458 



GLEANINGS IN 13EE CULTURE. 



July 



on the floor. I can't place any thing on the shelv- 

 ing, but what is covered with ants. Can you, or 

 or any oi' your readers, tell me of any thing- 1 can 

 use to drive them away — something- that I can 

 scatter around the walls or on the floor, the smell of 

 which they would not like? Jos. M. Brooks. 



Columbus, Ind., May 34, 1884. 



Friend B., I do not know any sure remedy, 

 except the one you mention — having your 

 honey on a table with the legs in dishes of 

 water. Camphor gum has been proposed. I 

 presume it does not answer the purpose, as 

 the matter is still discussed every little while. 



BRIDGING COMBS TOGETHER WITH BITS OF COMB. 



I received your Simplicity hives in good 

 time. I commenced to transfer, feeling that I 

 could do so without any trouble, and I did get 

 through with it very well. The bees commenced 

 working at once, but the little fellows do too much. 

 They make the frames fast together, and to the 

 sides of the hives, if they are placed close together, 

 and if very far apart, they will build pieces of new 

 comb between and against the combs in the frames. 

 If I should take out the frames every day, I should 

 have to cut them apart. If you can tell me what to 

 do in this case, or give me any information on this 

 point, it will be received thankfully. 



J. T. Farnsworth. 



Volcano Junction, W. Va., June 9, 1884. 



Friend F., the matter you mention is some- 

 what of a trouble. AVhen frames of founda- 

 tion are first built out, before the cells have 

 got bulged so as to run against their neigh- 

 bors, they work nicely and beautifully ; but 

 if the brood-nest gets crowded, the bees 

 fill up all the little interstices, then we have 

 the state of affairs you speak of. After gat- 

 ing one comb out, we can pull the next 

 one back and tear loose these attachments ; 

 but when we come to sliut the liive up, how- 

 ever, these same projectiiig pohits are likely 

 to pinch or crowd them into cells they can 

 never back out of, if you are not a little care- 

 ful. If you give more space they bulge the 

 combs more, and then we have room for 

 only nine combs instead of ten, which is a 

 bad state of affairs. By dividing colonies 

 so as to keep them tolerably wealc, we can 

 get rid of a great part of this diOiciilty. But 

 where one works for section honev, I'do not 

 know any other way than to pruiie otf the 

 surplus wax, and work ic up. (iiviiig each 

 colony a frame or two of foundation to draw 

 out as fast as they require room will do very 

 much to discourage this bridging business. 



honey FROM FOREST-LEAVES, AGAIN; A NEW FEA- 

 TURE IN THE HONEY BUSINESS DURING THE 

 YEAR 1884. 



The spring flow of honey, closing with fruit-bloom, 

 was, to a great extent, a failure, owing to the un- 

 favorable conditions of the weather. But, imme- 

 diately after fruit-bloom, instead of the usual two 

 weeks of dearth intervening the clover season, a 

 remarkably heavy flow from the forest timber has 

 taken place, lasting until clover was fairly in bloom. 

 Colonies in fair condition have filled their brood- 

 chambers, and their supei'S contain from 10 to 25 lbs. 

 honey, while clover can not be said to be fully out 

 yet, although furnishing honey heavily for the past 

 few days. The honey-dew from the forest closed 

 June 9th. This was at the approach of a heavy rain ; 



since the rain, clover is yielding largely, with no in- 

 dications of a return of the forest-dew. 



Inclosed find a leaf of the white elm, covered with 

 dead spots. These spots were caused by the granu- 

 lation of the honey upon the leaves. I coul* lift 

 with my knife, from the leaves, flakes of granulated 

 honey, in many cases over a quarter of an inch in 

 diameter, as the spots on the leaf will show. 



The bass wood bloom will not be an average one in 

 my locality, as the flower, leaf, and blossom-stem 

 have been injured by the aphides, or some other in- 

 sect, yet there is a sufficient amount left to furnish 

 a fair flow, if the atmospheric conditions are favor- 

 able. R. B. ROBBINS. 



Bloomdale, O., June 16, 1884. 



Friend E,., this is certainly a new feature, 

 but I am not sure that it is a favorable one. 

 Of course, the honey-dew has been a re- 

 markable help to brood-rearing, and I think 

 I never saw bees prosper better than they 

 have while storing and building combs from 

 this dark honey; but I am afraid the 

 aphides will damage the basswood-bloom, 

 and I am also afraid this honey will remain 

 stored in the combs, and we shall have 

 losses in wintering in consequence. Even 

 to-day, June 19, I find combs bulged with 

 dark honey which the boys say came in yes- 

 terday, ('ombs are beautifully snow-white, 

 but the honey which fills the cells has a suc- 

 picious dark amber-colored brilliancy. It 

 seems to be a wide-spread phenomenon, any 

 way. If bees should all winter that have 

 been brought into existence by this beauti- 

 ful saccharine flow, what would bes culture 

 be in another season ? 



LETTING THE HONEY CROWD OUT THE BROOD— -A 

 FLOrtlDA REPORT. 



Please answer me the following questions: My 

 hives are lli-storj^ Simplicity. I had no surplus ar- 

 rangement on top or below; frames covered with 

 straw mat; two outside frames n7J honey; next two 

 very little brood. All the rest of frames only a little 

 brood near bottom-bar. If they had had room on 

 top, would their brood-circle have been larger? Will 

 bees having access to the whole of a two-story hive 

 make a larger brood-circle than they will in a 1'4- 

 story hive? Do you often have frames filled with 

 nearly all brood? 



I hived a swarm in March; in 47 days they cast a 

 fine swarm; that swarm filled 10 frames, and capped 

 all the honey iu 13 days; during the next 13 days, I 

 took 4 frames of honey and 6 frames of brood from 

 them, giving them empty frames which were all 

 filled at the end of the last 13 days, and thej' had 

 started queen-cells. I took the queen-cells from 

 them to use in queenless colonies; the honey-yield 

 ceased, and they did not start more cells. The3' are 

 now the finest swarm I have. 



Who can tell a "bigger one"? I used no founda- 

 tion. W. F. Clough. 



Sarasota, Florida, May 6, 1884. . 



To be sure, friend C. having access to the 

 whole upper story would enlarge the brood- 

 nest below. Where we manage right, and do 

 not let the honey crowd the queen, we often 

 have frames of brood almost entire from top 

 to bottom and from side to side. It seems 

 to me, your own experiment narrated in the 

 latter part of your letter tells what may be 

 done by judicious manipulation. 



