534 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



LONGEVITY OF BEES THE MOST DE- 

 SIRABLE OF ALL TRAITS. 



s|p]|DIT01t GLEANINGS:— I have carefully noticed 

 jtmi the prosperity of different swarms of bees for 

 — ' a few years past, and invariably traced this 

 prosperity to the hardihood or longevity of the 

 workers. The most of our best writers tell us to 

 breed from tested queens lhat are most prolific, in 

 order to insure, at all times, swarms that are the 

 strongest. Who of us has not said, in May and June, 

 while looking over our bees, that such and svich 

 swarms had very prolific queens, as they had their 

 hives full of brood, and that we expected the best re- 

 turns from such stocks; but, as the season advanc- 

 ed, some stock that was weaker in the spring 

 months, and whose queen had never attracted our 

 attention by her prolificness, now had much the 

 largest working force, and were the very stocks that 

 gave us the best returns Ihrough the season? It 

 seems strange that we have so long mistaken the 

 true cause of this effect. Those workers could point 

 with pride (as many "humans" do) to the promise of 

 a long life and strODg constitution handed down to 

 them by their progenitors. 



NOTICEABLE FEATURES OF THESE LONG-LIVERS. 



1. Colony always strong, and ready to take advan- 

 tage of any honey yield. 



2. Very many ragged-winged old veterans among 

 the working force throughout the entire season. 



3. They bear their loads of honey right up to their 

 entrances with less effort than weaker bees do, and 

 a close observer can notice that, going and coming, 

 they fly more steadily and straight, and a trifle 

 swifter, than other bees. 



I have tested this thing to my entire satisfaction 

 the past season by depriving stocks of their queens. 

 I suppose some who have witnessed the fearful mor- 

 tality of some queenless stocks through the working 

 season will think I must be mistaken; but I am not. 

 I divided one of these long-lived stocks June 26tb, 

 leaving about one-half of the bees and 7 Gallup 

 frames of brood. They filled the other 5 frames, and 

 gave me 70 lbs. of basswood honey. Although they 

 were kept queenless through all the season, they 

 filled up their hives on buckwheat, with ample stores 

 for winter. They were given a few eggs and larvse 

 on two occasions, to keep up their industry; and 

 when I gave them a fertile queen, Sept. 5th, they 

 were a very fair swarm. Right here I wish to say, 

 that all heavy yields of honey are very fatal to the 

 workers. I do not think that healthy bees will dwin- 

 dle as fast in early spring as they wear out in gath- 

 ering honey during a heavy yield. But to return to 

 my text. A strong colony of blacks, made queenless 

 Aug. 1, with plenty of brood, came near perishing 

 by Sept. 15th; also two swarms of Italians, with very 

 prolific queens, dwindled so during the first honey 

 yield that they failed to swarm, and gave but little 

 surplus. 



I believe many have noticed two stocks, side by 

 side, and the one with a very prolific queen come out 

 in the fall weaker and with less honey than even the 

 moderately laying queen by their side, whose bees 

 are very hardy; but I have noticed that these long- 

 lived bees almost always have good queens— but not 

 always. I shall hereafter, in breeding queens for 

 my own use, if necessary, throw aside prolificness, 

 gentleness, beauty, etc., and breed from good work- 

 ers, long-livers, and small eaters, instead. And you, 

 Bro. Boot, the one we consider on the watch-tower 



looking for everything new and desirable, must as- 

 sist us by your own personal observation, what time 

 you can steal from your many duties. 



M. A. Gill. 

 Viola, Richland Co., Wis., Sept. 20, 18S0. 



Many thanks, friend G. I have never no- 

 ticed, to any extent, what yon say, although 

 I have noted particular stocks that were al- 

 ways strong, year after year, and that seemed 

 to stand almost any vicissitude, and still 

 keep up. As this is a very important point, 

 it may be well to keep a lookout ; but does it 

 not pretty nearly cover the whole ground, if 

 we select queens to breed from, whose col- 

 onies give us the greatest yields of honey, 

 year after year? 



HOW TO BENT BEES. 



^pypjf R- ROOT : — We wish your advice in regard to 

 Jy/ff renting bees. The facts are these: J. B. 



— : Bennett, party of the first part, has in pos- 

 session 40 swarms of bees which he wishes to rent to 

 Frank Blakeslee, party of the second part. Five of 

 the swarms are Italian; the remainder are black 

 bees. Twenty of the swarms are strong colonies, 

 and the remaining 20 will require feeding before 

 spring. Mr. Bennett wishes to rent them for one 

 year, rent to be paid in cash, and your answer to 

 this is to be the contract by which both are to abide. 

 Now, we wish you to take this in consideration, the 

 same as if you were one of the contracting parties. 

 The business must be all settled now. The weak 

 colonies will require about 150 lbs. of sugar. You 

 are to estimate about what you think will die. The 

 hives are single ones, movable combs. We wish no 

 evasive answer, nor any more questions asked, be- 

 cause the bees have already changed hands, and 

 both parties have agreed before witnesses that your 

 answer is to be the law. Each party reads your 

 journal, and both are quite expert in the handling 

 of bees, and are willing to abide by your judgment 

 as to the probable number that will die through the 

 winter, the amount of honey and number of colo- 

 nies, and the expense of handling the same for the 

 coming year. A. M. Bennett. 



Spartansburg, Crawford Co., Pa., Oct. 4, 1880. 



If the winter should be a trying one, and 

 the season poor next year, the one who rents 

 may have a heavy bill to pay to make the 

 stock as good as when he received it, to say 

 nothing of profit; but, on the other hand, if 

 everything is favorable, he may clear more 

 from them than their present value. In 

 view of both these extremes, I would simply 

 reduce the stock to a cash value, and place 

 the rent money at about what such a sum of 

 money would rent for, as follows : 



5 colonics, worth $5.00 each, - $25.00 



15 " " 3.50 " 52.50 



20 " " 2.50 " 50.00 



Prohahle value, $127.50 



The use of the above property one year (to 

 be returned in as good order and as many 

 stocks), at 10 per cent of value, is §12.75. I 

 Avould give the party who rents, the privilege 

 of buying outright if he prefers. 



The above is a low estimate, I know ; but 

 bees that need feeding in the fall are not 

 very salable property, and this fall they are 

 especially so. 1 would, as a general thing. 

 advise buying rather than renting. 



