810 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



help to the beginner. I do not say that every hive 

 that sends out heat from the entrance will stand 

 another frame without injury; but I do say, that T 

 would not think of inserting another frame unless 

 it did; but, on the contrary, I would examine it to 

 see if it had not already too many frames. 



G. A. Deadman. 

 Brussels, Ont., Can., Nov., 1884. 



A BEGINNEK'S EXPERIENCE. 



LOSING 7 FIRST SWARMS, ONE AFTER ANOTHER, 

 BY ABSCONDING. 



HAVE been making- a study of the bee-question 

 „ for something- like a year, under the g-uidance 

 W of the ABC book and Gi.eanings; and as I 

 had occasion to write you on business, it oc- 

 curred to me that in writing- to my teacher I 

 ought to report progress, and here goes. 



I procured an A B C book; had then 11 stands, as 

 wc term them, of black bees; got a Barnes foot- 

 power saw, one load of "D" white-pine lumber 

 from Springfield, Mo., paying #."5.7.5 and ■^i.M per 100 

 feet for the same. 1 then sent to j'ou for sample 

 Simplicity hive with frames, and subscribed for 

 Gleanings. By this time I had the bee fever, sure 

 enough, and went to making hives, frames, and 

 mats, following your instructions pretty closely. I 

 was nearly wild with impatience, waiting for my 

 first swarm, which finally came off May 2H. I put 

 them in one of my new hives, and they went to 

 work business like. Ne.\t day I had another swarm 

 in the evening, and treated them precisely as I did 

 the first, and the next morning they mustered 

 bright and early and made a bee-line for the woods. 

 This was a new experience to me. However, I 

 started my boys after them, who finally found them 

 about half a mile from the house, and brought 

 them back. I put thiiui in a fresh hive (1 had no 

 frames with comb to give them), and the next day 

 they put out for good. I remembered Dr. Peters' 

 statement about the " scouts," and moved the next 

 swarm just as soon as the bees got about quiet. It 

 didn't work; they went like the first, and this state 

 of affairs went on until seven fine swarms went 

 *' where the woodbine twineth," and the fever now 

 become a "chill." One neighbor consoled me with 

 the thought which he earnestly tried to impress on 

 me, that my bees were " old-fashioned " bees, and 

 did not like my "new-fangled" gum. Just for a 

 moment I would have liked to see him detailed off 

 on a Greeley relief exjiedition, where bees, at least, 

 would not bother him. 



Finally I got one or two to stick, and got some 

 frames with* comb to give them to commence busi- 

 ness on, and things went on smoothly. In August I 

 transferred 4 hives from plain boxes into S. hives suc- 

 cessfully, and have now 11 S. hives, mostly single, 

 in good condition for winter — at least I think so. 

 They have from 8 to 20 frames pretty well filled. I 

 got .31 gallons of honey, mostly of the honey-dew 

 kind, which 1 am now feeding them to get rid of it, 

 I have still '> hives in boxes, and regi-et very much 

 that I did not transfer in season. 



It has been, and is still very dry here; bees have 

 done nothing since mid-summer. The math de- 

 stroyed three swarms tor me this fall. They were 

 in gums, and the hum of the robbers prevented any 

 attempt at transferring. I finally made a tent, and 

 undertook the job, but it was too late, and I simply 

 transfen'Cd the contents of the gums into the stove. 



Well, for a new scholar I've said enough, utlless 

 it were better or more to the purpose. In the 

 spring I want to Italianize, and expect to raise my 

 own queens. Do you still advise an imported queen 

 in pi-ef erence to any native born, say one of yours or 

 Hayhurst's dollar queens? My ideas run in favor 

 of the native. P. A. Malloy. 



Arno, Mo., Oct. 20, 1884. 



Friend M., you say you procured an A B 

 C book, and went at it Avith enthusiasm. 

 "Well, if so, how is it you didn't have a comb 

 of inisealed brood to give your new swarms V 

 Surely you could have got hold of a comb of 

 brood" of some sort. If your eleven colonies 

 were all in box hives, aiid you hadn't trans- 

 ferred a single one at the time these first 

 swarms began to come out, I should have 

 pitched in with consideralile vehemence and 

 transferred at least one of them soastohave 

 a comb of brood before I lost seven in suc- 

 cession. I know Doolittle and some others 

 ol)ject to this comb of brood ; but I have 

 seen too many troubks just like this stopped 

 by it. I would advis-e you to speedily get 

 ail your liees into movable-comb hives. I 

 woiiid advise an imported queen, if yott 

 want the best stock that can be had, and cal- 

 culate to rear queens for your own use. 

 The dollar queens from imported mothers 

 would probably be very nearly as good. 



KO FOR CANADA'S GREAT FAIR! 



BEES AND HONEY AT THE TORONTO FAIR IN 1881. 



MONDAY morning, Sept. 8, 7:33 a. m. finds me 

 at my home, St. Davids, with the gray mare 

 hitched to the old " democrat," on the road, 

 bound for Niagara, 8 miles, there to take the 

 steamer for Toronto. After getting my bees 

 and honey on board, the whistle blew. I took the 

 hint, and we steamed from the wharf 10: .3J, and aft- 

 er a very pleasant sail of S'j hours we arrived in 

 Toronto, engaged an express wagon to convey my 

 goods from the wharf to the exhibition. When I 

 arrived I found I was first at the apiary building. 

 After liberating my pets I left for the city, to look 

 for accommodation. Wednesday, the 10th, found 

 the bee-keepers on hand, and every thing in position. 



THE BUILDING. 



This is about 30 feet wide by 10 J feet long; in the 

 center there are two wings, making- 40 ft. wide for 

 about 24 feet in the center; there are 5 enti-ances, 3 

 at each end, and one on the north side next the 

 railroad entrance. 



MR. E. L. QOOLD'S EXHIBIT, BRANTFORD. 



Mr. G. B. .Tones was manager, who exhibits only 

 supplies, and takes 4 first prizes— wide frame for 

 section, L. frame; best section crate for taking 

 comb honey; best system for getting the largest 

 yield of comb honey, and best glass for retailing ex- 

 tracted honey. Mr. Goold also exhibits the Given 

 comb fdn. This exhibit is located in the west end. 



D. A. .JONES'S EXHIBIT. 



Mr. Jones's exhibit of honey, extracted exclusive- 

 ly, is on the long column in the center of west half. 

 Mr. J. carries off the red ticket for largest and best 

 display of extracted honey, and also takes first on 

 curiosities — honey-plants, labels, extractors (wax 

 and honey), knives, new races of bees, bee-tents, 

 etc. Mr. Jones's honey-extractor gearing is a cross- 

 bar, so constructed as to easily allow its being- 



