1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



589 



was issued to D. Thompson, Nashville, Tenn., July 

 3, 1877, for a term of seventeen years. Your article 

 on " Debt and Credit " I call excellent, for it seems 

 to hit the nail square, and drives it up. I follow the 

 mechanical trade of iron and wood worker, and I 

 lind persons, it seems to me, who could do better 

 than they do. S. L. Medlin. 



Moltke, Tenn., June 11, 1889. 



BLUE-JAYS BEE EATERS, CAUGHT IN THE ACT. 



Did you ever hear of blue-jays eating bees? I 

 have killed three this spring, and found their crops 

 full of bees. Now, don't say that they had picked up 

 dead bees, for I saw one go from hive to hive and 

 catch them as they were coming in. The other two 

 were in an apple-tree which was very full of bloom, 

 and on which the bees were working very strong. 

 The jays were picking them from the bloom. My 

 wife and I stood and watched them for some time 

 until we were quite sure that they were catching 

 bees, and then I shot one. The other was so intent 

 on getting his dinner that it did not fly. I then shot 

 it, and on examination found them both loaded 

 with bees. J. Conger. 



Wyoming, 111., June 24, 1889. 



I believe we have had similar reports in 

 regard to blue-jays before ; but they are, 

 perhaps, not as much addicted to eating 

 well-filled honey-bees as are the king-birds. 

 See description of the matter in the ABC. 



PROSPECTS IN ARIZONA. 



Times here are dull. Honey sells at 5 cts., and 

 wild bees are filling the cavities among rocks, in 

 the giant cacti, or even hanging a cone in thick 

 brush. The harvest is nearly past. Early peaches, 

 with apricot and first fig crop are about gone. 

 Grapes will soon be ripe, of such quantity and 

 quality as have no rival. This is a beautiful " sun- 

 kissed " clime, with sometimes a little too much of 

 the "kiss." Oh, yes! I have a brother of yours for 

 near neighbor. I am wondering if I should like 

 you as well. B. F. Johnson, Sr. 



Tempe, A. T., June 15, 1889. 



Just as soon as my eye caught your letter 

 from Arizona, I began wondering if you 

 were anywhere in the vicinity of my broth- 

 er. I know what a large area Arizona has, 

 and our readers remember, doubtless, my 

 description of its weird wildness. if that 

 brother will stick to one spot long enough, 

 I should like very much to make you all a 

 visit soon. Do you mean to say that real 

 nice honey sells as low as five cents? 



FRADENBURG IN MONTANA, AND WHAT HE THINKS 

 OF THE LOCALITY AS A BEE COUNTRY. 



Perhaps many of the readers of Gleanings 

 would like to know if I meant what I said last 

 spring when I said that I was going to Montana. 

 Well, here I am in this far-off land. I came here 

 about the middle of May, and about the flr6t person 

 I met here was friend Bingham, the smoker man, 

 from Michigan. Although we had never had a per- 

 sonal acquaintance before, we became friends at 

 once. This is no place for bees. I have seen but 

 one stock since I have been in this State, and it was 

 one a friend brought to Box Elder, a station 60 

 miles east of here, from Port Washington last 

 March, and they looked badly demoralized, being 

 nearly starved, and dwindled to a mere handful. I 

 presume they have all died ere this. This town has 



been settled for 30 years or more, but I can't learn 

 that there has ever been a bee brought here. 

 There are no trees that would produce either pollen 

 or honey of any account. There arc some spots of 

 wild weeds and flowers, but they don't look to me 

 to have life and vitality enough to secrete much 

 honey, even if there were bees to call for it; yet I 

 may be somewhat deceived, as this is an excep- 

 tionally dry year for this dry country. Their usual 

 rainy season is now nearly passed, and scarcely a 

 drop of rain has fallen. I expect to remain here a 

 week or two longer, and then return to my home in 

 Port Washington, Ohio. A. A. Fradenburg. 



Fort Benton, Montana, June 18, 1886. 



WIDE FRAMES AND HONEY-BOARDS 



For some years I have used wide frames for sec- 

 tion honey, without honey-boards, and 1 have been 

 annoyed on account of the bees fastening the bot- 

 tom of the wide frames to the brood-combs. Often, 

 in pulling the wide frames to get them loosened 

 from the brood-combs, the latter would fall with a 

 tremendous jar, thus greatly disturbing the bees, 

 and often irritating them. I have often wondered 

 how this could be avoided while using wide frames. 

 If a honey-board is used, the tops of the frames are 

 raised too high to let a flat cover go on the hive. I 

 have thought that a honey-board could be used, and 

 cleats tacked on the projections of the wide frames, 

 to raise them a bee-space from the honey-board, 

 thus obviating the crushing of bee6 while handling 

 the frames; but in this case a half-story cover 

 must be used. Do you know any better way to 

 overcome the difliculty? T. E. Hanbuby. 



Atlanta, Ga., July 1, 1889. 



If you will turn to page 24 of our price 

 list, you will see illustrated a honey-board, 

 and alongside of it a rim. The purpose of 

 the latter is to raise the upper story of the 

 Simplicity hive up so as to leave a bee-space 

 under wide frames, or frames for the ex- 

 tractor. The honey-board will obviate all 

 the troubles of brace-comb attachments be- 

 tween the brood - frames and the wide 

 frames. 



A RATTLESNAKE AMONG THE COMBS OF A BEE- 

 TREE, DEAD, AND HIS MOUTH WIDE OPEN 

 AND FILLED WITH HONEY. 



Seeing in Gleanings that bees do not like snakes, 

 I will tell an incident that occurred within half a 

 mile of here. Last Saturday two colored men cut a 

 bee-tree; and in taking out the combs of honey 

 they found a large rattlesnake, which had crawled 

 in the tree at the ground, and up the hollow to the 

 combs. Being about 30 feet from the ground, the 

 combs were built around him and even attached to 

 his body tor about 3 feet. He died with his mouth 

 open, and the bees made combs in his mouth, and 

 filled it with honey. I did not see this, but I saw the 

 man who took the honey out, and he told me the 

 story. Now, what did that snake go up there for? 

 Did the bees kill him? 



Our bees have done very well this spring; very 

 little increase. D. D. Slater. 



Blatkville, S. C. June 6, 1889. 



I think the snake had learned to eat heav- 

 ily laden bees, and possibly to eat the honey 

 out of the combs; and I presume likely the 

 bees stung it to death. If anybody else can 

 explain the matter any better, we should be 

 glad to have him do so. 



