698 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15 



CROP REPORTS BASED ON UNCERTAINTY. 



3Ir. Root: — I think your sug-g-estion in 

 reg^ard to having' bee-keepers write you con- 

 cerning' prospects of honey crop is good, but 

 it is in so crude a state yet I don't see how 

 you are going- to form much of an idea after 

 all. I hope it can be managed so as to be 

 of some benefit to us all; but I might write 

 you to-day that bees are doing splendidly 

 (which they are), and by to-morrow the 

 weather may be altogether different, and 

 bees doing nothing. I will help the matter 

 along if it can be gotten in proper shape, 

 and I would sanction all other ideas toward 

 better conditions as to handling each year's 

 honey crop. 



I had 100 hive-bodies of Salisbury this 

 season that provoked me many times. When 

 I wanted to change almost any of the old- 

 style (six or eight years ago) brood-frames 

 to these new hives I had to cut the end of 

 the top-bar off before they would go in. 

 You know how it makes one feel to be both- 

 ered so when he is in a great hurry, as all 

 up-to-date bee-keepers are, and the same 

 old frames are some of your make too. 



Aaron Snyder. 



Kingston, N. Y., July 20. 



[In reference to crop reports, I appreciate 

 the fact that it is not possible for one to tell 

 exactly what the conditions will be with 

 him so far as honey is concerned. If one 

 will only tell what the present outlook is, 

 or the outlook at the time he zvrites, I can 

 formulate an answer based on even uncer- 

 tainty. You will note that my crop reports 

 are not positive, but they give the indica- 

 tions just as they are at the hour of going 

 to press, and indications based on uncer- 

 tainty are more or less valuable. 



With regard to the hives and the brood- 

 frames, I am aware th it the new-style 

 frames won't go in the old-style hives; but 

 we very rarely have any complaint or trou- 

 ble from that source, because it is now 

 nearly fifteen years since we made those 

 long hives. We shortened up the hives be- 

 cause the bees built comb back of the end- 

 bars. The space used to be -)'% inch, but 

 now it is >4 ; and since that time we do not 

 remember that we have received any com- 

 plaint about bees building burr comb be- 

 hind the end-bars. We think we did a wise 

 thing in shortening the hive to avoid the 

 trouble referred to, because we are thereby 

 benefiting all future generations, and all 

 who have begun to keep bees since fifteen 

 years ago. But old hives can be made to 

 take new frames very readily by nailing a 

 piece of separator stuff about % inch thick, 

 one inch wide, on a level with the rabbet. 

 We are using a lot of our old chaff hives, 

 and have no trouble from the use of the new 

 frames. As to the old frames going in the 

 new hives, we remedy that by cutting off 

 the top-bars a little at each end. Of course, 

 this means a lot of work; but one day's 

 time through the apiary will fix that whole 

 trouble. I know it is rather annoying; but 

 when we come to consider the greatest good 



to the greatest number we sometimes have 

 to make inconvenience for the few. — Ed.I 



WHY THE BEES BALLED THE OUEEN. 



Will you please tell me why the bees 

 balled the queen? I sold a swarm of bees 

 to a neighbor. It being an after-swarm, 

 the queen was not clipped. They went to 

 work in fine shape, had about filled one su- 

 per, and I went around to put on the second 

 super. While I was there I took the queen 

 out and clipped her. Upon returning her 

 to the bees they immediately balled her. I 

 took her away from the ball; but while she 

 was still in my hand an angry bee manag- 

 ed to get to her and sting her. I was very 

 sorry, for she was a fine queen, and her 

 bees were very yellow, and fine workers. 

 I was doubly sorry, because I had sold 

 them to a near neighbor who was taking a 

 great deal of pride in them. I have prac- 

 ticed clipping my queens for two years, and 

 never lost one that way before. 



Wakenda, Mo., July 26. W. T. Gary. 



Is it a good plan to clip the wings of the 

 queens? The last one the bees objected to, 

 and balled her. I rescued her, and in put- 

 ting her in the cage she flew off and stay- 

 ed over an hour. When she came back I 

 captured her and began again, with suc- 

 cess, as she is laying nicely. 



Would it be safe to use supers that have 

 been on hives in which there has been foul 

 brood ? You say the hives are safe, so I 

 thought the supers might be, as there is no 

 honey in them — only foundation. 



Is it not a good plan to feed? Several old 

 bee-keepers say it is wrong; but as there is 

 foul brood in the vicinitj' it seems to me it 

 would prevent robbing, and lessen the lia- 

 bility of catching the same. 



Franklin R. Davis. 



Stanford ville, N. Y., July 25. 



[I have placed these two letters together 

 to show that sometimes bees will ball a 

 queen that has just been clipped. Just 

 why they will do this I can not explain, 

 except tliat there are times when they feel a 

 little ugly or "out of sorts." The handling 

 of the queen during the act of clipping may 

 give her a dift'erent scent; and if one, two, 

 or three bees happen to feel displeased and 

 show hostility toward her, there is quite a 

 strong- probability that other bees will join 

 in the attack. When they attempt to ball 

 her they will keep it up. In such case I 

 would cage the queen in a cage having a 

 hole filled with candy, and let the bees 

 release her themselves, after she has reac- 

 quired the scent of the hive and of the col- 

 ony. Sometimes closing up the hive with a 

 balled queen will result in the bees letting 

 her alone, but it is risky to do it. 



In answer to the second question of Mr. 

 Davis, I would say for my part at least I 

 would not use supers that have been used 

 over foul-broody hives. The probabilities 

 are they will do no harm, but one will be 



