244 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



the only American so honored. That crowned 

 his career — at its close. 



He left a mourning widow and daughter who 

 have the sympathy of Gleanings readers. His 

 death was unexpected, as he was in the prime of 

 life. He was caught with a sudden chill on the 

 street, and was carried to the hospital, where the 

 doctors said he had a complication of pleurisy 

 and the grip. This developed into pneumonia, 

 and he expired in less than a week from the time 

 he was taken ill. 



His demise is a loss to American bee-keeping. 



USEFUL HINTS IN BEE MANAGE- 

 MENT. 



BY E. L. PRATT. 



[shortly before Mr. Pratt's death he had prepared some short 

 notes on management. He had furnished two or three install- 

 ments, and had expected to furnish more. We present the first 

 at this time. The " hint" on how to cure a case of spring 

 dwindling will be very timely just now. It looks as if it might 

 work — Ed.] 



To stop spring dwindling, and to save a colo- 

 ny in its last stages, proceed as follows: Capture 

 the queen and introduce her, as explained in my 

 book called "Increase," to a fair shake of fresh 

 bees taken from one or more strong and healthy 

 colonies. If the weather is yet quite cool, re- 

 move the swarm-box to the house, where it is 

 comfortable. The queen may be safely run into 

 the box after an hour or two of confinement. 

 After two or three days' more confinement, ei- 

 ther put the little swarm into the old hive, if 

 clean, or set the box on the old stand and shake 

 any remaining bees into the box. If one comb 

 of mainly sealed brood is given to such colonies 

 it will help them wonderfully in strength and 

 vigor just at the time they most need the assist- 

 ance. With a divis'on-board, crowd them down 

 to the number of combs they can fairly well 

 cover. 



If a colony is found in weak condition after 

 the winter's siege is really over, it is a very sim- 

 ple matter to change stands with some overpopu- 

 lous stock near by, and thus bring the weak colo- 

 ny at once up to working strength. At this sea- 

 son of the year strange bees are admitted to a 

 weak colony, and there is very little danger of 

 the queen being balled by the aliens. 



Good rules to follow at all times are these: 

 Don't place your bees in positions that would be 

 intolerable to yourself. Too much disturbance 

 to one's colonies is ruinous to their future pros- 

 pects. If a colony is doing well, let it alone. 



Bees are almost human in many things. They 

 have the same tendency to pilfer, just as apt to 

 " do " a neighbor, eager for stores, etc. 



Shape your daily work in the apiary so that, 

 when you quit for the season, your bees will be 

 ready for winter. 



A new swarm is totally inoffensive for several 

 days after hiving. To smoke such a colony dur- 

 ing wax secretion is cruel. To manipulate ex- 

 tensively a new swarm is the height of foUy. 



At one of our apiaries the bees work on what 

 is called the " yellow flower," which grows in 

 profusion some five miles away. This flower 

 yields heavily, and after a few days the bees 

 establish a bee-line. This line is laid in a cer- 



tain direction each year every day during the 

 flow, and people living on the line of flight fre- 

 quently call my attention to the roar the bees 

 make over their houses in going and coming to 

 this field. The bees fly quite high during pleas- 

 ant days; but if the day turns hazy they lower 

 their line so that one can distinctly observe them 

 in their mad flight. On such days there is a 

 strong scent left in the trail, much akin to the 

 scent from the flower they are at work upon. 

 This scent, I believe, acts as a guide to the very 

 young bees, which pile out like mad, and seem 

 to work as vigorously as the old field bees as soon 

 as the bee-line has become established from api- 

 ary to field This would indicate that a colony 

 will at times send out its entire flying force to 

 help gather in the sweets which have been previ- 

 ously located by the older workers. I have notic- 

 ed that, if the day turns a little cool, or if clouds 

 threaten, the young bees cease flying, while the 

 old field bees carry on the work. 



In early spring, while cool winds yet prevail, 

 the bees of an apiary will frequently establish a 

 line of flight to the fields along the sheltered sides 

 of fences, hedges, woods, and side hills. At such 

 time they naturally fly low. Their trips are 

 shorter and more frequent than in warmer weath- 

 er. It is interesting to discover the line of flight 

 of an apiary and watch the bees maneuver. It is 

 a key to what is doing in the entire yard. 



HOW TO TREAT A COLONY OF LOAFERS. 



How to treat profitably a hanging-out loafing 

 colony has always puzzled bee-keepers. A sulky 

 colony is of no real value so long as the bees con- 

 tinue to sulk. They frequently wind up the sea- 

 son with empty combs, and are, therefore, an ex- 

 pense rather than a profit to the yard. I will 

 briefly outline a treatment for loafing colonies, 

 which I have practiced with profit for a number 

 of years: First make sure that your colony is re- 

 ally sulking — that is, healthy yet not at work, 

 while all the others are piling in and out with 

 honey and pollen. When assured on this point, 

 set a hive containing empty combs down close 

 beside the hangers-out in such a way that the 

 bees will cluster and hang over on the new hive 

 directly over and into the entrance. After a few 

 days, thus cage a young and vigorous laying 

 queen, with attendants, and place this cage down 

 between the combs of the new hive at a point 

 where the bees from the loafing colony have taken 

 loafing quarters. If warm, the cage may be 

 shoved into the entrance. After a day or two, 

 give the loafers access to the candy plug in the 

 cage, and in due time they will release the con- 

 fined queen. Watch the colony from the out- 

 side; and when you see that the bees have started 

 off to field to a noticeable extent, make examina- 

 tion of the new colony and note condition. If 

 brood or even eggs are found in a small patch in 

 any of the new combs, all will be well; if found 

 short of honey, give a comb containing sealed 

 honey or feed and close. Let the bees work on 

 for a few days, then gradually move the old 

 colony away so as to force more bees to enter the 

 new hive. 



If you desire increase of colonies, change the 

 queen in the old hive at your leisure. If you do 

 not desire increase, dispose of the old queen; and 

 after a day or two of queenlessness set the old 

 hive on top of the new one, omitting a zinc hon- 



