1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



177 



acquainted with the queen while being in- 

 troduced; and last, and most important of 

 all, one could not see the bees and queen 

 through the wood bars, as he can through 

 wire cloth. This last is a very important 

 matter, for we are in a world of careless peo- 

 ple, and I am sorry to say our customers are 

 just about as likely to make mistakes as our 

 own clerks. As an illustration, we have had 

 complaints several times this spring, that 

 certain articles were not in the package. 

 Now this has been such a sore point with us. 

 clerks and all, that we are more particular 

 than you perhaps have any idea of. Well, 

 after our most careful clerk had shown us 

 his check mark on the order, showing almost 

 conclusively that the article was in the box, 

 we have written back as much. What do 

 you think? Almost every time, the article 

 is found ; it had been overlooked in the sha- 

 vings, or had been thoughtlessly laid some- 

 where out of sight. In case they could not 

 find it, I have always sent another. Do you 

 not see, my friends, this is pretty hard upon 

 us? To be frank with you, I uuist say some 

 of you— perhaps it is mostly the younger 

 ones— are very careless, and I do not know 

 but heedless would be the right word. 

 When you open a box, let it be done on a 

 clean table, or a clean place on the floor, and 

 send the children all so far away that they 

 will not "confiscate" anything that may 

 please them, and then very carefully check 

 off the articles, just as we do when we put 

 them up. On our part, we will make it a 

 study to do all we can, to pack things so you 

 can not well lose them. Now as to queens: 

 if we use a cage that does not permit of the 

 queen's being readily seen and recognized, 

 we leave the door open to dispute as to 

 whether a queen was sent; whereas, if we 

 make the cage so that the one who puts her 

 up, and the clerk who mails the package, as 

 well as the purchaser who receives it, can 

 see her at a glance, we are relieved at once 

 from what has proven by past experience to 

 be quite a responsibility where queens are 

 sent out by the hundreds. STou see, by 

 simply moving back the slide, our cage meets 

 all these requirements. 



QUILLS FOR GETTING STRAGGLING BEES OFF THE 



SECTK >NS. 



Friend F. sends the following in addition 

 to the remarks on page 170 : 



I think there can be nothing better or nicer for 

 brushing bees from combs, and especially for clean- 

 ing the few straggling bees off the surplus sections 

 when taking them off. G. J. Flansburgh. 



Bethlehem Center, N. Y., Mar. 10, 1880. 



DISCOURAGED, BUT HOPES ARE NOT QUITE BLASTED. 



I am an old veteran in bee-keeping, over 60 years 

 of age. I have kept bees from boyhood. I learned 

 in the dear school of experience. For over 90 years, 

 I never saw a word in print on bee-culture; but at 

 last the revolution in bee-culture came, with plenty 

 of books, patent, movable-frame hives, and Italian 

 bees. Well, I took hold of all of them, and now how 

 is it? Why, bees multiply with me until I do not 

 know what to do with them. I have now in my .yard 

 70 strong stocks of Italian bees, and I cannot sell 

 bees at any price or honey either. Last season I 

 sold a barrel of pure extracted hooey to parties in 



Pittsburgh. They turned out to be rascals, and I 

 lost it all. Some years back, I made money in the 

 bee business, but now I can make nothing in this 

 country. Men will look after everything but bees* 

 I am getting too old to go out from home as I used to 

 do, so it is at a stand, and I see no use in going to 

 any more expense, unless they will pay. I would 

 take Gleanings, but I make no money and have no 

 help to get alongr. William Reynolds. 



Bolivar, Westmoreland., Co., Penn., Mar. 6, 1880. 



So. friend R., it seems you have no troub- 

 le so far as getting the bees and honey is 

 concerned, but the trouble is in getting rid 

 of them after you have them. It may look 

 as if I had a selfish motive in it, but I must 

 say I think you have lost by not having i 

 bee journal. If you will tell us the name of 

 the persons who will not pay you for your 

 honey, perhaps we may do something for 

 you yet. With the great demand there is 

 for bees, it seems to me they must sell, if 

 those wanting to purchase only knew you 

 had them. Perhaps this notice may send 

 you inquiries enough so you can afford to 

 send for Gleanings. Meanwhile, when 

 you have honey on hand you can not sell, 

 just let me know, and I think I can find you 

 a buyer that will at least pay you enough to 

 cover cost of production, and may be a little 

 more. Selling honey in those cheap tin pails 

 bids fair to start enough of a market so that 

 perhaps I can take a little of it, when it is 

 offered pretty low. 



first swarms going to the woods, etc. 



I have 139 colonies now, having only lost one that 

 I know of, so far this winter. They had a splendid 

 tiy last week, and even brought pollen quite freely. 



I noticed in several numbers of Gleanings last 

 fall, that a great many seem to have trouble about 

 bees leaving them and going to the wood^, also with 

 first swarms going together when they swarm; and 

 I have never seen any efficient and practical remedy, 

 or course, recommended to prevent or avoid these 

 difficulties. Now it seems to me that every practi- 

 cal bee-keeper ought to know how to manage so as 

 to avoid anything of the kind; tor it does not foster 

 a very pleasant feeling to see a large swarm moving 

 off to the woods, saying, "Good-bye, anxious friends ; 

 we go to seek a better country." Now we will just 

 say that we believe a little experience and tact will 

 overcome these difficulties entirely, as we have not 

 had a swarm leave for the woods in the last 8 years, 

 or two large ones go together; and we have kept, in 

 this time, from 80 to 200 swarms. N. N. Shepakd. 



Cochranton, Pa., Mar. 5, 1880. 



I entirely agree with you, friend S., that 

 we can not afford, and need not have, bees 

 going off in that style. Does not the A B C 

 tell how such things may be prevented? 



queens that keep a daughteh to help them. 



The queen alluded to on page 497, Vol. VII., has 

 gone to the land where all good queens go. She left 

 a daughter that has inherited the same disposition; 

 that is, good nature and a love of company. So she 

 has a daughter helping her In her household duties. 

 I have wintered my bees, 15 colonies, without any 

 loss. Tn fact, during the three years that I have 

 been keeping bees, I have never lost a colony, for 

 which, thanks to Gleanings. S. H. Lane, 



Whituetowu, Iiid., March 10, 1880. 



