1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



215 



placed, by having a clean space in front of 

 the hive, for if I do not see the body of the 

 old queen, I am pretty sure to see the imma- 

 ture young queens dragged from their cells. 

 Well, after we got the coal cinders nicely 

 stamped down, we pounded up some clean, 

 white sandstone, left after building, and 

 made some nice white sand that we have 

 spread over the cinders, making a door yard 

 that will not easily be troubled with grass 

 and weeds, and that neither sun, rain, or 

 wind, will disturb or discolor. 



geneg §c(timn. 



Under this head, will be inserted free of charge, 

 the names of all those having honey to sell, as well 

 as those wanting to buy. Please mention how 

 much, what kind, and prices, as far as possible. The 

 prices quoted in our cities for honey are, at present, 

 too low, to make it woi'th while to publish them. 

 As a general thing, I would not advise you to send 

 your honey away, to be sold on commission. If 

 near home, where you can look after it, it is often 

 a very good way. By all means, develop your home 

 market. For 25cts., we can furnish little boards 

 to hang up in your door yard, with the words "Honey 

 for Sale" neatly painted. If wanted by mail, 10c. 

 extra for postage. Boards saying "Bees and Queens 

 for Sale," same price. 



Chicago. -Honey— Choice, in single comb boxes, 

 14@16c. Extracted, 9®10c. 



Bees-wax.— Choice, yellow, 24@25c. Darker grades, 

 lf@<20c. 



New York.— Honey— Best comb, ll@13c. Extract- 

 ed, V/MWiC. 



Bees-wax.— Choice, 24@25c. 



Cincinnati.— Honey— Best, in single comb boxes, 

 10@12c. Extracted, 8@10c. 



California.— Honey— Comb, 9@10c. Extracted, 



Bees-wax.— Best, 30@,31e. For darker colored, 

 20@22V4c. 



'AFTER THE BATTLE." 



SOME GOOD SUGGESTIONS IN REGARD TO THE LOSSES. 



pp HE outlook in bee keeping is very gloomy at 

 ffl. this time, in this vicinity. I think it safe to 

 say that 9-10 of all the bees that went into 

 winter are dead. 



I have spent several das r s among the bee keepers 

 of this and Erie counties, and find the loss almost 

 universal ; I know of but two who have wintered 

 with anything like fair success. Many have lost all. 

 Those protected or housed have wintered best but 

 all have suffered. Yet, who can say the result may 

 not be favorable in the end ? It will have a tenden- 

 cy to benefit at least in two directions : to the studi- 

 ous bee keeper, it will be another lesson in winter 

 protection ; it will also be a most favorable time to 

 introduce and improve the pure Italians. In my 

 locality, and it is true also in many other localities, 

 the coast is char, when heretofore it has been an utter 

 impossibility to breed queens with any certainty of 

 their purity. There is now no need of going to 

 "some lone isle of the sea" (or Lake) to get away 

 from black bees ; they have got away from us. Now 

 comes the work of building up— of reconstruction. 

 Who will give us the best hints how to do this work ? 

 It is easy to advise in prosperity, but it is after the 

 hattle that we need discretion and judgment. More 

 generalship may Vie displayed in retreating than in 

 advancing. 



I had, last fall, two apiaries — one of 100 swarms, 

 and one of 32. A portion of the bees were housed in 

 Nov., and a portion left out until Feb. 1st. Of the 

 smallest apiary not one poor bee remains to tell of 

 the dire disaster. Of the other, about 35 swarms are 

 struggling along and will probably weather the cape. 

 Notwithstanding this poor encouragement, I have 

 mc.de a special effort to put my bee yard (I have but 

 one now) in good working order, having retreated 

 inch by inch in good order. I have removed every 

 stick, every empty hive, every stand, raked the saw 

 dust smooth and even, and made the field of disaster 

 look as pleasant as possible. 



My design is now to take advantage of the present 

 opportunity, and introduce a queen of known purity 

 to every swarm, and, with care, I think I may be 

 able hereafter to keep my stocks pure, not for the 

 sake of selling queens, but for the purpose of rais- 

 ing honey, which is much more profitable. 



H. R. BOARDMAN. 



East Townsend, Huron Co., Ohio, Apr. 28, 1879. 



^ ■•■ i 



THE TOAD QUESTION. 



fWISH to give Gleanings an account of my ex- 

 perience with toads, and, by way of preface, 



J would say that they are unquestionably serious 

 pests to bee-keepers living in the vicinity of swamps, 

 or email creeks, where facilities for their propaga- 

 tion are afforded. 



My apiary, last year, was situated near a piece of 

 swamp land, over which considerable patches of wa- 

 ter stood through the spring months. As might be 

 supposed, toads multiplied ad infinitum in this 

 standing water, and invaded my apiary in great 

 numbers. To put a stop to their depredations soon 

 became quite a serious consideration with me. The 

 havoc they were nightly committing among my 

 bees became so distressing, and the rapidity with 

 which they were depopulating my little insect vil- 

 lage so incensed me, I forgot the Sunday-school in- 

 junction of my youth, "Don't harm the toad." So, 

 calling my two little boys, and giving them suitable 

 weapons, I told them to "smash 'em." And they 

 did smash them, and with such a relish that I began 

 to repent. Mr. Editor, you are aware how a little 

 boy's fingers tingle to get a lick at a passing toad. 

 After they had destroyed a large number, and had 

 inspired the remainder with deadly fear, I told them 

 that would do, and that they must not kill toads any 

 where but in the bee-yard, and that they must not 

 go in the bee-yard unless I went with them. 



I at once set about inventing some plan to circum- 

 vent the toads. Remembering to have seen 4 toads 

 in a hole in the ground about 18 in. deep, made with 

 a post augur, I procured a 9 in. post augur, and 

 bored a hole 18 in. deep, in front, and under the 

 edge of the portico, of every 4th hive. I use the L. 

 hive with legs attached, elevating it about 5 in. from 

 the ground. Replacing the slanting alighting 

 boards over the outer half of the holes, I awaited 

 results, and had the satisfaction, next morning, of 

 finding the holes occupied with a fair representa- 

 tion of the toad fraternity. I allowed them to re- 

 main in quiet possession of their new quarters, to 

 give a welcome greeting to others that continued to 

 come nightly. I discovered, after a few days, that 

 they had abandoned the idea of escaping in a verti- 

 cal direction, and had commenced to make a series 

 of tunnels off in different directions. Estimating 

 that they would employ their time probably for the 

 remainder of the season in effecting their escape by 



