GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



A SWARM CAUGHT BY THE USE OF OIL OF 

 ANISE 



BY EDWIN A. SMITH 



My brother and I once caught 76 swarms 

 in one month. We take any kind of box 

 that will hold frames, put starters in them, 

 then put the prepared boxes in trees. We 

 put a drop of oil or anise in the box long 

 before a swarm finds the i^lace. 



I never saw a swarm of bees until last 

 spring. When my brother and I started, 

 we thought we would try it, so we put out 

 boxes and caught 72 swarms. We sold $136 

 worth of comb honey, then sold the bees, 

 and started in new last month. California 

 is the place to catch runaway bees. 



I get the oil of anise at a drugstore. Be- 

 fore I start out I put a drop or two of 

 anise in the box, then I locate the boxes in 

 trees, under brush, or any place where the 

 sun doesn't strike them in the heat of the 

 day. I can catch twelve swarms by the 

 use of anise where I could catch only one 



without. Last year I put out boxes with- 

 out any thing in them but the anise, and 

 caught 72 swarms out of 75. I look at the 

 boxes every week, and in those that have 

 no bees I put another drop of the anise on 

 the alighting-board. 



Whittier, Cal. 



[The use of oil of anise is mentioned in 

 the ABC book, under the head of "Bee- 

 hunting." I have used it, but did not find 

 it of more benefit than burning combs, etc. 

 As the perfume from the anise, however, 

 would last for several hours, and perhaps 

 days, it would be an advantage for the 

 decoy. — A. I. R.] 



•-•-•^ 



SOME CALAMITIES IN THE APIARY 



Flood and Suffocation 



BY E. F. ATWATER 



A large swarm caught by the use of a little oil of arise in a box located 



in a tree. 



The first serious mishap which occurred 

 among our bees was in 1905, when, in addi- 

 tion to a crop failure, an entire yard was 

 almost destroyed by 

 water. This apiary was 

 located in a bend of an 

 irrigation canal, where 

 it was a little low; but 

 as the ground was dry, 

 and had never been ir- 

 rigated, we did not 

 even have the entire 

 yard on the four-inch 

 Miller stands which we 

 were using at that time. 

 Just as the flow was 

 due we visited that 

 yard, and were greeted 

 by a stench not unlike 

 that from foul brood, 

 and almost overpower- 

 ing in its intensity. 

 Upon examination we 

 found that almost ev- 

 ery colony had suffered 

 severely, while some 

 were dead. During the 

 night a rancher had 

 turned into this canal 

 400 inches more water 

 than it was built to car- 

 ry, and tlie overflow 

 came to our apiai'y. 

 The weather was warm, 

 the colonies strong, so 

 that eveiy tight hive 

 had its entrance closed 

 by the water. The bees 

 had all but suffocated, 

 and the brood was 

 scalded by the confined 



