1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



459 



HEARING QUEENS FOR MARKET. 



Is there a g-ood market for Italian (iueens? Which 

 is the harder— to produce them or to sell them? I 

 have thouj^hts of raising queens for sale. 



Watcrjjoro, Me., Ajir. 4, 188i. C. W. Costellow. 



Friend C, like almost all other produce, 

 there is an excellent demand for (iiieens a 

 Uttle in advance of the season. Along the 

 latter part of June aiid Jiily, almost every- 

 body has a surplus of (lueens ; but in April 

 and May the demand is almost always be- 

 yond the supply. If you furnish good' hon- 

 est queens, and have them ready to ship by 

 the very next mail after the order reaches 

 you, you will in time be full of business; 

 for tlie best advertisement in the world that 

 anybody ever had is honest goods forward- 

 ed promptly. Those who have earned a rep- 

 utation by years of careful hard work, usu- 

 ally have'ail the orders they want to till, the 

 season tlirough,^ 



SMOKING UEES — A CAUTION. 



Is there any waj" or sig-n from the lieo by which I 

 can tell wlien thej' are smoked enough? 

 Farmville, Va., June 17, 1884. S. W. Paulett. 



Yes, sir, we can tell Avhen the bees are 

 smoked enough. In the tirst place, during 

 the height of the honey-flow they seldom 

 need any smoke ; in fact, they are better oft: 

 without' it, unless tliey are in the way so as 

 to hinder some necessai y operation ; then we 

 drive them with a very litllc. When we first 

 open the hive, if they are i'lclined to show 

 tight, give them just a single puff; and if 

 they retreat down among tlie combs, that is 

 all they need. Smoke them just enough to 

 make them cease to be aggressive ; and if 

 tliey recover after a little, and show symp- 

 toms of fight again, just drive them back, 

 and no more. Smoking bees wlien they are 

 quiet and well behaved, and going on with 

 their regular work, is an outrage on good na- 

 ture, and tlie one who is gtiilty ought to 

 have smoke blown in his own eyes until he 

 goes down on his knees and begs for mercy. 



SIDE STORING AND TOP STORING. 



In answer to an inquiry to friend Elwood, 

 lie writes as follows : 



We formerl.y used side bo.ves quite extensively in 

 connection with to]) boxes, but for a few years back 

 we have used none but top boxes, and with quite as 

 g-ood results in both quantity and quality of honey, 

 while we have made (juite a saving- in labor. In 

 warmer localities, the result might be ditfercnt 

 from our experience in this elevated region, with a 

 comparatively cool summer climate. 



P. H. Elwood. 



Starkville, N. Y., March 28, 1884. 



This is quite an important item ; for, if I 

 am correct, the crop can be secured from the 

 top only, with quite a little less expense and 

 labor; and friend K., witli his veiy large ex- 

 perience in the inaltei-,is probaljly well <iiuil- 

 ified to decide in regard to it. | 



HOT-WEATHER TROUBLES. 



I am in somewhat of a trouble with our bees, i 

 Some of the hives are filled, and we have placed | 

 other empty ones on top, and offered every induce- 

 ment to the bees to take possession; but instead of 

 doing- so they cover the outside of the filled hive, 

 and seem to say, " Take our honey if you can." I 

 do ijot iiiJnd being- ,stung', if w(i could get them in 



the other hive. Can you in any way help me out of 

 my trouble? If so, you will confer a great kind- 

 ness on an " inexperienced." We have your ABC, 

 Mr. Gilbert has studied it thoroughly, but the bees 

 seem determined to have their own way this time. 

 By following the advice of your book we have had 

 no trouble until now. Mrs. W. P. Gilbert. 



Clifton, Texas, June 33, 1884. 



My friend, I am inclined to think your 

 bees have clustered out over the hive, only 

 because of the hot weatlier; and may be 

 there is no honey being yielded is why they 

 cluster idly on the outside. In any case, yoii 

 can easily draw them off with smoke, and 

 make your investigations. Very likely they 

 would be inclined to boss things if tliey 

 could ; but you must teacli them that you 

 are master, or, if you choose, nmtreiis. 



FEEDING BEKS YEAST TO PREVENT ROBBING. 



The plan to stop robbing- with yeast, as mentioned 

 in Gleanings, pag-e 418, is quite an old one. Whore 

 I lived in Germany it is an old custom, that, when 

 one man's bees rob those of another, the owner of 

 the oB'ending colony is requested to put his bees 

 away in a dark cool cellar. In case of i-efusal, 

 yeast may be resorted to. On account of its cruel 

 effects, I have myself never tried it, nor have I seen 

 it done ; but I have been told by expert bee-keepers, 

 those who had witnessed such cases with destruc- 

 tive effects. The operation is as follows: At the 

 proper time the offended bees are removed; but the 

 robbers are induced to come in. The honey pre- 

 pared with yeast is given access to the robbers. At 

 the very time the yeast commences working, most 

 of the bees filled thus are supposed to swell, and 

 consequently die before they reach home, as I am 

 told that the ground, or bee-line, between the two 

 places had been strewn with such swollen bees. 

 Such as reach home are g-enerally safe, as they can 

 relievo themselves of their burden, unlike the more 

 unfortunate, overcome in the air, as it is their na- 

 ture to liold on to what they have. In regard to 

 what consequences and trouble direct feeding with 

 yeast would have, would depend on the quantity 

 given, and moi-e or less running- of such feed would 

 be the consequence, until the force of the yeast 

 Avould expend itself; but I think it not reasonable 

 to suppose that the other honey of the hive would 

 bo affected, and set to running- also. 



C. H. LUTTGENS. 



Philadelphia, Pa., June 37, 1884. 



Thank you, friend L.; but I am still in- 

 clined to think that, with movable combs 

 and modern bee culture, no very great harm 

 could be done by feeding the robbers yeast 

 and honey. 



A GOOD REPORT FRO.M THE HEDDON SYSTEM. 



I don't want you to condemn Hcddon's method of 

 getting- comb honey, as I have tried it this season, 

 and it beats your wide frames and your cases all to 

 pieces. Now, as to bees putting- more propolis on 

 the sections in Hcddon's cases, they do not daub 

 them up nearly as bad as they do in the wide 

 frames. The bees willg^oto work a great deal better 

 than they will in the wide frames. 



Grangeville, O., June 3J, 1884. W. J. Apthorp. 



Glad to hear it, friend A. It seems friend 

 Elwood, on the opposite column, is inclined 

 to much the same opinion. I confess I should 

 be very glad indeed to dispense with side- 

 storing if we lose nothing by so doing. 



