J28 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar 1." 



shut off from the working force became so re- 

 duced in number of bees that their condition 

 became alarming. They became so much re- 

 duced that nothing remained with the queen 

 but a few very young bees — not nearly enough 

 to care for the little brood they had. I found, 

 by giving them the working force, there was no 

 gain to the apiarist, as the storing of honey in 

 the sections— which I had also changed — was 

 stopped; and after three or four days I found 

 that the eggs in the hive from which I had shut 

 off the bees were all destroyed; hence by this 

 transaction there was a loss in both honey and 

 eggs. In tlie hives where I exchanged the 

 working force every three days I found some- 

 thing of an improvement in the egg business, 

 as the colony that was cut off from receiving 

 any field -bees did not be?ome so much reduced 

 in numbers as to cause the wholesale destruc- 

 tion of ( ggs before the working force was again 

 turned on to the relief of this colony. I am 

 sorry now that I did not try one pair of liiv ■ s 

 by reversing the bees from one to the other 

 every morning. I would now, but the season is 

 so nearly over that I will defer the trial until 

 another season." 



" Manum, I am very much obliged to you for 

 your explanation of these experiments, and 

 hope that ynu will be more successful witli 

 your expe'iments another year. I had great 

 hop( s that Langdon's discovery would prove a 

 success; and now as the hour has arrived when 

 If^Mistgo to the train I will bid you and Mr. 

 Daggett good-by." 



L'Ve like the tone of your first paragraph; 

 that is, we like 1o see that caution or that con- 

 servatism, if you please, that is not inclined to 

 jump at conclusions, and yet, on the other hand, 

 is liberal enough to prove all things and choose 

 that which is good. Mi-. Langdon has made 

 some improvements as well as discoveries that 

 we hope will enable his device to do what was 

 first expected of it.— Ed.] 



HOW BEES USE OLD BROOD - CAPPINGS IN 

 SEALING OVER HONEY. 



"sandwiching" sections between brood - 



nests. or between brood-combs not 



satisfactory; a practical point. 



By Geo. F. RobMns. 



When I reaii Mr. Manura's "sandwich plan " 

 for prevention of swarming in connection with 

 the production of comb honey, in the first col- 

 umn of page 137, Feb. 1.5. I shook my head with 

 amotion that meant"! don't think that will 

 do." When I read further on, that the bees 

 were not sealing the honey as white as they 

 should, I said, "Just as I thought." No, Mr. 

 Mannm, your "sandwich plan," as you follow- 

 ed it. won't work. I confess I am a little sur- 

 prised that a man of your age, experience, and 



generally keen observation, should not have 

 guessed that. It may prevent swarming all 

 light. But when a case of sections is sandwich- 

 ed in between two brood-cases the honey will 

 never be sealed white, for the reason that the 

 bees will work more or less of the brood-cap- 

 pings, as they are gnawed and dropped from 

 the combs above, into the honey-cappings. 



Bees, you know, are pretty good housekeepers 

 in their way. They are both neat and econom- 

 ical. Cappings or gnawings of any kind, as 

 they fall on the floor, are dirt; and if the 

 weather is suitable, and they are strong and 

 healthy, they will allow none of it to lie there. 

 But while cleaning it out, taking counsel of 

 their economy, I suppose, they use a great deal 

 of it over and over again as they find it con- 

 venient. If you have ever had occasion to in- 

 sert an empty frame in the center of the brood - 

 nest you must certainly have noticed that they 

 will work some, at least, of those refuse gnaw- 

 ings all through the new comb. If honey is 

 coming in pretty freely they will not use so 

 much, for obvious reasons. They will use ihe 

 same stuff more or less, especially in sealing 

 the honey over, when a frame of sections is 

 placed next to the brood. 



Some years ago I tried inserting a wide frame 

 of sections in the side of a ten-frame brood- 

 nest, and the lower tier of sections would be 

 capped almost a solid brown. I liave also prac- 

 ticed raising a few frames of brood into the up- 

 per story, and putting a frame of sections on 

 either side; but the bees would utilize so much 

 of these old chewed-over cappings in sealing 

 the honey over that I quit that. Without ever 

 trying it, I am sure that, to putcombs of brood 

 over a case of sections, would be even worse, 

 for the gnawings would, of course, fall through 

 on to the sections, and, of course, the bees 

 would work them into the comb very largely. 

 Of course, the bees never contemplate storing 

 honey for you or me, and they never eat the 

 comb themselves. Hence, to weave the old rags 

 or paper, so to speak, into their new fabric, is 

 but natural; certainly no worse than to make 

 the meat scraps left on the plates into hash, 

 as some thrifty hotel -keepers do. 



Dr. Tinker, to prevent after-swarming, set a 

 storifying hive, from which a swarm has issued, 

 above the super on the hive, into which he puis 

 the swarm; but he uses what he calls a brood- 

 board between the super and the upper story. 

 It is, I believe, simply a ?olid board, bound, I 

 suppose. Willi cleats, with a single slat entrance 

 at one side, which would. I should think, pretty 

 nearly prevent this n.isuse of old brood-cap- 

 pings. If I should ever try this sandwiching 

 scheme I should certainly consider such a de- 

 vice an essential part of the plan. 

 the use of honey- boards in obtaining 

 nice comb honey. 



I might say. In this connection, that I learned 

 another thing some few years ago. I used to 



