1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



697 



not by something else and mistaken for 

 that. It also affects mj' head in a similar 

 manner when at work scrapincf sections, 

 only more so by considerable. I had 

 thoug-ht it was the powdered propolis in- 

 haletl while scraping- sections which affect- 

 ed me. Surd}' it can not be from the same 

 as that by which on-; is affected when work- 

 ing- over the open hive. 



Earlier in my bee-keeping- experience it 

 was all blamed on the smoker. I was evi- 

 dently mistaken, as smoke alone at other 

 times does not so affect me. So seriously has 

 it affected me, my eyes in particular, that 

 I have contemplated engaging- in other bus- 

 iness. I guess that black brood will help 

 me out all right without an3' necessity of 

 my quitting the business. 



I have also noticed that bee-stings affect 

 me. I have a great many times felt a prick- 

 ly sensation in various parts of my body 

 after being severely stung, or after having 

 been stung for several days in succession. 



I do not mention these things thinking 

 that my health has been injured, but sim- 

 ply to call attention to the way in which it 

 aft'ects some people. It is probable that it 

 affects but few people thus. Although these 

 things are not injurious to one's health they 

 are disagreeable while they last. 



Annincreek, Pa., July 24. 



THE WILLIS QUEEN-CLIPPING DEVICE. 



In June 1st Gleanings you ask for ex- 

 perience with the Willis queen-clipping de- 

 vice. I made and used one as soon as I 

 saw the illustration, and consider it the 

 best thing ever invented for the purpose. 

 There is absolutely no danger of hurting 

 the queen, and I think I can clip one quick- 

 er than any one can in any other waJ^ It 

 does not scare the queen, and when the rub- 

 ber is removed they walk away as if noth- 

 ing had happened to them. 



E. E. Lawrence. 



Stanbury, Mo., July 10. 



HOW TO get honey OUT OF A CAP. 



We had a swarm of bees and put them 

 into a hive without the super on, and they 

 went into the cap and nearly filled it in 21 

 days. Can you tell me how to get them out 

 into the lower box? Would it be better to 

 change them now or wait until spring-? It 

 is one of Dadant's hives that they are in. 

 John J. Buren. 



Cullom, 111., Aug. 7. 



[The only way to get the cap off the hive 

 is to pry it up a little and blow in around 

 the edges between hive and cap a plentiful 

 supply of smoke, then with a long knife 

 sever the comb attachments by running 

 knife around the cap, and lift it off. If the 

 cap is then turned upside down, and an- 

 other cap put over it, by drumming on the 

 lower cap you will drive most of the bees 

 upward, leaving the combs almost entirelj' 

 free of bees. The honey could then be used 

 for chunk honey. — Ed. J 



SECTIONS BY THE PIECE OR BY THE POl'XD, 



When selling comb honey is it customarv 

 to weigh it up or sell a section for a pound? 



J. J. KiRKMAN. 



Delta, Ohio, Aug. 5, 1902. 



[A good deal depends on the location. In 

 many places in the East, sections are sold 

 by the section or b}' the piece or b3' the box; 

 but when sold thus it is usuall}' customary 

 to have the boxes average the same in 

 weight. In the majority of localities in the 

 United States, comb honey is sold by the 

 pound. — Ed.] 



DOOLITTLE CELL CUPS IN UPPER STORIES; 

 FERTILE WORKERS. 



I have had some trouble in getting the 

 bees to accept Doolittle cell cups in upper 

 stories above excluders, and have made a 

 colony queenless, calculating to cut out the 

 cells started just before they seal them, and 

 use the jelly in artificial cups. Should 

 they be given at once after removing all 

 natural cells, or would it be better to wait 

 a day or so? Is it a common thing for fer- 

 tile workers to develop in upper stories of 

 strong colonies, with a good queen below? 



North Kingsville, O., July 30. 



H. E. Cro-wther. 



[It is sometimes difficult to get the bees 

 to accept cell cups in the upper stories of 

 strong colonies. If they fail to take hold of 

 them, feed them about half a pint of sugar 

 syrup daily. We usually consider it ad- 

 visable, if we do not have what we call col- 

 onies with queens which the bees are trj'- 

 ing to supersede, to place the cell cups in 

 cell cups that are queenless. 



In the case you mention, it would be best 

 to give the new cell cups to the colony at 

 once, after destroying those built naturally 

 by the bees. 



It is very unusual — indeed, we never knew 

 of a case of fertile workers developing in an 

 upper story of a strong colony where there 

 was a good queen below. — Ed.] 



BEE-STINGS AND RHEUMATISM. 



Mr. Root: — A remarkable cure of rheu- 

 matism was effected in this neighborhood, 

 as you will see by the inclosed clipping. It 

 would probably be interesting to some of 

 your readers. F. M. Maybekry. 



Obelisk, Pa., Aug. 12. 



■William Snively. an aged resident of Shady Grove, 

 Pa., has been a sufferer from rheumatism for a lon,er 

 time, and lost the n.'-e of his arms. When in the gar- 

 den men were hivlnga swarm of bees, and they settled 

 on the old man and stung him .sorely. When the 

 swelling from the stings disappeared the rheumatic 

 pains and the stiffness left, and the old man can no^v 

 do as much work as before he was afflicted. 



[We have had similar reports, and I 

 think it is probable that there are certain 

 kinds of rheumatism and certain individu- 

 als that a large nuinber of stings would af- 

 fect and almost instantl}' cure; but ii good 

 many think the cure worse than the dis- 

 ease. The majority of rheumatic people 

 say and have said that stings never give 

 them anj- relief. — Ed.] 



