1884 



GLEANINGS m BEE CULTURE. 



21 



with all our pain's and trouble in rearing 

 honey-plants, we noany times get something 

 not even as valuable to the bees as the 

 ordinary red clover. I have seen the pea- 

 vine clover Neighbor H. mentions, and it 

 has always been full of bees — Italians, 

 blacks, and bumble-bees. As the invest- 

 ment is a safe one (for the seed always pays 

 all expenses of the crop), it seems to nie it 

 would be better for us to employ our time 

 and money a little more in developing our 

 red clovers. I suppose you can get the pea- 

 vine clover in your own vicinity. If you can 

 not, we can mail it to you at ;^5 cts. per lb., 

 postage paid, or we can send it to you by 

 freight or express for it;2.50 per peck, $4.50 

 per half-bushel, or $8.00 per bushel. We 

 mention this because there are some locali- 

 ties where clover has not been introduced to 

 any great extent. 



BEES IN SEPARATE APIARIES. 



From 260 to 529, and 23,000 lbs. of Honey. 



REPORT FROM G. W. HOUSE FOR 1883. 



M FTER filling our orders for bees, we had to 

 ^^ commence the season with 260 colonies, all 

 ' told (stronsr and weak ones). By drawing- 

 frames of hatching brood from the strongest, and 

 giving to the lighter colonies, we had them all in 

 about an equal condition by June first. We had an 

 abundance of white-clover bloom; but owing to cold 

 and rainy weather during the entire month of June, 

 but little honey was gathered, and none at all stored 

 in the sections. In fact, most of the colonies were 

 in a starving condition when basswood bloom ap- 

 peared; and with it a change in the weather. We 

 were then confident that we should yet have a good 

 yield of surplus honey stored in sections. Now for 

 the results. At one apiary of 80 colonies, spring 

 count, we made 105 new swarms, and obtained 9000 

 lbs. comb honey; at another apiary of 120, spring 

 count, lis new swarms, and 10,500 lbs. comb honey; 

 at home apiary, of CO colonies, spring count, 46 new 

 swarms, and 3500 lbs. comb honey. In all, 369 new 

 colonies, and 23,000 lbs. honey, all stored in the 2-lb. 

 sections. We had no dark honey, the season being 

 cut entirely off (for storing surplus) early in Aug- 

 ust. 



To secure this amount of honey in that space of 

 time, meant long days of hard labor, while the 

 honey-flow continued. Of course, our work was les- 

 sened very much by use of our hives and surplus ar- 

 rangements, which admit of easy and quick manip- 

 ulation. I claim to have the simplest and best honey- 

 rack in existence (or, at least, there is none better). 



REVERSIBLE FRAMES. 



After this season's work, I am convinced that the 

 reversible frames will come into general use as soon 

 as their simplicity and easy manipulations are un- 

 derstood, especially so with those who keep Italians, 

 and work for comb honey ; for extracted honey, they 

 are no better than others. 



My new method of rearing first-class queens, 

 which has proved a perfect success this season, has 

 also been a valuable feature in securingthis amount 

 of honey. It saves a great deal of time, which is 

 very important at that season of the year. I may 

 give you this method at some future time at my 

 leisure. The bees are in fine condition for winter- 



ing; they are mostly packed on their summer 

 stands; have 100 in cellar; temperature stands at 

 52° ; will keep it higher later in the winter or toward 

 spring, and will report success. 



Geo. W. House. 

 Fayetteville, N. Y., Dec. 10, 1883. 



Friend H., your report is indeed wonder- 

 ful ; for we all know it is a far greater task 

 to take 260 colonies, and make them average 

 almost 100 lbs. per colony, spring count, 

 than to do the same thing, or even double 

 the amount, with a few choice colonies of 

 bees.— In regard to that reversible frame, 

 will you please mail us a sample, that we 

 may have it engraved if it has not already 

 been figured in our columns? 



A GOOD REPORT FROM: NORTH -WEST 

 WISCONSIN. 



200 LBS. QF HONEY AND 14 COLONIES OF BEES FROM 

 A SINGLE DOLLAR QUEEN, IN ONE SEASON. 



MSI see no reports in Gleanings from North- 

 yff^ West Wisconsin, I will give you a few items 

 ' from my apiary, it being my third year's ex- 

 perience with bees. I put into winter quarters, Nov. 

 3, 1882, 23 colonies, all fair to good; lost 6 in winter- 

 ing and spring dwindling; sold one, leaving 16 — 4 

 very weak, 12 fair. Three of the weak ones gave no 

 increase or surplus. Total increase, 47; nine of 

 them double colonies. Being short of hives I doub- 

 led up the weaker swarms in swarming-time, in- 

 stead of wailing until fall. Figures for honey stand: 

 725 lbs. comb honey, all in one-pound sections, and 

 1140 extracted, nearly all from half-frames put on 

 top of the hives, a la Dadant. Our honey the past 

 season was all white honey, only sufficient fall honey 

 to keep up brood-rearing. 



My bees boiled over so fast during the last part of 

 June and the first part of July, that I was reminded 

 of the Growlcry column; but the hybrids were 

 ahead. I had one hive of hybrids which originated 

 from a dollar queen procured of A. I. Root in May, 

 1883. It showed its first swarm May 29; June 9 it 

 swarmed again. I then cut out all the queen-cells 

 left; but in July it gave me two swarms more, mak- 

 ing 4 swarms; the swarm that came out May 39, 

 which I call No. 3, swarmed four times; the swarm 

 that came out June 9 swarmed four times. The 

 first swarm from No. 3 swarmed twice, making 14 

 swarms from one. I also got a little over 300 lbs. of 

 honey from them — 60 one-pound sections; many 

 others partly filled, and 140 extracted; the extracted 

 was all taken from the old swarm or hive. Now, let 

 us see the money products of that one swarm. Say 

 14 swarms at $5.00 per swarm, would be $70.00; 200 

 lbs. honey at 13V4 cts., $25.00; total, $95.00. 



As I am a boy, only sixty-seven years old, I will 

 submit a conundrum: Was or was not that queen 

 that went out with three swarms the mother of four 

 generations — grandmother and great grandmother 

 as well';' Z- Bliss. 



Lucas. Wis., Dec. 11, 1883. 



Friend !>., I do not know but that friend 

 Hutchinson and some others will pitch into 

 us again, for publishing big reports; but I 

 for one am glad that we have positive proof 

 that bees may do well in your locality. The 

 credit of the dollar queen does not belong to 

 me, I think, for we sold perhaps ten times as 

 many as we raised ourselves. If lyou intend 

 to siibmit the conundrum to myself, I think 

 I should say you did have four generations 

 of bees from your dollar queen. 



