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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUilE. 



Mak 



we had given him lioney, and the results had 

 been the same, we might have thought there 

 was great virtue in honey. At another time 

 when he had the croup, we gave him noth- 

 ing, and by morning he was better. In the 

 first place, supposing we had given him no 

 dose, what would have been the result V 

 Our mammas will see the difficulty of decid- 

 ing whether a certain remedy does or does 

 not prove effective. Repeated trials, how- 

 ever, as doubtless mothers have had, will 

 very likely decide pretty closely. How 

 many reports shall we have next month, for 

 or against the curative properties of honey V 

 This is a matter upon which, with the help 

 of your mammas, many of you can report. 

 Ernkst. 



" HONEY-DEW A GREAT HELP." 



We children watch the bees gather honey from 

 the clover-blossoms. Pa says honey-dew is a great 

 help to them. I was in the yard last summer, and a 

 bee stung me on my foot. 



Smitbville, Mo. Hardy and Nellie Jenkins. 



BEES IN OREGON. 



My father and the boys have 73 stands of bees and 

 I have two. Last winter it was snowing' the day 

 after Christmas, and this year it Avas sunshiny. The 

 bees were flying on the »(3th of December. I like 

 bees, but I do not like honey. 



Harmony, Oregon. Hester Rusk, age 10, 



DO THE LARV,« ABSORB OR EAT THEIR FOOD? 



My pa has 50 swarms of bees, and has them in 

 winter quarters. I hav-e a little brother four years 

 old. I am interested in bees, and I want to ask a 

 question. Do young bees eat in the cell, or do they 

 absorb the food? Why do they turn their head 

 from the food. Nicholas Jones, age 13. 



Delaware, Ohio. 



I consider your question in the department 

 of Our Own Apiary, which see. 



Ernest. 



white honey IN A BEE-TREE. 



My uncle, F. H. Gorton, is a bee-hunter, and he 

 found a tree on our place with nearly 50 lbs. of nice- 

 flavored honey, and all white comb, arranged up 

 and down in the tree as nicely as he ever saw in a 

 hive. He says he never saw any like it before, and 

 he has dealt in bees always. 



Maudie H. Morenus. 



Sherburne, Chenango Co., N. T". 



how phebe got her thumb stung. 



I tried to make my bee sting a piece of cloth, but 

 it stung my thumb, at 13 minutes pfter 11 o'clock in 

 the morning. Mother put it in a cage, and I gave it 

 some honey. It died some time in the night. The 

 ne.\t day I tried another bee. It lived 7 hours. It 

 looked like an old bee when we got it. I can not 

 write muchy because I could not go to school last 

 summer, so mother is writing for me. I can do a 

 good many things to help her, through. 



Whitby, Ont., Dec. 28, 1885. Phebe Orvis. 



a bee lives .58 hoitrs caged alone. 

 We got our bees on Christmas morning. Mine 

 stung me on my wrist at five minutes past ten. It 

 lived 58 hours. We had two bees left when we got 

 through, apd we i)ut them in a cage together. 

 They went to fighting- at once, and lived one hour 

 and ten minutes. I saw through the microscope a 



drop of poison on the end of a sting. We had about 

 3000 lbs. of honey last season. We have two colts. 

 One of them will follow me around when it wants 

 any thing. Spencer Orvis, age 10. 



Whitby,Ont. 



We now have record of a bee living 58 

 hours or nearly two days and a half. Kext 

 time you try, cage with other bees. 



Ernest. 



watching the Tt)ES OF THE LITTLE BEES. 



I wanted a bee too, so Spencer helped me, and 

 made one sting a piece of cloth at 33 minutes past 

 11 o'clock, and it lived till 9 o'clock the ne.xt morn- 

 ing. I saw it put its toes around the wii-e of its 

 cage to hold im when it walked. I have a slate and 

 book, but I can not write, so mother has written 

 this for me. Bertha Orvis, age 5. 



Whitby, Ont. 



It is real funny to see the bees' little feet 

 trip over the wire in the cage, is it not? 



Ernest. 



IS PACKING IN WINTER NECESSARY? 



One year ago last fall my pa had 9 swarms of bees, 

 and my sister had 3 that my i)a's cousin gave her. 

 Pa packed them all but two— one of my sister's, and 

 one of his own. His cousin said that they would do 

 better without packing, but pa thought not; but 

 seeing that he gave my sister the bees, pa left one 

 of them out, and one of his. Both of them died, and 

 two more besides. The bees died all around us last 

 winter very badly. We have now increased them 

 to 19, and have them all packed. We use the Sim- 

 plicity hive. Louisa E. Green, age 11. 



Lyons, Ohio, Feb. 3, 1886. 



Thank you, friend Louisa, for the facts 

 you give. Then you think it does not pay 

 to leave bees on their summer stands during 

 winter without being packed, do you? 



"Ernest. 



SOMETHING ON BEE-STINGS, FROM AN OLD BOY. 



I see by the last issue of Gleanings that the bee- 

 sting business is not yet settled. Well, little boys 

 and girls, I will tell you what I know about it, and 

 what I don't know. Several years ago, while work- 

 ing in the woodshed, I saw a bee hovering about an 

 old piece of comb that had carelessly been left there, 

 and I noticed at once that she had lost her sting; 

 but, for fear that I might be mistaken, I caught 

 her and made a careful examination, and am entire- 

 ly satisfied that she had no sting, although she ap- 

 peared to be in splendid health, and as lively as a 

 whole bee. I do not know what she was looking for, 

 but suppose it was for honey. But now the question 

 arises. How long was she stingless? That's what I 

 don't kiunv; but from all appearances, she had been 

 so for several das's. 



I want to say to Emma Jansen, that I also have at 

 least one carp that does not bury itself in the mud 

 in winter. I can see it almost every day, as 1 have 

 it in a small pond by itsell'. I am a small boy of 36 

 years, and weigh 155 pounds— small compared with 

 some others. Henry. 



Your observation is in line with friend 

 Gregg's article in another column, and I 

 think it is quite likely the bee you mention 

 had been without its sting for some days. 

 On the other hand it seems to be pretty well 

 established that, the stingle^^ bees will not 

 live long when confined. Ernest. 



