266 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Apr. 



reaching distance. Suppose somebody were 

 to move your plate two feet away from you 

 while you are eating your dinner, would it 

 not take you some time to reach this extra 

 distance for every mouthful? While I am 

 on this subject, I want to mention that 

 swapping combs so as to put this pollen 

 away from the brood it is intended to feed, 

 is, ill my opinion, an awful big blunder ; and 

 yet beginners often do this, and may be 

 some older ones do the same thing. Your 

 idea in regard to starting bees under a few 

 sections, to commence with, is a good one. 

 I also approve of your plan of packing 

 around the honey-boxes with cloths or chaff 

 cushions. I have often thought of a case 

 holdmg about one-half the number of sec- 

 tions to start in with, then using two cases 

 side by side to cover the whole top of the 

 side after they get well started. Such cases 

 would be handy for retailers as well. In re- 

 gard to making provision for bees to get up 

 along the outside row of sections, 1 do not 

 feel so sure it is so absolutely necessary. I 

 think we agree pretty well on pure air and 

 pure water. 



SPKEADIXG COMBS INTELLIGENTLY. 



I do not intend to convey the idea by the 

 above, that I would condemn spreading the 

 brood, only that it should be done intelli- 

 gently. When the colony gets strong, and 

 the queen begins to be cramped for room, 

 putting a nice straight worker comb, or even 

 a sheet of fdn., in the center of the brood- 

 nest, may work wonders, for the queen will 

 lill this new comb right up at once, almost 

 solid with eggs. These larva* will hatch al- 

 most at once, and the bees can attend to 

 them with greater economy than is often 

 possible with the natural order of things. 

 When the comb is tirst put in, of course it 

 will make a little disturbance ; but by the 

 time the larvre are ready to be fed they will 

 have pollen placed conveniently alongside 

 of this comb ; and when this one frame of 

 brood is hatched out it will make a pretty 

 fair swarm. 



WINTERING BEES WITH A THREE OR 



FOUR INCH SPACE UNDER THE 



COlflBS. 



SOME FACTS FROM EXPERIENCE, BY H. L. BOSS. 



COMMENCED the spring with two swarms— one 

 Italian, one hybrid; Increased to 9 by natural 

 swarming. I had 150 lbs. in 1-lb. sections. The 

 season was any thing but favorable, so wet and cold, 

 and then so dry. I put them up in November; got 

 dry-goods boxes; got some 2x3 scantling, sawed the 

 length and breadth of hive, laid them in the bottom 

 of my boxes, and then set the hives on them. This 

 gave them two inches from the bottom, the full size 

 of hive for ventilation, cutting a crevice through 

 the box so they could pass out and in; had no up- 

 ward ventilation. I filled up the box with dry for- 

 est-leaves. 



We have had steady sleighing for TO days; to-day 

 the snow is going away, and on examination I find 

 all my bees in |rst-class condition. I think one 

 quart would cover the loss of all that have died. 

 We had some weather at 28' below zero. Many bee- 



men in these parts have lost heavily, some losing 

 nearly all. One man put up in chaff-packed boxes, 

 46 swarms; he tells me he will lose much more than 

 half. Another had a hundred, and will lose about 

 75, and so on. Those that did not pack have lost very 

 heavily. 



My experience has been, keep your bees quite dry 

 and warm, with room under for ventilation, and 

 they come out as well as any. I think from present 

 observation, bees will be fearfully thinned out In 

 these parts. H. L. Boss. 



Caro, Tuscola Co., Mich., March, 1884. 



Friend B., this subject has been much 

 talked about, and I believe a great deal ex- 

 perimented on. I believe favorable results 

 have almost always followed where a con- 

 siderable space has been left below the 

 combs. With the Simplicity hive we might 

 put an empty story under the brood-nest, 

 but perhaps there might be too much room, 

 and hence too cold. With a chaff hive we 

 could easily raise the frames up a couple of 

 inches, and leave the entrance open full 

 width, and it would prevent choking up 

 around the frames and entrance with dead 

 bees. 



HOW AN A B C SCHOLAR HAS PRO- 

 GRESSED. 



SIX YEARS IN TEXAS. 



EHAVE been a reader of Gleanings for a little 

 over a year, and think I have gained much use- 

 ful information from the articles of your many 

 able contributors, and also from the ABC book. 

 While I have enjoyed the writings of friends Hutch- 

 inson, Heddon, Jones, Langstroth, and Miller, as 

 well as many of the lesser lights, very much, I must 

 say that friend Doolittle has a happy way of making 

 things plain that render his articles of especial value 

 to an A B C scholar. 



I commenced keeping bees in the spring of 1878, 

 with one weak colony, which was a gift from a 

 neighbor, and "Quinby's Mysteries of Beekeeping," 

 old edition, as my guide. I just exactly doubled my 

 stock every year until 1883, after deducting all loss- 

 es. Last year I got only 10 swarms from 33 colonies. 

 I have sold honey every year except one, 1879, and 

 have always kept plenty for family use. In 1883 I 

 sold 1000 lbs. from a spring start of 1-t, and increased 

 to 37. In 1883 I sold about the same amount from a 

 spring start of 33, and increased to 43. Until last 

 year I made all of my own hives and frames, and my 

 bees have cost me very little. With the exception 

 of the year 1879, they have paid very well for the la-- 

 bor given them. 



I am aware that the above report will appear like 

 very "small potatoes" by the side of some of the 

 " whoppers " that I have seen in Gleanings; but as 

 some of the friends are particularly anxious that 

 the dark side should appear, as well as the bright, I 

 thought it was a good time for me to come in, as I 

 did not hare anything extraordinary to report. Now 

 that 1 have got into so good company, I hope to have 

 a good report too, at the end of this season. It is to 

 be hoped, at any rate, that the late discussions on 

 the "dark side of bee-keeping " will have the effect 

 of making the friends send in all their reports, both 

 good and bad. J. P. Connell. 



Hanover, Hill Co., Texas, March 31, 1884. 



