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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



iiig- to uuf opinion. Different localities need diflfer- 

 ent niatiaji-sincnt, no doubt. Mrs. L. C. Axtell. 

 Koseville, 111., Auk-, 1S^6. 



Thanks, Mrs. A. No doubt you are right 

 in regard to the danger of contracting the 

 brood-nest too mucli. We believe in large 

 colonies, and I have never yet seen them too 

 large, pi'oviding the bees were all the proge- 

 ny of a single queen. 



FLAT-BOTTOMED FOUNDATION VER- 

 SUS OTHER MAKES. 



THE ECONOMY OF THE LATTER OVER THE FORMER, 

 PROVEN BV CAUEFUIi EXPERIMENTS. 



"1^ AST season I used flat-bottomed foundation 

 1^ lor surplus honey. The bees, in trying- to 

 tl^ turn the flat bottoms into the natural form, 

 ■^^ spoiled some and neglected others. Having- 

 seen that, I looked up what you say on page 

 56 of your A B C, and, consequently, I made up my 

 mind to get a foundation mill which 1 could use for 

 foundation for brood-ncst and for surplus honey, 

 as I had suspected the purity of the wax of some 

 foundation for brood-nest, which I had received 

 from Bng-land. I ordered a machine with ten-inch 

 rollers, from you; and when I received it, in Janu- 

 ary last, I bought some pure wa.v and tried to make 

 foundation for brood-nest. My first trial failed, as 

 the wa,\ sheets were so hardened by the cold weath- 

 er that they generally broke. 1 read over the in- 

 structions given In the ABC book, and decided on 

 shutting the windows and doors, and to place a big 

 fire in the room. This, however, made but little 

 difference; and so after a while 1 thought of dip- 

 ping the wax sheets in warm water, about IW^ F., 

 just before passing them through the rollers. I 

 tried this plan and the result was perfectly satisfac- 

 tory, so that the sheets came out from the rollers 

 very easily, and the foundation was perfectly even 

 and nice. 



In the latfer part of February I gave to each one 

 of my eight strongest stocks of bees two full sheets 

 of comb foundation, the one being of mj' own make, 

 and the other of the lot I had received from En- 

 gland, I placed the one at one side, and the other 

 at the other side in the brood-nest of each hive. 

 About ten days after, on examining I found that 

 the foundation I had made was all accepted by 

 the bees, colls having been drawn out nicely, and 

 filled in with eggs, etc., and thatmthe foundation I 

 had received from England was all sagged, and 

 only the cells at the lower part were half worked 

 out. These 1 left in the hives for about two months, 

 and by so doing I have been able to ascertain that 

 the boos had been obliged to use them by thick- 

 ening the tipper parts of the foundation with their 

 own new wa.x in order to prevent the falling-down 

 of the above-mentioned combs, of which only the 

 lower parts were occupied, and the upper parts 

 were out of shape. 



In March last I bleached some pure wax in the 

 wanner explained on page '2i^H of tlje ABC book, 

 of which I made some foundation for the section 

 boxes just in the same manner as 1 had made those 

 for the brood nest. This foundation was of medium 

 thickness, and its color was as white as snow; and 

 having still on hand about three pounds of the 

 Hat-bottotTjed foundation I fixed full sheets of both 

 in tljo sectioij boxes, aucj in Api'il I supplied the 



bees with both kinds mixed together in the crates 

 for perfect trial. 



Abf)Utaweek after, oil examining the same, I 

 saw that some of the flat-bottomed foundation was 

 untouched, and some, especially that in the center 

 of the crates, was in a bad state, so that the bees, 

 in trying to turn the bottoms into the natural shape, 

 had partly spoiled them. While all those made by 

 me were accepted, and their cells or Avails were 

 beautifully drawn out, which looked very pleasant 

 to the eye, and the bottoms of the cells were so 

 thinned out that I could hardly see any difference be- 

 tween mine and the natural comb, except that mine 

 were less transparent, owing only to the air, or to 

 the imperceptibly flne spaces created in the body of 

 the wax by its swelling when dipped in warm wafer, 

 which air, on account of the warm and soft state of 

 the wax, did not escape by the pressure of the rol- 

 lers of the machine, and it caused the wax to re- 

 main in such a condition that the bees would hardly 

 And any difficulty in scratching the thick parts of 

 the foundation and using the shavings for the 

 building of the walls. When I was rolling, Mr. F. 

 Benton was present, and he told me that I was go- 

 ing- to have a flshbone in my surplus comb honej', 

 and so [ thought that would have been the case; 

 but after it was worked out by the bees 1 was very 

 glad to see the unexpectedly excellent results. 



Herewith 1 send you samplesof the flat bottomed, 

 and also of my own make of foundation, as worked 

 up by the bees, that, in the event of any progressive 

 bee-keeper wishing- to ascertain the truth of what I. 

 have stated, he may be able to see the results with 

 his own eyes, and thus he will be better able to 

 judge than by explaining the matter scicntiflcally. I 

 would also beg all bee-keepers who love progress to 

 try my system of rolllHg the wax, and discuss the 

 method for the benefit of all, by taking under their 

 careful consideration the state or shape of the wax 

 scales secreted by the bees, and the manner in 

 which they are worked for the comb. 



M. G. Dervishian. 



Larnaca, (lyprus, August 10, 1886. 



Friend 1) , your experiments have resulted 

 just about the same as our own. The sam- 

 ples you send us are beautifully thinned at 

 their "bases; and 1 believe no one has yet 

 tried to explain why bees sometimes scrape 

 down the base so tliin, and at other times do 

 not. The specimens you send make it very 

 plain indeed tliat extra labor is required 

 wliere the bees have starters of flat-bottom 

 foundation. 



COLOR AND QUALITY OF QUEENS. 



FRIEND DOOMTTLE'S EXPERIENCE IN TESTING THE 

 DIFFERENT RACES. 



tONTINUING the subject of my article on page 

 6t:5 of Gleaninos for Aug. 15th, we have next 

 in order the color of the queens of the difl'er- 

 ent races of bees. The queen-bee of the Ger- 

 man race seems to be the most constant in 

 color of any of the bees which have come under my 

 notice, all of which are of a very dark brown upon 

 the upper side of the abdomen, while the under side 

 of the same is of a yellowish brown. Right here I 

 would say, that, in speaking of markings, 1 shall no- 

 tice only those which are flxed, or permanant, as 

 are those colors on the horny scales, or segments of 

 tbc abdomen; tor nearly all other markings are of 



