1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



495 



at any price they can get, demoralizing the honey 

 market, and discouraging legitimate bee-keepers. 

 I went into winter quarters last winter with 9 hives 

 in rather poor condition, and came out last spring 

 with 9 very weak stocks. Fruit-blossoms were a 

 failure, except apple. White clover was a failure 

 on account of drouth. I have increased to 19, and 

 got over 500 lbs. of honey from fall flowers, half in 

 sections and half extracted. Bees commenced stor- 

 ing honey about the middle of August, and contin- 

 ued until October 101 h; but September was so cold 

 they worked very little until the last week. 



section-boxes; shallow veesus deep ones. 

 1 tried a series of experiments this fall with sec- 

 tions, and find that bees build comb faster with two 

 tiers of sections in a frame than with one, all other 

 things being equal. I use L. frames, with broad 

 frames holding 2 tiers of 4^x4}^ sections, in the 

 top. I made a few sections double length, so that 4 

 sections just filled a frame, either placed on their 

 sides making two tiers, or stood on end making one 

 tier, to the frame. These I placed on a strong hive, 

 some frames being filled with small sections, others 

 with huge sections placed on their sides, and one 

 frame in the center with large sections stood on 

 end. When the small sections, and the large ones 

 placed on the side, were filled, those standing on end 

 were only a little over half full. I tried this on sev- 

 eral hives, with the same result. Now for the rea- 

 son: In two tiers of sections, the bees have two 

 points of suspension to one point in one tier; hence, 

 a given number of bees will build 2 combs 4 inches 

 long sooner than the same number of bees will build 

 a comb 8 inches in length. For the same reason, I 

 think a swarm of bees will build combs more rapid- 

 ly in L. frames placed as they should be in a hive 

 than standing on end. On taking out the frames, 

 I found only a'jout as many bees at work in the sec- 

 tions standing on end, as in the small sections, prov- 

 ing, I think, that only a certain number of bees can 

 build comb in a given space, from one point of sus- 

 pension. 



HOW TO GET A SWARM OF lil ES HOME, "ON A 

 PINCH." 



On the 28th day of last June, I found a small 

 swarm of bees hanging on a little willow by the 

 roadside, in a large prairie, about seven miles from 

 home. I could not leave it; so, removing the bottles 

 from my medicine-chest, I hived them in it, and, as 

 the day was hot, I left an air space of about an inch, 

 on one side, between the lid and chest. Taking a 

 thin fly net off my horse, I rolled it around the chest 

 to keep the bees from flying out, put them in the 

 buggy, and brought them home without the loss of 

 a dozen bees. As they were a second swarm, I 

 pinched the young black queen, gave them a yellow 

 stepmother, hived them in a Simplicity hive, and 

 have now an excellent colony of Italians, that has 

 given me considerable surplus honey. Who can 

 beat it? My bees are all Italians and hybrids. Black 

 bees in Ihis section have given very little surplus, 

 while Italians have done well. My two best hives 

 have given me a little over ICO lbs. of section honey 

 each. From those that swarmed I got very little. I 

 had one swarm about the first of September, from 

 which I have taken about 30 lbs. of section honey, 10 

 lbs. of extracted honey, and they are in good condi- 

 tion for winter. A. P. Coulter, M. D. 



P. S.-Now, friend Boot, I did not intend to write 

 such a long article, but somehow got wound up and 



had to run down. If you find anything in this fit for 

 publication, use it; if not, throw it into the waste- 

 basket and no offense will be taken. A. P. C. 

 Marissa, 111., Oct. 22, 1879. 



Thanks, friend C. I am always glad to 

 get reports of just such practical experiments 

 as yours, and I hope yon will get " wound up 

 often," if this is the way you "run down." 

 You have, hy careful experiments, demon- 

 strated what I have long held, that every 

 strong colony would fill two tiers of sections 

 almost as quickly as one, and that a shallow 

 section, say less than 5 inches, is better 

 economy than deeper ones. I have credited 

 you SI. (JO for the experiment. 



m m * 



CUSHIONS FOR WINTER. 



W\ MEND TOWNLEY told us last month 

 Jgl" that loose chaff had given rather bet- 

 ' ter results than chaff cushions. The 

 reason must he, that the Indian head we 

 have been using for our cushions is too close 

 and tight to allow the moisture to pass up 

 through the chaff, as it would if we used a 

 more porous fabric. I have before thought 

 of burlap, but objected to it, because it was 

 so porous as to allow the dust from the chaff 

 to be sifting out constantly. Well, after 

 putting them in use I do not see that this is 

 any great objection after all— especially for 

 out-door hives. Another thing, the burlap 

 works up into cushions without a particle of 

 waste. The figure below will show you how 

 thev are made. 



CIIAFF CUSHION FOR WINTER, MADE OF 

 BURLAP. 



As the burlap is just 40 inches wide, we 

 have only to cut off pieces clear across, 20 

 inches wide. Two of these pieces make a 

 cushion. The way in which they are laid 

 i across each other 'and the seams sewed up 

 will be readily understood from the engrav- 

 ing. But little over a yard is required for a 

 good large cushion; and, counting the bush- 

 el of chaff to fill it at 5 cents, we have only 

 15 cents as the cost of the materials. Allow- 

 ing 5 cents for making, and we have the cost 

 only 20 cents instead of SO cents, and we 

 have a larger and better cushion than those 

 made of the Indian head. I need hardly say, 

 you must not put these near the bees or they 

 will eat through in time and let out your 

 chaff. Put an extra sheet of burlap (or, what 

 is more durable, a piece of bag-stuff or duck) 

 over the frames, if you have not the mats we 

 make specially for that purpose. The cush- 

 ion above is just about right to fill the upper 

 story of the chaff hive; but it can be pressed 

 into' an upper story of the Simplicity hives, 

 if you choose to winter bees in the Simplici- 

 ties. The cushion ready for the chaff will 

 be 15 cents. 



