176 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



made perfectly white, it seems to me my eye 

 would catch it quickest, but you must re- 

 member I am somewhat "color blind." I 

 agree with you, friend C, it must not be I 

 any thing that the bees will pick at, or that 

 will load the queen in the least, for that ' 

 would impair her usefulness. 



FROM OUR YOUNG FRIEND O. F. BOWEN AGAIN. 



The imported queen you let me have [see Nov. No. 

 p. 458] is doing nicely. She is a large, proliflio " mis- I 

 tress." Her bees found the provender, when I put 

 it out, the first of any in the apiary. I do love to ' 

 work among the bees. When I tirst commenced, 

 stings swelled badly, and I was actually afraid of the 

 little fellows anyhow. But now, after having been 

 stung many hundred times, I do not fear them, and I 

 the stings produce no other effect than a little 

 smarting. For one, I am glad that you feel charita- 

 bly toward friend Alley. He has dealt honorably 

 with me. At one time, I asked for a queen on cred- 

 fc, which he kindly granted. It was more than one 

 month before I had the cash for him. I believe he 

 is trying to be a good man and please all his custom- 

 ers. 



Friend Root, some of us A B C boys would feel j 

 more free to write you if we had not the idea that | 

 you have too much on your mind already to bother 

 with us. We are all apt to undertake too much, I 

 judge by myself. Is this the correct way? 



Otis F. Bowen. 



Randolph, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., March 1, 1880. 



I assure you, friend B., I have never 

 thought of its being a bother to read the let- 

 ters of the ABC class ; on the contrary, I 

 have felt as if it was the especial work that 

 God had given me in life. It is true, I can 

 not always answer all your letters as fully as 

 I would like to do, but I can usually at least 

 indicate to you where your answers are to 

 be found, and I am always glad to hear from 

 you in regard to all your wants and wishes 

 in life. 



FEEDING MOLASSES, AND CROSS BEES. 



I was stung to-day while feeding my bees molasses 

 and water placed on old comb, which they refuse to 

 eat. They are the common black bees, with a tenden- 

 oy to alight on the back part of my head, become en- 

 tangled in my haiv, and then sting. 



II. M. Nicholson. 



Camden, N. J., Feb. 27, 1880. 



During a time of great dearth of honey, I 

 bees will sometimes eat common molasses, 

 but not as a general thing. They will take 

 maple at any time almost, especially if it is 

 nice. From your very vivid description, 

 friend N., I think a great many of us must 

 have a few bees, at least distantly related to 

 yours. When a bee gets on the back part 

 of my head, I get him off before he has time 

 to sting. If he goes right back again, and 

 shows that he is bent on mischief, I spat 

 him just enough to make him lie still awhile, 

 but not kill him, then lay him on the top of 

 a hive where he can meditate on the sinful- 

 ness of letting his "angry passions rise." 

 After awhile, he gets up and flies away, I 

 hope with a wiser, if not sadder, opinion of 

 his owner. Of late, I seldom kill a cross 

 bee, and I do not often get stung either, un- 

 less some imprudence in the grounds has 

 started robbing. 



GIVING THEM "ENOUGH" (?). 



My bees are all right yet, and have plenty of stores. 

 I don't know how they will get through. I have ex- 

 amined 2 hives. They have no brood, for they have 

 no room. So I put one empty frame in, and took 

 out one with honey, to give them a chance to raise 

 brood. I shall watch them, however, and put it back 

 if needed. I fed 4 swarms 100 lb. coffee sugar and 50 

 lb. of honey, and 1 had :50 lb. and 2 had 18 lb. each, and 

 to the one out of the woods I fed their own honey, 

 about 30 lb., and for the remainder, sugar syrup. So 

 you see they won't suffer. "Costly bees" aren't 

 they? But I am not discouraged a bit, for I think 

 they will pay me yet. I am on my farm, and it cost 

 me nearly $400.00 without paying much the first two 

 years, but now it commences to pay. I write this to 

 show that I know that a person must pay out before 

 he can receive anything. I like the bees and honey, 

 and I mean to make it a success if I can. 



EXTRACTING RIGHT BY THE HIVES. 



Please let me know whether to extract right by 

 the hives, or whether I must take the frames into 

 the house and extract, and take them back to the 

 hive. Henry L. Warstleh. 



St. John, Clinton Co., Mich., Feb., 1880. 



Truly, friend W., your bees ought to be 

 "fat," by this time; it is so seldom anyone 

 feeds too much, I had hardly thought to 

 give a caution against that extreme. Are 

 you sure they did not have a circle of empty 

 cells, in which to cluster, in at least two of 

 the central combs? When honey is coming 

 in daily, I have seen a hive so tilled with 

 honey as to cramp the queen, but I can 

 hardly say I ever saw such the case after 

 they had been through the winter, for they 

 usually consume the honey about as fast as 

 they want extra cells. However, your ex- 

 treme is a very safe one, and I think you 

 will come out a "big bee-keeper," if you ad- 

 here to your position, of course not carrying 

 it to too great extremes. 



You can set your extractor right by the 

 hives when honey is coming in so abundant- 

 ly that the bees will not stop to rob, but at 

 no other time. Where one has but few 

 hives, he may get along, if he hurries 

 through, and gets his things out of the way 

 or covered up, but it is very apt to start rob- 

 bing, and his lirst warning may perhaps be 

 that cool quiet way of stinging, without so 

 much as even a warning note, that many of 

 you are but too well acquainted with. I 

 think you would better have a honey house, 

 and have your extractor neatly and perma- 

 nently fixed for the work. 



CAGES ALL OF WOOD INSTEAD OF WIRE CLOTH. 



Our bees packed in fine hay have wintered finely 

 on their summer stand. No losses. Hike the Brooks 

 mailing cage with your modification, but think sev- 

 eral saw cuts, instead of the wide slots, would be 

 safer and stronger, unless the cover is quite thick. 



T. F. Bingham. 



Otsego. Mich., Mar. 8, 1880. 



You may remember that I paid friend Sco- 

 vell, a few years ago, $25.00 for a queen cage 

 all of wood. After using a few hundred of 

 them, three objections presented themselves: 

 the bees sometimes got their heads stuck in 

 the grooves ; the wood bars did not seem to 

 answer so well for allowing the bees to get 



