44 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



except the south, with hay, just as well as I could. 

 In the coldest weather I banked up the south side 

 also. They came through all right. 



If I am correct, about that time I got my ABC 

 book, and the mysteries of the honey-bee began to 

 vanish. Well, the time came for transferring. I 

 was very anxious to get it done, yet dreaded it. I 

 got my traps, carried a hive a few rods to a bare 

 spot of ground on the sunny side of a building, and 

 off with one side-board (having previously given 

 them a little smoke), and began cutting out the 

 combs. I had the hive turned back against the 

 building, and all was going along flnely when the 

 fuel in the smoker became exhausted; in fact, the 

 thing went out. The bees were in large clusters in 

 and around the hive, and I expected every moment 

 they would break loose in a mass and go for me. My 

 wife was as badly scared as I was, and pretty nearly 

 cried. I replenished the smoker as fast as possible; 

 but as good luck (we thought) would have it, not a 

 bee peeped. Our fears were needless. The vigor- 

 ous way my wife had used the smoker had burned 

 it out too soon, but it had done its work, the poor 

 bees being smoked to suffocation, and we had not 

 sense enough to know it. But as every thing has an 

 end, so did that transferring job end also. The other 

 hive went off a little better; yes, a good deal better, 

 and the last was just fun. 



Let me tell a little I did not find in the books. For 

 a support for my frames and combs In fitting, I 

 laid two Simplicity covers side by side; had a cloth 

 nearly large enough to cover both, fastening It at 

 the outside corners, letting one edge of the frame 

 lie near the division In the center. The comb being 

 in, I slipped the wire clamps on one side, then raised 

 both covers to an erect position with the frame be- 

 tween, then tipped the frame against the opposite 

 cover, laying them down as before, leaving the other 

 side up to clamp also. By doing this I had no trouble 

 with slipping combs. After a while my bees began 

 to swarm, and I hived them all right, with the help 

 of my wife, whose father used to keep bees on the 

 "gum" plan. 



During the summer I formed two nuclei, and got 

 good queens both times. I placed a frame of capped 

 brood on each side of one containing eggs, being 

 sure the eggs were at the bottom. Then I moved a 

 strong colony to a new stand, setting my new swarm 

 in its place, making;the change during "working 

 hours." A part of this was a little different from 

 the books, but it worked well with me. I put on top 

 stories without foundation in them, and I'll never 

 do so again, unless I have frames of empty comb. 

 When they were filled, oh what a mess! Instead of 

 the bees building down, about two-thirds their 

 combs were built up, and crosswise at that. The 

 only way I couldjget at the frames was to loosen the 

 whole business, and turn them out on a board. 



Now I'll tell you how I fixed the colonies for win- 

 ter. I was so busy I did not get them fixed up till it 

 was quite cool. "All wrong," you say; well, I know 

 it, and.will try.'not to get caught that way again. It 

 was 80 late in the season I thought best to take them 

 a hive at a'tlme in an empty room with a fire. I did 

 so: commenced with the heaviest first, so as to have 

 supplies, Bhould;any be weak. 1 left in from four to 

 six frames, according to the size of the swarm and 

 weight of the frames. For division-boards I used a 

 board the size of a frame, with chaff cushions at the 

 bottom and ends. Why I used this, was because I 

 did not have the thin sides for the regular board. I 



packed back of these with oat chaff; laid sticks on 

 the frames, put on a top story, put over the frames 

 a piece of coffee-sack, filled the top with chaff, put 

 on my cover, and took them to their summer stands, 

 having previously got the few bees that went to the 

 window into the hives the best I could. I will let 

 you know their condition in the spring. I began 

 with three colonies in the spring, and increased to 

 ten. Shall trust chiefiy to natural swarming for in- 

 crease, until I learn other methods better. 



A. B. Warner. 

 White Rock, Kan., Jan. 7, 1884. 



mOVING BEES TO CATCH THE BASS- 

 AVOOD BliOOm. 



SAM about to bother you with one of my latest 

 hobbies. In this locality the first of July finds 

 — ■ our pets strong in numbers, but with nothing 

 to do. White clover usually gives out by the last of 

 June; basswood is not very plentiful; and besides 

 that. It usually opens about the 20th of June, and 

 fails by the first of July; after that there Is scarcely 

 any thing for the bees to get. As I am situated at 

 the terminus of the Wheeling, Lake Erie & Marietta 

 Railroad, I have a plan under consideration to try 

 the feasibility of moving a carload or 100 colonies of 

 bees to some point between here and Toledo, on said 

 road. 



Friend C. G. Knowles, of Portland, O., was here 

 to-day, and we had a lengthy discussion on the sub- 

 ject, and came to the final conclusion that, if possi- 

 ble, we would try the experiment this season If there 

 Is a basswood bloom in prospect. During our con- 

 versation we naturally drifted on to the preparation 

 of the bees, and especially the best methods of find- 

 ing a suitable locality, where we would not interfere 

 with the interests of any of our brother bee-keepers. 

 As the experiment would interest many of our bee- 

 keeping friends, we rather reckoned on your assist- 

 ance; that is, such advice as you might be able to 

 give us. At any rate, we should like to have your 

 opinion on the subject as early as convenient. I 

 think that the expense of moving bees both ways 

 should not exceed 75 cts. to $1.00 per colony. 



We could be up there the first week in July. We 

 should probably get the whole basswood season. 

 Rousing colonies, as we should have at that time, 

 would no doubt pile up the honey very fast. I am 

 just now thinking what fun it would be, after the 

 honey season was over in Ohio, to jump another 300 

 miles, and catch another honey flow. But then, we 

 will try one at a time. If I am correct, the bass- 

 wood-trees form the buds and leaflets 3 or 4 weeks 

 before they open and secrete honey, which should 

 enable us to ascertain in time whether to move or 

 not. We would, of course, give an account of the 

 success or failure, in Gleanings, In due time. 



Marietta, O., Jan. 8, 1884. R. Stehle. 



Friend S., I think you are on a track that 

 will be vastly more feasible, at least for the 

 present, than planting forage for bees, or 

 almost any thing else. It has b6en proved 

 beyond question, that it is not a difficult 

 matter at all to keep the bees right in the 

 midst of the height of basswood and clover, 

 for at least many months. You remember 

 that I told you, two years ago, about a colo- 

 ny that gathered 18 lbs. in a single day from 

 basswood bloom. They were on the spring 

 scales, so there was no mistake about it. 



