536 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



queen-cells, but they tore them don-a before the 

 queens hatched. He {jave them brood and they 

 started cells, but tore them down before they 

 hatched. Ho introduced four virgin queens, and 

 they destroyed them all. Finally, flndins- a queen- 

 cell remaining after it ought to have hatched, he 

 opened it and found a worker-bee sealed up, head 

 down. S. J. Baldavin. 



Nelson, Ohio, July 13, 1885. 



REPOUT FROM OUR NEW $6..50 LAWN-MOAVEIi, ETC. 



I received the lawn mower and scale in ten days 

 after being shipped. The mower is all you recom- 

 mend it to be. I cut grass that was four or Ave 

 inches tall. I have thought a good many times I 

 would write and see why you did not keep one for 

 sale, for I knew you could sell one for less than 

 $12.00. That is the least you can get them for here. 



Bees are doing well here. I have one swarm 

 and will make 1'?.5 lbs. h©ncy in 1-lb. boxes; some 

 that gave two swarms that will make three crates, 

 each 28 boxes per crate. New swarms are doing 

 just as well. Some will make from two to three 

 crates. I shall have lots of honey. 



5— Geo. E. Jones, IS— 45. 



Northlicld, Minn., July 2.5, 1885. 



ADULT BEES CAN SECRETE WAX. 



tRIEND CONNELLY proves to his own satisfac- 

 tion thatAvorkcr-bees can wit secrete wax (see 

 pages 164 and 165, current volume); but if he 

 will repeat my experiment he may be con- 

 vinced of his error. On the morning of June 

 ftth I placed in my observatory hive one frame of 

 brood about three-fourths capped, and one frame of 

 eggs and larvte, brushing off all bees; then watch- 

 ing my opportunity -when no l.ees were flying about 

 a certain colony, I closed the entrance and removed 

 the hive to a new stand, settingthcobservatory hive 

 in its place. The returning workers, after much 

 hesitation, finally entered, took a careful survey of 

 both combs, deposited their loads, and departed for 

 others. But they soon discovered that this plan 

 would not meet the emergency; for about an hour 

 after, I observed that many bees remained on the 

 combs; and at 3 p.m. both combs were quite cover- 

 ed. Next day many bees were hanging in festoons, 

 ond the 8th inst. all the brood was capped, and two 

 queen-cells nearly completed. The four following 

 days were stormy, and I took no notes. On the i;Uh 

 instant I I'ound the two queen-cells capped, and also 

 about half of the larvic. Now. as none of the brood 

 in the nucleus had been hatched yet, is it not evi- 

 dent that worker-bees can secrete wax, and act as 

 nuBses? It is evident that old bees will participate 

 in this occupation; for during this time, outside op- 

 erations were almost entirely suspended. 



BEES CAN TRANSFER KOOS AND EARV.E. 



Last month my observatory hive gave mo an op- 

 portunity of witnessingthetransfer of a very young 

 larva from the lower edge of one comb to an empty 

 dronr-rdl, situated a little below the center line of 

 the comb in another frame. A cpieen cell was com- 

 pleted, the queen hatched in due time, and is now 

 laying. I havelongsuspected that bees could trans- 

 fer; but this is the first time I could "catch them in 

 the act." So much for an observatory hive. From 

 many incidents in my experience I have concluded 



that bees prefer forming queen-cells near the cen- 

 ter line of a comb; and if the larvae at that place are 

 too old, the bees will either transfer, accept a "lay- 

 ing worker," dwindle, or abscond. The exception 

 only proves the rule. 



THE ADVANTAGES OF A SfjANTING ALIOHTINO- 

 BOAHD. 



Brother Heddon says, "I find no gain in having a 

 slanting alighting-board for bees" (see p. 84). He is 

 a bold man who will venture to run a tilt with so 

 noted a warrior as Bro. H.; Imt 1 have no fear; for 

 "thrice armed is he whose cause i.s just." Not- 

 withstanding I will "call a parley," and say, "Come, 

 let us reason together." Every careful observer of 

 the habits of the "busy bee" must have noticed 

 that it always alights, if possible, on its hands (i. c, 

 front feet), and never on its feet (hind legs)— please 

 excuse the Hibernicism— evidently, and for very 

 good reasons, being very careful of its abdomen. 

 When approaching a hive M slackens up; its body 

 inclines to an angle of about 45 degrees, in which 

 position it is easier to alight on an inclined or per- 

 pendicular surface than on a level. If Bro. H. will 

 spare a few minutes from his active duties he will 

 probably notice, as I have, that many bees will 

 alight on the extreme outer corner of his level 

 board, and leisurely walk into the hive; whereas, if 

 there wore a slanting board or a two-inch auger- 

 hole, they would alight at the very entrance. Fur- 

 thermore, a slanting board is always dry, which can 

 not be claimed for the level board. For these rea- 

 sons I have adopted, after many adjustments, an 

 alighting-board 2 inches wide, '2 in. thick, and 20'4 

 in. long, nailed at an angle of 45 degrees, just 3-16 

 inch below the upper edge of a similar strip, which 

 has three saw-kerfs 3-16 inch wide and deep in said 

 upper edge, and is fastened by two small screws to 

 the bottom-board of my Simplicity hive, flush with 

 its upper surface. The hive can thus be readily ad- 

 justed for the entrance of three worker-bees only, 

 when desired. 1 admit, that it is easier for the apia- 

 rist to adjust the entrance by means of the triangu- 

 lar blocks, instead of sliding the hive forward or 

 back; but I dislike so many loose traps, and have an 

 especial care for the comfort of my bees. 1 f Bro. H. 

 has adopted the level board after fair trial, I can't 

 expect him to apostatize; but I think many others 

 in the fraternity will prefer the slanting board for 

 the reasons stated. T. AVaedron Barthoef. 



Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, June 15, 1885. 



Thanks, friend B., for tlie vahiablo facts 

 furnished. 1 have for years l)een satisfied 

 that the laborinff bees from the lields, and 

 even old ones with raised win.ujs, can se- 

 crete wax, and rear(|ueens too, when forced 

 to. AVe liave been for a ]on<r time aware 

 that bees can transfer epj^s and hu-va\ al- 

 though I do not know that any one before 

 has seen them dointj it.— From yom- descrip- 

 tion we infer that you alhnv the bees to en- 

 ter your Simplicity liives from the side in- 

 stead of the end, a'ltlioush you do not say so. 

 I, too, shotdd i)relVr a slautin,:;; :tli;xhtii)K- 

 board, it we could have theui witliout too 

 mucli exitensive inacliinery. The MJifihtius- 

 boaid tiffurcd in our A B(!, you will notice, 

 h'as a slant on the front edge of the three- 

 cornered blocks ; and as we usually have the 

 sand just below the aliffhting-bbard on a 

 slant, it seems to answer the purpose. The 

 alishting-board to the chaff hives is always 

 made at an angle of 45 degrees.— Your plan 



