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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Aug. 15 



SIFTINGS. 



By J. E. Crane, Middlebury, Vt. 



A good deal has been written of late about 

 uncapping-machines. I am more interested 

 this year in getting combs to uncap than in 

 any new way of uncapping. 



On page 264 Mr. Holtermann speaks of fail- 

 ing queens. I have this year many more 

 young queens (last year's) than I had at the 

 close of the swarming season last year, show- 

 ing that many were reared in August. I have 

 also had a good many fail through May and 

 June. 



Mr. Doolittle tells us, page 266, May 1, how 

 to detect a failing queen. This alone is worth 

 more than a year's subscription to Gleanings, 

 as the removal of such a queen and replacing 

 with a young laying one in May or early June 

 may make several dollars' difference in the 

 amount of honey the colony will store. 



I notice the editorial on page 259, May 1, 

 on the value of some substitute for natural 

 pollen. How would it do for some of us who 

 have a great deal more pollen in our combs 

 than is needed, to furnish it to those who 

 lack? It is evidently of more value in some 

 sections in spring than combs of honey. I 

 think I could supply quite a quantity next 

 fall. 



Much has been written during the past 

 winter to show that white clover was not 

 killed by drouth. Our pastures and meadows 

 and roadsides answer the question more truly 

 than any writer can do by their almost entire 

 barrenness of this kind of clover, notwith- 

 standing the past winter and spring were of 

 the best for this plant. Severe drouth does 

 kill white clover. 



Page 267, May 1, Mr. Tillinghast gives us 

 some interesting facts, and pleads for larger 

 apiaries, even the size of Mr. Alexander's. 

 It looks well on paper, but I fear that in this 

 section the results would be very unsatisfac- 

 tory. Three years ago it would have work- 

 ed; but two years ago and last year, and again 

 this season, if all my bees had been at the 

 home yard the failure would have been very 

 great. Three of my yards this year will give 

 a moderate crop, owmg to the fact that they 

 are where there was more rain last season, 

 while the rest will not much more than pay 

 expenses, as it looks now. See? 



I was much interested in some facts and 

 illustrations on page 281, May 1, by E. D. 

 Townsend, on wiring frames. I believe we 

 are all making a mistake in wiring. The il- 

 lustration Mr. Townsend gives is typical — 



one wire a little above the middle, with one 

 below and another above. Now, I have seen 

 a good many combs that sagged, but I can 

 not recall a single instance wliere the cells 

 were stretched out of shape for more than 

 two inches below the top-bar in Langstroth 

 frames, unless caused by overheating or lack 

 of ventilation. Even foundation without 

 wire or other support will rarely sag for more 

 than the upper two inches. Wiring does not 

 wholly prevent this, even with medium 

 foundation; and I raise the query if it would 

 not be better to have all three wires cross 

 the upper part of the frame rather than place 

 one below the middle. 



Dr. Miller's method of checking swarming 

 is sound in a general way, but we -can not all 

 work it out as successfully as he does, page 

 301, May 15. The bottoms of my brood- 

 chambers are nailed fast with less room than 

 his. If I destroy queen-cells, as I often do 

 every eight or nine days, I find the bees will 

 destroy the queens, or at least they disap- 

 pear, leaving the hive queenless. Many of 

 my queens, after preparation for swarming 

 has begun, refuse to lay to any extent until 

 they are removed to a nucleus, or swarming 

 given up; and if I remove them I find it dif- 

 ficult to get them introduced successfully 

 again. I find it also unsafe to leave a hive 

 during swarming time for ten days, as the 

 bees will rear and hatch a young queen in 

 less time, and may swarm out with her; and 

 I believe that, where the colony is strong, 

 the queen of good age and prolific shaking 

 has given me the best results. 



Perhaps no clearer or better statement has 

 been made of the value of shaking than on 

 p. 313, May 15, by Mr. Williams, to stimulate 

 bees to greater industry. I am more and 

 more impressed each year with the effect of 

 certain conditions on the industry of t' e col- 

 ony. The superior industry of a new colony 

 is proverbial. The improved industry of a 

 colony with a young laying queen, and ex- 

 tracting the honey from combs and returning 

 to the colony is another. Removing the 

 queen and a part of the bees to a new loca- 

 tion works wonders sometimes; and last, but 

 not least, is taking away the brood and giv- 

 ing empty combs in their place, or "shak- 

 ing." Only yesterday I was noticing how 

 rapidly some colonies shaken nine days pre- 

 viously had filled their hives with honey and 

 brood, notwithstanding the very unfavoiable 

 weather. I could not nelp noticing how the 

 hives of such colofiies were full of honey 

 while the bees not so treated looked small 

 and seemed to be doing little. I have found 

 in fair seasons such colonies will store quite 

 as much surplus, besides having more in 

 their brood-chambers, than those that have 

 not attempted to swarm. Unless such colo- 

 nies are strong when shaken I have found it 

 an advantage to give them a comb or two of 

 brood after a few days from shaking. 



