1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



/8^ ■ 



on our health, well worth the seeking-. Many times 

 I have found a natural cui-iosity, oi- a rare flower 

 for analysis, which well repaid me for the day's 

 tramp. Ag'ain, when 1 commenced bee-huntingr I 

 was so ignorant about hees that T thought they 

 carried honey on theii- legs, and gathered wax 

 from flowers. 1 look a colony from the woods, and 

 began studying I hem. The result is, that to-day I 

 am a fuU-tiedgcd bee-keeper, and am very thankful 

 ttmt I learned to hunt bees. 



DOIT^n'S BEK-UUNTINO BOX. 



Some hunters prefer very simple arrangements 

 for hunting- bees, such as a plain box or a tumbler, 

 and a piece of comb. The box shown in the A 15 C 

 may do very well, but I could not content myself 

 with any of these. My hunting-box is •">'/4 by 10 liy 

 .■>''2 inches deep, and is made of ■« stutf. Cherry or 

 walnut is best, as the sun will not warp either, nor 

 the rain swell them, so that the slides become im- 

 movable. The box is etiually divided (crosswise) by 

 a partition, which comes up even with the top of 

 the box. Near the top of the partition, a hole lis 

 inches square is made, which may be closed by a 

 slide that projects through the side of the box. 

 For convenience we will call the apartments No. 1 

 and No.:.'. Both have a sliding- cover, similar to 

 chalk-boxes. Each apartment has a slide. Jn No. 1 

 the slide is 2 inches above the bottom; but in No. :J, 

 only 1 inch. Above the slide, in the end of No. 1, is 

 a window, the size of a half-dollar, which maybe 

 darkened by a sliding cover. Near the end of the 

 cover to No. 1 is a round hole, 1 inch in diameter, 

 which may be closed by a slide fitted into the under 

 side of the cover. In the cover to No. .'i is a win- 

 dow, the size of a silver dollar, with the glass fitted 

 iu the under side of the cover, so as to make the 

 lower side perfectly smooth. This window may be 

 darkened by a swinging slide which is fastened to 

 the cover with a screw. In the end of No. 2, near 

 the top, is a hole the size of a dime. This is al.so to 

 be covered by a small swinging slide which should 

 be screwed down tight enough to hold it in any 

 position; for should it get loose we might lose the 

 bees when carrying to another stand. This small 

 hole is used when we wish to let out only one bee 

 at a time. Beneath the slide in No. :J should be 

 kept a piece of comb about 4 inches square; and be- 

 neath the slide in No. 1 are kept vials of paint and 

 brush for marking bees, and a cup and paddle for 

 catching them. By using tacks in the inner ends 

 of the slides, they may be kept from falling out of 

 the box. We should also carry four or five extra 

 l)ieces of comb. 



For bee-feed, or bait, I use thin sugar syrup, 

 when unripened honey can not be had. Never use 

 thick honey. Carry a good supply of bee-feed. I 



use a pint bottle with a rubber-cork arrangrenjeut^ 

 from a beer-bottle, to carry the feed in (putting a. 

 bad thing to a good use, you know). A beginner 

 had better go two or three miles away from tame. 

 bees; but an experienced hunter will have good 

 success near large apiaries. Bees may be hunted 

 any time when the> can work. But the best time 

 is when there is a scarcity of honey, or work for 

 the bees only a jmrt of the day, as during buck- 

 wheat bloom. Start them early in the day;, and as 

 soon as the tlowers cease secreting nectar, you will 

 have plenty of be(>s at work. 



Select a place where you will have a good chance 

 for lining. Take all of the combs out of the box. 

 except one in No. ~', which should be filled with the 

 bee-feed; close the box; open the slide in the par- 

 tition; uncover lioth windows, and open the slide 

 to the entranee-holf in the cover to No. 1. Put 

 feed in one of the extra combs, and place-it beside 

 the bo.x; and somewlicre on the stand stick a scent-' 

 ed feather unless \ou are near an apiary. The 

 bee-scent which I use is l;i parts oil of anise, :.' parts 

 oil of rhodium, and I part oil of flreweed. I oarr>- ' 

 the feathers in a leather sheath. Never carry scent- 

 ed feathers or the bottle of scent in the bee-box; 

 for should your combs get scented it is almost im- 

 possible to run wild bees near an apiary. 



When catching bees I use a small pepper-box 

 (Without the coven, with an awl-hole through the 

 bottom, and a little paddle about two inches bj 

 three. Catch the bee as it is gathering honey from 

 a flower. It will immediately go toward the light 

 which comes through the awl-hole. Place the pad- 

 dle on the slide in the cover to No. 1, so as to slide 

 the cup on to the cover over the entrance-hole. 

 The bee will immediately go down into the box, if 

 you darken the awl-hole with your finger, when 

 the slide should be closed. Now darken the win- 

 dow to No. 1. and the bee will go toward the light 

 iu No. :.'. As soon as it can be seen buzzing 

 against the glass, close the opening- in the parti- 

 tion, and darken the window. The bee will then 

 settle on the comb and commence to feed. This 

 operation may be done in less time than it takes to 

 tell how. It will take the bee three or foui- min- 

 utes to All. Meanwhile we can be catching other 

 bees and leave them in either apartment. 



The directions given in the A l{ C book for liin'ng 

 bees are good. But don't dei)end very much on 

 the first lines. When they have made several trips, 

 and have established a line of flight, they w'H 

 usually go directly toward the tree. Note accu- 

 rately the time when you let out the first bee, and 

 when the first one comes back. From this you can 

 form some idea of the distance to the tree. After 

 you have the bees at work well, mark ojie bee with 

 paint from one of the vials iu the bee-box. Be 

 careful not to daub the bee. The slightest touch 

 is sufficient, and will remain on the bee several 

 days. Then time the'bee. Von will need to watch 

 the combs closely. Timing- bees is a .ery impor- 

 tant item in bee-hunting. Bees vary in their flight. 

 Hut I have found that on an average they will fly 

 a mile in five minutes, and spend about two min-' 

 utes in the hive or tree. Of course, they will spend 

 more time in a tree when they have to crawl a long- 

 distance to get to the brood-nest, hence we may de- 

 duce the rule: Subtract two from the number oi' 

 minutes absent, and divide by ten. The quotent \y 

 the number of miles from the stand to the tree. 

 (See GriE.\NiNOS, 1S8T, page +31.) This applies to a 



