1875. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



\1\) 



soms enough so that we can erect on the prem- 

 ises one of onr liouse Apiaries, if the project is 

 a snccess. 



This urove is located just about I'.j miles 

 from our present Apiary, and it has been a 

 problem to us ever since the year it was plant- 

 ed, (1872). how we mijjht best secure the honey. 

 At lirst we desiirned making our residence on 

 the 10'^ acres, but since the advent of Gi.k.vn- 

 INGS, and the various branches of business that 

 have sprung into existence in connection there- 

 witii, we could not possibly be so far from Our 

 depot and post-otlice. Do you not see tliat the 

 house Apiary is going to solve all these troub- 

 les? Such a building with its heavj/ double 

 doors, would be almost proof against burglars, 

 and it could be so located as to give the l)ees 

 the least amount of travel — by the way, if you 

 think this an unimportant item, you should 

 just view the ragged wings of those faithful 

 little "sons of toil" as they heap themselves up 

 in front of the hives, at the approach of a thun- 

 der storm, worn by being obliged to go from 

 town into the country and back again loaded — 

 •and yet to have all our implements ready for 

 work whenever we chose to pa.y them a visit. 



Last season we had the ground spaded up 

 around each tree, but this season the trees 

 have until now been allowed to go their own 

 way ; at present we are having the grass and 

 weeds mown down, to be piled as mulch around 

 their stems, for the twofold purpose of keep- 

 ing down weeds and grass, and preventing the 

 heavy growth of the suckers that persist in 

 starting up. If trees under cultivation are 

 going to bear honey at the rate the few blos- 

 soms mentioned seem to indicate, a honey farm 

 may not be so visionary a project after all, and 

 if the house Apiary does even as well as our 

 out-door Apiaries, thei'e would be no great ob- 

 stacle in the way of one person taking charge 

 of a dozen or more ; and they may be so loca- 

 ted, as to not interfere with each other, and yet 

 not too far distant from each other for a com- 

 foitable buggy ride. We have already among 

 our readers, those i)artially on the track. 



FERTII.E XVOKKERS AGAIN. 



i?rj^ G. K. Corbiu was in thi 



_ . im in tlie same trouble that 



i?rj^ G. K. Corbin was in the Julv No. of Gleanings, 

 4^: nnder the head of "Fertile Workers,'' but I have 

 not the remedy you described in that number. I have 

 one box and tliroe movable comb hives; my comb 

 hives dwindled down so last spring that I thoup:ht 

 they could not recover. Two of them are frettinfc 

 alons: as well as can be expected, Init the tliird in 

 comb hive has a fertile worker; as soon as I could 

 get a capped C^ueen cell I introduced one, the next 

 dav she came out, but her rei^n was short, for in four 

 days her corpse was brought out and rolled over- 

 board ; tlien Glkanings came to hand and I gave it 

 up. I had but one frame of brood to give them and 

 that 1 gave before Inserting the {}ueen cell. I cannot 

 diviile them into nuclei as tlicre are only enough bees 

 to make one ; if there is any remedy iu my case, please 

 aive in next Gi.kaninos. 



W. L. HiKLiNGEii, (^oles Creek, I'a., July 15th, '75. 



.Vbont dark lift out all the combs that bees 

 are clustered on as ([Uietly as you can, set 

 them in a new hive and carry it to a new loca- 

 tion, some rods away. Most of the bees will 

 go back to their old hive the next day and you 

 can give them some brood or a Queen cell 

 without any fear of trouble ; as the fertile 

 worker part becomes reduced, remove the 

 combs one at a time, without carrying back 

 the bees, until j'our colony has a new laying 



Queen, then you may shake ofl'all Ihat remain 

 and restfjre all Ihe coii'.bs, for even should Ihis 

 troublesome worker go back, she would not 

 gain an entrance S(iniclin;< s iln y can becaughl 

 in the act of laying, and kiljid at once. 



JBlsiwtc^d Moi>e)ii'. 



MprTORS GLKANIN(;S;-I thought I would tell 

 I you of my seemingly bad hvk in the bee bnsi- 

 I ness, and ask if you" could give me, anv encoin-- 



agement. I am a new boginntM'. never saw tht; insi(l(! 

 of a hive, until this sitring. I imri-hased (iO little fam • 

 ilies ; all came through well, but a few were weak, 

 put them on the summer stand afler hauling them -JO 

 miles in last of April ; lost 1.'!, donblcil 2. Sent for ami 

 received the Gleanin(;s all right: studied hard and 

 went to work to strengthen the weak, (iooseberries 

 yielded lots of honey, and m\ l)ees got strong. The 

 last of ^Fay, I went to increasing. I (livided a tew. and 

 liad good luck and no trouble, but the new swarms 

 were; always the strongest. I did not want to increase, 

 but intended to try for box honey. Some writer says 

 Ihc only secret in obtaining large yields of honey is in 

 havingstrong stocks of bees, but does not tell how to 

 make'them strong. My neighbor told me to cut out 

 the (^)ueen cells, and in a little while the. hives would 

 he full. I did BO. and on the lliivd day after, three 

 swarms issued. The fourth day, four move came out. 

 I cut out every thing in the sh"ai)e of a (Jueen c(dl on 

 Friday, and to-i]a\-, Sunday, a swarm came oft" and 

 took, I should think, ninc-tentJis of the bees from th(^ 

 hive. Canyon tell me how to have strong stocks-' 

 1 have become discouraged, for it is about time tor 

 linden blossoms, and have concluded to kill olTall ray 

 bees this fall, extract the honey, and sell the comb if 

 I can. There is so much of this adulterated stufl" in 

 the market that I do not think I can live on the pro- 

 i-eeds of CO or 70 stands of bee=, and it takes all my 

 time. I'lease tell me in your next whether it will pay, 

 or liow mucli it will pay'me to the hive, to kill otV aiid 

 extract. J. X. TiiosirsoN. 



Sloan, Iowa. June 2Sth, 187.5. 



Mow friend T., we may as well admit before 

 going farthei', that the jierusal of the above 

 has left us a "little riled." You say j^ou have 

 taken Gleakings and "studied hard," and yet 

 because some one told you that cutting out the 

 Queen cells ^vould prevent swarming, you rely 

 on that alone. You speak of the 60 ^little 

 families" in your opening remarks as if j'ou 

 really were liumane, and yet you conclude by 

 asking our advice about killing them all. No, 

 please don't kill the little fellows if we have 

 any influence at all in the matter, but sell them 

 at some price, and never engage in any occu- 

 pation hereafter, in witich you will be likely 

 to have charge of any of God's creatures. We 

 know you have heard of Extractors, because 

 you speak of using one, after the bees are kiUed, 

 but Vv'hy in the world not use it nowy If you 

 keep the honey out of the hives and give these 

 little emblems" of industry room, tlicy will very 

 rarely swarm. If you cannot sell your bees in 

 your own vicinity, you certainly can by adver- 

 tising them, andat excellent prices too, since 

 these times of grievous losses in wintering. 



Friend T., if we were to happen along about 

 the time you were killing your "(iO little fam- 

 ilies," we verily believe we should pitch into 

 you with "hammer and tongs" or whatever 

 else might come handy. It is not possible that 

 you have no such intention, and are only play- 

 ing a sharp way to get a big advertisement, 

 (knowing our weakness), is itV At any rate 

 we have fallen into the trap, and if our read- 

 ers write, and yon then want a big price for 

 these bees, we will assuredly hear all about it. 

 On the other hand, if yon honestly wish to give 

 up the business, feeling you arc inadequate, we 

 will be glad to help you all we can. 



