1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



345 



an inch, and we believe there is no disad- 

 vantage in changing fromi to I of an inch. 

 Tlie point you mention, that, when the T 

 tins are used on top, the bees proi)olize 

 along the edges of theT"s, has been suggest- 

 ed bv others. Our friend Mr. M. G. Chase, 

 of Whittlesey, Medina Co., O., uses only 

 such comb-guides as are used in the Sim- 

 plicity frames. These comb-guides he cuts 

 off the proper length, and drops them down 

 on the separators between the sections. 

 We believe that the folded tins you speak of 

 are better for the purpose. We can furnish 

 them f of an inch wide for (iO cents per 100 ; 

 postage, 60 cents. 



DRONE COMB. 



WHEN AND UNUEK WHAT CONDITIONS THE BEES 



BUIT.n DKONK AND WORKER COMB IN 



THE SOUTH. 



'HEN reading' Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson's arti- 

 cle on drone comb, Dec. 15, 1886, page 96i», 

 1 was very much struck with the points 

 he made in the article, in reference to 

 bees rearing- drones, and the building- of 

 drone comb. The experience that he gives is very 

 much different from mine on a tew particular 

 points. 



He says: "Many have reported that their newly 

 hived swarms built drone combs when the queens 

 were iiat old. True; but, look'e here; they didn't 

 raise any drones." Yes, sir! at least, it they didn't 

 I have had them do so. It is seldom the case 1 can 

 hive a swarm on empty frames, even when the 

 nueen is less than one year old, but that it will 

 build at least as much as one full L. fraine of drone 

 comb in 8, and rear drones, and keep them, too, 

 till fall. I seldom ever have a hive of Italian bees 

 that kill out their drones before September. Few 

 drones are kept by black bees after June 30th. al- 

 though they rear them, the same as the Italians 

 do, throughout the entire spring and summer. 

 Mr. Hutchinson also says, that bees build drone 

 comb to store surplus in, when they are storing it 

 rapidly. He saj's: " And they can store it faster by 

 building store or drone comb than they can by 

 building worker comb." I think myself that they 

 can do it, but certain it is that they don't do it here 

 in our climate, when they are storing hone.v rapid- 

 ly, but invariably build u;t>;-/cer comb when honey is 

 oominK- in fast. As !<oon as the honey-dow is pret- 

 ty well over in the spring, with verj' little surplus 

 being stored in the sections, the bees begin to 

 build all their comb in the sections of drone comb. 

 They build but little else the rest of the i-eason, 

 unless we happen to have another pretty heavy 

 honeyfl-ow. In the event that we do, the bees at 

 once resume the building of worker combs in 

 the sections, to store their surplus in. 



r can nearly always tell at a glance, when I open 

 a hive, whether honey is coming- in fast or slowly 

 by the kind of comb the bees are drawing out in 

 the sections. When they have a section 6 inches 

 square, built half down in drone comb, and honey 

 begins to come in freely, they at once change and 

 finish out such sections In worker comb. Now, 

 why is this, unless it is to economize In the 

 production of wax';' Then, again, why such a dif- 

 ference in our hees in building combs'/ Certainly 

 it must be due to the difference in climate. 



If, then, these differences are due to climate we 

 should always, in reading after various writers, 

 especially when there is a very radical difference 

 in their experiences, take into consideiation the 

 difference in climate as well as other conditions. 



1 transfer bees from box hives into movable- 

 frame hives, comb and all, such as is suitable to 

 use again, for my neighbors, at 50 cts. per colony. 

 All are black bees, of course. I have transferred 15 

 and 20 hives at a place; and many, sometimes half, 

 the number of hives, would be halt drone coml) 

 throughout the entire hive. A. L. Swinson. 



Goldsboro, Wayne Co., N. C, Feb. 7, 1887. 



Friend S., my experience indicates that 

 drone comb is built when lu)ney is coming 

 in the fastest, and I supposed it was for the 

 reason you give, only it seems to me it is the 

 di'tme comb that takes the least wax and the 

 least labor, while worker comb takes the 

 most wax and the most labt)r. I agree with 

 you, that some colonies fill worker comb, 

 even during a heavy flow, while others 

 change over to drone comb where they had 

 commenced starting worker; and they 

 build this drone comb, it seems to me. with 

 much greater rapidity than they could pos- 

 sibly spin out the worker comb. 1 have also 

 noticed, that when an old colony was prepar- 

 ing to swarm they would fill an empty frame 

 with drone comb with almost incredible ra- 

 pidity. In this case the comb would not be 

 very nice or very true ; but it often has the 

 look of being gotten up with very little care 

 or attention. 



AN EXPEDITIOUS WAY OF REMOVING 

 PROPOLIS. 



HOW TO HAVE CLEAN HANDS AND CLEAN 

 CLOTHES. 



fkBRHAPS some of your readers would like to 

 ' know of a convenient and cheap way to re- 

 ' move bee-glue from the hands. With me it 

 is cheaper and better than alcohol, ammonia, 

 or any thing else I have tried. I have some 

 slacked lime handy where I wash my hands. After 

 wetting them I take some of the lime and rub them 

 thoroughly with it, re-wetting them and using more 

 lime if necessary. Thin whitewash does even bet- 

 ter. When washed off, a little vinegar will make 

 the hands feel natural again. As my business is 

 " looking down in the mouth," as it is said of den- 

 tists, it is quite an item with me in bee-keeping- to 

 be able to get my hands in a presentable condition 

 on short notice, when some one calls to have den- 

 tistry done. 



The plan above has been satisfactory with me for 

 the last eleven years; but week before last I found, 

 or rather Mrs. Mason suggested, something that 

 proved to be better. It " used to be," that, when I 

 got any propolis on my white shirt or " bricha- 

 loons," she would give me a little talk for being so 

 careless; but it would get on in spite of all the talk- 

 ing she could do. She doesn't talk to me any more 

 about it now, and it is such a relief ! Two or three 

 years ago she came across a recipe for a flrst-class 

 washing-fluid, and she won't wash without it. Some 

 of our neighbor women are just as notional 

 about it as she is; and if all of the lady readers of 

 Gleanings who have to wash, not dirty men's 

 clothes but men's dirty clothes, will try it I don't 



