676 



GLEANINCxS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



then felt sure the coast was clear, and before I 

 could get the top off- the hive (Simplicity) the bees 

 commenced to run over my hands and the cage 

 eontaininfr the queen. I felt pretty safe in letting 

 her out, and did so with her escort. They behaved 

 themselves very nicely toward all of them. I im- 

 mediately gave them feed; and an hour after, I 

 saw the new queen walking aiound, very much at 

 home. I have kept a watchful eye on them, look- 

 ing after them daily, and never opening the hive 

 but that I would see the queen. The bees were the 

 hybrids; and as it was an experimental swarm for 

 me, I, to make as little expense as possible, bought 

 a black queen. Well, every thing was lovely until 

 the 23d of Sept. Being from home the day previ- 

 ous, I did not get to examine them; and just before 

 noon on the 23d, they, ungrateful things, took 

 French leave. I suppose jou will tell me I ought 

 to have given them brood, but they were the only 

 movable-frame hive I had. J. D. Coles. 



Harrisonvillc, N. J. 



Friend C, your job was a plain and sim- 

 ple one. What ever made you think of put- 

 ting up a stove just to smoke those poor 

 bees? I hardly believe I should call them 

 '' ungrateful things." It would have been a 

 nice pretty job to have transferred them by 

 just blowing a little smoke on them from 

 the upper side, so you could get hold of the 

 combs as you cut them out. 



.JACKETED BEES. 



About the middle or towai'd the last of July I 

 bought of you 6 one-dollar queens, which I immedi- 

 ately introduced to my black bees. After watching 

 one of my hives for something over a month I 

 thought I could see no change in the color of the 

 bees, to indicate that the queen was a good one. 

 Soon, however, 1 did notice that the young bees 

 were hatching out, and that they were of a very 

 dark yellow hue. On Sunday, Sept. 7, 1 was walk- 

 ing around this same hive when I noticed quite an 

 uproar around it. My fli-st thought was robbers; 

 but upon watching a few minutes I saw it was only 

 these young bees frolicking about. They came out, 

 and rolled and tumbled in great glee. Pi-esently I 

 noticed they were getting rid of something. I still 

 watched, and s(X)n found that they were shedding 

 their jackets. I called my wife to witness their per- 

 formance, and we took several up in our hands, 

 and picked this dark-yellow downy jacket off from 

 them with our fingers, when they came out bright 

 striped bees, just such as I had wanted. This jacket 

 seemed to be a kind of web, and covered almost the 

 entire body of the bee, and in shedding it came off 

 from behind first, and the point just between the 

 wings was the last to let go of the bee. I relate this, 

 because it is something new to me. I find nothing 

 in ABC that covers it. You say on page 40, " They 

 have a white downy look until they are a full week 

 old." But there you stop; you say nothing of their 

 jacket coming off, which does away with this downy 

 appearance. 



Bees have done no good here since the extreme 

 drought set in, the first of August. I am feeding 

 some now preparatoiy to wintering. 

 Cutler, 111., Sept. 28, 1884. W. T. White. 



Friend W., the bees you mention must be 

 an exception to the general rule, I think. I 

 liave oecasioiuilly seen a young bee with a 

 part of the cococin adhering to his body, but 

 I never saw any thing of that kind that 



would seriously change the color or looks. 

 May be the combs the bees were hatched in 

 had something to do with it. 



APIARIAN EXHIBIT AT THE WORLD'S FAIR IN 

 NEW ORLEANS. 



I am asked by the Department of Agriculture, U. 

 S. Government, to make an exhibit at New Orleans, 

 in connection with the general collection of that 

 department. The funds offered will not permit a 

 large exhibit, so I shall aim to make it entirely in- 

 structive. I intend to show hives with all styles of 

 approved apparatus to secuie surplus, with meth- 

 ods of crating honey for shipment and market, and 

 all kinds of apparatus necessary or valuable in the 

 apiary. I shall be glad to hear from any bee-keeper 

 who thinks he has aught of invention or suggestion 

 that would aid me and the cause. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich., Sept. 26, '84. 



All right, friend Cook. I am sure I con- 

 gratulate the managers in having secured 

 you for the task. Tell us what you need, 

 and I am sure we shall all be ready to help 

 you ; in fact, I will donate whatever you 

 want in the way of apiarian supplies that 

 may be found in our catalogue, free of charge, 

 and will ship to your order. If the otlier 

 bee-friends see lit to do likewise, you will 

 probably have all you can attend to in short 

 meter, and lots of good will besides. By the 

 way, a good many of us would like to Know 

 at "what time, and how long, you will be 

 present at New Orleans. 



BEES (AND BEARS) IN WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 



We have two swarms of bees, and they are doing 

 pretty well; but as we have been dividing them up 

 we have not taken any honey from them jet. The 

 bees and express from Oregon cost about $18; that 

 is, one swarm, and we have made two out of it. We 

 got the one swarm in Jul}', and I think bees will do 

 all right in Washington Territory. Our neighbor 

 had a call from a bear the other morning; but as 

 the dogs got after him, the squirrels and birds set 

 up a noise, and the bear got free. 



J. D. Seaton. 



Ellensburg, Wash. Ter., Sept. 4, 1884. 



GETTING A COLONY OF BEES OUT OF A TREE. 



I and a friend found the bees in a tree some 70 

 feet high, the tree standing alone. We procured a 

 rope of about 150 ft. ; a man climbed a tree standing 

 30 feet from the bee-tree, and threw the rope over a 

 limb where the bees were in. then fastened a pulley 

 to a dogwood-tree about 20 feet from the bee-tree, 

 fastening the rope thereto. A man was then fast- 

 ened to one end of the rope. We hitched a horse to 

 the other end, and i)ulled the man up, who then 

 sawed the limb off, which fell to the ground without 

 injuring the bees. The reason I write the above is, 

 I think it was a novel way of catching a colony. 



Oldensburg, Ind. John H. Haverkos. 



SEVEN and EIGHT FRAME HIVES— WHY NOT? 



My investments in hives and honey-bees have 

 been small, but sufficiently satisfactory to decide 

 me on going in a little deeper. But before doing so 

 I wish to be sure that I have about as good hives, 

 etc., as are going. My hives are the Simplicity, and 

 I am much pleased with them, except in one respect. 

 Why have them large enough for ten frames when 

 seven are all that are needed for brood? Why not 

 have them made for seven fi-ames only, and raise 



