1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



309 



the drone-comb is V cells to 2 inches, and tlie work- 

 er is in proportion. These bees are almost equal to 

 the bumble-bee on red clover; are nioth-proot, 

 very proliflc, and swarming is very easily control- 

 led. I wish you could see some of the white comb 

 honey that has been in the hives since last sum- 

 mer. I have handled these bees 30 years, and no 

 sign of any disease has been among them. They 

 are excellent honey-gatherers, and seal it quick and 

 white. The first cross of these bees with Italians 

 produces very beautiful two and three banded 

 bees. If you wish I will give you a full account of 

 these bees, with a sample queen and all. I think, 

 to breed from one of these queens in your apiary 

 would be the best and cheapest way for you to 

 furnish good hybrids. 1 have only one Carniolan 

 queen. Who wants herV F. C. Mohhow. 



Wallaceburg, Ark., March :il, 1887. 



I will say to our readers, that tlie drone- 

 comb which our friend sends has 8i cells to 

 the inch. Ordinary drone comb lias 4 cells 

 to the inch ; but if our friend will turn to 

 pages 147-'8 of the A B C book he will see 

 that it is not uncommon to Hnd drone 

 comb with cells a little larger than usual. 

 The worker-comb cells sent are about the 

 same size as ordinary. 



REVERSING ; ZINC HONEY-BOAKUS, KTC. 



I have 7 swarms of bees wintering in good shape. 

 They have been covered with snow till lately. As 

 they are in chaff hives, the snow only made them 

 warmer. I have adopted for future use a frame 

 9 X 1314, outside measure, combined with your re- 

 versing device, and am well pleased with them. 

 Reversing, even in a four or live frame nucleus, 

 with me, causes all the unsealed honey to be car- 

 ried to each outside frame. The middle ones are 

 then filled with brood. I hived one swarm on eight 

 empty frames and one frame of brood, under one 

 of your zinc honey-boards, and they made 104 lbs. 

 of comb honey in i)Ound sections. The bees also 

 filled the hive so full of new comb and honey that, 

 on the first of September, I had to take out two 

 cards of honey, and give them empty combs for the 

 queen to lay in. Others, just as good in every way, 

 made only from 50 to 7.5 lbs. in sections. I shall use 

 zinc honey-boards altogether this season. 



Instead of a " Hill Device," I use under the cush- 

 ion those thin, oblong wooden butter-dishes that 

 they use at the groceries. They cost next to noth- 

 ing, and, turned upside down on the frames, they 

 work first rate. C. A. Ricketson. 



Quincy, Branch Co., Mich., Feb. 11, \BS't . 



CELLAR wintering; PREVENTINfi INCKEASE. 



I put in the cellar last fall 92 colonies in fair con- 

 dition, and to-day I have the same number in the 

 best of condition, keeping them at in° till Feb. 1. and 

 now at .50°. My experience is, not too much ventila- 

 tion, as it makes the bees uneasy. 



how to PREVENT ROBBING. 



In the first place, I find it a good idea to set bees 

 out of the cellar in the evening, as they get set- 

 tled down by morning, and protect their hives bet- 

 ter by so doing. 



WORKING BEES IN SW.\R.MING TIME, TO PREVENT 

 INCREASE. 



I first allow them all the room they want, giving 

 them empty sections to keep them back from 

 swarming, as much as possible. When the first 

 jBwaiTB comes forth 1 take a half of its frames 



and replace with empty ones; remove the full 

 frames to the new hive, put in a division-board next 

 to the swarm. When No. 2 swarms, put it in No. 1, 

 flr.st shaking No. 2 up thoroughly. When No. 3 

 swarms, put it inio No. 2, and so on throughout 

 the season. 1 find this the best plan to prevent 

 increase, and is less work. John Bli.inger. 



Hopkins Station, Allegan Co.. Mich., Mar. 17. 



Jimv^ M^ ^n^^m^, 



oil oe anise. 

 HY not get a small vial of oil of anise, and 

 drop one or two drops on rye meal? I be- 

 lieve the bees could be induced to work 

 with the anise even on sawdust. The bees 

 love anise, and bee-hunters would do well 

 to use it while hunting bees. J. H. Roberts. 



School Hill, Wis , Mar. 17, 1887. 

 [Friend R , oil of anise has been used for such 

 purposes as well as for inducing bees to start work 

 in bee-hunting. In the vicinit>' of onr aiiiary, how- 

 ever, a little l)it of refuse comb lionc^ always starts 

 the bees (luiek enough without any anise or any 

 thing of the sort.l 



WIDE VS. NARROW TOP-BARS. 



1 find 11-12 of an inch to answer m.\- purpose best. 

 1 made a few last spring Vs in., and I find them a 

 nuisance; '« is rather narrow, in times of rapid 

 honey-flow; but at all other times they do well. 



W. D. Anderson. 



St. Thomas. Out.. Can., Mar. 31, 1887. 



IN K.WOH OK TEN-CENT SECTIONS OF HONEY. 



I think the 10-cent sections of honey would sell 

 well here. 1 sold all my honey early and readily at 

 VZ'/i cts. per Doy, 4Ji x i\ x'i; but I found, by what 

 little experience I had, that 10-cent itackages would 

 have sold much more readily. 1 am located in an 

 iron-mining country. They are a class of people 

 who have not much ready cash, but can find 10 cts. 

 when they could not be persuaded to pay 15 or 20 

 for a package that contained more in proportion 

 for the money. D. A. M.\.SE. 



Mt. Hope. N. J., Feb. 21, 1887. 



how TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE IN A CELLAR 

 ECONf)MIC.\LLV. 



On p. 18<j, Mar. 1, Mr. C. D. Black tells how to warm 

 a cellai- with water. I think 1 have a better plan. 1 

 have a large kerosene-lamp, holding about a quart, 

 with a round wick, which I light, put on a shade, 

 and set it in the cellar, placing shade-boards so that 

 the light will not shine upon the hives. It will raise 

 the temperature from 4 to 6 degrees in as many 

 hours. My cellar is 12 by 14 ft. in clear. 



H. J. NoKTHRt'P. 



Lansingburg. N. V., March 5, 1887. 



CO.MB HONEY IN .MARCH. 



We placed upon our table, the 20th of .March, sec- 

 tion honey nearly capped, and the finest we have 

 ever seen here. The flavor is the best, and thick, 

 white. Nit. 1 honey. We have a quatUity of this 

 hone.v. comb and extracted. The frames we may e.v- 

 traet later. This morning the last cold wave from 

 the frozen hyperborean regions reached us— tem- 

 Ijeratuie -511° at sunrise. No bees out. There! was a 

 good rain the 2iith. We are sending out somo <iiieens 

 to Ohio and Pennsylvania No logs heard of. The 

 weather is cool and fine. .1. W. K. Shaw & Co, 



Loreauville, Iberia Puiish, La.. March 21. 1887, 



