938 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dkc. 1 



a word of warning-. It is this: The exper- 

 iment stations are advising- the cutting- of 

 alfalfa when from 10 to 25 per cent in 

 bloom, and the farmers are beginning- to 

 put it into practice. At this place it used 

 to be two crops; now they are beginning 

 to cut three. At Aztec. N. M. , they used 

 to cut three; now some are cutting four, 

 and inore will do so in a few years. When 

 cut three times here and four at Aztec it is 

 no use for bees. I believe that, in a few 

 j^ears. it will do bees no g-ood except where 

 kept for seed. 



How many strips should I use in a stand- 

 ard frame to make it good and strong-, so it 

 will stand the extractor ? 



Bayfield, Col., Oct. 12. 



[It is perfectlj' feasible to use wired 

 frames without foundation, providing- one 

 understands the art of g-etting ivorkt'r comhs 

 built. The presence of the wires interferes 

 little if any with such work ; but when 

 starters of foundation are used, the bees 

 will draw out the starters, extend them 

 down over the wires, and the work is al- 

 i-nost as perfect (providing one knows how 

 to get all worker comb) as when full 

 sheets are used. But the majority of bee- 

 keepers who have tested the matter agree. I 

 believe, that, as a rule, and under condi- 

 tions as they ordinarily exist, it is better to 

 use full slieets of foundation on wires, and 

 mainly because of the difficulty of getting 

 all worker comb. Your wooden "stays" 

 might answer, but they would be too large 

 and clumsy, and the tendency would be for 

 the bees to build ridges, or what we call 

 "dead furrows," along the line of each 

 stick. Better — far better — use wire. 



With regard to alfalfa-growing, I fear 

 there is too much truth in what j'pu say. If 

 the ranchmen keep on in this way, then the 

 great alfalfa-fields, where hay is the ob- 

 ject, will, as time goes on, be no more the 

 paradise of the bee-keeper. All along the 

 line of travels I heard how the ranchmen 

 were, year after year, cutting their alfalfa 

 earlier and earlier, until it seems now that, 

 jvist as soon as it comes into bloom, they 

 must start their i-nowers, and that, too, 

 when bees are just beginning to roll in the 

 honey by the carload. -Ed. ] 



(7. //. //., J/aiNi. -Yea, excessive smok- 

 ing does have a bad effect on bees, as I be- 

 lieve it has a tendency to shorten their lives 

 even if it does not kill thein on the spot. 

 Beginners are apt to smoke their bees to ex- 

 cess. Very often two little whiffs of smoke 

 are sufficient. If the bees are very cross, 

 and are inclined to rob, a little more smoke 

 to bring- the colony under control may be 

 necessary. Too much smoke has a tenden- 

 cy to cause tlie bees to gorge themselves, 

 and even vincap comb honey. This gorging 

 is wasteful of honey, and the uncapping 

 spoils the appearance of the face of the 

 honev. 



STAKTIXC. IN BEE-KKEPING. 



"Good morning, Mr. Doolittle. I am 

 about to make a start in the bee business. 

 I think of bu3nng'- 50 colonies of Mr. Smith, 

 and I came over to see what I could find out 

 in the matter which would be helpful to 

 me. ' ' 



"What do 3'ou have to pay Mr. Smith for 

 bees?" 



"He said he would let me have .50 colo- 

 nies this fall, hives and all, for $200, or he 

 would let me have them next May for $250, 

 as there is some risk to run in wintering 

 bees. Wliich would ycm prefer to do — buy 

 them this fall or next Miiy?" 



"How inany colonies has Mr. Smith?" 



"He has about 250." 



"If Mr. Smith will give you your choice 

 out of the 2.^0 colonies next spring, I should 

 prefer to wait till next May, and pay the 

 $50 extra. Otherwise I would take them 

 now. " 



"Why?" 



"Because, in the former case Mr. Smith 

 practically insures the bees against all loss 

 in wintering; while if you do not have your 

 pick lie agrees to give you only so many 

 colonies; and you might not have as good 

 an average if you took them as they come 

 as you would have did you take all good 

 colonies this fall. But why do you wish to 

 buy so many colonies?" 



"So as to have a good start, and a suffi- 

 cient number to pay me for 'dabbling' in 

 bees at all." 



"I hardl}' think this the part of wisdom. 

 It seems to me that 50 colonies of bees would 

 be about twelve times as many as a begin- 

 ner should buv'." 



"Why?" 



"Have _you had any experience with 

 bees? " 



"No — nothing more than that I have been 

 at Mr. Smith's two or three times, and have 

 read about the profit there was in bees, out 

 of a paper I picked up. 



"As I thoug-ht. You are a beginner, and 

 the beginner should guard against going 

 recklessh' into bee-keeping bj' putting a lot 

 of money into a business he knows nothing 

 of. It is this getting crazy over a business 

 which lojks to be a good thing, but with 

 which we are not acquainted, and putting 

 a lot of our hard-earned money in it, expect- 

 ing to make a fortune, which ruins so many. 

 To be successful in any thing, a man must 

 ' grow up ' into it, as it were, by j'ears of 

 patient toil and study, till he becomes mas- 

 ter of the business, when, in 09 cases out of 

 100, he will succeed." 



"When and how did a'ou beg-in?" 



"During the winter of ISbS I became in- 

 terested in bees bj- reading a book on the 

 subject, which I found in the house; and, 



