224 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



hottest of summer weather, with hives full 

 of honey, and had no trouble. See moving 



BEES. 



HOW THE BEES DO THEIR OWN 

 VENTILATING. 



If you watch a colony of bees during a 

 warm day, you will see rows of bees standing 

 around the entrance, and clear inside of the 

 hive, with their heads all one way, all mak- 

 ing their wings go in a peculiar manner, 

 much as they do in flying ; but instead of 

 propelling their bodies along, they propel 

 the air behind them, and a pretty strong 

 "blow" they get up, too, as you may tell by 

 holding your hand near them. Well, if the 

 air is very hot and close inside the hive, so 

 much so that there is danger of the combs 

 melting down, they will manage so as to 

 send cooling currents clear to the farthest 

 parts of the hive, and even up a small hole 

 into honey boxes, where honey boxes are 

 made after such old fashioned patterns. 

 This idea is not by any means new, and 

 those who have invented patent ventilators 

 will tell us with a very fair show of reason, 

 how many bees are thus employed blowing 

 through the hive, that might just as well be 

 out in the fields gathering honey. I once 

 thought so, and that ventilators were needed, 

 but after watching the matter longer I con- 

 cluded the harm done by excessive heat was 

 far less than that from cold drafts when they 

 were not needed, and that it is better to let 

 a few of the bees waste some time in the 

 middle of the day, than to have comb build- 

 ing stopped entirely at night, on account of 

 the drafts given by these thoroughly ventila- 

 ted hives. The most prosperous colony I 

 ever owned was one that was so completely 

 enveloped in chaff, that they sent a stream 

 of warm air out of their hive, during frosty 

 nights in March, strong enough to melt the 

 frost about one side of the entrance. Of 

 course, a stream of cold air went in at the 

 opposite side, as fast as the warm air went 

 out. When I can get a hive into this condi- 

 tion of things, they always prosper, and it is 

 on tins account, that I would have no other 

 arrangement for ventilation, than that furn- 

 ished by the entrance. 



VENTILATING QUEEN CAGES DURING 

 SHIPMENT. 



This is a very simple matter, during quite 

 warm weather, for all we have to do, is to 

 have a broad surface of wire cloth, and they 

 will then be sure to have enough air. When 

 queens are to be shipped during cool weather, 

 it is desirable to have them tucked up as 

 warmly as may be, and still have all the air 



they need. Wood for cages is much better 

 than metals, because it is a non-conductor 

 of heat, and also because it prevents stick- 

 iness from their food by absorbing portions 

 that the metal would not absorb. If the 

 bees or queens become daubed, they very 

 quickly suffocate, for the reasons I have 

 given above. 



VINEGAR. This seems to merit a 

 place in our book as being one of the legiti- 

 mate products of honey, and, doubtless, in 

 many localities, it may be profitably manu- 

 factured, and sold as honey vinegar; espec- 

 ially, since the recent low prices of extracted 

 honey. As I have had but little practical 

 experience in making vinegar from honey, I 

 give you the following letters which have ap- 

 peared in the back volumes of Gleanings. 



"Some one inquired whether honey vinegar is 

 good or not. I will say yes ; the best there is made. 

 It will not die or loose its strength like most other 

 vinegars, and you can have light or dark vinegar as 

 you take light or dark honey to make it from. You 

 can make what is called sweet pickles with it with- 

 out any fear of spoiling. Last season a neighbor's 

 family bought honey vinegar of me to do tbeir 

 choice pickling with when they had cider vinegar of 

 their own make, as it was so much better, they said, 

 than cider. I cannot give any rule for making it, 

 as I have made it from the washings of vessels used 

 in extracting, and of the cappings after the honey 

 was pretty well drained out, but there has got to be 

 such a demand for it in our neighborhood that I 

 will have to make some from the clear honey this 

 year." R. R. Murphy. 



Fulton, Ills., May 6, 76. 



I can give my testimony in favor of honey vinegar. 

 We have used no other for two years, and nearly 

 every one who tastes our pickles asks my wife for 

 her receipt for making them. When told that we 

 used nothing but honey vinegar, they are surprised, 

 and say that they have always heard it would not 

 keep pickles. The only trouble that we have had is, 

 it keeps getting stronger and stronger, and we have 

 to occasionally put in some water. As we have only 

 used the waste honey from extracting, we cannot 

 give the proportions of honey and water, but usual- 

 ly have it too sweet at first, and have to add more 

 water. If it does not sour enough, we put it in a 

 keg and set it in the sun with a black junk bottle in 

 the bung. Do you think the bottle has any thing to 

 do with the circulation of air? I have thought it 

 might. G. W. Gates. 



Bartlett, Tenn., May 29, '76. 



Another friend, H. A. Palmer, of Madora, 

 Iowa, says, "One lb. of honey will make 3 

 gallons of better vinegar than one can buy." 



Since so much has been said in back No's, about 

 foot power saws with a slow motion, and more pow- 

 er for ripping thick stuff, our friends, Barnes Bros., 

 have made quite an improvement on their saw by 

 putting a larger band wheel on the saw arbor. This 

 wheel is to be used for slow speed with power, and 

 the old one, for high speed. The price of the new 

 wheel and belt is $1.00, and we can send it by mail, 

 where desired, for an addition of 6tc. for postage. 

 We are using one of the machines with the improve- 

 ment, and find it a very great advantage in ripping. 



