446 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUIIE. 



JUNE 



the spring of the year. I want the hive to contain 

 feed in the fall— enough to last them until white 

 clover will give them a living the next summer. 

 The best time to get the honey in the hive is when 

 the bees are gathering it from the flowers. We 

 have to give our bees their winter supply from the 

 basswood, as, after that, our location will give 

 them only enough for their living, and sometimes 

 not that. Now, to extract all the honey we can, 

 and at the same time not take too much and leave 

 the bees short, is a nice point to decide. 



We sometimes get caught on account of rainy 

 weather at the clo^e of the basswood season, and 

 have to feed back, if we find the bees are short of 

 winter stores. The earlier we feed back, the bet- 

 ter. During the last of August or first of Septem- 

 ber it is better to give the bees more than we think 

 they will use; for we can not tell what kind of a 

 winter we are preparing for, but give them enough. 

 It won't do any hurt if they have more than they 

 can use. If they don't use it up we shall get it the 

 following spring. Bees will stand a great amount 

 of cold, if they are out of the wind and have plenty 

 of feed over them. I want my bees to cluster on 

 empty combs below the honey. They will follow 

 the honey up as they use it. 



During the fall of 1887. about the first of Septem- 

 ber we looked over our bees to see if they had 

 plenty to carry them through the winter. We 

 found one yard ol 70 colonies, that did not have as 

 much honey as we wished they had, but concluded 

 they would do until spring, and then feed if we had 

 to. We missed it, for that yard came through the 

 poorest of any we had. The bees were weak, and 

 had but very little brood. The honey was scarce, 

 and we fed 5C0 lbs. As a result, the bees got into 

 good working condition late, and that yard gave 

 the poorest returns of any we had. Better fed in 

 the fall. E. France. 



Platteville, Wis. 



I quite agree with you. I have never seen 

 any bad result follow from having too many 

 bees or too much stores ; and I am confident 

 that bees base their calculations, and go to 

 work somewhat in accordance with the 

 amount of stores they have to back them up. 

 In our locality, like yourself we seldom have 

 any thing of any account after basswood 

 closes.— Windbreaks are of very great im- 

 portance, not only for bees, but for farm 

 stock and plants and crops. 



PYRETHEUM AS AN INSECTICIDE, 

 ETC. 



BEING CAREFUL TO SAY, "I DON'T KNOW,'' WHEN 

 IT OUGHT TO BE SAID. 



R. EDITOR:— You ask if pyrethrum would 

 not kill the itch-mite; and you add that it 

 kills all kinds of insects. This is a mistake. 

 Pyrethrum does not kill many bugs and 

 beetles. I have tried repeatedly to kill the 

 squash-bug with buhach, or California pyrethrum, 

 but with no success. Buhach, in that it is entirely 

 non-poisonous to higher animals, is one of our best 

 insecticides; in that it does not always kill the in- 

 sects, it is objectionable. I should hope that it 

 would be fatal to the itch-mites; but they are so 



concealed that possibly it would not molest them 

 at all. It is very quickly fatal to higher insects, 

 like bees, auts, wasps, flies, and moths and butter- 

 flies. 



CAHE IN GIVING STATISTICS. 



Some time ago a report from the Department of 

 Agriculture stated that the chinch-bug had done seri- 

 ous damage in Ave counties in Michigan. I did not 

 believe this was true. In all my collecting I never 

 yet took a chineh-bug in our State. In one of these 

 counties I had lived, and I was certain there was an 

 error. So I wrote to the Department, and learned 

 the names of the reporters. I at once addressed 

 each a letter as follows: "Do you know the chineh- 

 bug? Do you personally know that it ha? ever 

 worked in your county? Why did you report rav- 

 ages from this insect in your county to the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture?" Three of the persons an- 

 swered. The other two paid no attention to my in- 

 quiry. The three reported that they did not know 

 the insect ; that they had no personal knowledge on 

 the subject, and did not know that they had so re- 

 ported. 



What are statistics worth, if we are to have 

 such reports? If we don't know enough to answer 

 any question, why not say so? It seems to me that 

 such answers are seriously mischievous. Now, I 

 was reminded of this in reading answers to Query 

 125, p. 411, Gleanings: "Does the swarming im- 

 pulse come from the queen or workers?" I like the 

 two first answers: "I guess so." We should know 

 that our humorous friend from Toledo got that off, 

 and spontaneously too. The next writer says, " I 

 don't know." Of course, he doesn't. No one does. 

 One says, "From the workers;" another says, 

 " Fii-st swarm from 'workers, second, etc., from 

 queen." Now, I don't like these answers. Why- 

 say just how, when no one knows? I believe friend 

 Doolittle answers correctly, but I don't see how he 

 can speak so positively. 



Now, I do not wish to criticise, only to suggest 

 that we all say, " T don't know," or "I think," in all 

 cases where we have not positive knowledge. In 

 such cases as the above we can at best only give 

 opinions. A. .1. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



Friend C, I am exceedingly obliged to 

 you for both pieces of information. It has 

 been so repeatedly said, especially by adver- 

 tisers, that pyrethrum kills all insects, that 

 I had somehow taken it for granted ; and 

 yet I ought to know that it does not kill 

 Hea-beetles nor the striped squash-bug ; but 

 1 supposed it was because I could not give 

 them enough of it. Where flies, mosqui- 

 toes, moths, and every insect I have found 

 in our rooms, were treated with the dust- 

 bellows, they always died promptly, and I 

 thought that perhaps these other fellows 

 would also die if we could get them shut up 

 in a room. — In regard to your remarks about 

 saying we don't know, I am going to try to 

 profit by it. But let me suggest that some 

 of the brethren thought they knew. As an 

 illustration, I once thought I proved beyond 

 question that the queen leads out the 

 swarm; but pretty soon I had just as plain 

 proof that bees lead out the swarm. First, 

 I Jcncw; and then alter a while I didn't 

 know. Perhaps it will be well to say we 

 think we know, and then give our reasons. 



