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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. 1 



vantage of preventing the bee from stinging; 

 but owing to the fact that bees always crawl 

 forward it is the rule to poke them in head 

 irst. As each bee goes m, the finger is put 

 over the hole to hold those already in the 

 cage; then just the moment another bee is 

 to go in, the finger is removed, a bee is in- 

 serted, and the finger is put back. It is this 

 finger, usually, that gets the sting if any. 



You will note, also, that the cage is held in 

 such a way that the hole is on the lower side, 

 and that the wire cloth is on the side next to 

 the operator, and just as soon as the bee's 

 head is poked into the hole it crawls up and 

 away from the hole. 



Mr. Bain says it makes all the difference 

 in the world as to the strain of bees being 

 handled, as to the number of stings one will 

 get. Caucasians are very much worse than 

 Italians, and some strains of Italians are 

 worse than other strains. Some bees he can 

 pick up with one wing, or any old way, and 

 poke them into the hole, while others he has 

 to grab very carefully, taking hold of both 

 wings. 



As to the matter of numb fingers, he ex- 

 plains there is no need of getting stung so 

 many times as to produce numbness. But 

 sometimes, he admits, when one is in a hur- 

 ry he will go ahead regardless of stings, 

 when his fingers will become more or less 

 numb. 



CARPENTRY FOR BEE-KEEPERS. 



Painting Hives. 



BV F. DUNDAS TODD. 



Usually I am blamed for showing too much 

 indifference for appearances; but I frankly 

 confess that an unpainted hive is a positive 

 eye-sore to me. The charm that assuredly 

 belongs to a well-dressed individual is due 

 very largely, from my point of view, to the 

 fact that he (and especially she) gives ocular 

 proof that his person is well cared for. It is 

 the same with a lawn. Neatly trimmed 

 grass is a guarantee of care; a tangled maze 

 is the reverse. So an unpainted hive sug- 

 gests there is nobody round who cares for 

 the bees, excepting in a perfunctory way. 



Now, unpainted hives may be good enough 

 for such localities as Marengo, Ills., and Bo- 

 rodino, N. Y., where the summer rains soon 

 pass away, and the hives are cellared in win- 

 ter; but if Dr. Miller and Mr. Doolittle were 

 transferred with their apiaries to the Puget 

 Sound region they would at once invest in 

 a few gallons of paint and proceed to 

 wield the paint-brush with patience, per- 

 severance, and perspiration. If they did not, 

 their hives would soon be on the junk-pile, 

 and both could make a fresh start with a new 

 style if they desired to do so. 



Not knowing any thing about paint and 

 painting I asked a few of my acquaintances 

 in that line of business for some advice. 

 Summed up it amounted to this: Give many 

 thin coats rather than a few heavy ones. In 

 detail, give a couple of priming coats, then a 



coat of paint, the priming coats to consist of 

 raw linseed oil and white lead. The raw oil 

 takes a much longer time to dry than the 

 boiled oil; but I am assured the effect is 

 much better. 



When I start upon a pile of hive-bodies, 

 covers, or frames in the flat to put them to- 

 gether I always think of the man who under- 

 took to cook rice for supper when his wife 

 was down town shopping. Putting a pan on 

 the stove he filled it with rice and water. 

 In a little while the pan began to overflow, 

 so he got another and divided up; then as 

 the bulk in both got beyond the evident ca- 

 pacity, he drew on other kitchen utensils 

 one by one, with the result that his wife, on 

 her return, found him surrounded by at least 

 a dozen dishes, ranging from a wash-basin 

 down to soup-plates, each one overflowing 

 with rice in a mure or less uncooked condi- 

 tion. 



There is not much room in my barn, so 

 very soon I am forced to stack my creations 

 out of doors. Lately I have changed my 

 tactics, and now work on the semi-ready 

 fashion that is being pushed in the tailoring 

 world, and apply the priming coats while the 

 parts are in the flat. In dry summer weath- 

 er a coat of paint will dry in a day so one 

 may get out by the semi-ready system a fin- 

 ished body, cover, or bottom within twenty- 

 four hours if necessary. 



On the bench I pile about two dozen 

 pieces on end, wedging them between a 

 couple of boxes, and apply the first priming 

 coat to the ends, then turn them over and do 

 the same with the opposite ends. Then I 

 lay the pile flat and prime the faces one aft- 

 er another, stacking them as finished round 

 about. When dry the second priming coat 

 is applied the same way. 



The first priming coat is mostlv oil, the 

 great idea being to get it to soak well into 

 the pores of the wood. For twenty square 

 feet of surface one will use nearly a quart to 

 which has been added and thoroughly incor- 

 porated with it, first with a stick, then with 

 a brush, enough of the white lead to turn 

 the oil decidedly white in the can but not 

 when applied to the wood. This looks like 

 a big quantity of oil, but the ends will soak 

 up nearly half of it. 



This coat is applied with a two-inch flat 

 brush, first running round the margins, then 

 worked in by cross-sweeping, lastly smooth- 

 ed by even strokes the long way of the 

 board. 



The second priming coat is again oil and 

 white lead, but this time the coat should 

 show decidedly white on the wood. Only 

 half the quantity absorbed in the first coat 

 will be taken in this time. 



The third and final coat is applied when 

 the parts are nailed up. It consists of white 

 paint to which it is usually advisable to add 

 about an equal quantity of oil. 



In conclusion let me repeat, use raw lin- 

 seed oil only, no drier; work well in, but 

 make the coating thin, and dry thoroughly 

 between coats. 



Victoria, B. C, Can. 



