1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



389 



A LITTLE TRICK IN INTRODUCING VIRGINS OR 

 VALUABLP: LAYING QUEENS. 



It is well known that young bees are much 

 more kindly disposed toward strange queens 

 or bees than old ones. To that end we can 

 take out a frame or two of bees and hatching 

 brood and put them in another hive on a sep- 

 arate stand. At the end of 24 hours, all the 

 old bees, or those that will be hostile toward 

 an old queen (providing the weather is such 

 that they can fly) will have gone back to 

 their old home. We can now with compar- 

 ative safety introduce the valuable queen or 

 a five or six day-old virgin, because in such 

 case we introduce in the regular way, letting 

 the young bees that are left release the queen 

 by eating away the pasteboard and the can- 

 dy at the end of the cage. Experience has 

 shown us that it is bad policy for the apiarist 

 to do the releasing. Every time one opens 

 the colony he disturbs the bees more or less; 

 and when a new queen is released at such 

 time there is much more chance that the bees 

 will attack her by balling than if they do the 

 releasing themselves. 



HOW TO SELECT A HIVE; THE MAN AND THE 



LOCALITY; WHY GLEANINGS DOES NOT 



RECOMMEND ANY PARTICULAR HIVE 



OR FRAME. 



A FEW days ago a bee-keeper came into 

 our office and said that, after having tried 

 the divisible-brood-chamber hive, he was de- 

 lighted with it. He inquired why we did not 

 recommend it in these columns in preference 

 to any other hive, for he was sure nothing 

 else could compare with it in flexibility and 

 economy of management. We replied, say- 

 ing that we did not believe it would be good 

 policy for us to recommend to every one any 

 particular hive or frame, as so much depends 

 on the man and the locality. 



"But, " he asked, "what harm can there 

 be if you give your individual preference, al- 

 lowing the general public to make its own se- 

 lection? " Right nere we explained that 

 some would follow our advice as to the se- 

 lection but not our method of handling, and 

 come to grief, and some others might follow 

 it, right or wrong. 



It nas occurred to us, however, that we 

 might make some general suggestions that 

 win serve in a measure to solve the problem 

 for intending purchasers. 



In the first place, every thing depends on 

 whether one expects to produce comb or ex- 

 tracted honey; whether the season is short, 

 covering a period of three or four weeks, or 

 whether it is prolonged, extending over some 

 months. Much wilfdepend on the markets. 



It would be folly to produce bulk or chunk 

 comb honey and attempt to sell it in our 

 Northern States, notwithstanding such prod- 

 uct finds ready sale in Texas. 



Again, some markets take to tall sections. 

 Some \yill accept dark buckwheat comb hon- 

 ey, while others will not have it at any price. 

 Some take mainly extracted. 



If one expects to keep bees in some one of 

 the Northern States where there is a short 

 flow from clover, and clover only, and the 



market for comb honey, either in tall or 

 square sections, is good, we would recom- 

 mend either the eight-frame Dovetailed hive 

 with plain square sections or the Danzenba- 

 ker with closed-end frames and tall sections. 

 If it is a locality where the nights are cool 

 and the days warm, we would advise the 

 Danzenbaker in preference to the other 

 hives with open-end frames. If our pros- 

 pective bee-keeper has made bee-keeping a 

 special study, and wishes to secure a gilt- 

 edged product, we would advise the Danzen- 

 baker throughout. 



If, on the other hand, one has had consid- 

 erable experience in' keeping bees, and 

 wishes to manage a series of outyards for the 

 production of either comb or extracted hon- 

 ey, with a minimum of labor, he possibly 

 would do well to adopt the divisible-brood- 

 chamber hive. It is true it would cost some 

 more for the same comb surface, yet in the 

 hands of the skilled bee-keeper it will pro- 

 duce some excellent results. But if foul or 

 black brood, or any other brood disease, hap- 

 pens to be in the locality, we would never 

 think of adopting such a hive; for if one is 

 likely to get one of these diseases in his api- 

 ary, the divisible-brood-chamber proposition 

 would be a fright, for it is not one that will 

 permit of the handling ofall its frames with 

 economy of labor. 



If our prospective bee-keeper is going to 

 locate in the South or the West India Islands, 

 and run for extracted honey, we might rec- 

 ommend the Jumbo hive. This is standard 

 in every respect, though it is 2's inches deep- 

 er than the regular Langstroth. With such 

 a hive one can raise an immense amount of 

 brood and bees, and it may be said to be 

 practically a non-swarmer if extracted hon- 

 ey is produced. 



If one is engaged in some profession, and 

 can be at his yard only nights and mornings, 

 and wishes to raise a little chunk honey for 

 his own and his neighbors'use, we would rec- 

 ommend the ten-frame Dovetailed hive with 

 the Hoffman frame for extracting, tiering the 

 same up two, three, and even four stories. 

 This kind of proposition, perhaps, is about 

 as nearly automatic as any one can adopt. 

 There will be little or no trouble from 

 swarms, and one can do all the work neces- 

 sary nights and mornings. Indeed, he will 

 not need to go near the hives oftener than 

 once a week, even during the rush of the 

 season. These three-story hives for ex- 

 tracting are by all means the simplest to han- 

 dle, ana for the ordinary farmer there is 

 nothing better. He can raise his own hon- 

 ey, ancf, what is more, will probably not have 

 to be called from the harvest-field to take 

 care of swarms. When the season is entire- 

 ly over he can take off his honey in the 

 shape of solid cards of full-sized Langstroth 

 frames, and then cut out chunks for himself 

 and for his neighbors whenever he chooses. 

 If he stores his honey in a warm room not 

 subject to too much variation his neighbors 

 will come miles and miles to get it, because 

 it will become richer and melTower as it be- 

 comes older. 



