1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



63 



way besides g'etting' their apiaries cured of 

 foul brood, and I did so. 



I am also pleased to say that nearly all 

 of the largest and best-paying- apiaries in 

 Ontario are among- the very many that I 

 g-ot perfectly cured of the disease years 

 ago. Wm. McEvov. 



Woodburn, Ont., Dec. 3, 1901. 



TWO COLONIES IN ONE HIVE. 



1. Do you think I can put two colonies of 

 bees into one hive by placing perforated 

 zinc between them, or do you think that the 

 bees of one queen will kill the queen of the 

 other bees ? Have you ever united them in 

 that way? 



2. Do you think it would be best to put 

 wire cloth between the two colonies? 



3. Please inform me how to sweeten comb 

 honey that has soured. I had some un- 

 sealed comb honey that soured. This is 

 the first year that I have had that experi- 

 ence with comb honey. 



L. H. LiXDEMUTH. 



Lehmaster, Pa., Oct. 7. 



[1. I do not think it would be practicable 

 or advisable. 



2. You can use wire cloth successfully; 

 in fact, we sometimes use three or even four 

 nuclei all in one hive, separated from each 

 other by wire cloth, each having a laying 

 queen. 



3. I do not know of any remedy, although 

 extracted honey can be improved by boiling 

 it.— Ed.] 



WHY THE BEES BALLED THE OUEEN. 



I was examining a hive of bees with or- 

 dinary precavition, when I discovered that 

 the bees had balled the queen and were 

 stinging her to death. I removed the queen 

 for a few hours, and upon returning her I 

 found she received the same treatment as 

 before. This queen was brought up with 

 the hive of bees, and I do not understand 

 why this case should occur. As I have 

 never heard of or experienced the same be- 

 fore, I have taken the liberty to write you 

 in regard to the matter. 



BiON B. Whitney. 



Standish, Maine, Oct. 22. 



[It sometimes happens that bees will ball 

 their own queen. I have sometimes thought 

 that the opening of the hive, or some pecul- 

 iar disturbance, irritates them to such an 

 extent that they lay the cause of their dis- 

 turbance on the poor queen, and thereupon 

 proceed to wreak vengeance. Again, a vir- 

 gin queen from some other hive maj^ get in, 

 and this is the queen that is balled. Some- 

 times the newcomer is accepted, and the old 

 mother that has been doing duty faithfully 

 for two years is ruthlessly balled, and stung 

 to death. The regular accepted mothers 

 that have been found balled have been left 

 to their fate by the apiarist. Examination 

 days afterward showed that she was all 

 right, and doing her regular accustomed 

 duty. This would seem to indicate that 



they had somehow " settled their differ- 

 ences." — Ed.] 



CARBOLINEUM PAINT, AND WHERE TO GET 

 IT. 



Tell Dr. Miller he can get carbolineum 

 avenarius close at home, in Milwaukee, at 

 about 65 cents a gallon, or cheaper still in 

 large lots. It can be mixed with red min- 

 eral paint or the dry colors, rather; but if 

 mixed with white lead it will look as a 

 coat of varnish would over outside white. 



Bard, Ark. H. Zeiner. 



BEE-KEEPING IN SPOKANE. 



Friend Root : — Herewith I would answer 

 friend J. O. Haynes as to the possibilities 

 for bees and honey at or near Spokane, 

 Wash. I went from here to Washington 7 

 years ago with 110 colonies of bees. I in- 

 tended to locate at or near Spokane; but I 

 could find no place where a bee could make 

 a living, to say nothing about laying up 

 any surplus all through the latter part of 

 the season, as they can not irrigate, nor 

 have they enough rain there to inake flow- 

 ers grow. The Yakima Valley is a better 

 country for bees, but that is already occu- 

 pied, and that country is full of alkali wa- 

 ter, and is very hot in summer. But if our 

 friend wants to come back here, I will sell 

 him my little fruit and bee farm with plen- 

 ty of soft water, and a healthy and cool 

 climate — just the thing for friend Haynes. 



J. P. Berg. 



Traverse City, Mich., Nov. 25. 



MORE PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE EU- 

 ROPEAN BASSWOOD. 



There are several distinct varieties — Tilia 

 parvifolia^ Ehrh., the small-leaf lind, also 

 called the late lind. This is the plant for 

 the bees. The tree attains an age of more 

 than 1000 years, and a height of 60 to 70 feet. 

 Near Neustadt, in Germany, is a lind 

 which has a circumference of 32 feet, and 

 was well known already in the year 1292. 

 On account of their dense foliage and fast 

 growth they are extensively planted on 

 streets and roads. The wood is fine and 

 soft, but strong; insects do not seem to like 

 it, therefore it is much used in fine arts for 

 carving, etc. The inner bark furnishes 

 good bast for ropes and mats. It is a hardy 

 tree, blooming in Germany in July till 

 August. I think it would do well all over 

 the United States. The flowers stand in 

 clusters of five to seven, and therefore are 

 easily distinguished from Tilia grandifolia, 

 which bears clusters of two to three flowers. 

 The leaves of Tilia parvifolia are naked on 

 both sides, and on the under side gray- 

 green. The flowers are much used for mak- 

 ing a good tea for catarrh. When in bloom 

 they are always covered with bees. 



Tilia grandifolia, Ehrh., the large-leaf 

 lind, is at home principally in Hungary. 

 Its leaves are on both sides green, but on 

 the under side have short fuzz; bloom in 

 June to July, and are considered to be two 



