1874 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



135 



that, instead of 10 ? We think he would, judg- 

 ing from appearances. 



The Doctor's wife furnished a moral to this 

 long story by relating that by great care she 

 had succeeded in rearing about 200 chickens 

 at one time in the spring. As they were valu- 

 able stock she gave them extra care until they 

 began to die at the rate of a pailful a day; 

 finally she became discouraged and in despair 

 concluded they might all "slide." 'Slide" they 

 did into the woods and pastures, and by 

 "scratching for themselves" or for some other 

 reason, they became strong and healthy, and 

 no more died. 



For fear some of our friends may accuse us 

 of being contradictory we will say that we 

 understand Old Dame Nature means us to read 

 the moral thus : "Be diligent industrious and 

 faithful, but beware how you by mistaken 

 kindness upset the natural course of things." 

 Attempting to rear brood in a Greeu house 

 may be like the "chickens" so perhaps our 

 friends had better wait until we have tried 

 "Glass" one season before they invest much 

 in it. 



P. S. — The colonies mentioned were not par- 

 ticularly strong, in fact two or three were 

 rather weak in numbers ; had there been a 

 cider mill near by, in full blast four months in 

 the year, as there is near us, we opine 'twould 

 somewhat disturb their "torpidity." 



J. G. Sough of Shelby, O., has just paid us a 

 visit and among other things, mentioned that 

 a neighbor had a barrel of cider that was leak- 

 ing, and as the bees seemed willing to save it, 

 he allowed them to do so, but to "save" the 

 bees after this diet, was more than he was 

 adequate to. 



[For Gleanings.] 

 THE SECRET OF GETTING SURPLUS 

 HONEY. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



^ojlRIEND NOVICE : 



i5rj J under our report 



-We see from your remarks 

 llifil^ under our report in Nov. No. that you, and per- 

 ^=ki haps most of the readers of Gleanings, are la- 

 boring under a mistake in regard to our increase. 

 You will see by referring to said report that the 3674 

 lbs. box honey was taken from 37 old stocks in the 

 spring, and a part of our increase came from them and 

 were boxed of course. Now for our method with our 

 small hives holding 9 Gallup frames, and we would use 

 no larger. In the spring (as soon as the first of April), 

 we till our caps with straw pressed in with a follower 

 as tight as our weight (which is 243 lbs.) will press it. 

 This brings the straw on the quilt pressing it firmly on 

 the frames and by the next day. if we raise the cap 

 and put our hand between the quilt and straw, it will 

 feel somewhat like putting it in an oven, while with- 

 out the straw the quilt is as cold as a stone. This sets 

 the Queen to laying and the bees will hatch the eggs 

 unless we have winter all the while, as we did last 

 spring. Now if you know each stock has a Queen anu 

 plenty of honey, let them alone until pollen becomes 

 plenty which is with us, from the first to the tenth of 

 May, then go to each hive, and if the bees will bear 

 spreading a little more without danger of chilling the 

 brood, take a frame of honey from the outside, break 

 the sealing by passing a knife tlatwise over it. and 

 put it in the centre of brood nest. In ten days go over 

 with them again and so on and when warm weather 

 comes, in June, go over with them every four days 

 putting one frame in the centre each time, and you 

 will find the Queen will lill it every four days besides 

 keeping all the empty cells filled which are daily va- 

 cated by maturing brood. By the way. this has proved 

 more satisfactory to us than any or all the methods 

 given for feeding to stimulate brood rearing. l><m"t 

 commence to spread the brood unless you are willing 

 to do all in your power tor the well being of your bees. 

 We have known a certain bee-keeper to carry all 

 swarms that he in any way suspected would suffer 



from over spreading, during a cold snap, into a warm 

 room until it became warm again. But to return, by 

 the '25th of June, every available cell should be tilled 

 with brood and the hive full of bees. By this time 

 white clover is at its hight and if your bees swarm 

 they do well, and those that don't swarm do better. If 

 they are getting honey to any amount put boxes on 

 all that do not show signs of swarming in a few days, 

 but keep the boxes off the rest, unless they are getting 

 honey quite freely. At this season of the year we al- 

 ways like to put boxes on when the hive is so lull of 

 brood, and the bees so anxious for some place to put 

 honey, that they will commence putting honey in the 

 first boxes before we have the last ones on." When 

 basswood appears put on all boxes, and by this time 

 your new swarms should have their hives two-thirds 

 full of comb, and the old stocks their young Queen 

 just commencing to lay. Those that have not swarm- 

 ed will have some boxes ready to take off, and will 

 get nearly as much honey after this as the old and 

 new together if they had swarmed. It is no trick at 

 all to get 8 lbs. of honey put iu boxes in a day if you 

 have your hive full of brood and bees, and honey is 

 plenty. They have got to put it in the box or nowhere. 

 Gallup gave" us the secret in the A. B. J. years ago 

 when he said "get the bees and they will get" the hon- 

 ey if there is any to be had.'' Keep an eye out, and 

 do things in the' right time. 



If we had waited 6 or S days longer this year before 

 putting on our boxes we should have got nothing. 

 We have come to this conclusion in regard to profit in 

 bee-keeping and consider it perfectly safe ; that each 

 old stock in the spring that has a quart of bees will 

 make 80 lbs. of box honey if the season is good. If 

 they swarm the two will make that, and if they do not 

 they certainly will. One man can with ease tend one 

 hundred stocks worked for box honey. Now allowing 

 every other season a poor season, so" that the bees do 

 nothing, (if they make some honey you sell it to buy 

 sugar to feed them with) and you have two tons of 

 honey for each year. Twenty" live cts. is the lowest 

 price for nice box honey so you will have 31000 each 

 year as an income. I am speaking of an Apiarian 

 whose knowledge is equal to 100 stocks and not of one 

 to whose knowledge two stocks are equal. 



Borodino, N. Y. Nov. 10th, 1874. 



P. S.— We never saw basswood secrete honey as it 

 did this year. By taking two stems of blossoms and 

 joining them in the palm of your hand you could 

 turn 3 or 4 good thick (hops of honey out of it. 



Many thanks friend D., but we fear we have 

 not more than a half dozen readers who can 

 accomplish the result you mention with box 

 honey, simple as it appears as you state it. 

 1 We have repeatedly tried nearly the same plan 

 and yet have now only half tilled or empty boxes. 

 We have used straw over the quilts but not 

 pressed down, which is very likely an impor- 

 tant point. Why not keep this packed straw — 

 which is equivalent to a straw mat and much 

 cheaper — on the hive all winter as well ? 



BEE-KEEPING IN CAEIFOUN5A. 



15V GEO. B. WALLACE. 



M I. ROOT & Co. :— Since my arrival here one 

 L\ year ago, I have not had the pleasure of rcad- 

 ="=■)? ing Gleanings and now my thirst for old 

 friends is my apology for this missive. One year ago 

 I arrived here with" 4 Italian Queens in Langstroth 

 nuclei. Wintered them and with the help of an apia- 

 ry here, I succeeded in rearing one or more Queens 

 every month during the winter. In March I started 

 business with 18 stands of bees laboring against many 

 unfavorable circumstances, such as the want of sur- 

 plus hives etc. In consequence many a tine swarm 

 took leave for the tops of the mountains". Now for the 

 result: I have taken over six tons of -choice honey by 

 extracting and now have between 30 and 4n hives, two 

 stories and full, but will leave them until another year 

 strengthens my courage. We have now formed a Co. 

 of three persons and have 300 stands; have 3 apiaries, 

 each containing inn stands and have built long sheds 

 covered w ith -hakes, and wide enough to contain two 

 row- of hives which front outward on each side with 5 

 ft. alley in centre for wheel room. We have employed 

 a cooper to make 'J-'iii bis. of Fir timber, which we think 

 will not require to be waxed. If you desire I may at 

 some time iri\ e a description of the manner of handling 

 bees in this country. Send paper to Arrow Head 

 Mountain Bee Co., San Bernardino, Cab. Nov. Gth, 1874. 



