1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



619 



everybody every tliinj;-. If it is primed in ti local 

 paper, it is lors-ottcii. Besides, the local presses 

 have not the experience nnr facilities lor gettiug 

 out what we want. Please reply to this, telling mo 

 what you think of it, and what you will do, and 

 what will be the probable cost per hundred of the 

 "Tract of Useful Tnforraation to My Neighbors 

 and Friends." A. Cameuon. 



Derry Sta., Pa., July 10, IKKfi. 



Friend Cameron, your susgestion is a 

 most excellent one. I, like yourself, have 

 labored to explain these things, and to set 

 people right in the matter ; l)Ut they have 

 such erroneous ideas that it is a very diffi- 

 cult task indeed to tell the story all over to 

 each seiiarate'individual. Tiie greatest diffi- 

 culty will l)e in getting people to read these 

 tracts or circulars. IJiit I think it (juite like- 

 ly that tliose who have been annoyed by bees 

 will be quite ready to look into the matter, 

 and with interest. Our readers will lind 

 the subject-matter of the tract alluded to 

 below: 



TO MY FRIENDS AND NE£0HBOUS. 



This is about bees. Please read it carefully and 

 preserve it. The bees sometimes come into your 

 house and annoy you. Perhaps you get stung, or 

 they fall into your jelly-keltle, or sting the baby. I 

 am very sorry for it all, and send you thic- little arti- 

 cle, hoping to save you trouble hereafter. The 

 bees try to steal only when the tiowers are scarce. 

 The worst time is in autumn, just when you want 

 to make fruit butters and jellies; and to be wor- 

 ried by bees when you are tired and warm is pro- 

 voking. Now, this is the way wo do at our house, 

 and we never have any trouble, even with the bees 

 right in the yai-d. 



1. Never set any scraps of honey or other sweets 

 about the Avindows, or anywhere about the house, 

 for the bees to clean up. They have good memories, 

 and will prowl about for days, after having had a 

 taste. 



2. We never set jellies on the window to cool, un- 

 less we have a good wire screen at the windows. 

 Most of the trouble is caused by.'e.vposing jelly in 

 this way. The bees find it, and think it is theirs. 

 A bee has no conscience, and will steal without re- 

 morse. 



3. Tf a bee comes into your house, drive it out or 

 kill it. Never let it get a load to carry home. 



4. If they have gotten into your kitchen and into 

 your jelly, you will have to bo extraordinarily cau- 

 tious for a week or more. Smoke is the best thing to 

 drive them out. Rut they won't stay out, and you 

 will simply have to shut up the house. But this 

 will never be the case if you will observe the sim- 

 ple precautions above noted. 



Permit me to say a word in defense of the bees. 

 They are not an unmitigated nuisance. 



1. By having a bee-keeper in your community you 

 are furnished with a pure and wholesome food 

 cheap. 



2. Bees are useful, apart from the honey, in fer- 

 tilizing the flowers of your fruit-trees and garden- 

 vines. Without bees there would be no fruits, and 

 your melon, squash, and cucumber vines would not 

 bear. If you want mo to exjjlain this, I shall be 

 happy to do so. 



:j. It is charged that the bees spoil grapes, pears, 

 etc. They do suck tlu^ juice out of all broken fruit ; 

 but this would sour anyliow. They can't open the 



skin of a grape. 'rhe_bir(ls do the real mischief. I 

 can prove this to your satisfaction, if.you will bring 

 a bunch of sound grapes, or any sound fruit, to my 

 bee-yard. 



4. People who live in towns must bear and forbear. 

 The pigpenjind i)rivy[are ol'ten'nuisances across 

 several lots. They should not be; but you draw a 

 full breath some warm evening— whew ! Besides, 

 are you sure that our chickens are not oiteii a mu- 

 tual trouble, to say nothing of cats, dogs, and such 

 like ? And yet we manage, by forbearance, to get 

 along neighborly, as is right. 



I am sure"that you will not do so wicked and use- 

 less a thing as to set out poison for the bees. If you 

 have sulfered'any material injury, I will try to give 

 you satisfaction. By settingv poison for the bees, 

 you not only do a dainageito'the bee-keeper out of 

 all itroportion to the harm his bees have done you, 

 but you nuiy cause^the death of some person. 



Any furthei- advice or help in any matter relating 

 to the bees, the undersigned will cheerfully furnish. 



Derry Sta., Pa. A. Cameuon. 



I want to add emphasis to your No. 8. If 

 a bee comes into your house, and begins to 

 sip up something sweet, the very kiiuh'st 

 thing you can do to the bee and its owner is 

 to kill it. If \w slips away and gets back to 

 tlie hive with even a small drop of some- 

 thing Pgood, it is like a lighted match to a 

 pile^of shavings. It s])reads, and very soon 

 there is an uproar. Killing the bee is like 

 blowing out the match before it has lighted 

 any thing else. Some people think it is 

 criiel and hard. A good many things are 

 cruel and hard in this world, if we take a 

 narrow view of them; but when one single 

 insect, by his death, can save the lives of 

 thousantls, there should be no hesitation, 

 and no weak, foolish sentiinentalism. Kill 

 him for the general good. The great troub- 

 les at the candy-stands and lemoinide-stands 

 on our fair-grounds can all be averted if the 

 keepers of the stands will keep a paddle ;ind 

 kill every bee as soon as he comes around. 

 I have seen this tried repeatedly. — In''regard 

 to the circulars, I think we will try our hand 

 at getting them up. We will start them at 

 2-5 cts. per 1()(». If wanted by mail, .5 cts. ex- 

 tra for postage. I wish that others who are 

 in the printing business may try it also. 

 Let us see who can get up the most attract- 

 ive tract for tiie smallest amount of money. 

 A sample of oiu's mailed free to any one. 



WHAT HAS BECOME OF FRIEND 

 McGEE'S BEES? 



DOUBLING EOll SWARMS TO PREVENT INCREASE, 

 ETC. 



f HI END BOOT:— I send you herewith some 

 basswood-leaves. You will notice that they 

 are covered with lice, some with and some 

 without wings. Vou will also notice that the 

 leaves are covered on the upi)er side with a 

 sticky substance, which was discovered first about 

 the middle of .June. The basswoods are covered 

 with it, some more than others. Ijilso lind it on 

 the hickory-trees. This is the first of tliis kind of 

 stuff I have ever seen, and suppose it is the mueh- 

 talked-of honey-dew. 



The (luestion with mejiow is. What has destroy- 

 ed my bees? Is it this substance found on the 



