1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTmE. 



743 



FROM DIFFEHEKT FIELDS. 



THAT NEWLY DISCOVERED, NAMELESS BEE- 

 DISEASE. 



aON'T call it a new disease, for it may prove to 

 be an old one. I first noticed it some three 

 or four years ago in the summer time, 

 among some bees T had recently purchased. 

 I had lost most of my bees one cold winter, 

 and bought 1^ two-frame nucleus colonies, and 

 used my old combs. I paid but little attention to it 

 at first, thinking it was something temporary, and 

 perhaps similar to what I had often noticed 

 among bees late in autumn. It did not disappear; 

 but the nc.\t spring and summer, and even since, 

 that same kind ol' used-up fellows are to be found 

 in front of a few his'es. Perhaps the old combs 

 had something to do with it. I have thought the 

 trouble might be caused by some vegetable or ani- 

 mal parasite. Something has made the fur fly on 

 them. I suppose a parasite might do this, or could' 

 not the bee get rid of the fur itself while scratch- 

 ing around to get relieved of the difficulty? The 

 other bees also might have something to do about 

 it, as they often drive them out as they do drones, 

 only I never saw them trying to sting one. It 

 does not spread very fast. I think it is slightly 

 contagions, but not at all infectious. None of my 

 swarms have been ruined by it, but it must be in- 

 jurious to have a few dropping prematurely out 

 of the ranks every day. I prefer to see them all 

 wearing themselves out by gathering honey all 

 the day long from " every opening flower." 



Walpole, N. H., Aug. 23, 1886. J. L. Hubbakd. 



I should judge from your description tliat 

 you have something very near akin to the 

 nameless bee-disease. We have generally 

 cured that phase of the nameless disease 

 which has visited our apiary by the intro- 

 duction of a new queen. It would seem, 

 however, that yours originattd with the 

 combs or brood. 



RETURNING SWARMS. 



On p. 633, Gleanings for Aug. 1, Mr. J. E. Pond, 

 Jr., comments upon my article in regard to return- 

 ing swarms. He does not seem to understand 

 whether my plan is to be used only in "accidental 

 cases" or otherwise. I would suggest, that my plan 

 be used only when swarms issue, no matter wheth- 

 er swarming be the general nilc or the exception. 

 Of course, my plan would not work very well if no 

 swarms issued; and if swurming he entinh/ prevent- 

 ed, there would be no swarms to return. Now, I 

 do not claim that returning swarms will give the 

 largest yield of honey, or that the bees will do bet- 

 ter otherwise by being returned. It is simi)ly a 

 plan to return swarms to the parent stock. I think, 

 though, they will do as well returned as when drone 

 and queen traps are used to prevent swarming. Mr. 

 Pond has not read the article correctly. He speaks 

 about the trouble of watching to sec which hive the 

 bees issued from. The beauty of my plan is, that it 

 is not necessary to know which hive the swarm 

 came from. The (pieens being removed, the bees 

 will return to their own hive, even if swarms unite, 

 as they generally will when they issue at the same 

 time, and you do not have to watch your apiary any 

 more than usual. 1 have returned swarms all sum- 

 mer, and no not know of an instance where they 

 went into any other hive than their own. 



duon e-excluders. 



Queen and drone traps can not always be used. 

 Young queens and drones must Hy out. They can 

 not be confined to the hives. It will not do to de- 

 pend too much on drone - traps, and I will suggest 

 how they might fail to prevent swarming. They 

 will keep in the queen, but not the bees. We will 

 suppose the swarming fe\'er has broken out in 

 a colony, and that a swarm from a neighboring- 

 apiary should come by. The bees would probably 

 unite with this swarm, leaving their queen in the 

 trap. Uhas. a. Wood. 



Tarrytowii, N. Y., Sept., ISMi. 



We agree with you in regard to the queen- 

 trap, it is not calctdated to yiercnt swarm- 

 ing, strictly speaking, though it may dis- 

 courage it," but to automatically viai-h the 

 queen when the swarm does ii-siu"'. This ac- 

 complishes the same result as clipping the 

 queen's wing ; but with the trap the apiarist 

 is saved the trouble of catching the (jueen. 

 Moreover, all her fair proportions are pre- 

 served.— It is true, if tlie tiap is allowed to 

 remain attached to the hive, the bees, after 

 making several attempts to swarm, taking 

 with them the queen, will by and by become 

 disgusted with her majesty." The probable 

 outcome will then result in her death. In 

 the A Ij C of Bee Culture, now under revi- 

 sion, I caution beginners in regard to this 

 very p:irticular. 



KEEPING HONEV. 



Now that the season is about over for producing, 

 how to keep it is next in order. Sulphur fumes 

 have been relied on, but it does not destroy the e^s 

 of the moth; besides, it renders the honey unsala- 

 ble for several days on account of the disagreeable 

 odor. I5ut to look the honey over every week, 

 waiting for cold weather to kill the moth, is a tedi- 

 ous job, if you have a ton or two. Please tell ua 

 the latest new idea on the subject. Is tiering up 

 and leaving it on the hive till October a got)d planV 

 or will the bees uncap and carry it down stairs to 

 feed the kids? W. H. Kittek. 



North Springfield. Mo., Aug. 1, 18S6. 



The latest idea on the subject, friend R., 

 is. so far as 1 know, keeping Italian bees. 

 With these we have not seen a moth-worm 

 in our honey for the last two or three years. 

 You may remember that Doolittle gives a 

 similar experience. I certaiidy would not 

 go to the trouble of fumigating comb honey 

 until I saw traces of the moth-worm in the 

 comb. Where comb honey contains pollen 

 I believe there is a much greater tendency 

 to moth-worms. I would not leave honey on 

 the hives at all until October, because it is 

 certain to darken it so as to injure the sale 

 of it more or less^^ 



EXCHANGING COI,ONIES TO STOP HOBIUNO, A3 



RECOMMENDED IN THE A B C OK BEE 



CULTURE, 



In lSSr> I had a swaiin come otf on the 4th of 

 July. It was a small one, but I fed it and brought 

 it through the winter; and after I got the ABC 

 I determined to do awaj-with all my old hives, or 

 boxes, and use only Simplicity and chatf, after 

 j'our pattern. I transferred about the first of 

 Maj' into mj- hives. Well, I found that my July 

 swarm had lost its queen, and the other bees were 

 rol)l)ing it in the l)argain. I ordered an albino 



