24 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1875 



I had 58 swarm? in the spring. Increased to 92, got 

 3000 lbs. extracted and 1600 lbs. box honey. Put the 

 hees in the bee house Nov. 11th, with '28'2.t lbs. of hon- 

 ey to winter on. This was a poor season for box 

 lioney. Clover yielded nothing; Bass wood yielded 

 cisrht or nine days. B. Stone. 



Bond Head. Can. Dec. 10th. 74. 



Bees out like spring, 70° in the shade to-day, but 

 they are not carrying any pollen— tried flour— a few 

 carry off small lumps. Tried baked sweet potato, they 

 suck the juices, but saw none take any of it off. 



M. Pause, Pine Bluff, Ark. Dec. 27th, 1874. 



We think it will be an advantage to feed 

 flour whenever the weather will allow them to 

 work on it. 



How does Adam Grimm winter his bees? In cellar, 

 in clamps, or on summer stands; out- doors, or, in a 

 warm bee house ? Does he winter in single or double 

 hives ? As he lives in a cold climate, it may be an 

 advantage to us here. I am wintering one swarm out 

 doors on summer stand with straw lined hive, straw 

 ])acked in 3 Inches thick for trial. What kind of hive 

 does he use ? V. McBuiije, Chardon, O. 



In cellars we believe, and he uses a narrow 

 sin2:le story Langstroth hive containing only 

 eiffht frames. Every little while there is an at- 

 tempt made to revive the idea of using very 

 thick or double walled hives, yet we think no 

 large apiarist has ever continued to tise such 

 for any considerable length of time. Mr. Quin- 

 by's recent hive is peculiarly adapted for this, 

 yet we believe he and his neighbors now con- 

 sider moving the colonies, into warm cellars 

 etc., less trouble and more effioient. Mrs. Tup- 

 per has recently advised putting a large box 

 over the hive, packing between them, etc., but 

 the fact that this same plan has been discarded 

 so many times in years past Avould deter us 

 from advising it at present. Again : None but 

 those who have tried the plan on a considera- 

 ble number of hives, can form any idea of the 

 trouble and expense it is, compared with simply 

 moving the hive into a good cellar. 



with loads of water almost constantly whilc- 

 this high temperature was maintained, but 

 stopped at once as soon as the lamp was turn- 

 ed down. While making this experiment a- 

 I colony adjoining that were rearing brood quite 

 I briskly, paid no attention to the water at all ,-. 

 I not a single bee carried water except those be- 

 ! lunging to the lamp nursery. Are we not right 

 I in inferring that bees seldom need more water 

 than their honey furnishes, unless their hives 

 are too warm? and is it not also an additional 

 proof that they need shading during the hot- 

 test weather? 



Have got a barrel candied honey, nearly white as 

 lard. It don't melt fast by the fire, I guess t will have 

 to unhead, and take it out with a butcher knife. Don't 

 know the quality— Fall tlowers. My bees extract the 

 juice of the sweet potato and store it in cells, it soon 

 granulates, but retains the potato flavor unchanged, 

 so far as I can tell. The scraps of potato are all car- 

 ried from the hive by the bees. Sjn-ing honey is too 

 thick to extract easy, I only got 175 lbs. in a day and 

 quit. 1 extracted oil the 7th, 8th and 9th of Oct., to 

 give the bees winter room, took 50 lbs. per colony of 

 clear honey and left much winter stores. 



W. F. St.\n DEFER, Dry Grove, Miss. 



In that case you certainly have not given 

 vour bees room at proper time, have you 

 friend S. ? 



Is it necessary to give bees water when wintered on 

 honey in a warm and dry room ? 



E. Franks, Inland, O. 



Although Langstroth teaches that it some- 

 times is, we believe it has generally been con- 

 ceded of late that water is not necessary in 

 wintering. We may throw some light on the 

 subject. The watering arrangement described 

 on page 74, Vol. 2, was put in our forcing house 

 at the start, and the bees soon learned to visit 

 it regularly when the room became very warm. 

 Later, when the room had been enlarged, so 

 that the temperature did not get above 70 or 

 80", they paid so little attention to the water 

 that the jar was allowed to become emjily. 

 We began our experiments with the lamp nur- 

 sery and after heating it up to over lOOo, we 

 noticed the bees flying about as if in quest of 

 something, this we soon found to be water, and 

 after filling the jar they flew back and forth 



I send you to-day a little package of smoke wood. L 

 have looked aroiind a little, and decided that I can 

 afford such a ))ackage as I send you for 10 cts.. and iJay 

 postage— thank yon for the idea. If you think that 

 enough will sell "to pav for getting a supply, you may 

 give notice in Feb. S'o. (iLEANi.vtJS. Except when 

 the smoker is used for sinoke on cotton, or lint, the- 

 wire cloth, to prevent si>ark« may be removed from, 

 the tapering i)iece, and it will work much better. It 

 will save l)rushing off the soot everv little while. 



M. QuiMJY, St. John svi lle, X . Y. Jan. 5th, '75. 



What size Basswood trees would it be best to set out ? 

 How long does it take for them to come to maturity or 

 blossoming? How long would it take for a tree two 

 feet Ions to blossom ? For one six or ten feet? What 

 other kind of native trees would you advise setting^ 

 out for the benelit of an apiary ?" Do you think it; 

 would i)ay to sow catnip seed on'a rented" lot, that we 

 may not have more than one year. 



Ellena M. MrcKLEK, Manchester, Iowa. 



Probably small trees will blossom as soon as 

 the larger ones, and we can only say that per- 

 haps they will blossom in ten years, probably 

 not to yield much honey before 15 or 30. We 

 dislike to recommend any one to undertake to 

 raise artificial pasturage for bees unless it be 

 buckwheat, while so little is known alx)ut it. 

 Had we not better confine our labors to secu- 

 ring the honey that is now wasted yearly, and 

 let the veterans experiment with catnip fields 

 etc. Sow the catnip and plant the trees for 

 fun, if you like, but do not calculate on it being 

 a paying business. 



I suggest that you build the house with the flat rootV 

 that you have ijenches the same as in a greenhouse 

 with a flue under the bench, that in these benches you 

 put about 10 or 12 inches of rich loam and about the 1st. 

 of Feb. the benches be planted with cucumbers. These 

 you know furnish a great deal of pollen and the great 

 difficulty in raising them in houses is that they blight 

 or drop off as soon as the blossom drops whicli is 

 caused by their not lieing fertilized. Even in liot-bed& 

 before the bees l)egin to lly. I have lost nearly all the 

 first formed encumber-;, biit as soon as the bees came 

 there was no moi-e trouble. In this way you can make 

 the cucumbers nearly or quite pay for fuel, anil the 

 temperature should be about 70 or t5° by day and .50 or 

 .52° tty night, which as I judge is about "wh.it is neces- 

 sary" for the bees to be active. Or should you 

 prefer you can raise strawberries which also blossom 

 extensively, but I don't think furnish (piite as much 

 pollen as the former and when they are through blos- 

 soming begin to form fruit while cucuml)ers blossom 

 coiilinnally. If you are not ^'lixeil'' for the flue ar- 

 rangcnu'tii or l)en('hes, try a box or two with good 

 drainage in the Ijottom and water every day with 

 water maile <|uite warm, almost hot, and train them 

 up on stakes or a frame. I don't see why a house 

 managed in this wav cairt be made to pay a handsome 

 profit on the cucunibtTs; I know they are in the East, 

 and certainly conld anv wliere. 



W. T. Alan, Granville, Pa. Jan. 7th, 1875. 



If friend A. is right it seems to us that fncit 

 (jroin'rii and market gardeners had hitter keep a 

 few bees. That bees get dusted with the pol- 

 len from cucumbers we are well aware, but we 

 have been of the impression that none of it wtxs 

 used in the hive, it being only accidental that 

 they got so dusted, while in pursuit of the 

 honey. We will test the matter further. 



