444 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



1 was surprised to see on the same page that you 

 and others have only just dispensed with loose chaff 

 over your bees. I supposed I had called your at- 

 tention to this point years ago, in the columns of 

 Gleanings, but I may have overlooked doing so. 

 Don't make the cushion a little but a good deal 

 larger than the top of the brood cbamper, and a 

 clear space should always be left between the top 

 of the cushion and cover of the hive. This pre- 

 vents accumulation of moisture. 



On page 360, friend Freeman asks some questions 

 about timothy chaff being suitable for packing 

 bees, and in your foot-note you say you " suppose 

 any thing of that sort will do about as well," and 

 you "think timothy chaff might be a little more apt 

 to pack down tight and get moldy." Please excuse 

 mo if I say that' you are decidedly wrong in both of 

 those ideas. You will find a column article from 

 me on this very subject in Gleanings for 1882, 

 page 326. During the first years of experience wit h 

 chaff hives 1 tested all the different materials for 

 packing that I could get conveniently, and found 

 them of value in the following order. 1. Timothy 

 chaff; 2. Fine sawdust from dry pine; 3. Wheat 

 chaff; 4. Oat chaff; 5. Buckwheat chaff. I never 

 tested ground cork, but I think that would be supe- 

 rior to all other material. I found that timothy 

 chaff, freed from straws and other coarser materi- 

 als, would remain dryer during winter than any of 

 the other materials would, showing that it gave 

 better protection from the cold than did other 

 materials. Oat chaff seemed to have a wonderful 

 affinity for moisture. 1 presume that many fail- 

 ures in the use of chaff hives have resulted from 

 the use of improper materials, or from not using a 

 sufficient quantity of packing. To be successful in 

 the use of chaff hives requires the use of proper 

 materials, of skill, care, and judgement, the same 

 as does the use of any other method of wintering. 



In your notes to question 121 you speak of so few 

 saying any thing about seeing swarms go off with- 

 out clustering at all. The question gave no sugges- 

 tion of this point, or more could have mentioned it. 

 I knew at least two instances of such in my own 

 apiary. One of them, a prime swarm, commenced 

 to issue while I was standing close by the hive, and 

 I saw it start directly for the woods. It spent no 

 time fooling around in the air, as swarms usually 

 do before clustering. 



On page 355, friend La Montagne tells of a large 

 flow of honey from orange-bloom. I have spent 

 four springs in Florida and two in Cuba; have 

 watched the orange-blossoms very closely; have 

 made many inquiries, but have never seen, and 

 this is the first I have ever heard, of such a flow of 

 honey from orange-blossoms. They yield more or 

 less honey, of course; but I judge much less than 

 is done by fruit-blossoms in the North. It would 

 not be wise for any one to commence bee-keeping 

 anywhere on the strength of large expectations of 

 honey from orange-flowers. O. O. Poppleton. 



Havana, Cuba, May 15, 1889. 



I felt pretty certain, as you say, that hon- 

 ey from orange-blossoms is rather an ex- 

 ception than the rule. When our attention 

 was first called to the matter of bee-keep- 

 ing in Florida, there was considerable said 

 about orange-blossom honey ; but as years 

 passed, and no considerable quantity was 

 reported we began to think it was a mis- 

 take. When friends Baldensperger, how- 



ever, on the Mediterranean , gave their re- 

 port we were forced to conclude that the 

 orange-trees on the Mediterranean pro- 

 duced honey, whether the rest did or not; 

 and now we are glad to know that pure 

 orange-blossom honey is a reality and not a 

 myth. I think, however, that, on account 

 of its rarity and excellence, it ought to com- 

 mand an extra price. We are going to try 

 to get an extra price for what we purchase, 

 if we can. If we can't, why. I suppose de- 

 mand and supply will have to fix the price. 

 —In regard to the starved bees spoken of by 

 me (Ernest), 1 would say that the colonies 

 in question were in regular two-story chaff 

 hives. As I stated on page 364, the bees 

 and brood were on one side of the brood - 

 chamber, and the honey on the other. The 

 colonies were average in size. They had 

 reared so much brood that all the bees were 

 required to cover it ; and during a cold snap 

 of weather they refused to abandon it. We 

 have had this thing happen repeatedly, 

 though the loss from this source is com- 

 paratively slight. I can not explain why 

 you never had such an experience ; but, as 

 usual, 1 shall have to lay it. in the absence 

 of any tiling better, to the door of " Locali- 

 ty." Our proof-reader says, that the next 

 time we must lay up to lt electrical condi- 

 tions.' " In regard to the timothy chaff and 

 dispensing with loose chaff, you doubtless 

 called our attention to the matter, but, like 

 many other good things, it " got overlook- 

 ed '"in some way. Even editors can't re- 

 member all that has been said and done in 

 times gone by, but they are glad to have 

 good friends remind them. 



WHY DO BEES SWARM? 



WHAT SHAM 



WK DO TO MAKE THEM LESS 

 TO SWARM? 



T WAS interested to an unusual degree in read- 

 ||P ing the replies to questions 125 and 126. Years 

 W ago many were asking, " How can I get the most 

 -*■ increase from my bees?" Lately, the matter 

 of prevrnliny increase has been much discussed. 

 Some have gone beyond that, and care little to 

 know how to prevent increase, but are very anx- 

 ious for au answer to the question, " How can I 

 best prevent swarming? " I think you will find this 

 question coming very prominently to the front in 

 the near future, especially if out-apiaries continue 

 to increase. Now, questions 125 and 126 have a 

 bearing on prevention of swarming; for if we knew 

 exactly where the swarming impulse originated, 

 and the necessary conditions to induce swarming, 

 we might the better know how to avoid those con- 

 ditions. I know very well that there is a common 

 belief that better results can be obtained by allow- 

 ing swarming, and that no other colony works with 

 the same vigor as one newly hived. Whilst this 

 nut u be true, I don't believe it is. At least. I think 

 it possible that we may learn to prevent swarming, 

 and at the same time get just as much surplus. 

 But, you say, swarming is natural, and we must fol- 

 low nature. I believe in following nature, proba- 

 bly, about as far as any one; but even those who cry 

 out most loudly for nature, don't let every thing 

 follow its natural course. Ltt's see: " It's natural 

 for bees to swarm, so we must let them swarm." 



