(>o4 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



not like to be hurt, and so 1 keep my toes 

 out of the way. It was just as I told you — 

 invisible forces met together as the trustees 

 of a township do when they want to decide 

 about building a bridge. They looked that 

 toe-nail over critically, examining tlie place 

 where I had gouged into it witli the lile, and 

 finally decided it should be replaced by a 

 nevi^ one— not a new bridge, but a new toe- 

 nail, and it was just as I told you. iJuring 

 all the consultation, including the decision, 

 I was not consulted at all, and yet it is my 

 toe-nail. I am well satisfied, for the new 

 one does not bother a bit, but behaves it- 

 self just exactly as a well-bred toe-nail 

 ought to do. 



NUCLEUS COLONIES. 



now TO BUII.D THEM UP FOK WINTER. 



T is probable that some who buy nucleus colo- 

 nies do not know how to build them up to the 

 best advantage; and a little help for them 

 would not be out of place. Where fall pastur- 

 age is plentiful it would be a very easy matter; 

 but where there is none, feeding- must be resoi-ted 

 to in order to get them in go d sliape for winter. 

 When such colonics are received from the e\|)rcss 

 office the first thing- to do is to get them out ot lliu 

 shipping-bo.Y and into your hive. 



The best way to do this is to sprinkle from one- 

 half to a pint of thin sugar syrup tlirougli tlie wire 

 cloth, on the bees; anil while tliey .-ire filling- them- 

 selves with it. carefully remove the wire clotii and 

 the sticks that hold the fi-ames in pl.-iee. Haxe your 

 liive placed where it is t<i stand iK'rmanentl.N-, and 

 then carefully lift each Iranu' and set it in your 

 hive, placing them to one side of the hive, with a 

 division-board next to them to l;eep them warm, 

 and from running all o\or tin; hive. The bees aie 

 now in your hive, and to make them boom is ne.xt 

 ill order. 



It would be best and cheapest to have on hand at 

 least three frames filled with foundation, though 

 empty frames will do; but it will take more time 

 and more sug-ar. The next thing- in order is the 

 feed; and probably the best thing- would be a syrup 

 made after the plan given by friend Doolittleon 

 page 703, Nov. 1.5, 18H4. This syrui) does not candy 

 in the combs; at least, not as much as honey. I 

 g-ivo the plan for making- it, in his own words, so it 

 surely will be right: 



" Fifteen pounds of water was put into a large 

 tin dish, and brought to a boil; then 30 lbs. of sugar 

 was poured in and stirred for a moment till partial- 

 ly dissolved, when it was left over the fire till it 

 boiled. Upon taking from the fire, .') lbs. of honey 

 was poured in, and the whole stirred enough to 

 mix thoi'oughly." 



Commence by feeding- about one pint of this syr- 

 up every night, using- any kind of feeder that you 

 may prefer. After feeding four or five nights, 

 spread the combs in the hive and place one of your 

 empty frames, or one filled with foundation; and 

 when this frame is well along- toward completion, 

 put in the second and then the third, putting in 

 frames only as fast as 1 lie comlis are built, or the 

 foundatiou drawn oat. If you had a three-frame 

 colony to begin with, probably these three extra 

 frames would be enough; but four or five would be 

 better. If you uscfoundtition, the comlis, of course. 



will be straight; but if j-ou do not, you must watch 

 and see that the bees ai-e building them so; and if 

 they are not you must help them. 



When they have three or four frames well filled 

 with brood you can begin to feed heavier, so that 

 thoy will have at least 2J lbs. of the syrup stored 

 and sealed by the first of October for winter use. 

 If they are in a chaff hive, with g(/od cliatt' cushions 

 over them, the.y are ready for winter; and if they 

 are not, you must fix them up in some way so they 

 will keep warm and dry. 



Some may ask whether it would not be cheaper 

 and less trouble to wait until spring-, and buy bees 

 then. It might be that it would, but I think that the 

 experience a beginner would gain by building- up 

 nucleus colonies in the fall would well repay them 

 for their time and trouble; and if they are careful 

 they would have good strong- colonies to begin with 

 in the spring-. 



Remember, you must feed only at night, and be 

 up early in the morning- and remove the feeders, for 

 your neighbors may have bees that would like the 

 fun of robbing your bees. F. W. Moats. 



The Bend, Defiance Co., O., July, 1886. 



WHAT SHALL BE DONE "WITH UNFIN- 

 ISHED SECTIONS? 



CONTItACTlNfi, HEVEHSINO, ETC. 



jf^ LEANINGS is at hand; thanks to Jas. Heddon 

 W ^ for his two last articles. Now will he tell us 

 ItIT what he does with unfinished sections? I al- 

 *^ ways used wood separators till using- bis 7-lo- 

 foot sections and no separators. This year, 

 for the first time I have g-ot along- without separa- 

 tors in some cases and get fair sections; but in put- 

 ting- back those partfull the.y will be bulged badly. 

 If a pai-t of a section is capped half wa.y, the rest 

 will be built beyond the part capped. 



CONTRA.CTING, AND RESULTS. 



All hail to bee-men like Doolittle who care enough 

 for those new in the business to give their experi- 

 ence. Will a contracted brood-chamber work in all 

 localities? I contracted to six and eight frames— 

 OJiXl-t'i, when I imton sections, and, in (iO colonies, 

 I had .'lOO sections that were spoiled with pollen. Thp 

 sections I used were I'a and 1?4, with and without 

 separators, and I saw no ditt'erence in the amount 

 of pollen. 



Heddon's reversible frame is the best, I think. 

 Will not reversing frames cause bees to store pol- 

 len in sections? What do you think of a bee-keeper 

 who sells his honey just as he takes it from the hive, 

 in wide frames, and lets the gi'ocer tear out the 

 sections and bruise more tiian liHlf? He fakes 

 Gleanings too. I sold scraped sections at 13 cts. 

 in the same town in which he sold his at 10 cts. 



I look for the open-side sections to i-cplaco all 

 others. 



The season opened nicely. Swarming began early, 

 and kept up all through clover bloom. I lost a good 

 many queens by swarms going into other hives. I 

 clip all queens. I have no trees for them to alight 

 on. I tried 



heddon's plan 

 of swarming, and did find chilled larva^ in the old 

 eolon.\-. It leaves the old one ver.v light before 

 moving- to a new stand, in some cases. ' 



53, 70— J. C. Stewart. 



Hopkins, Mo., .July 21, 18SC. 



