1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



259 



to double them in with another, but, when 1 saw the 

 queen, changed my mind and gave them a nice card 

 of capped honey between two cushions, and to-day 

 they are a tine large colony. 



Now, friend Novice, you have taught us how to 

 winter our bees almost without loss, from Nov. mi- 

 ni March; if you will teach us how to spring them 

 from March 1st until May 10th, we will be all O. K. 

 I think that it is just as necessary to fix them for 

 spring as it is for winter. 



On the 1st of March, friend Miner's bees were ful- 

 ly as strongas mine. On the 1st of May, he had but 

 one or two left, while mine had been slowly but 

 surely gaining in numbers. He left his just as he 

 had wintered them, while I repacked every one of 

 mine, except two which were in box hives, and which 

 I intended to transfer as soon as I could; but they 

 transferred themselves, by disappearing all at once, 

 with lots of honey and more than lots of dead bees 

 in the hive. Having learned how to winter, now 

 let us learn how to spring our bees. 



Wm. L. King. 



Benton Harbor, Mich., May 31, 1879. 



To all of the above I most heartily agree, 

 friend K. 



HOW QIEENS STAND A JOURNEY IN 



THE NEW SECTION QUEEN CAGE 



AND HOW TO INTRODUCE 



THEITI. 



ALSO SOMETHINO ABOUT TRANSFERRING. 



f'HE queen came in good time and in good order 

 and has the appearance of a good queen in 

 every respect. Friend Ncwkirk, an old bee 

 man, was at my house when I received her, and 

 helped me to introduce her to the family I had pre- 

 pared for her, and he pronounced her the purest 

 queen that he ever saw. Others looked at her and 

 pronounced her the "boss". I am well pleased with 

 her. The card of honey you put in the cage was in 

 good shape and every empty cell had an egg in it. 

 The queen was very plump and had the appearance 

 of being full of eggs. I had no trouble in getting 

 her accepted. 1 will tell you how I managed : 



I received your postal the 5th, stating that she 

 would be shipped that day. I prepared a colony of 

 young bees for her reception, by taking six cards 

 full of sealed brood, with the adhering bees, from a 

 colony that was almost ready to swarm, and put 

 them into a hive by themselves; then shook the 

 bees off from 3 more cards from the same hive, into 

 the hive with the 6 cards of brood, and I had quite a 

 strong colony of young bees that had never been 

 out into the fields. All that had been out would go 

 back to the old home leaving all young bees in the 

 colony for the new queen. They were without a 

 queen twenty-four hours, and, by that time, were 

 glad to receive another. I don't think they would 

 have hurt her if I had liberated her at once; but I 

 thought I would not take any chances, so I put her 

 into a cage, hung her in the hive, left her 2± hours, 

 and then let her out on the combs. She had only 

 nicely got out before they began to feed her. They 

 seemed to be as pleased to receive her as I was to 

 have them do so. In about 2 hours after liberating 

 her, I looked after her and found her all right. I 

 put her back, and left her over night and looked 

 again in the morning, and found her all right and 

 doing business. My bees are doing nicely this 

 spring. I went into winter quarters with 26 colonies, 



and came through with 22—19 strong and 3 weak. I 

 have to-day quite a number of colonies working in 

 sections, storing them with clover honey. 



Reading Gleanings, June No., under the head, 

 "Transferring," brought to my mind my experience. 

 I transferred 19 colonies this spring in fruit blos- 

 soming time. I commenced in the afternoon when 

 Ihe bees seemed to be out in the field. When the 

 bees came in, they c oncluded to work nearer home, 

 and they made it red hot about where I was. I used 

 the smoker, and with the assistance of my wife, I got 

 through with one swarm without much loss. I had 

 nine more to transfer and it must be done the next 

 evening. After the bees had got through with their 

 day's work, I went around to each hive anil shut 

 them in. and the few that were out came in loaded, 

 and could not get in to unload; so, you see, I had it 

 my own way, and I could transfer in good shape, 

 one swarm each evening. 



I see the question asked, "How much of the old 

 comb shall be used?" My opinion is, just what has 

 brood in it, and what you can get into your frames 

 straight and nice, and no more. When you can get 

 foundation for 50c per lb., the comb that is not 

 straight is worth more for wax than any thing else. 



C. E. Waldo. 



Grand^Ledge, Mich., June 12, 1879. 



BEE BOTANY AND ENTOMOLOGY. 



PAULONIA JMPERIALIS. 



W!> enclose you a blossom, and other parts of a tree 

 jfj! that is known here as Paulonia. It is a profuse 

 4A bloomer, and secretes quantities of honey. Its 

 general appearance is somewhat like the catalpa, 

 but it bears no beans. I don't know the quality of 

 the honey, but for quantity, I know of nothing bet- 

 ter. There are no leaves on the tree yet, but the 

 bloom is thick enough to give some shade. The tree 

 is a rapid grower and attains a good size. If you 

 know anything about this tree you will confer a 

 favor by giving it in (.leanings. 

 Goldsboro, N. C., Apr. 24, '79. T. B. Parker. 



Many thanks, friend P. Two of the ahove 

 trees are planted in our yard, and we have 

 been looking for those wonderful blossoms 

 for the last 5 years. The trees were bought 

 expressly for the honey they bear, but I fear 

 we are too far north, as they almost invaria- 

 bly die down to the ground every winter, and 

 then send up a powerful shoot in the spring. 

 These shoots have sometimes grown 10 feet 

 in a single season. The immense leaves, 

 often a foot wide by two feet long, attract 

 much attention from passers by.' One of 

 the trees has stood unharmed for the past 

 two winters, and we have been confidently 

 looking for blossoms this spring. Who can 

 furnish us with plants and seed? Ours 

 came from a Mr. Oooly, on Manchester Is- 

 land in the Ohio river. 



YUCCA OR SPANISH BAYONET. 



In your April No. of Gleanings, you say that the 

 blossom of the yucca, or Spanish bayonet, or rather 

 Spanish Dejo, as it is called in Texas, yields tea-cup- 

 f tils of honey. Now it may do so in Texas or other 

 states, but it seems to me it don't produce any hon- 

 ey here in 111. There are more than twenty yuccas 

 in bloom here in different private gardens, but not 

 a single bee have 1 ever seen on them. How did 

 your experiment come out with one of these beauti- 

 ful flowers ? You promised to tell lis in next num- 

 ber, but you forgot it, 1 presume. M. Kuehne. 



Olmsted, 111., June 113, 1879. 



We have been informed from several 

 sources that this statement is a mistake, but 

 it is quite likely that the plant, like many 

 others, bears honey in some localities and 

 not others. A pair of the yuccas are now 

 in our garden, but they will probably not 

 bloom this season. 



