82 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1875 



DRAR NOVICE :— I have at present about 100 hives 

 anil intenil to divide them soon. We had here, about 

 10 dayrf ago. a very wevure frost which did great dam- 

 age to bee-feed, killing the sage and nipping the syc- 

 amore, walnut, and young orang« trees in some local- 

 ities to a considerable extent. The frost does not 

 seem to have done great damage on my place, which 

 is in the mouth of a canon (mountain gorge) but stop- 

 ped the honey yield for some days, and the bees killed 

 oflf many of the drones, and robbed a nucleus. I think 

 however, that the bees will do to divide within a week, 

 ])articularly as the sage at my place is just coming 

 into bloom, and as long as it lasts the bees gather a 

 great amount of honey. 



The IJee -Keeper's Association of Los Angeles Co., 

 of which I have the honor of being Secretary, numbers 

 some 35 members. We have meetings every second 

 month, and during winter generally every month. 

 We are trying to do our best work for ourselves and 

 for our customers, but have lately been greatly annoy- 

 ed by being accused of sending adulterated honey 

 East. As honey is chea])er here than anything with 

 which wecould adulterate it (except water), any body 

 acquainted with the country and business here would 

 know how utterly groundless such an accusation 

 must be. 



I sui^pose there is no help for that honey candying. 

 We ship nice liquid honey, and almost invariably are 

 informed after some time, that the honey is candied 

 and won't sell except at a low jjrice. I have here, ex- 

 tracted honey put up at the same time, in same man- 

 ner and drawn from the same bulk in honey tank, as 

 what I shipped last September to San Francisco, and 

 which was shipped East from there. My honey here 

 is a perfect liquid; not the least sign of candying, 

 while according to the commission man the lot he 

 received was candied long ago, and some of it sold as 

 low as 7 cts. Four years ago I got 15 cts. for the first 

 lot of honey I shipped in the spring. It was strained 

 in the sun and rather dark. It might have been the 

 first lot of new honey in the market that year. Now, 

 every body is rushing into the business, and there is 

 more honey, than people care to see. It takes half a 

 year to sell" it, and at such figures ! 



Shall run a number of my hives for box honey this 

 year. There seems to be better demand for that, al- 

 though it requires more trouble and expense in ship- 

 ping. Yours respectfullv, Wm. Muth-Rasmussen. 



Los Angeles, Cal. April 29th, 1875. 



The winter here has been very hard on bees winter- 

 ed out ot doors, also on bees in houses not frost 

 proof, as it has been so cold. The temperature fell to 

 22° above in my house, twice when the wind was 

 blowing a gale and 20° below zero; but with the 

 aid of red hot iron weighing about 20 lbs., I soon raised 

 the temperature above freezing. My bees are the 

 quietest at about 35°, when above or below that they 

 get restless. 1 have 90 colonies in house, 16x18 out- 

 side, 14x16 inside, 12 inches space filled with sawdust 

 well tramped down as put in building all above ground. 

 E. R. MUKPHY, Fulton, Ills. Blarch 2nd, 1875. 



I have contrived an arrangement for liiving bees, 

 when high up on a limb of a tree or in some other 

 place inconvenient to get at. It is a sack about 1 yd. 

 across the mouth, with 4 strips wood joiuted together 

 and attached to a pole. Tlie sack is tacked to tlie 4 

 strips, which close tlie mouth by means of a string. 

 Long or short handles can be screwed on according to 

 the liight of the swarm. I then run the sack up under 

 the swarm, give the limb a punch with the pole, 

 (which extends a few inches above the moutli of the 

 sack) the bees fall into the sack, I pull the string 

 which closes the sack and the bees are securely bag- 

 ged and can be conveniently taken where 1 choose. 



M . Pause, Pine Blufl", Ark. 



DEAR MR. EDITOR :— As 1 stated in my last re- 

 port, we (my sister antl I) wintered 25 colonies of bees. 

 The place we wintered them in was a root-houwe, 

 built new last fall and perhaps not dried out as it 

 should have been. Owing to this and the long and 

 severe cold winter we lost three. We gave our bees 

 a fly about a month ago, jtut them back into their 

 winter quarters, and as the weather remained so very 

 cold left them there until April 2(;th. After they hail 

 been out only one half day they began to bring pollen 

 and even some honev, antl since then, they have been 

 prevented from working only a few days, which were 

 May 1st and 2nd, through a little snow-storm. We 

 have examined our stocks and were well pleased to 

 find them in so good condition. We are not obliged 

 to feed our bees, for we left them well supplied in fail, 

 so well that we believe they will not need all they 

 have. We do not believe in taking away too nnicu 

 honey in fall and feeding them with melted sugar in 



spring, far rather let the dear little creatures rejoice 

 over the products of their own toll, which we believe 

 the healthiest for them. 



That this season may bo a successful one to all our 

 bee-keepers is the hearty and sincere wish of 



Mus. H. GiESELEK, 7K'fc' Katie Gki?.:m^ 

 Mks. C. Kl'stekman, nee Magg^ie Guimm, 



Green Bay, Wis. May 6th, 1875. 



Many thanks for your kind wishes dear 

 friends, and we are very glad to hear that the 

 honey in your locality is wholesome for the 

 bees during winter and spring, for we have 

 strong proof that such is not th(^ case in all 

 localities. Within a few miles of us is a large 

 swamp, that yields large quantities of late falV 

 honey, from the Spanish needle, {Bidens Bl- 

 pinmitn) this honey is dark, thick and of pecu- 

 liar flavor, but bees have so invariably died in 

 that locality, when their stores for winter were 

 from this source, that it seems plain to us, tht." 

 honey is unwholesome for icinter fwjd. It is. 

 true of course that we may be mistaken in the 

 cause, but when colonies side bj' side with 

 them are healthy when given sugar sj'rup — we 

 do not melt the sugar, pouring hot or even 

 cold water on it and stirring it up answers ev- 

 ery purpose for feed to be used during warm 

 weather — we cannot do other than recommend 

 it. Remember that the white sugar of com- 

 merce is sugar almost chemically pure, in it 

 state of purity indeed that it would be impos- 

 sible to attain at so small a price per pound,, 

 were it not for the immense scale on which 

 the refineries are conducted to supply the de- 

 mand of a great nation of people. The brown 

 sugar may be adulterated, but the white coffee 

 sugar presents peculiar difficulties that render 

 it well nigh impossible. Therefore, if we would 

 be sure that/oofZ has nothing to do with great 

 mortality amohg the bees in different localities, 

 should we not give them that food in absolute 

 purity? It is of course now well known, that 

 bees will gather any thing that is sweet, the 

 juices from decaying fruits, honey dew, honey 

 from all sorts of rank smelling weeds, — giving 

 us honey to correspond of course — and finally 

 where opportunity offers, filling their hives 

 with honey that is directly fatal to mankind 

 when eaten without caution, as in the case of 

 the poisonous Laurel honey of Va., see page 17. 



Bees have wintered well in this section, all on sum- 

 mer stands. None were wintered in cidlars in this 

 region. Have never lost any bees here by the dysen- 

 tery. I have a problem for you, or for the readers of 

 Gleanings, viz.. What is the most convenient and 

 expeditious method of securing suspended Irames 

 from swinging during transportation ? 



At what price would you send me a dozen copies of 

 the May No. 1875— for distribution ? or would you like 

 to send samples to addresses of bee-keepers that 1 

 might send you ? 



T. P. Andkews, Farina. Ills. May 5th, 1875. 



We have seen no better plan than the one 

 given below. We will send sample numbers 

 with pleasure, to any addresses you may favor 

 us with. 



Your little Bee paper containing so much matter, 

 came to h.'.nd yesterday, also the A.B.J.; and 1 sat 

 up till mldni;;^ht reading them. In regard to moving 

 bees in hlvrs in which the frames swing I would say, 

 I have moved bees Ui them several times across 

 lake Michigan. In the spring, summer and fall, with- 

 out killing a bee or breaking a comb. Take a i)lece of 

 wood about >4 Inches square, or triangular, like a 

 Langslroth comb guide, cut it as long as width of hive 

 inside, and cut notches in it as far apart as frames 

 hang In hive ; notches are to be large enough to let in 

 bottom of frames. Put it crosswise in bottom of hive 

 and fasten ; hang frames in, put on thick quilt, that 

 honey board when, screwed on may press It ilowii 

 lirnily on the frame, then put wire scrcuii over i)orlk'i> 



