380 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1. 



WHISKY AND STINGS. 



I have been among bees little or much from a 

 boy; have been stung most severely many 

 times, without feeling much ill effect but once. 

 Some l.T or 16 years ago T was stung by a single 

 bee on the bacl< of my head, just under my hat, 

 and in a few minutes I was swollen from head 

 to foot, with great blotches on the veins of my 

 arms and legs. It was a warm day, but I had 

 to go to bed and cover up to keep warm. I was 

 losing strength fast— extremities getting cold 

 and numb; after trying all and every thing we 

 could think of, with no benefit, I thought to 

 try whisky. I drank nearly a teacupful, and 

 in half an hour I was all well again, and felt 

 no ill effects whatever. S. Smeed. 



Walterville, Oregon. 



[Whisky should never be used except as a 

 last resort.— Ed.] 



I was very much interested in an article on 

 page 713, 1893. The article is entitled, " Serious 

 Results of a Single Bee-sting." I have often 

 been seriously ill from the effects of a single 

 sting. I have had spasms once: and only a 

 year ago last winter I was stung and obliged to 

 go half a mile to obtain medicine. While tak- 

 ing it I became unconscious, and remained so 

 for some little time, and did not recover wholly 

 for nearly two weeks. Although I am a Prohi- 

 bitionist, my remedy is a strong dose of whisky 

 or some other strong liquor. It has saved my 

 life a good many times. A sting seldom affects 

 me seriously unless it is inflicted on a vein, and 

 I never take the liquor unless I feel the poison 

 working toward my heart; then I take one 

 poison to kill the other. I am intending to give 

 up bee-keeping, as I feel that the risk I am 

 running is too great. A. M. Wakd. 



Newhall, Cal. 



colonies gathered enough for the winter. Mos 

 of ray neighbors who keep a few stands of bee 

 did not get a pound of surplus honey. Ther 

 was no yield from white clover, as most of i 

 had been winter-killed; but there is a goo( 

 stand of young clover for next summer. 



As to hives, I will say that the Dovetailed 8 

 frame hive is the best hive here, and I think . 

 frames are just about right. Last spring I ha( 

 to take a frame or two out of several of m; 

 hives. These were completely filled with nic 

 sealed honey. These I replaced with frames o 

 foundation, in order to give more room fo 

 brood-rearing. I did this about the time o 

 fruit- bloom. 



The new Hoffman frames with V edge ar 

 good, and I found no trouble in handling then 

 The bees build a few brace-combs, but not many 

 and as to the bottom -bar, I find no dift'erenc 

 between the narrow and wide. So you see 

 should not like to see the frames material! 

 changed unless they could be improved. 

 Roselle, Iowa, Dec. 14. I. W. Hoffman. 



DOVETAILED CHAFF HIVE; 8-FKAME HIVE. 



In the fall of 1892 I went into winter quarters 

 with seven colonies. Two of these were in 

 Dovetailed chaff hives covered only with the 

 regular hive-cover, and left on the summer 

 stands. During the winter the snow blew in 

 and clogged one of the entrances, and the bees 

 died. The other I managed to keep open, and 

 it fared well. I think that the Dovetailed chaff 

 hive is a good wintering hive if the frames are 

 covered with a cushion, and the telescopic cov- 

 er used. 



The other colonies were in single-walled 

 Dovetailed 8-frame hive. I packed them in a 

 large box, and used dry leaves for packing, 

 which always kept very nice and dry. I had 

 three openings to the north and two to the 

 south, and find the south side the best. These 

 colonies all winter d well. I am of the opinion 

 that nice dry leaves are as good and cheap a 

 packing as any one would wish to use. 



The honey-fiow was very poor in this locality 

 the past summer. My 7 colonies I increased to 

 11, and got only 75 lbs. surplus honey, and all 



AGREES WITH DR. MII.I.EK ON THE TSUPE 

 question: IN HKAVY SEASONS THE THICK 

 TOP NOT PROOF AGAINST BRACE-COMBS. 



I prefer the T super, and can honestly co 

 roborate the statement made by Dr. Mille 

 page 190. My frames have square top bars, ; 

 by iVs ill- and made on the same plan as yoi 

 new frames; end-bars IM in. scant, but I fir 

 they are not proof rgainst burr and bra. 

 combs. When the honey comes in rapidly tl 

 bees will build them fast to the super, and 

 Dovetailed hives too; but when the honey 

 gathered slowly they a-e a success. I fii 

 them supeiior to the old narrow top frame 

 though, because the narrow space between tl 

 super and hive does not permit the storing 

 much honey. About the only inconvenience 

 experience is the scraping of the bottom of tl 

 sections. By using bee-escapes the bees nev 

 fail to clear up the honey on the bottom of tl 

 super before leaving it. I can not see any a' 

 vantage, though, in favor of the K-inch-de. 

 top-bar over the way you made it. They a 

 all proof against brace-combs in ordinary se 

 sons. Last year was an excellent season, ho\ 

 ever my best colony storing 7.5 lbs. of con 

 honey. 'T. L. Mulford. 



Lebanon, O., March 29. 



rWe do not know that we ever hnd a repo 

 before, showing that the thick top bars, whc 

 IK inches widi', and spaced 1:^6 m., were n 

 pfoof against burr and brace ^'poihs; butj 

 have had plenty of the otlier kind. In Mi M. 

 cas(! we should say that there was sometlni 

 the matter with the bee - space ((bore tl 

 frames.— Ed.] 



I would rather lose all my bees in winterii 

 than have foul brood among them. 

 Grantsville, Md. -L E. Hershbekger. 



[Yes, so would we.— Ed.] 



