GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



at finding such abundant and suitable stores, not 

 unduly stimulate, both rousing- to activity or un- 

 easiness, and to early brood-raising, then likely re- 

 sulting in spring dwindling? 



This facility for feeding, aii> day in the year, 

 looks decidedly like a pretty long stride in advance, 

 if it can be as readily managed as indicated. There 

 is yet another point that may need to be put a little 

 more plainly. You speak of confectioners' sugar. 

 Confectioners use various grades. The standard 

 granulated is mostly regarded as the proper quality 

 for feed-syrup; but for this mixing with honey into 

 the consistency of dough, a softer sort would seem 

 more suitable, both for sticking together and for the 

 bees licking or chewing the more readily. These 

 gritty grains must give much labor to nibble oft'; 

 besides, they do sometimes carry out crystallized 

 pieces as unmanageable. Might not a good quality 

 of soft sugar be less objectionable? Then, what 

 about water for moistening? Wouldn't a little wide- 

 mouthed bottle, Avith a piece of cloth over its neck 

 in the mifist of the candy lump, be very convenient 

 to wet their tongues occasionally? I mean to ex- 

 periment a little in the given i)lan, and shall also 

 hope to hear of others trying and succeeding on the 

 line of this honey-dough idea. 



Toronto, Dec, 18!j4. Jacob Spencer. 



Friend S., this matter of putting a bottle 

 of water near tlie lumps of candy was. as 

 you may remember, discussed and experi- 

 mented " on most thoroughly some two or 

 three years ago. As a rule. 1 do not believe 

 it advisable to give bees water until you 

 wish them to commence brood-rearing in \ 

 the spring. The candy and sugar laid on j 

 the frames will not, I think, excite the bees { 

 to undue activity in winter. 



if it takes a leg to do it ; and when you have 

 got that mastered, you will find the matter 

 of managing to pay a little every week or 

 month is comparatively easy. Just make 

 up your mind it has got to be' done, you and 

 that good wife of yours, and then put in aiid 

 make things tly around for the sake of Chloe 

 ]SIabel and her brother, if for nothing more. 



FHO.M .5 TO U, AND 30 LUS. OF HONEY. 



The past season here was extremely poor. No 

 rain between May 25 and July 25; then we got \U 

 inches, then none till September 28; no good for 

 bees. We wintered five last winter; no loss; took a 

 little honey. ;W lbs., for a sweet lick, but fed 40 lbs. 

 granulated-sugar syrup; have 14 in a house. 



What personal experience have you had with the 

 Carniolan bee? also the Syrian? I intend to trj' to 

 teach our bees to work on red clover. Spray the 

 bloom with water well sweetened with honey. 



J. D. Beacu. 



Coal Run, Wash. Co., O., Dec. 17, 1884. 



Friend B., Mr. Benton has our order for 

 some Carniolan (lueens. but we have had no 

 experience witlilliein. They come highly rec- 

 ommended, but so flid, the .Syrian and lloiy- 

 Land bees.— You need not go to the paiiis 

 of teaching your bees to work on red clover. 

 Whenever there is honey in red clover they 

 can reach, they will find it— you can rest as- 

 sured of that.* It occasionally happens, or, 

 rather, we have occasionally a season, when 

 this occuis, and very likely some varieties of 

 red clover are more apt to' have tliis profuse 

 secretion of honey than others. The matter 

 needs investigation and development. 



WUAT TO no WHEN A MAN HAS A WIFE AND A 

 BOY, AND IS IN DEHT. 



I bought 20 acres of land, and built ou it. Our 

 house is small, 14x28 feet, but we make out very 

 well. Our family is also small. I have a wife and 

 boy and baby, 6 weeks old. We call her Chloe Ma- 

 bel. How is that for high? I wish you would tell 

 me how 1 can build the cheapest for my bees, and 

 arrange the yard for them. 1 have a nice east hill- 

 side for my bees and poultrj-yard that will do the 

 business 1 shall carry on, if I don't make a fizzle of 

 it. 1 am considerably in debt, but will do my best 

 to get out. A. B. HowEK. 



Mexico, Ind., Dec. 9, 1884. 



Well, friend H.. the first tiling I would do 

 if I were you, I would make up my mind 

 that I would get in debt no further. "As for 

 the bees and poultry, if I could not scoop 

 out some i»hu'e in that eastern side-hill for 

 tlicm, without getting in debt any more, I 

 woiikl let them stay outdoors till spring. 

 Frobal)ly the best place for the bees will be 

 outdoors, protected from the wind, if you 

 can manage that. If you can make a cave 

 in tin- side-iiill for llie poidtry, they ought to 

 give you (luilc a lift l)y wav of eggs now 

 while tiiey arc liigli. If yt)ii "had some old 

 sash, so as to let in the siin and keep out the 

 cold, it will do very well. Sometimes people 

 in straitened circumstances say they can 

 not get along without getting in "debt "more. 

 In almost every case they van get along; and 

 when they get used to it they feel all the 

 better for it. Stop the accumulation of debt. 



THIEVES IN THE APIARY, ETC. 



I have been in the bee business over ten years, 

 beginning with one hive. My apiary numbers a little 

 over 100 colonies. This is not a good honey section. 

 White clover is just getting a start. The basswood 

 did not amount to any thing this year, and seldom 

 does. The wind and rain iu the fall spoiled that 

 crop, consequently this has been a rather poor j-ear. 

 I increased over 50 per cent this year. During the 

 past ten years I have learned much by experience. I 

 have quite a number of little notions, etc., of my 

 own, some of which may appear in Gleanings in 

 the future. You express surprise in the last num- 

 ber, that any one should stoop so low as to destroy 

 hives in order to get a little honey, which expres- 

 sion from a person of your age and obser\'ation is a 

 surprise to mc. The very meanest and most ex- 

 aggerated thing that we can imagine, humanity 

 will stoop to, and even lower. I am happy to say, 

 however, that we have never lost any thing to 

 speak of from honey-thieves. Some one entered the 

 apiary three or four weeks ago and took off the 

 covers from three hives, and laid them on the 

 ground. I rather think they were looking for bo.v 

 honey, but they struck a "desert place" for that. 

 The most mysterious thing to me is, why they did 

 not put the covers back, and also why did they not 

 take out some of the outside frames, which they 

 could easily have done. John F. Whitmoke. 



Anita, Iowa, Dec. 16, 1884. 



Fiiend W., 1 think it a great deal better to 

 have too good an opinion of humanity than 

 too poor a one; audi insist still, that it is 

 more ignorance than real badness of heart. 

 Those who took the covers off your hives 

 were looking for box honey. They did not 



