Vol. XT. 



AUG 1, 1887. 



No. 15. 



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PAINTING HIVES, ETC. 



nddLITTI.E S VIEWS ON THE .SUB.IECT. 



@N page 49ti, current volume of GIjE.xnings, the 

 editor asks if painting the front of the hives 

 in different colors makes anj' rtilferciice with 

 the bees as to their ability to disting-uish their 

 own hive. Yes, I think it does; but the hive 

 has not so much to do with it as does the alightinjr- 

 board, or projecting |>art to the bottom-board. Sev- 

 eral times 1 have been oblig-ed to change bottom- 

 boards to some old hives, tiie bottoms to which had 

 been made of basswood; and when the new bright 

 pine bottom-boards took the place of the old (^nes, 

 the bees returning from the field would hover about 

 for a long time before they dared to drop upon this 

 (to them) strange object. This reluctance to enter 

 the hive would last for two or three days, when 

 finally they became used to it, and in two weeks a 

 change back again to a dai-k weather-beaten board 

 would cause the same reluctance to entering again. 

 As my bottom-board projects ten inches in front of 

 the hive, for an alighting-lioard it will be seen that 

 the whole width would present quite a different ap- 

 pearance. Again. 1 now use one hive for two nu- 

 clei, with the entrances only about 16 inches apart, 

 and facing the same direction, the hives being- 

 painted all alike; yet by the use of the elcuted 

 boards spoken of in the last paragi-aph of my article 

 on page -tne, I never lose a queen by her entering 

 the wrong entrance. Bj' changing this board 1 

 can cause the same lusitancy with the bees about 

 entering their own home, spoken of above. 



( 1111,1, EI> BEES. 



Page 4iis, .Tilly 1 (ii.K \N i Nos, has something to say 



about chilled bees, saying, '• Perhaps Doolittle may 

 enlighten us further." Out of some five ditlerent 

 experiments along the McFadden line to see how 

 long I could keep half a teacupful of bees alive 

 after being chilled, 4'2 days was the latest point at 

 which any could b<' brought to life again by warmth 

 with moisture, and ;}?4 days by dry heat. Moist 

 warm air seems to be more effective in restoring 

 such bees than dry or stove heat. These bees were 

 shaken on the snow, with a temperature a little 

 above the freezing-jiciint; and as soon as they 

 ceased to move T picked them up and carried them 

 to the cellar, of the same temperature in which bees 

 winter well. From the cellar, a few were taken 

 every half-day, and warmed, with the alcove result. 

 All of them had empty stomachs, and I still have a 

 desire to try bees gorged with honey, to see if that 

 makes any difference. In two instances, after pick- 

 ing up haU a teacupful of bees, and leaving them 

 ill a Clip or pile, they came to life again; while if 

 scattered about, none did. It would seem that this 

 would bo against the McFadden plan, if nothing 

 else about it is. Prof. Boynton was sanguine that 

 the thing would work, but he has gone out of bees, 

 and I have lost track of him. 



C.VI'PEI) (^UEEN-CELLS AND i'lBST SWAKMS. 



It would seem as if Prof. Cook must have read my 

 article on swarming rather carelessly (page .'ilO, 

 .luly 1). I did not say that first swarms never leave 

 without sealed (lueen-cells, as the professor will see 

 if he carefully reads my article again. I said the 

 first swarm of the season, by which I meant, if Prof. 

 Cook has 20 colonies to cast swarms, the first of 

 those 20 swarms will not issue without one or more 

 capped (lueen-cells; and with me this rule holds 



