498 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



June 



feed it back to the bees. During the spring 

 you can give the bees almost any thing they 

 Will take. A great deal of old surplus, or 

 sweets of any kind, can be used to good ad- 

 vantage. 2. We would advise yon to feed 

 about a pound daily until they are supplied. 

 3. If you wish to produce comb or extracted 

 honey, or even to sell bees by the pound, 

 such stimulative feeding will pay, provided 

 the natural sources fail. 4. Our best au- 

 thorities agree that honey-boards and tin 

 separators are no hindrance to the bees. If 

 they are a hindrance, certainly no one is 

 able to observe it to any appreciable extent. 



MOVINH BEES UNDER RISKY CIRCUMSTANCES. 



I had 30 hives moved 3 miles on a warm day, the 

 3 -1th inst., and there was scarcely a hive from which 

 bees could not crawl out at poorly fastened en- 

 trances or warped corners. Bees were flying when 

 each load arrived home. Horses were not stung 

 that we know of, and the bees did not sting me. I 

 used a veil for only a few minutes. I was scared 

 when the first load arrived, but found no harm was 

 done. I was not along. G. F. Ayres. 



Atherton, Ind., May 33, 1889. 



It is almost a wonder that you succeeded 

 as well as you did, under the circumstances. 

 We would not advise you to try the experi- 

 ment again, if you value your horse and 

 wagon. 



ABSCONDING AND COMING BACK. 



On Sunday, May 5, 1 had a very large colony of 

 hybrids, two-thirds Italians, swarm. There was no 

 one at home at the time to hive them, I being at 

 church. They hung on a limb for over two hours, 

 and finally went away. They stayed away for 

 three days, when, lo and behold! on Wednesday 

 they came back and clustered on the next tree. 

 Having nothing prepared at the time, I took a 

 band-box, cut some holes in it, and put it on a pole 

 about 2,) feet long, and got them down into the old 

 hive. Then I put a piece of perforated zinc in front 

 to keep the queen in. In another day or two they 

 came out and clustered on a vine near by; but the 

 queen not being able to get out also, they soon 

 went back. I then went to work and divided them. 

 I know that these bees must be mine, because no 

 one else has any Italian bees around here. Please 

 let me know if you have any bees that cut up such 

 capers. J. C. Herbener. 



Portsmouth, Va., May 18, 1889. 



Thanks, friend II. I have heard of 

 swarms going off and coming back again. 

 They probably discovered, after they had 

 commenced housekeeping, that their move 

 was rather premature ; and rather than 

 starve to death they wisely decided to go 

 back and stay a while longer in the old hive. 



THE HONEY CHOP TOR CALIKOHN1A AN ENTIHE 

 FAILURE. 



The honey crop of California will be nearly an 

 entire failure this season, owing to those two dry 

 mouths during January and February. We have 

 also had too much cool, unfavorable weather. I 

 visited friend Wilkin on the 35th. His bees are in 

 fine condition, but not much honey gathered. 

 Rather discouraging, but we are getting accustom- 

 ed to bad seasons. Our good seasons repay consid- 

 erably for losses. M. H. Mendleson. 



Ventura, Cal., May 27, 1889. 



"BOOMING." 



Bees are booming here now, and we are having 

 lots of fun hiving them. The clovers are just com- 

 ing nicely into bloom, to keep raspberries and lo- 

 custs company, which 1 never saw before— the 

 three in bloom at one time. Clover is fully ten 

 days earlier than last year, and it bids fair to give 

 us a fine lot of honey. Sumac and basswood are 

 well budded, and promise well. Oh how different 

 from last year! A. E. Manum. 



Bristol, Vt. 



0a^ QaEgJFi0N-B@& 



With Replies from our best Authorities on Bees. 



Ali queries sent in for this department should be briefly 

 stated, and free from any possible ambiguity. The question 

 or questions should be written upon a separate slip of paper, 

 and marked, "For Our Question-Box." 



Question 130.— Wliat special means, if any, do you 

 use to (jet the hees t<> work on sections? 



None. A. B. Mason. 



Fill them with foundation. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Plenty of bees and honey seem to be necessary. 



P. H. Elwood. 

 I have no trouble to get them to work when they 

 are in proper condition to do so. Geo. Ghimm. 



Put a few sections into the super that has comb 

 in it. E. France. 



Put in the center of the first super a section 

 which has had honey in it before. C. C. Miller. 



Get all the brood-frames as close together as pos- 

 sible, so as to leave just enough space for the Lees 

 between each comb. Paul L. Viallon. 



a. Contract; b. Reverse frames; c. Put comb in 

 sections; d. Put little drone brood in sections. I 

 do not use the same now. A. J. Cook. 



Get the combs below filled with brood; then when 

 the honey comes, the bees must take it to the sec- 

 tions, as they have nowhere else to put it. 



G. M. Doolittle. 

 If the colonies are populous, and each section is 

 properly filled with foundation, they will usually 

 occupy the sections if the flow of honey is good. 



L. C. Root. 

 With large hives full of worker combs, and prolif- 

 ic queens, after a good wintering and an early breed- 

 ing, we have never seen bees refusing to work in the 

 surplus apartment if a few combs are placed in it. 



Uadant & Son. 

 There are no other means to make bees work in the 

 surplus boxes than a flow of honey, and the fact that 

 the brood-chamber is about filled. A piece of comb or 

 foundation, from top to bottom, in each one of the 

 section boxes, serving the bees as a ladder to run 

 up on, is an inducement. C. F. Muth. 



I get the brood-chamber full of bees and brood by 

 the beginning of the honey-flow. That is all that is 

 necessary- I rather prefer, though, to have the 

 first honey gathered stored in a set of extracting- 

 combs. Some bees will begin to work more readily 

 ou empty combs, and they work to better advan- 

 tage on them when honey is coming in slowly. I 

 would not use these, though, if the honey-season 

 began with a rush. James A. Green. 



