1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



701 



hives, I did not use for a year or more, but have 

 since made use ot them without any dannigc re- 

 suiting-. 



The spring- of l!^si I found only sex'eral cells in 

 one colony. I watehed very carefully, Init since 

 that time have not seen a cell of foul l)rood in any 

 of my colonies. I have never seen any foul l>rood 

 in any bees in my neighborhood, and liave trans- 

 ferred and handled a great nuiny, and consider 

 myself fortunate that 1 -was able to stamp out the 

 disease. The loss was considerable; but the ex- 

 perience gained IS of value, for 1 am satislled that 

 I itnow and can detect the disease. E. C. Lono. 



Williamsville, Erie Co., N. V., Aug-. 12, 1880. 



HAS THE HOME OF THE HONEY BEES 

 KEAL FOUL BROOD;' 



ONE OF C.M.IFOHNIA S LAUGK. HON E V-IMIODUCEKS. 



flllEND ROOT: — I have just received your 

 statement about having- foul brood in your 

 apiary, and 1 feel in duty bound to write you 

 in regard to it, as I had two colonies last year 

 affected prccis-^'ly as j'ou described. They be- 

 gan to dwindle away, having- coml)S pretty well 

 filled with brood; in a few days I noticeil pin-holes 

 beginning- to appear, and then I discovered that 

 nearly all the l)rood was dead. I was alarmed, 

 thinking- I liad foul brood surely. I kept a close 

 watch, and soon found that there was no smell from 

 the combs; and as I had heard of no cases in the 

 neig-hborhood ] concluded to wait and see the re- 

 sult, supposing- that, if it Avcre really foul brood, tiie 

 rest of my colonies would soon contract it; but I 

 had no more of it. The two colonies gradually 

 dwindled and died, the combs of l)rood dried up so 

 that the cells contained only dust, so I concluded 

 that it was lud foul brood at all, and gave myself no 

 further an.xicty about it. I kept my beci^ througli 

 the winter, and sold them in March last prior to go- 

 ing to California on a short tour of inspection, and 

 I have not lieard of a single ease cither among 

 those 1 sold or in Itie neigh Ijorliood anywhere. I 

 conclude tiiat it could not have been foul liroed, 

 as 1 did not destroy any hives or coniljs, and 1 have 

 great hopes that >ou aie not so badly afllieted as 

 you fear. Could I liave seen jour article as just 

 published, or one like it, I should have lieen lerii- 

 bly alarmed. It was only my ignorance that saved 

 me. You know, " Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly 

 to lie wise." 



JIU. HARBISON'S AIM.VUV; THE .MAN AVUO HAS 30;!0 

 COLONIES. 



I regret that I did not know that you had a liroth- 

 er near San Diego, as I would have visited him 

 while there. 1 spent a week in one of J. S. Harbi- 

 son's apiaries. It would make you smile to ecc 

 what he does an<l how he docs it. lie uses the 

 "IlarlNSon hive" oidy— a large bo,\-shaped hive 

 with a door in the rear, made of redwood lumber 

 dressed on the inside only— no iiuint wasted on any 

 of them, and in the apiary I was in (42.'j), a large per- 

 centage of the hives were corkeil up with rags to 

 prevent roljbing. I was there in AprM. IJces were 

 brooding up, preiiaratory t(J swarming. Mr. Har- 

 bison told the employees )if»f to be careful in ma- 

 nipulating to keep from killing bees. "Mash them 

 in shutting the door, even if a quart were liilled in 

 each hive," he said; they would lie "all the better 

 Xor it." Thi/i spyfld.ed very strangely to nastprn 



ears, as I have always lelt it to be cruel as well as 

 wasteful to kill bees at any time, more especially in 

 the spring. Mr. Harbison told me that he takes no 

 bee-papers, uses no comb foundation, no extractor, 

 nor bellows smoker; his smoker is a large sheet- 

 iron bo.\ iti which he bui-ns chips, bark, or blocks of 

 wood. He uses bits of emi)ty comb for starters 

 stuck on with stiff glue. With all this method he 

 has accumulated a good deal of wealth, so I was in- 

 formed. He told mo that he had 3100 hives with 

 bees in them. He is oliliged to keep his apiaries 

 out in the mountain gorges, remote from thi^ fruit- 

 raising interests, as the bees damage the fruit in 

 the drying season. 



Mr. Heddon and some one else have said lately 

 that they know of nobody who ships lioney in 

 crates as the lices store if. Every one in California 

 who uses the Harbison hive and case ships in pre- 

 cisely that way. J. W. M.vitr.uAVE. 



Hiawatha, Kan., Aug. 1, 1F8(5. 



Thank you, friend M.; but I am i)ietty 

 sure we liave had at least one form of real 

 foul brood. In our case the smell was very 

 plainly perceptible in every hive that wa's 

 affected ; and as pieces of comb havinji foul 

 brood have been many times sent us by mail, 

 1 recognized the smell at once. Since our 

 last report it has broken out, or commencetl 

 to break out, in several colonies in the vicin- 

 ity of those lirst affected. The 6ef,s, liowev- 

 er, from those Ib'st affected are now rearing^ 

 healthy brood, and are doing nicely, so we 

 feel conlident we shall succeed in killing it 

 out.— I suppose that, in Mr. Harbison's api- 

 ary — that is, in his climate, bees are counted 

 of no value ; but even if such is the case, it 

 seems sad to think of killing them need- 

 lessly. 



A FEW KIND WORDS FROM ONE OF 

 THE OTHER SEX. 



!H)W TO KEEl' HONEY EltOM CANDVINO. 



HAVE been sitting quiet for a long time, list- 

 ening to the ideas which the brother and 

 sister bee-keepers ha\-e advanced, iind enjoy- 

 ed very much reading the talks about bees in 

 (lEE.VNiNCJs. Not only about ladies as bee- 

 keepers, but many other things .-'bout bees, that I 

 found to be very interesting. Especially do 1 en- 

 joy reading Our Homes. 1 think those pieces have 

 done me good, and 1 have received new light. My 

 husband has taken (Jeeaninos over tliree years, 

 and truly we would not know what to do without 

 it. We have kejU a few swarms of bees for several 

 years, and 1 do love to watch them gather the hon- 

 ey, and work so l)usily. Sometimes 1 feel like tell- 

 ing them, after they liave laid up a good share for 

 themselves, to gather ^ome forme. I like to help 

 take care of them. 



Wo shall fry to winter about fifty swarms. H' 

 they live through the winter there will be work 

 enough to do in the spring, and I shall endeavor to 

 leave my work so I can help take care of the bees. 

 Now, sisters, do not l)c discouraged, but work 

 among the bees if you enjoy it. 1 think one of 

 God's greatest blessings is the beautiful sunshine 

 and good i)ure air; and if we are able to lie out- 

 doors we may enjoy this blessing. 1 think we can 

 liave better health by leaving our work and cares 

 ill the Uoutn, and work outdoori awhile. And sure- 



