1875. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



;i.^ 



I make a hive, 12 frames about 11x13 inches, inside 

 measure, frames, division Ijoards, entrance blocks, 

 bottom and cover, with one cotton cloth feeder as you 

 recommend, painted three coats, all complete for 81-50. 

 If you wish, you can say through Gleanings that I 

 will give one of my hives complete for a sample to any 

 one that will send you a club of 10 new subscribers for 

 Glkanings, from Canada, (no patent on it) for 1875 by 

 > our giving them the (-erliticate showing that they 

 liave done so. D. A. Jones, Tecuniseth, Can. Feb. 8. 



jNIany thauks friend J. We would be very 

 'jrlad to offer yov something in this case, but at 

 50c eacli there is scarcely any margin at all 

 after paying expenses. 



FRIEND NOVICE:— My hives are 153^ inches wide 

 for ten frames; would they be any better if narrower .^ 

 Will bees work as well in small frames for surplus 

 honey a^ in boxes ? Do you think the bee business 

 will ever be over-done in' the United States H 



H. LiUHV, Lewiston, >Ie. Dec. 14th, 1874. 



If j'ou mean that you put ten frames in a 

 space of 15'^ inches we should advise using 



DEAR NOVICE:— I am in favor of deep frames for 

 these reasons: Exj)erience has convinced me tliat 

 bees winter better and breed earlier In deep than in 

 shallow frames. In lioUow trees ; tho natural home of 

 the bee (and \\\v one thev like most) the 

 U'i>th is always greater than the wi<Uh. In shallow 

 Trauies tliey have to spread out so thin, or cluster on 

 I he cold hciney, that it nuikos it much haixler to keep 

 up the necessary warmth. They seem to tliink they 

 must have bees" where they have honey; and I have 

 noticed these outside guards often get chilled and die 

 ■It their post. The natural place for bees to store 

 honey, is in the top of their combs; and when they 

 want to know what they have in store they look for it 

 there; hence we often see thcni start from the <;lu8ter 

 run over the honey as il esiiuialing it then i)ass into 

 the cluster, doubtless to report. When the honey is 

 directly over them I think they are more fully im- 

 pressed with its possessions. "A hive 12x12 and lO | 

 inches in depth I believe is the beet size and shape for , 

 wintering. Such a hive will allow plenty of honey in | 

 the top and enough empty comb at the bottom for the ; 

 bees to cluster on, and keei) in a round form which is i 

 certainly the best. Hut it will be said shallow frames • 

 are handier— should we not try to please our bees as j 

 well as ourselves ? Again they swing together too ' 

 badly— cannot some lixture be made to keep them 1 

 apart? What says Novice? | 



CilAS.'WiLKiNS, Ott, Oregon. Dec. 4th, '75. 



But bees die in hollow trees nearly, if not 

 quite as badly as in hives; as new swarms 

 generally select these vacated hollow trees, we 

 forget that not one colony, but a half dozen 

 ■nay have occupied the tree in a dozen years. 

 We know bees run over the combs, frequently, 

 but we can hardly accept the idea that they do 

 it exactl)^ for the reason mentioned. We do 

 uot use shallow frames for the reason that they 

 are handier. See pages 10, Vol. 1, and 29, Vol. 

 I. If hives and frames are properly made, they 

 can be made to hang true even when 16 inches 

 deep. 



I wish to have all understand that my one dollar 



Queens are the poorest. My prices are for a Queen 



Sl.OO, for a choice Queen $2.00, for a tested Queen $5.00. 



J. W. HosMEU, Janesville, Minn. 



The above was sent us by a subscriber, who 

 had written Mr. H. in regard to $1.00 Queens. 

 We are alone responsil)ie for Mr. Hosmers 

 name appearing in our list. He wrote us that 

 he had been selling Queens for $1.00 for some 

 years ; shortly after he sent us (we presume by 

 mistake) 75c. the second time. As he made no 

 j-eply in regard to a query as to how we should 

 use this, we took the liberty of keeping his 

 name in during the year. 



We need hardly repeat that we never intend- 

 ed dollar Queens, to include such as had been 

 tested and found j)oor; and we do uot wish to 

 include the names of any who propose to do 

 this, in our list. 



eleven frames instead of ten. If you mean 15 '.j 

 is the length of top bar, we should consider it. 

 as good as any unh.ss you use your hives two 

 story, in which case a little longer frame might 

 be better. Small frames put inside of larger 

 ones, have often been tried but then; are many 

 difficulties ; they must be made very accurate- 

 ly, to stay in i)lace, the bees do not seem to like 

 so much wood in their way, every thing is cov- 

 ered with i)ropolis, and their owner generally 

 concludes that the arrangement is too mucli 

 bother to use on a large number of hives. We 

 have just as much fear that too much butttr 

 and cheese will be produced, or too many eggs, 

 as that the market will ever be overstocked 

 with honey. What has been the result with 

 small fruits? Remember too that they are 

 perishable goods, while honey will keep safely 

 for years. 



In answer to J. H. Irwin in Feb. No., page 22 : Ho 

 can find as much comb honey in Langstroth frames as 

 he may need, by writing Paul Dunken, Freeman, Cass 

 Co., Mo. He has .500 to 700 frames. 



\V. Ct. Smith, St. Louis, Mo. Feb. 4th, 1875. 



I thought it was quite settled now that to raise brood, 

 bees are obliged to have farina in some shape, but 1 

 was amazed to find what a quantity tliey consume, b\- 

 starting my three colonics with only brood and 25 or 

 ;W bees to a hive. I thought I was liberal in supplying 

 them and they got on swimmingly at first, then the 

 dead brood commenced appearing and I gave them 

 more pollen and all went well again. I found out too 

 that very young bees in an emergency like that, gather 

 pollen as well as older ones. 



Annie Saunueks, Woodville, Miss. 



In '73 my bees paid in honey sold $22.50, in '74 about 

 $12.00 i)er hive. I have had your experience for the 

 last two years in the loss of bees. 



H. W. Miner, Sarauac, Ionia Co., Mich. 



Excellent season for bees, had between 1500 and 2000 

 lbs. surplus in boxes. Sold, for from 18 to 2.5c per lb. 

 Box hive man--can see no better way yet. 



J. F. Temple, Ridgewaj-, Lenawee Co., Mich. 



Gleanings is indispensable, but my wife says I get 

 some new hobbv from every niunber. 



Wm. II. Root, Port Byron, N. Y. 



Tell 3'our wife that healthy, wholesome hob- 

 bies are always productive of good, and that 

 we shall always strive to have Gleanings 

 teach none other. 



Can 1 make a bee hive and use a movable frame sucli 

 as Mr. Quinby describes, without paying for the indi- 

 vidual right ? And if I have to pay lor the right, who 

 is tlie proper person to be paid ? and how much will 

 it cost to make and use for myself, say one or more ? 

 T. H. Apple, Jleadville, Pa. 



We are happy to be able to say that you may 

 make hives, in any way you desire, so far as we 

 know, without the least necessity of paying 

 any body a right for any thing. 



"We got up a resolution at our convention, to applj- 

 to our Legislature for a law to label all packages of 

 honey witli the producer's name, and let the seller be 

 resjjonsible for adulteration, if not mentioned,— 

 subject to a penalty when detected, etc.. etc. Can you 

 give us advice how to act ? M. Quinby. 



We do not know that we are able to give 

 any advice iu the matter. Would not the law 

 like many others be dropped and forgotten 

 because no one would enforce itV It seems to 

 us that the great work is to educate consumers 

 to know ?i07iey and to demand it. This is all 

 that we have to rely on in a great variety of 

 goods, and that establishment that once gets a 

 name of dealing only in genuine commodities, 

 has its fortune made. People are learning rap- 

 idly. If any one likes the cheap honey let them 

 use it. 



