100 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



%$ad§ of gram, 



From Different Fields. 



PROPOLIS FOR SOAP MAKING, AND COTTON SEED IN 

 PLACE OF CHAFF. 



fi HAVE found propolis to be an excellent substi- 

 tute for rosin in tho domestic manufacture of 

 _i soap. One pound of propolis being used to 5 

 lbs. of soap grease. 



I use cotton seed instead of chaff for quilts, divi- 

 sion boards, &c, and find them to be an admirable 

 packing material. The <|uilts are somewhat heavy, 

 but this is not a disadvantage, as the enameled cloth 

 is pressed into close contact with the frames, so that 

 no comb can be built over the too bar. 



M. W. Chapman. 

 Mayhew Station, Miss., Feb. I, 1870. 



EMPTY COMBS FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 



How are the ABC class to form artificial colonies, 

 when they have no spare combs? You direct in ABC 

 part first, that the frames taken out of the mother 

 colony to form the new colony, must be replaced 

 with frames of worker comb. Are you aware that 

 but few of the ABC che-is have any extra combs? I 

 think you do that class an injustice, '.s you give Ho 

 instructions lor artificial swarming, unless they have 

 extra combs. The old and well posted bee-keepers, 



no doubt, have such things, but the ABC man, 



no. sir; he has not this article. 



Now, I have 5 colonies, all wintering on from 5 to 

 6 combs each; will they, early in sprimr, build drone 

 comb to fill un the hive? or will they build worker 

 (tomb? or will they build none, till they swarm? 

 How would it do to arivo them worker fdn., early in 

 spriner? Will they till it out properly before swarm- 

 inetime? Yours trulv, "Tar-Heel." 



Wilmington, N. C, Jan. 7, 1879. 



Are you not a little hasty, my friend? If 

 you look again, you will find that I do men- 

 tion using fdn., in place of empty combs. 



EMPTY COMBS FOR ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



These will almost always be on hand in 

 swarming time, but if not, a 'frame contain- 

 ing a sheet of fdn. may be put in place of 

 any comb taken from a strong colony. The 

 fdn. is fully as good as the natural comb, 

 and, in some respects, even better. If you 

 have no fdn., let the bees build combs, one 

 at a time, in new frames, watching them to 

 see that they do not build drone comb. If 

 they will not build worker comb, contract 

 the space with a division board, and have 

 the combs built in weaker colonies. Using 

 frames of fdn. is, however, far the better way. 

 During fruit blossoms, and long before 

 swarming time, an ample supply of beauti- 

 ful combs may be secured, built out from 

 fdn. 



CHAFF HIVE COVERS. 



We bought several chaff hives for our own use 

 last summer, which please us very much; we have 

 one suggestion to make, however. The covers of 

 most of ours (about 8 in number) leak more or less 

 when we have long continued rains; would it not be 

 well to make them pitch a little more, that the rain 

 may more rapidly flow off? Stair & Kendel. 



Cleveland, O., Jan. 28, 1879. 



We have had some trouble in keeping the 

 roof tight, and to make a sure thing of it, 

 have just decided to cover them all hereafter 

 with tin. We have devised a plan for mak- 

 ing a very neat and strong job of it, and as 

 it saves all the time of cutting the grooves, 

 besides allowing us'to use cheaper lumber, 

 for the roof boards, we have decided to fur- 

 nish them thus, at 15c. extra. We will send, 

 at the above price, the two sheets of tin 



needed to make them tight, to you and to 

 all the rest who have purchased chaff hives 

 of us, and which have troubled them in the 

 way you mention. Please accept thanks for 

 directing our at tention to th e matter. 



ONE UNFAVORABLE REPORT FROM GRAPE SUGAR. 



I received the grape sugar, but could not make 

 the bees touch it. 1 then mixed it with honey and 

 fed it to 2 light swarms. Ere long, both colonies 

 were dead. The sugar was light coloi-ed, but had 

 quite a bitter, disagreeable taste. Whether it was 

 the sugar that killed them or not, I can't say, but I 

 could account for it in no other way. I dare not 

 feed any more of it. Past Gleanings speak of its 

 being pleasant to eat, and of its improving the fla- 

 vor of table syrups when mixed with them. I can 

 but think that something was wrong with it. 



Orangeville, O., Jan. 10, 1879. N. Case. 



The sugar was ordered in Nov., and must 

 have been fed after the approach of cold 

 weather. Had they been fed on cane sugar, 

 or honey even, it would have been nothing 

 strange", had the two light swarms per- 

 ished, so late in the season. I give you the 

 facts, and you can draw your own conclu- 

 sions. If our friend will return the sugar, I 

 shall have no fear in feeding it to my bees. 

 It always has a peculiar bitter taste, which 

 would always betray it. even if it could be 

 used to adulterate honey. 



STAND FOR CHAFF HIVES. 



Place a chaff hive on a box, 1 inch less in diameter 

 than the hive, and 4 in. deep in the clear, having top 

 and bottom, and Jilted with chaff. All moisture drips 

 to the ground without dampening the bottom board, 

 and the chaff seems as sensible as frosty atmos- 

 phere between bees and frozen earth. 



Jennie Leete. 



West Amboy, N. Y., Jan. 30, 1879. 



Your remarks are very sensible, friend 

 Jennie. I have recommended placing the 

 chaff hives on 4 half bricks, but your frame 

 filled with chaff. I think, would be still bet- 

 ter. If set directly on the ground, it would 

 very quickly rot; perhaps we could imbed 

 the bricks so as to support this frame, and 

 allow nothing but the chaff to come directly 

 in contact with the ground, and when it is de- 

 cayed, put in some fresh. The siding to the 

 chaff hive extends a little below the bottom 

 board, for the express purpose of carrying 

 all the water down beyond it. 



hasty conclusions that A HIVE is queenless. 



The queen has been a great puzzle to me. After 3 

 weeks, when it was time for the young bees to cut 

 out, I opened the box and finding no brood I sup- 

 posed her dead and gave them a black queen. In 

 about 7 weeks to my great astonishment hybrids 

 came out. They didn't spread much. I give them 

 credit however'for being the grandest thieves in 

 creation. They have increased wonderfully, and 

 now there is a large amount of brood. 



Botland, Ky., Jan. 27, 1879. S. T. Hamilton. 



You are not the first one, friend II., who 

 has concluded the queen was gone, simply 

 because he could not find her and saw no 

 brood. In such a case, give them some 

 brood from another hive, and see if they 

 start queen cells. 



THE CENTURY PLANT FOR HONEY; HURRAH FOR NEW 

 MEXICO! 



I now have 3 colonies of Italian bees, which I got 

 from California for $50 per hive; cheap enough, af- 

 ter being hauled 750 miles. 



A Langstroth hive, poorly made by one of our car- 

 penters here, would cost $30. 



I have watched our wild, ground bees at work here 

 on many plants. If the Italians collect honey from 

 them, I will send you seeds of the best honey plants. 



