and in the whole they did not store five 

 ounces per hive. The Queens were so enclosed that 

 they laid eggs from 4 to 6 in a single cell; in the first 

 week of May the first pollen was seen, then we had 

 four very fine days; honey and pollen were brought 

 in at a bright rate and the Queens spread in 3 to 4 

 combs. Pollen was brought in until whole combs 

 were filled with it. To-day, one month later, my bees 

 are worse than two months ago ; the old bees are gone, 

 the young bees are more than needed for the brood 

 work, and honey is so scarce that I am feeding every 

 day. Instead of being strong by the first of June they 

 are nearly all weak. 



In three of my hives I had inserted empty combs, 

 the Queens filled them and I at once gave three cheers 

 for the new idea hives, but alas, to-day several whole 

 combs are deserted ; young larva? are dried up and the 

 Queens remain on one side playing their old April 

 tricks of laying 3 to 5 eggs in a single cell. Instead of 

 pushing the combs apart and inserting empty combs I 

 now contract them, with division board in place etc. 

 With strong stocks and ordinary seasons we know 

 very well what to do, but in a season like this one, we 

 certainly need all our brains and they need be sound. 

 I have two straw hives of Elizabeth's time and those 

 stand best in numbers in flight and weight. I have 

 some fears that we bother too much with our bees, it 

 may be that we would be better off if we prepared the 

 hives at the commencement of the season with good 

 worker combs and let the Queens manage their own 

 afl'airs. I have lost this far 9 stocks and have 4 very- 

 weak ones on hand. W hat 1 want to know is this, 

 has any one tried setting his stocks in his bee house in 

 April, warming it to summer temperature and stimu- 

 lating by daily feeding, and other care, and how did 

 they fare ? 1 shall try it next year. What we need is 

 brood in early April, the more the better. On this 

 depends all. 1 intend to make three or four New Idea 

 hives in August and shall insert a division in the mid- 

 dle and have a laying Queen in each side, in October 

 shall kill one Queen, and winter the rest; if this is not 

 well then I go back to "Elizabeth's time." 



Joseph Duffeler, Wequiock, Wis. 



Your experience chimes with our own ex- 

 actly friend D. If something cannot be done 

 to enable us to rear brood in March and April 

 even during bad weather, we certainly cannot 

 accomplish the best results possible. 



