778 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



to the bottom-bar. The Danzenbaker hive accomplish- 

 es this last feature very nicely, because the frames 

 are reversible. But in later years very little impor- 

 tance, comparatively, has been attached to the matter 

 of reversing. However, one can get the combs of 

 the Hoifinan-Langstroth frame built clear out to the 

 bottom-bar as here explained. — Ed. J 



A Statement 



On page 567, August 15, Doolittle is asked the 

 question: " Did you read on p. 503, Gleanings for 

 July 15, that the ' first queen-cell is likely to hatch 

 on the ninth day from the time the prime swarm 

 issues ' " ? The above quotation is what was added 

 to the title of my article on that page. The title of 

 my article was: "The Control of After-swarms.'' 

 The other part of the title as it stands on that page 

 was added by some one else. In my article I did 

 say in one place " due to hatch," when I should have 

 said, " due to be hatched." But then I immediately 

 qualified it by saying, " That is, the forenoon of the 

 ninth day after the first swarm in an apiary issues, 

 a young queen is quite likely to be hatched." It 

 was not the time of the queen's hatching that I was 

 concerned about, but the time to look after the colo- 

 ny to prevent after-swarming. There is no discord 

 when understood. 



Huntington, Ind. J. W. Southwood. 



Scarcity of Drones Retarding the Swarming Fever 



Does it not seem reasonable that a hive running 

 over with big clumsy noisy drones suggests that '.le 

 home is a bit crowded ? 



Douglas, Ariz., May 21. M. Clymer. 



[A superabundance of drones might suggest a 

 crowded hive, but not necessarily so. In many cases, 

 at least, their presence is due to a failing queen 

 whose eggs are producing a large percentage of 

 drones rather than workers. They may also be due 

 to a large amount of drone comb in the center of 

 the brood-nest during a honey-flow. At such times a 

 normal queen, especially if she is a year or more 

 old, will lay in drone combs almost as readily as in 

 worker combs, and especially so if swarming is in 

 prospect. In modern management there is no excuse 

 for an excess of drone comb in the hive. It is a 

 big waste of bee energy that might be better utilized 

 in the production of worker brood. — Ed.] 



Painting Hives while ihe Bees are in Them 



Would it harm the bees or brood to paint the hives 

 with pure white lead and linseed oil while the bees 

 are in the hives? or is it best to move the bees into 

 a new hive while painting the old hive ? 



Do gentle bees gather as much honey as ugly ones 

 under the same conditions? 



Will blooded Italian bees winter as well as hybrid 

 or native black bees under bad conditions ? 



Which is the larger bee — an Italian or a hybrid? 



Marshfield, Wis., Feb. 14. James Maxwell, 



[You can paint the hives almost any time, whether 

 the bees are in them or not; but if the painting is 

 done while the bees are flying we recommend leaving 

 the alighting-boards until after they are all in the 

 hives at night. In the morning the paint should be 

 dry enough to make no trouble. Always remember 

 to apply very thin coats of paint well rubbed in. 



Gentle bees may gather just as much honey as 

 irritable ones, although it is true there is a danger 

 in breeding for gentleness alone to secure bees that 

 are not worth as much, so far as being able to gather 

 honey is concerned, as other bees that are better 

 hustlers. There is no reason, however, why the best 

 workers in the apiary may not also be gentle. 



Pure leather-colored Italians are just as hardy as 

 hybrids, for they came originally from northern Italy, 



where the winters are severe. Our experience has 

 been that the extra-yellow Italians are not quite as 

 hardy on the average. 



The size of the bee does not depend so much upon 

 the race as upon the strain. If the stock is allowed 

 to degenerate, the bees may be somewhat undersized. 

 It has been claimed that bees reared in combs thirty 

 or forty years old are also undersized; but we our- 

 selves have not been convinced of this. — Ed.] 



Five Years Record in Idaho; New Idea for a 

 Feeder 



We have had unfavorable weather for bees — some 

 windy days, and too much rain. The first year I 

 kept bees in Idaho I secured 31,000 lbs. of honey 

 from 190 colonies; the second year, 62,000 from 

 400; the third year, 47,000 from 425; the fourth 

 year, 65,000 from 500. Now in this, the fifth year, 

 I shall do well to get 30,000 pounds from 500 "colo- 

 nies. I have increased to 750. That is some gain. 

 We have worlds of feed. Still, I am not discouraged 

 with the business. If I am once able to keep a stock 

 of supplies on hand I can make a living from just 

 such a year as we are going through. 



I wish to give a suggestion for making a feeder. 

 I use the wide entrances. It could be made of tin, 

 and could be half an inch deep and about 10 inches 

 wide by 15 long, so that it could be used in an eight- 

 frame as well as a ten-frame hive. This feeder could 

 be made corrugated, something like an old-fashioned 

 washboard, only deeper. This would prevent spill- 

 ing as each one of the little troughs would be sepa- 

 rate. I think such a feeder could be made to hold 

 from 1 V2 pints to a quart, and could be shoved 

 right under the brood-nest. If the hive were level it 

 would do no harm if it slanted forward. W]iat do 

 you think of it ? 



Rigby, Ida., Aug. 9. L. A. Coblentz. 



[Feeders of this type have been used, and there 

 is no particular objection except that the syrup so 

 nearly exposed is rather inviting to robbers. — Eu.] 



Reply to C. W. Arnett; Sulphur and Salt Treat- 

 ment for Diseasfd Bees 



In reply to C. W. Arnett's query. Aug. 1, p. 548, 

 I will say that I had one colony that acted the same 

 way. I was at a loss as to the cause and cure. No 

 Himalaya blackberries are there to my knowledge. 

 In .Tuly I had a swarm develop paralysis. Hundreds 

 were dead in front of the hive. I began by searching 

 back in numbers of Gleanings for a remedy. I 

 found where one apiarist sprinkled salt on the 

 alighting-board. It helped somewhat. 



I found, too, that an experienced beekeeper who 

 transferred bees to another hive always effected a 

 cure when sprinkling the entrance with sulphur, and 

 salt did no good. I had to walk to town 2 V2 miles 

 to get the sulphur. I mixed equal parts of salt and 

 sulphur, and sprinkled the entrance four or five 

 times that day. That ended the trouble. 



I then thought I would try the same treatment in 

 case of a colony that was acting similar to C. W. 

 Arnett's bees. It cured that colony, and the bees 

 stored honey as fast again after the treatment. 



Colo, Iowa. Mrs. Oscar Tripp. 



An Average Crop in Dixie 



As our season is drawing to a close I want to send 

 in a report on our honey crop from this part of 

 Leedom. 



With a very few exceptions there has been about 

 an average crop of honey made in every section 

 throughout Dixile. 



Cordele, Ga., Sept. 5. J. J. Wilder. 



