238 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



unpacking hives in spring and fall ; every 

 hive perfectly dry and warm at all times, and 

 the satisfaction of being able to lock up your 

 hives, bees, and all, should you desire to go 

 away for a day or two — no double- walled hives 

 to make, no winter-cases, no grass to cut, and 

 very few if any angry bees to bother the api- 

 arist. 



Would there be any loss of bees worth 

 speaking of if there were an alighting-board, 

 say one foot wide, run along the whole build- 

 ing, and the front of the building at every 

 third hive painted a different color? Hives, 

 of course, would have to be placed close to- 

 gether for economy of space inside. Would 

 the different colors in painting referred to 

 above be an advantage or not ? 



Would a building like this not give some- 

 thing of the uniform temperature of the cel- 

 lar, coupled with the advantages of outdoor 

 wintering? A. L. 



[Such a building would be, I think, entire- 

 ly practicable ; indeed, we came very near 

 constructing such a one at our outyard last 

 fall, and probably will do so the coming sea- 

 son. 



Of course, it is very important that the walls 

 be double, and the space between packed with 

 sawdust or shavings. 



There should be a separate alighting-board 

 for each entrance, and it would be better if 

 they were of varied design to better enable 

 the bees to find their several entrances. I 

 would, for the same purpose, use the different 

 colors of paint. 



So far as uniformity of temperature is con- 

 cerned it could not be as even as in a cellar 

 entirely under ground. 



Hives inside should be movable, and exact- 

 ly like those outdoors, and should rest on 

 shelves the same as is shown in the house-api- 

 ary used by F. A. Salisbury, described in the 

 A B C of Bee Culture. Indeed, you will do 

 well to follow this plan clear through, except 

 that the building be double-walled. 



The work-shop part can be added on the 

 end, and extended as far as desired. — Ed.] 



ANTIDOTE FOR THE AROMA OF BEE-STlNG 

 POISON. 



I want an antidote for the poisonous aroma 

 (if that is a proper phrase) given off from hon- 

 ey-comb. I have handled bees and combs for 

 a good many years. I have been stung thou- 

 sands of times with no ill effects. Late last 

 season my eyes, face, and ears began to swell 

 whenever I handled combs for a few hours. 

 My eyelids are affected the most, swelling 

 nearly shut, and remaining so for several days. 

 I have never heard of a similar experience — 

 perhaps you have. If there is an antidote or 

 preventive known that can be suggested, I 

 want it. I^. C. Morehouse. 



Boulder, Colo., Feb. 9. 



[It was the Rev. L. L. Langstroth who, 

 some ten years ago, related a similar experi- 

 ence, as to how he suffered from swelling, or 

 an itching sensation, when in the spring or 

 early summer he began work with the bees ; 



but at the time no one else had been similarly 

 troubled ; but in later years our Mr. Spafford, 

 who was employed by us to fill two or three 

 different orders from a large homeopathic-sup- 

 ply house for 10,000 bee-stings each, complain- 

 ed that, on the last thousand stings he pulled, 

 his face and eyes began to smart. There was 

 a swelling and a general tingling sensation all 

 over. The aroma of the poison affected him 

 quite seriously, making him sick, so that he 

 had to give up the job. It would appear that, 

 when one gets a large quantity of this poison 

 in his system, the very aroma of it later on 

 seems to affect him. 



As to a remedy or antidote I do not know of 

 any thing that would give you relief ; but very 

 possibly a homeopathic physician — one who 

 makes use of bee-sting poison kuown as Apis 

 mellifica, might give you an antidote that 

 would afford relief. — Ed] 



pooi^e's entrance-contractor. 



I send you another small article which I 

 consider to be handy in the apiary. It is a 

 contrivance to contract the entrance of a hive 

 in cold weather, or in the spring or fall. 

 They are also good when the bees are inclined 

 to rob. The entrance of the contractor can be 

 made larger or smaller. Jerome Poole. 



Rockport, Mass., Jan. 23. 



FIG. 1. 



[The contractor, when put on as shown in 

 Fig. 1, gives the greatest width of entrance. 

 When placed as shown in Fig. 2, the smallest 

 opening is given. This is something that any 

 one can whittle out during these winter days. 

 —Ed.] 



partnership in keeping bees, in which 

 one of the parties is a novice and 

 the other an expert bee-keeper. 

 A friend of mine and myself are thinking 

 of going to Colorado and engaging in the 

 bee busmess, in partnership. He has had lit- 

 tle or no experience in handling bees. I have 

 had thirteen years of practical experience with 

 them. What do you think he ought to put in 



