Jan. K). im-Z 



In Hunting Queens, Look for the Bee with Short 

 Wings. 



1 suppose every person has some contrast to look 

 for In searching for a iiiieen; and the more striking 

 the contrast the sooner she is found. I don't know 

 that 1 have seen in print the contrast th;vt I always 

 look for. and it strikes me the most forcibly in look- 

 ing for a (lueen. It Is tliis: Her wings look rer// 

 .short. We are looking at their backs., and the 

 wings are the most prominent visible part. When 

 I see the short-winged one 1 know it is the queen. 

 Oi course her wings are not short, but they look so 

 on account of her comparativeLv long body. 



< iaiena. Kan.. Nov. 25. J. P. Hkumfield. 



;Vou have mentioned one of the important dis- 

 tinguishing characteristics that help mu<'h in find- 

 ing a queen. .\nother characteristic that is often 

 seen on an Italian yueen is the color of her abdo- 

 men and hind legs. They are yellower than those 

 of a worker. But the greatest help is the behavior 

 of the bees toward her. This last is of great assist- 

 ance In locating virgins, small and dark.— Ed.J 



The Success and Enthusiasm of a Lady who, from 

 a Start ol a Nucleus, Increased to 53 Colonies. 



You wisl; to know if 1 have found your journal 

 interestm ; and helpful. 1 have found it very help- 

 ful, and ouch more interesting than I expected. 

 When 1 bought my first bees I subscribed for your 

 journal as an aid to the bee-work, but did not ex- 

 pect to be very nuich Interested. I have found 

 that bee literattire can be very interesting as well 

 as instructive. 



You have touched on all the subjects that I de- 

 sired most to know about, and I have never had to 

 write for information. 1 started with a nucleus, 

 and now have 53 colonies. I have lost only two in 

 the cellar, and those were short of stores: neither 

 have I lost more than two from spring dwindling. 

 I knew nothing about bees when I began, except 

 what I had learned in the ABC book. 



1 got all of my information from Gleanings, ex- 

 cept what 1 have gained by experience. My bees 

 nave always paid their own expenses and some- 

 thing besides. I have all the honey 1 want to eat, 

 and I count that considerable, for I am fond of it. I 

 have enjoyed A. I. Root's articles on chicken-rais- 

 ing very much. 



West Chazy, X. Y., Aug. 15. l.'.'A A. Brown. 



Brood-rearing in Mid-winter. 



I should like to know if bees will hai/h in the lat- 

 ter part of December in Chicago. I j ixe 100 colo- 

 nies. While the weather was warm m/ bees start- 

 ed to carry in water. I opened the hive and found 

 one comb partl.v filled with eggs. Do bees need 

 water on account of the brood? 



Chicago, ill., Dec. 15. R. J. K. 



[It Is not unusual to find brood in the central 

 combs of a hive in December, especially when 

 there has been as much warm weather as there has 

 been this winter. Whenever there is brood-rearing 

 going on. the bees need water: and that is why, on 

 warm days through the winter, they make such 

 efTorts to find it. Very often brood .started in win- 

 ter is lost: for when cold snaps come, the cluster 

 draws together, with the result that the brood, es- 

 pecially that on the outside, if the queen has start- 

 ed quite a little. Is abandoned.— Ed.] 



Stings Relieve Rheumatism at 80 Years of Age. 



Although never very much afllicted with rheu- 

 matism 1 have, for some years, been troubled at 

 night with pain in one arm, and during the last 

 year it affected both arms, but generally only at 

 night. I have some bees which have stung me oc- 

 casionally: and as my pain has varied 1 have often 

 thought that the stings which I got might have ac- 

 counted for it. 



Several months ago I had a strong dose of bee- 

 stlng cure. Kor some reason the bees took the no- 

 tion of giving me a chastening for intruding on 

 their rights, and it seemed as if a regiment had 

 been sent to give a sharp notice, which they did 

 without stint. I think over a doz.en discharged 

 their errand falthfmiy by giving me notice with 

 their probangs: but for about two months 1 have 

 had no rheumatic jiain. I have had no pain at 

 night as before, it has entirely left me. 



Detroit, Kan., Nov. 29. A. M. Engle. 



59 



Peanut Candy for Bees. 



I bought two barels of peanut candy. The nuts 

 are weevil-eaten a little. I Intend to boil and strain 

 this and feed It to the bees this spring. Would It 

 be safe to do It ? 



Salina, Ivan., Nov. 22. IMiako Mii.lek. 



[In regard to the peanut candy that you have, 

 we should be afraid that it is scorclied and dark- 

 ened in color to give the different llavor.s. If so, it 

 would be a little risky to feed It to the bees, al- 

 though if useddlrectly for brood-rearing you might 

 have no bad results. We usually think that the 

 best grade of granulated sugar is the cheapest in 

 the end. If you fed any amount of it in the spring, 

 there would be some danger that some of It would 

 be left over and stored in the sections, which would 

 give the honey a bad taste and practically spoil it 

 for market.— Ed.] 



Too Much Pollen in the Hives. 



is there any thing to be done where the bees 

 crowd every thine out of the lower story with pol- 

 len? I have just gone through my apiary, and find 

 the hives good, bad, and indifferent in this respect. 

 Some few colonies had only a small amount, hav- 

 ing also plenty of brood and honey. Other hives 

 had the lower-story frames almost entirely filled 

 with pollen. These two last classes I have taken 

 account of to see how they come out. 



Ceiba Mocha, Cuba, Nov. 5. R. II. BiGELOW. 



[When a hive has an excess of pollen, the only 

 thing to do is to remove the combs containing it 

 and set them one side to be used the following 

 spring. Such combs are often a valuable asset to 

 the bee-keeper. During the winter we would not 

 leave very much pollen in the hive. Give combs 

 of sealed stores, the best you have, then let the 

 bees work out a winter nest, which they will do if 

 you give the stores to them early enough in the 

 season.— Ed.] 



Importance of Upward Ventilation for Colonies 

 Wintered on Summer Stands. 



The article on p. 664. Nov. 1. "Wintering Bees on 

 .Summer Stands," is truly "good stuff." One win- 

 ter in Kansas I wintered fifty colonies with the 

 loss of only one. This was one of my very best col- 

 onies: but it was in a new tight hive, with the oil- 

 cloth very carelessly left on under the blanket of 

 chaff packing, so that the bees had absolutely no 

 upward ventilation. I learned the necessity of top 

 ventilation away bsvck in the '40's in glorious New 

 England, when we used the old-fashioned gum or 

 box hive. 



THE FIRST SWARM NOT ALWAYS A PRIME SWARM. 



I have often known of a first swarm to be led by 

 a virgin queen, and, therefore, to be what is known 

 as an after-swarm. 



Carlton. Col. Jas. IT. Wing. 



Corrugated Paper in the Top and Bottom of the 

 Shipping-case. 



That little di.scu.ssion on p. 712 has stirred me up 

 somewhat. It is one of the rare occasions wherein 

 I differ with Dr. Miller. I should be glad to have a 

 sheet of corrugated paper on both top and bottom 

 of my cases, for the reasons that the editor h:us 

 named; also because grocers often open the cases 

 on the bottom, making the no-drip arrangement 

 usele.ss. ft looks as if the sign "This side up" 

 ought to remedy the matter, but it doesn't. If you 

 will visit the freight depot in your town and take a 

 look at the boxes so marked, you will find that 

 the freight-handlers pay little attention to it. 



Newman, 111., Dec. 4. C. K. Bender. 



A Good Record for a Beginner. 



Last .June I got some chufas and planted them 

 about the 10th of .luly. 1 harvested them this eve- 

 ning, Nov. 17. and from one hill I got 2M nuts. 

 How is that? I like them well when roasted. Cali- 

 fornia seems to be well suited to them. 



How is the following for increase? One colony to 

 start with this year, six combs: increased to four 

 colonics. .Ml combs were built from full sheets of 

 foundation. I have nine extra combs on hand, and 

 took 40 lbs. of extracted honey. 1 sold one colony 

 forSf>.iK). 



Sacramento. Cal. A. D. Mungek. 



