1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



709 



NINA S REPORT. 



Pa has 110 colonies of bees; he got about 4000 lbs. 

 of comb honey. He has a honey-house. He has 

 had only one new swarm of bees this year. 



Nina M. Rothwei^l, age 13. 



Austinville, Pa., Sept. 24, 1884. 



GOING TO H.4VE SOME BEES. 



My papa has no bees, but he is groing to get some 

 this fall. 1 have no playthings, but I have two little 

 ducks and ten chickens. I believe I like Ten Nig-hts 

 in a Bar-Room. I go to school all the week, and 

 Sunday I go to Suudaj'-school. 



Carrie Percefield, age 10. 



Dividing Ridge, Ky., Sept. 34, 1884. 



CUTTING A BEE-TREE. 



I received Ten Nights in a Bar-Room, and was 

 much pleased with it. My brothers cut down that 

 bee-tree I spoke of in my last letter. There was 

 some old comb in it that some bees had built years 

 ago. We took the bees out and hived them. They 

 did not have much honey in the tree, so we put 

 some comb in the hive and they began to gather 

 honey right away. Mary StantRn. 



Hutchinson, Minn., Sept. 22, 1884. 



DON T WANT ANY MORE BEES. 



My papa does not keep any bees now. We don't 

 want any, because they sting too badly. I have 

 been stung three times this summer. My school- 

 mate is writing. I go to school. I have a good 

 teacher. We have 14 scholars now, but will have 

 more after awhile. I like to go to school. My 

 teacher gives a prize. I want to get it if I can. I 

 am going to try. Mattie L. Keck. 



Dwight, Neb., Sept. 3:5, lt84. 



wanted, a tinner. 



I want to let you know that I have a stand of bees 

 besides one that pa gave me. I help pa work with 

 the bees. I went with him to the fair. We took 

 with us hives, bees, and honey. We had an observ- 

 atory-hive. Folks Avould come up around it to see 

 the queen in the hive. They wanted to know lots 

 about bees. Pa would tell them all about bees and 

 hives. We are going to the Danville Fair. Pa is 

 going to buy and sell honey this fall and winter, if 

 he can get the money to buy it with. We are going 

 to build up a big trade in hives and honey. Ma and 

 pa think you and Charles Dadant are good men to 

 deal with. We want a good tinner in this town. 

 There is not a tinner here, but a good place for one. 

 Can you send us one? Sammy Lindley, age 5. 



Georgetown, 111., Sept., 1884. 



HOW THE ITALIANS CLEAN OUT THE WOR.MS. 



Papa has between .50 and CD swarms of bees. He 

 has three kinds — Italians, hybi-ids, and the black 

 bees. Some time ago pa found among his swarms 

 a hive of black bees that the worms had nearly fin- 

 ished. He did not tear them up just then. By and 

 by a swarm of very cross Italians came out of an- 

 other hive, and pa put "them in with the wormy 

 blacks. He watched them. They at once began to 

 clean the hive of worms, carrying them far out into 

 the garden, away from the hive. The hive is now 

 free trom worms. H.^ttie G. Colver, age 13. 



New Lisbon, Wis., Sept. 9, 1884. 



Very good, Ilattie. I have seen Italians 

 introduced to a black colony, set right to 

 work and clean out the worms in just the 

 way you mention. 



wintering in cold weather. 



My pa bought 3 stands of bees last fall. They 

 came through all right last winter, and we have had 

 as cold as 30° below zero. We keep them in double- 

 walled hives. My pa put the section boxes on 

 when the apple-trees were in bloom, and, in fact, 

 they haven't swarmed yet all summer, and didn't 

 get much honey; but they did better than any of 

 the bees around here. My pa is very fond of bees, 

 and likes to tend to them ; we all are very fond of 

 honey. I like to read Gleanings. 



Malinda Boschulte, age 10. 



Quincy, 111., Sept. 31, 1884. 



CHASING THE RUNAWAYS. 



We have had a good crop of clover honey, but the 

 basswood was a failure. We have had two swarms; 

 they flew away. The first, we ran after, and 

 left the doors all open, and put for the bees over a 

 field till at last they came to our bush and arose 

 over it and then we had to go by sound, so we got 

 through ahead of them and waited for them. They 

 flew over in the corner of the bush adjoining, and 

 flew in a hollow oak-tree about 45 feet high, and we 

 watched them a short time, and came home. Three 

 days after, mother and father went over and burned 

 the tree down, so next morning they went over 

 again and fetched the bees home, and they are do 

 ing well. 



George got stung on his neck at 8 o'clock at night, 

 and at 1 in the morning he could hardly speak, so 

 mother put hot water on, and it gave him relief. 

 EosEY Smith. 



New Hamburg, Ont., Can., Sept. 23, 1884. 



- HONEY VINEGAR. 



I have been a reader of Gleanings for one year, 

 and like it ever so well. My papa is a beginner in 

 bee-keeping, and likes it very much. He has 16 col- 

 onies of bees; he started one year last May. I 

 think he is doing pretty well for a new starter. He 

 has not lost any yet. Can you give me a recipe for 

 making vinegar out of honey, or any thing else? 

 Eliza HowELS,age 15. 



Lake Side, Cal., Sept. 9, 1884. 



The recipe given on page 273, of this vol- 

 ume, is probably as good and simple as any, 

 friend Eliza. You will find a good deal said 

 on the subject in our back volumes for two or 

 three years, also in the ABC book. 



WHAT AILED THE BEES? 



My pa keeps bees, and I like to be around them. I 

 like to help pa take the honey out of the hives. Last 

 summer there was a lot of our neighbors who sent 

 to Illinois for Italian bees, and pa among the rest, 

 and the bees all died through the winter with the 

 dysentery. Some of the folks thought the bees were 

 diseased when they came. Do you suppose such 

 would be the case? Pa had four swarms last fall. 

 There was only one that came through the winter. 

 He bought two swarms of Italian bees this spring. 

 Frank Gregg, age 11. 



Salford, Ont., Can., Aug., 1884. 



I do not think, Frank, the bees were dis- 

 eased when tliey came, for dysentery is not 

 a disease that bees would carry with them. 

 The only contagious disease we know of is 

 foul brood, and that is contagious in only 

 one way, so that it is compftratively easy to 

 control, 



