136 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1 



The illustration shows my apiary as it was last 

 summer, or part of it. Some were in another 

 place. A building protects it on the north and 

 also on the east. The colonies are not in the or- 

 der I should like, owing to the tree, uneven 

 ground, etc. 



I have found the stands shown very practical. 

 They are made of any odds and ends. Good 

 stout rails make serviceable supports, but they 

 must be well braced. 



Chester, N. J., Jan. 4. 



[You say that yellow sweet clover is becoming 

 quite plentiful in your locality. It is this, prob- 

 ably, that gives your white clover that quality 

 that is so much prized by your customers. A 

 little sweet clover in any white honey gives it a 

 flavor that is delicious. We doubt if sumac would 

 do this. — Ed.] 



CURING FOUL BROOD AND PRODUC- 

 ING HONEY AT THE SAME TIME. 



Atwater's Method of Rendering Wax from 

 Foul-broody Hives in a Home- 

 made Steam-press. 



BY E. F. ATWATER. 



As foul brood and wax-rendering have been so 

 closely related in our work for some years past, I 

 will consider them together. It will be my aim 

 to write of the actual methods which we have 

 found profitable and expeditious. 



Last April, in inspecting our McDonald yard 

 of 140 colonies, we found perhaps half of them af- 

 fected with foul brood. With a view to circum- 



vent robbers while working with the bees, we at 

 once constructed a tent to use in our work at this 

 yard. When the flow arrived, early in June, with 

 three helpers I went to this yard, and in about 

 twelve hours we shook almost every colony into 

 a clean hive, supplied with wired frames and full 

 sheets of foundation, and clipped every queen to 

 prevent absconding. About 25 of the weaker 

 colonies were taken a few rods away, to the north 

 part of the yard, all their queens caged, and the 

 brood from the shaken colonies was piled up on 

 them to hatch, and all entrances well contracted. 

 When shaking, all combs with little or no brood 

 were put in hive-bodies, and stacked up bee-tight 

 in the shop. Then in ten days to three weeks, as 

 we had time, we shook the stacked-up colonies 

 at the north end of the yard. 



The hives of old combs made several wagon- 

 loads, which, during the night, were hauled home 

 and carefully piled up, and made bee and mouse 

 tight in the shop. The wagonbed was then 

 washed out with a strong carbolic-acid solution, 

 so as to avoid any chance of the bees at home, or 

 at any of the other yards, getting a taste of hon- 

 ey that might be diseased. 



As some colonies were weak at the time of 

 shaking, we made only 100 good colonies from 

 the original 140. As we wished honey rather 

 than bees from this yard, we preferred to make 

 our increase at other yards which are free from 

 disease. When fall came, the bees were again 

 inspected and all found clean except seven colo- 

 nies, which, as bees are cheap here, were sulphur- 

 ed and hauled home. The 93 colonies gave as 

 large a crop per colony as was taken from yards 

 not diseased. 



AlVVAlERS HOME-MADE STEAM WAX-PRESS. 



