1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



they may be induced to go out after it dur- 

 ing unseasonable weather, and get chilled so 

 as to be unable to return. Lust season, we 

 fed considerable in the open air, between 

 fruit bloom and clover, and the colonies that 

 were busy at the feeders, kept building comb 

 right along, until honey came again. The 

 dripping from your candy is because it is 

 not boiled quite hard enough. As it will 

 burn if boiled the least bit too much, it has 

 always been a nice point to get it just right. 

 Of late, we add 1 part grape sugar to our 

 coffee A candy, which makes it hard and 

 nice to handle, and there is no possibility of 

 its dripping. 



QUEENS,— HOW THEY DIFFER, EVEN IMPORTED OSES. 



I claim that a best queen, in addition to her other 

 good qualities, should produce gentle bees. I got i 

 one of your best imported queens last spring, and, 

 if not mistaken, paid you $7.. r >() for her; she has all 

 the good qualities except that her bees arc very 

 cross, nearly equal to hybrids. I have raised out 

 few queens from her. You may say, " Why did you 

 not send her back?" Just for the very reason that 

 I wanted to keep her. Her bees are the yellowest, 

 and are good workers, and she herself is exceeding- 

 ly prolific. And then, you see, when my friends call 

 on me, 1 can show them what a great difference thei e 

 is in queens, even imported ones; for, all summer, 

 right next to this cross one, stood an imported 

 queen that I got 2 years ago last June from Dadant, 

 which produced rather dark bees, but as gen le as 

 pet kittens. She more than once allowed a young 

 queen to be raised up by her side, there to stay and 

 help her to till the empty combs full of eggs. 1 look- 

 ed the hive over in October, and there was another, 

 the third young laying queen, but I did not find the 

 old one. The first two had been removed to oiher 

 hives. Also, right over there on the other side of 

 the cross one, is another imported queen that fills 

 the bill satisfactorily. 1 got her from you, one year 

 ago last June, and from her I raise most of my 

 young queens. T. M. Quimjv. 



Edenton, Clermont Co., O., Dec. 31, 1879. 



It is quite a difficult matter, friend O,.. to 

 find a queen that excels in all points. You 

 might look over a hundred hives, without 

 finding one that was light, large, very pro- 

 lific, and producing bees which are gentle, 

 extra honey gatherers, light in color, etc.. 

 and 1 fear I shall many times fall short of 

 furnishing one up to all these points. I will 

 send to you all, as nearly what you ask for 

 as I can, and if that does not "please, you 

 may send it back, if you choose. Many 

 thanks to you for keeping the one with cross 

 bees, friend (^. Have you tested the bees of 

 the two as honey gatherers? I have often 

 thought that the crossest bees get most hon- 

 ey, lias any body else noticed the same 

 tiling V 



HONEY I>E\V THAT "IS DEW." 



Several rears ago there arise a cloud in the south- 

 west, producing a mist for the space of thirty min- 

 utes. The bees carried the same in, sipping it from 

 the grass and U-aves its though it were honey, and 

 passing out and in excitedly. A heavy rain then 

 stopped operations. Mr. (;. (;. Large fhusband of 

 Mollie O.i States a similar occurrence in the north 

 i art of this county. W'lmt was tti A. L. Ki.au. 



Pana, III., .Jan. 5, 1880. 



I can not explain it at all. friend K.. unless 

 that cloud was a cloud of insects of some 

 kind that exuded the honey while on the 

 wing. Will friend L. please stand up and 

 give us the full particulars of the case as he 

 witnessed it? 



FASTENING THE COMBS. TO THE SEPARATORS. 



We have had great difficulty, inconvenience, and 

 some loss, from the persistent habit of our bees of 

 f a-tening the honey, in the prize box, to the sepa- 

 rators. Hare you any way to suggest by which we 



may remedy this difficulty? We are thinking 

 seriously () r laying aside the " tins " unless we can 

 get some remedy. Respectfully, T. Haeeett. 



Galena, 111., Jan. 1, 1880. 



We used to have some trouble of the kind 

 when we used the 5x5 sections, but with our 

 present size, there has been so little, we have 

 not thought it worth mentioning. Where 

 the sides of the box are so near, it seems 

 that the bees do not consider any extra sup- 

 ports needed, and therefore do not attach 

 any comb to the separators. This is an ad- 

 ditional reason for using the Simplicity ar- 

 rangement of sections, with the size 4ix4i. 

 Von can try omitting the separators, but I 

 think you will afterwards want them back 

 again, as have most others who have tried 

 both ways. 



CARPETING FOR COVERING THE FRAMES. 



In Gleanings for Dec, you speak of carpet-mats 

 forthetnpof frames. 1 used Mime l»st winter, in 

 single stoiy Simplicity hires, with chaff division 

 boards, and the bees could not have wintered better; 

 but. of course, there is a difference in the wintering 

 and springing qualities of Italians. With the Strain 

 of Italians which I have now, l can winter on sum- 

 mer stands, prepared its above stated, without miy 

 fear of loss. <>t good heavy carpeting, woven just 

 wide enough to tit Simplicity hives, mats can be 

 made, with the ends bound or seiged, lor 15 c. Bees 

 are winteiing well up to this time. 



J. M. C. Taylor. 



Lewistown, Frederick Co., Md.. Jan. 1, lSbO. 



Now. friend T., if I should give you an 

 order for 1,000 such carpet-mats, are you sure 

 they could not be made for just i of 15c. V 

 Von see, 1 want to sell them at 10c, to com- 

 pete with the enameled cloth, but I can't 

 well do it, unless they can be afforded for 

 about the price I have mentioned. The car- 

 pet seems to be warmer, than either the 

 enameled sheets or the wood mats. I have 

 tried cheap, thick, woolen cloth, but the bees 

 ate it full of holes, before it had been used 

 one season. 



SOORWOOD HONEV, ETC. 



I send yon to-day a sample of sourwood honey. 

 Examine it and let us know what you think of its 

 quality. 1 yet more of it than of any other kind. I 

 took about SOOlti. last year from the poplar, and 

 something more than 1,200 from the sourwood, all ex- 

 tracted. 1 had only 28 colonies last sprlDg, and now 

 have 98, but I! of these I bought. All are in good lix 

 and carrying in rye flour pollen every day. If the 

 warm weather continues, they will bring in natural 

 pollen by the middle id' the month. 1 examined sev- 

 eral colonies day before yesterday, and found plenty 

 of scaled brood. This is earlier 1 ban I ever noticed 

 it before. I hope to come up with a big honey re- 

 port for 1880; at least, every thing looks favorable 

 at this time, but I can tell better in the spring. 



Now. Mr. Novice, nearly till of you bee men up 

 North say that all pure honey will candy in cola 

 weather; and I want you to keep the sample I send 



you through the winter, ami report if cold weather 

 candies it. [know you have colder weather than 

 we have down here, but I don't believe it will get 

 cold enough to candj sourwood honey, 



.). F. Montgomery. 



Lincoln, Tenn.,.Ian. 5. 1880. 



Thanks, friend M. You will 366 by the A 15 

 C, that I do not claim that all pure honey 

 will candy. If sourwood honey never can- 

 dies, it will be a great point in its favor, and 

 [ would pay a good price for a barrel of it 

 now, just on account of this one peculiarity. 

 The sample is at hand. and. although it is 

 not as light as our clover and basswood, the 

 color is fair, and the flavor is beautiful. Its 

 aroma is delightful, and has a suggestion of 

 timber and forest trees. I want at least 

 lOOtb. of just such boney. 



