GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS, 



MANNA GRASS, ONCE MORE. 



fIND inclosed a sample of manna grass, sent 

 you by F. D. Culver, of Quincy, and described 

 in Gleanings of August 1, in its different 

 stages. Our bees are still working on the 

 greenest of it, but the most of it is dried up. 

 You will examine it at your leisure; it is the same 

 wherever found, every head secreting honey in 

 abundance. 



WATER LIME TO KEEP AWAY ANTS. 



In regard to ants, ours will not wade through 

 water-lime; we have a sugar-barrel kept from them 

 by putting lime around the bottom of the barrel. 

 A table with the legs standing in the same, I think, 

 would protect honey. 



ANOTHER TRAP TO CATCH DRONES. 



A good drone-trap is a tin box with a cover, and 

 places cut in the bottom in such a manner that it 

 will stand on its back, with cover lying on the 

 alighting-board, and openings of pi-oper size to al- 

 low workers, but not drones, to pass through imme- 

 diately in front of the entrance, when the di'ones 

 are out flying, and they will cluster in the box, 

 when you can shut the box and destroy them. I 

 caught 130 at one haul with such a trap. 



Quincy, Mich., Aug. 11, 1884. M. J. Rawson. 



I will explain to our readers, that the 

 drone-trap mentioned above is probably a 

 square or oblong tin box. The lid is hinged, 

 and the bottom punched full of holes, made 

 with a punch of the proper size to allow the 

 workers but not drones to go through. Now 

 place the bottom against the entrance of the 

 hive, and the cover, when open, will form 

 an alighting-board. It is put on after the 

 drones are all outside of the hives, or the 

 frames may be taken out and the bees shak- 

 en outside. The workers go in through the 

 box, while the drones are left inside of the 

 box ; and wiien the lid is closed they are all 

 boxed up, ready to be destroyed. Thanks, 

 friend 11., for the idea, as well as for the ad- 

 ditional information about the manna grass. 



WHITE OR RED CLOVER— WHICH GIVES THE MORE 

 HONEY? 



Bees have done well here where they have been 

 managed on the modern plan. A great many are 

 yet kept on the old log-gum or box-hive plan. Such 

 have increased well in numbers, but not so well in 

 honey. White clover and red wei-e both abundant 

 here. In the early part of the season, bees worked 

 more on red clover than white ; but before the sea- 

 son closed they neglected the red for the white. 



MOTHS. 



I am young in the bee business, but have always 

 heard those who were more expei-ienced than my- 

 self, say that moths were a great enemy to bees, and 

 consequently I was much surprised when I I'^ad the 

 following in the Farming World: 



Well, but what about the moth? Never mind the 

 moth; but, keep your colonies strong enough to 

 gather plenty of honey, and they will attend to the 

 moth. The moth never destroyed a colony of bees 

 yet, and it never will. There must be something 

 else wrong before the moth goes in to eat the emp- 

 ty comb. The moth is a blessing, not a pest; and it 

 is only your ignorance that makes it a bugbear. 



Murryville, 111. Wm. Camm. 



As I suppose you are well posted on the subject, I 



should be glad to hear what you have to say about 

 it. T. S. Hunter. 



Todd's Point, Ky., July 28, 1884. 



It seems from the above, friend H., that 

 while bees may prefer red clover during one 

 part of the season, they may turn over to the 

 white at another part. — I think your quota- 

 tion is about correct. The moth is only an 

 imaginary foe to bee culture. I do not know 

 that I should call the moth a blessing, how- 

 ever ; still, I have sometimes said I would 

 not pay 2-5 cents a year to have every moth 

 banished from all our apiaries. 



inexperienced, but THIRSTING FOR KNOWLEDGE. 



I had six stands of bees in box hives this spring; 

 have had three swarms so far, and hived them my- 

 self for the first time. I tried all the spring to sell 

 them, but failed to sell one. I know nothing about 

 keeping bees— couldn't tell a queen from a bumble- 

 bee, nor a drone from a hornet; but after reading 

 the copy of Gleanings you sent me, I should Ul(e 

 to know something about them. I have to depend 

 on day's work for a living, and have considerable 

 spare time; and if I can devote that to the bees, so 

 as to make it pay, I should be glad to know how. 



I will quit using using tobacco, or pay for the smo- 

 ker, if you will send me one. Geo. Billings. 



Alcona, Liv. Co., 111., .Tune 30, 1884. 



A STUBBORN SWARM OP BEES. 



I would ask you whether you have ever heard of 

 a case where a swarm of bees will leave a hive with 

 queen and all, and hang themselves on a limb after 

 first giving them a frame of brood and sealed hon- 

 ey. They uncapped the honey and took it all out, 

 and hung on a limb. I took the queen away and 

 gave them another laying queen with wing clipped, 

 and the next day they swarmed again. I found the 

 queen on the ground, put her back in the hive, and 

 hived the bees; next I killed all the drones, and then 

 1 went and bought 10 lbs. of granulated sugar, and 

 commenced feeding, and to-day I can't find a bit of 

 honey in one cell. I can find a few eggs. I fed the 

 sugar in less than a week. I never saw bees act as 

 they do. They are black and Italian bees, with 

 Italian queen. I can't find any way yet for putting 

 them to work. Their hive is new and clean, with 

 good combs, not in the least moldy. I have made 

 up my mind to cage the queen and a few bees, and 

 give them honey, and make the bees work or die. 

 What is your plan, Mr. Root? It is no new swarm 

 that is contrary, but an old one. Last spring some 

 of my Italian bees swarmed out and went into this 

 swarm of black bees; that is the reason for my say- 

 ing black and Italian. They then killed the Italian 

 queen, and some time later they killed their own. 

 They worked well on apple-blossoms, and got quite 

 a lot of honey; but to-day they are idle, and won't 

 work, and I can't make them, with feed in their 

 mouths. Jerome Horn. 



Flicksville, Pa., July r>, 1884. 



We once in a while have a swarm, friend 

 II., that will persist in swarming out, leav- 

 ing brood, and performing just such antics 

 as you mention. I have had a few such, and 

 my remedy would be to break them up into 

 small nuclei after tliey get steadily at work 

 and raising brood. They might then be 

 united if you wish. I do not know what 

 tliey did w'ith ten pounds of sugar in less 

 than a week, uidess they allowed robber- 



