1S8G 



GLEANLNGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



365 



among' others. Protty kirg'e trees can be transplant- 

 ed, in cities and villajres, where maples, elms, etc., 

 I'ail. I have succeeded with linden, and jilane-tree, 

 or buttonwocd. F. Z. ISI. Otto. 



Sandusky, O., Mar. 7, 1886. 



BAREHEADED BEES NOT CAl'SED BY M'AX-WOKMS. 



I noticed in Gi.EANiNr.s some time ag-o, where C. C. 

 Miller says: " Now, I don't quite think they ever 

 leave them uncovered till the wa.x-worm uncovers 

 them, or runs a gallery over the bees in the cells for 

 the bees to dig- away, thus leaving the cells uncov- 

 ered," and he also puts the cjuory to you, " Did you 

 ever see a patch so large that you could lay a silver 

 dollar upon it and have all the cells under it uncov- 

 ered?" 



Now, friend H., I have read the statement refer- 

 red to by friend M. in the ABC, and have made it a 

 point to verify it; and I can say positively that I 

 have seen strong- colonies of bees, in hives perfectly 

 free of worms, that left patches of brood barehead- 

 ed, as you term it. that you could not cover with 

 fuv> silver dollars, and old enough to begin to assume 

 the natural color of a bee when mature. Our warm 

 climate may have something to do with the matter, 

 but what I tell you I know to be a fact. 



Gonzales, Texas. M. Buoers. 



HOCSE-APl.ARIES — DIFFICULTIES OBVIATED IN 

 PART. 



In your remarks on friend Clar'.ic's article you say 

 you would want no tloor. How would you make it 

 mouse-proof? My house is mouse-proof, also bee 

 and moth excluding. When moths undertake to 

 get in they only get under the outside doors, on to 

 the screen-doors, and are easily killed in the morn- 

 ing. My house does not heat up, as friend Clarke 

 says. The screen-doors admit a circulation of air, 

 they being the only ones used in hot or warm weath- 

 er, except that the outside doors are closed nights. 

 I think the reason bees do not go out at those little 

 doors, as you mention, is because such a draft of 

 air comes in so strong as to almost take the little 

 fellows back, and the air is cool too. There should 

 be no windows, as the sun shining on them causes 

 much more heat, and they bother getting the bees 

 out of the house, while screen-doors do not. 



H. S. HoxiE. 



Holloway, Lenawee Co., Mich., Mar. 8, ISfC 



Friend 11.. I would get rid of tlie mice by 

 using " rougli on nxts." We huve of late, 

 and tind that it is clieaper tliun cats or any 

 thing else, and it does the business effect- 

 ively. 



A FEW MORE PROOFS THAT DRONES DO CONGRE- 

 GATE IN LARGE NUMBERS. 



On page :J.59, O. G. Russell strikes the right key 

 where he says, " I believe that drones congregate in 

 large numbers, and the queen, attracted by their loud 

 humming, flies among them and is fertilized." We 

 have large red ants here that live in the ground, 

 make a mound, and earrj- seeds to live on (agricul- 

 turists). The queens and drones have ii'uiys. I have 

 seen the spot three seasons whei-e the queens were 

 fertilized. The air is full of drones and queens, and 

 they fall to the ground clutched together. I have 

 seen several drones holding to one queen. I have 

 noticed drones from my hives all going in the same 

 direction. My neighbor, living over four miles 

 away, keeps black bees. One season I noticed my 

 drones going south-east, and afterward we noticed 

 he had Italian l)ces. I have thought for ten years 



that the drones selected a spot, and that the queens 

 congregated there by the humming of the drones. 

 I should like to hear more on the subject. I think 

 the spot can l)e found by lining the drones. 

 Sherman, Texas, Ajir. 8, 1886. M. S. Klum. 



EUROPEAN LINDEN INFERIOR TO AMERICAN. 



Having just received Gleanings, I see that you 

 ask if there is any one who could tell about how 

 much honey the blossom from the European linden 

 would produce, compared with the American. 1 

 don't know that I am competent to explain it clear- 

 ly. I wa.s born in Switzerland, and emigrated to 

 America iu 1870. I was then ~0 years old. I have 

 gathered linden-blossoms there, as they use them 

 for tea in some kinds of sickness. The blossoms 

 are about half as large as they are in American lin- 

 den and are not as plentiful as on American linden 

 either. I am taking a county paper from home, 

 and see that a bee-keeper gives his report for lb8."), 

 the person being a minister of the gospel. He had 

 60 colonies in spring, and obtained 2800 lbs. of honey. 

 He sold it for 2800 francs. He considered the sea- 

 son one of the licst they have had there for many 

 years. H. Wirth. 



Borodino, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1886. 



Thank you for the valuable information 

 you furnish in regard to the European lin- 

 den, friend W. Aery likely our American is 

 the best for honey. 



A query in REGARD TO MAKING FOUNDATION. 



The foundation-mill came to hand in good order. 

 The charges en both packages were but 90 cents, 

 which I think was very reasonable. Now one ques- 

 tion: Do you ever use water in the center can? If 

 not, how do you get the wax out when it gets partly 

 out, and you have no more with which to fill? 



Bees are wintering well. 1 suppose almost cverj' 

 bee-keeper is trying to accomplish something un- 

 usual, either in wintering or something else, and I 

 am no exception. 



WINTERING A SWAItM ON ONE EMPTY COMB. 



On the 20th of November last I took a small late 

 swarm, without a particle of honey, and gave them 

 one empty comb to cluster in, or so that the queen 

 could start brood whenever she saw fit. I placed 

 this comb with the bees between two of iny patent 

 feeders, filled with food enough to winter ii small 

 swarm. I have not had the feeders patented jet ; but 

 as it is getting to be fashionable to patent hives and 

 fixings in Michigan, 1 don't know but I shall have to 

 follow the fashi<m. On the first of December I put 

 this swarm, with the rest of my bees, into my bee- 

 cellar. The fifth of iMareh I took all my bees out 

 for a fly. You can imagine about how I felt when I 

 found this little swarm in as nice condition as 

 though they had been wintered on a hive full of 

 honey or any other kind of food. 



Now, friend Root, I know that one swallow does 

 not make a summer; 1 also know that one straw 

 will show which way the wind blows. Another win- 

 ter, if I live, and my bees live, there will be more 

 than one swarm fixed for winter just the same as 

 this swarm was. The feed will cost from 75 cts. to a 

 dollar per swarm. A nmn can make and fill ftn-d- 

 ers enough for ten or fifteen swarms iu a day. You 

 have no bother feeding, Ijcsides saving all the hon- 

 ey. But, wait a moment. I said one swallow doe.? 

 not make a summer. J have just been out and ex- 

 amined this swarm. They have a nice jiatcli of 

 brood, and :inr' of the feeders is about opethh-d fill- 



