672 



GLEANINGS in BEE CULTURE 



Am. 



friend Miller would, no doubt, indorse all of 

 them, even to the last clause, were he in 

 California. 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELD; 



now TO CURE CLOVER-BLOAT WITHOUT MEDICINE 

 OR THE KNIFE. 



I read with much interest the article on clover- 

 bloat, by Prof. Cook, in Gleanings for June 15, 

 page 488, and I was greatly surprised to hear him 

 recommending the use of the knife "in severe 

 cases." Now, I have never failed to cure a case of 

 bloat, without either knife or medicine. I will in- 

 stance one ease. When I arrived I found the ani- 

 mal leaning against the fence rit was a milch cow), 

 bloated apparently to the full extent the skin would 

 hold, moaning pitil'ully, and wet with sweat, and in 

 ten minutes after my arrival the bloat was gone 

 and the cow was comparatively easy. My remedy 

 is not original with myself, and is pretty generally 

 known in some sections where I have been, and I 

 have been waiting in the hope that some one more 

 capable than myself would reply to the professor's 

 article, and give 



THE REMEDY. 



Take a billet of wood, l'i to 2 inches in diameter 

 (round is preferable), and 18 to 20 inches long. Tie 

 a stout cord to each end; force it back into the ani- 

 mal's mouth, and tie the cords to the horns; if it 

 should be without horns, put a strap around the 

 neck to tie to. This prevents the animal from clos- 

 ing the gullet, and the gas will rush out of the 

 mouth with a sound that can be heard for some 

 distance. In severe cases it is well to give half a 

 pint of melted lard after the bloat is gone. 



Galion, O., J une 22, 1888. A. W. Mumford. 



Why, friend M., what you tell us is aston- 

 ishing, at least to me. 1 did not know be- 

 fore that such a thing is possible. As I un- 

 derstand it, the cylinder of wood is simply 

 to prop open the jaws. In the absence of a 

 cord or any thing of the sort, could not re- 

 lief be given by simply grasping the stick in 

 both hands, putting the arm around the 

 horns, and holding it in place until relief 

 comes V So important a remedy should 

 surely be generally understood and widely 

 published. Have others succeeded in a 

 similar way V 



CARRYING OUT CAPPED BROOD. 



T am writing for a little information concerning 

 my bees. There is something wrong that I can't 

 account for. I got one of your ABC books, but 

 that does not appear to treat the trouble. The bees 

 are carrying out the brood just about the time the 

 larvae are getting their legs and eyes, and they still 

 have life in them. I will inclose one in this letter, 

 to show you the size when carried out, and the 

 brood-comb is apparently all wasting. It is in holes 

 that T can put my Angers through in places. The 

 comb appears to have a natural color for brood- 

 combs. I have two colonies affected in the above 

 way. They are both young swarms— one on the 

 15th of June, and the other on the 27th. They are 

 from the same colony. Now, if you can give me 

 any advice it will be thankfully received, as I 

 should like to do a little in the bee-business. They 



are the common bee. I intend to change thera to 

 Italians in the spring, if I can keep them over win- 

 ter. L. F. BlNGAMAN. 

 Wilkiusburg, Pa., July 29, 1889. 



There is only one thing we can think 

 of, in view of the state of affairs you de- 

 scribe. We once left some combs where the 

 moths could get at them. I think they were 

 taken from the hives and left out a week or 

 more in the month of June. Finally they 

 were taken to the bees; but the moths 

 had laid so many eggs in the combs that the 

 miniature worms went to work in the larva- 

 just as you describe. There was nothing 

 for the bees to do but to tumble them out, 

 even when they were alive and kicking. In 

 fact, they were obliged to dig all through 

 the combs to get the worms out. Some of 

 these moth worms, however, were so small 

 as to be hardly visible to the naked eye. Of 

 course, when the worms were all hatched, 

 the trouble was all over. Italian bees will 

 prove a remedy— that is, if the matter has 

 not righted itself already. 



WHY DID THE BEES KILL THEIR QUEEN? 



A neighbor of mine got me to divide his bees. 

 Although it was late in the season, I told him it 

 could be done, but he would have to feed them up. 

 The colony was very strong, and good Italians. I 

 looked the combs over once to find their queen, and 

 missed her; then I looked the second time very 

 carefully, and failed again. I thought she might be 

 on the side of the hive, so I got an empty hive to 

 set some of the frames in, so I could see her. I 

 lifted out a few frames and saw a ball of bees on 

 the bottom of the hive. I knew that the queen 

 was in it. I called for a pan of water, which was 

 soon at hand. I dropped them into the water, 

 and they soon let go of the queen, but she was 

 stung to death. The bees were very gentle, and as 

 they were getting plenty of honey from the bass- 

 wood you know that they were not disposed to rob. 

 Could they just have been in the act of superseding 

 her at that time? There were no queen cells in the 

 hive, but plenty of brood in all stages. The queen 

 was very prolific. 



BEES BY THE POUND. 



In selling bees by the pound, can you take the 

 bees from one place and get the queen from an- 

 other place and put her with the bees that are not 

 her own, in the cage together, without the bees 

 killing the strange queen? Nimshi Nu/.um. 



Boothsville, W. Va., July 29, 1889. 



It sometimes happens that, when we dis- 

 turb the brood-nest, the bees will commence 

 balling their queen. They know that some- 

 thing is wrong, and in trying to locate the 

 blame they pitch into the poor queen, and 

 sometimes kill her, as in your case. But as 

 a general thing, if you smoke the ball until 

 dispersed, close the hive up immediately, 

 and leave them alone, you will probably find 

 the queen all right in a day or so afterward. 

 Now, here is the point : Those who intro- 

 duce their queens think they must look 

 them over every four or five hours, instead 

 of letting the bees release them by the Peet 

 or candy plan. When the bees release the 

 queen quietly, without any disturbance 

 from the apiarist, they are much less in- 

 clined to sting her than if the apiarist 

 himself releases her— an operation which 



