BB4 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



shall be ' born again ' from this to a higher life. 

 Hence I try to take a philosophical view of the 

 matter, and to do the very best I can while I am 

 permitted to remain here. You know, Mrs. Isham, 

 our views differ somewhat in regard to religion; 

 and as I am in something of a hurry, we will not 

 discuss the matter now. 



" Well, Henry, how are you getting along with 

 the bees?" 



"Very well, except in one thing. I want you to 

 come to the apiary with me, and I will show you a 

 pitiful sight. There, just look on the ground and 

 see the bees crawling around. They are all over 

 the apiary in this way. They seem to have lost the 

 use of their wings. They come out of the hives in 

 the morning, apparently to go out to work, and try 

 to start; but they seem to be unable to rise, and 

 then they walk off on the ground and in the grass, 



Cook all about it, and sent him some of the affected 

 bees, and I hope he will bj. able to give us some 

 light on the matter. You wrote me that you could 

 spare a few combs, and I guess I will take, some as 

 we need them in some of the yards. Well, Henry, 

 I must say that you have taken good care of them, 

 so far as keeping the worms out of them; how did 

 you do it?" 



" Simply by looking them over often and picking 

 out what worms I could find, and then hanging the 

 combs on these racks, and placing each comb one 

 or l l / 2 inches from the others, when, if I had placed 

 them close together, it would have been impossible 

 to keep the worms out." 



"Well, there! I have all I can carry th's time. 

 Now I want a few combs of brood, if you have any 

 hives that can spare it I have drawn on my home 

 bees all I dare to at present; and as your bees ha ve 



MR. MANOM AND HIS HELPERS. 



and are lost. They are dying by the thousand every 

 day; in fact, so many die that there is a very offen- 

 sive smell in the apiary, caused by the dead bees. 

 Can you tell me the cause of all this?" 



" No, Henry, I can not. I have observed it in my 

 home yard and in three others. I notice only the 

 young bees are affected— that is, those that seem to 

 have just commenced to work. I have picked them 

 up and tossed them into the air to see them fall to 

 the ground like so many peas. I also notice that 

 their wings are perfect; none of them have'ragged 

 wings as old bees have, nor do they appear to be 

 sick. I have caged some of them, and kept them 

 caged four days without their showing any signs of 

 being sick; but upon liberating them again they 

 could not then fly. I fear this will cut our honey 

 crop short from what it would have been were it 

 not for this trouble, because the colonies are be- 

 coming very light in bees. I have written to Prof. 



not swarmed very much, there must be some that 

 would be benefited by taking away a card or two. 

 I want the brood with what young bees will adhere 

 to the comb for making more nuclei. Jly carrying 

 the bees so far from their home, 1 find they stay 

 much better than where they are used in the same 

 apiary. There, I think I have now about all the 

 load I can carry. How does the solar wax-extract- 

 or work?" 



" Nicely. See what a nice cake of wax I have tak- 

 en from it. Why, it will pay for itself several times 

 over this year." 



" Here, Mr. Manum, here is a bouquet for you 

 that I have just made." 



"Thank you, Mrs. Isham. How pretty it is! I no- 

 ticed 7 your flower-garden when I first oame. I see 

 you love flowers as well as ever. 1 shall place this 

 bouquet on my wife's grave as I pass by the come' 

 tery on my way home." 



