1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



21 



bages, or even bee-hives, in the form of a 

 square, there is always more or less vacancy 

 in tiie center of the square. On this ac- 

 count a triangle would be much better; but 

 our roads are seldom laid out so as to form 

 a triangle, let alone the measuring of a mile 

 on each side. If this square mile were cov- 

 ered with alsike clover I do not believe that 

 250 colonies would be enough to gather the 

 nectar during a good season ; and if it w^ere 

 covered w ith a dense growth of basswood, 

 it seems to me it might take a thousand 

 colonies to gather it all. While 1 think of 

 it, I should very much like to see the ex- 

 periment tested, of a square mile of bass- 

 wood-trees, and nothing else. Perhaps there 

 are localities where the other timber could 

 be cut out, so as to leave only basswood for 

 the bees ; and I believe 1 would give more 

 money for such a honey-farm than for any 

 thing else that has been suggested. Who 

 knows but that it may be done in the next 

 hundred years ? We have bee-men now 

 who have" capital enough to undertake the 

 matter, if they felt so inclined.— I may 

 mention to our readers, that, with the 

 above letter, came an excellent photograph 

 of our friend France ; and I may add, that 

 he is a fine-looking, gray-headed old gentle- 

 man. May be we shall give you his picture 

 in a few^ days. I am very glad to have him 

 take Uncle Amos to task whenever he gets 

 astray in his figures. 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS, 



THE ALLEY TRAP AND ITS PROPER USE. 



T SENT to you and got an Alley drone-trap, and 

 jfflp used others of my own make. This is the way 

 W the bees worked: The swarms would come off 

 "*■ four or five at a time. They would alight and 

 hang anywhere from one to Ave hours, then go 

 back perhaps into one or two hives. They would 

 keep tills up for a week or two, then in the fall T 

 would find these hives queenless. Did they kill the 

 old queen and try to raise a young one, and, finding 

 she could not come off, kill her? You see, they 

 could not swarm nor come out to get fertilized, and 

 when they ought to have been making honey they 

 were fooling in this way. I have 123 swarms, and 

 do not wisli for more. Do they act in that way 

 where the Alley trap is used? What would the 

 friends advise me to do? E. S. DEKAiiR. 



Raceville, N. Y., Nov. 30, 1887. 



The Alley drone -trap will not prevent 

 .sw^arming. It is designed only to prevent 

 the swarm from absconding with the queen 

 in the absence of some one to hive them. 

 Just as soon as the swarm is well in the air, 

 and the queen has got into the "• up-staii' " 

 apartment of the trap, place the latter with 

 the queen among the flying bees, and hive 

 them as you would ordinarily do if the queen 

 were confined in any kind of a cage. In 

 other words, the trap is simply a matter of 

 convenience. Bees will swarm just the same 

 with as without it, only it prevents them 

 from taking their queen and absconding 



with her. If the trap be left on, and a colo- 

 ny makes several unsuccessful attempts to 

 get away with their queen, they will be 

 quite sure to kill her. No other cause can 

 be assigned for this than that they regard 

 her as of no further use for the well-being of 

 the colony, because she will not swarm out 

 with them. Accordingly, they reason that 

 she must die, and her place be supplied with 

 one which will swarm. Of course, the queen 

 is in no way at fault, but the bees think she 

 is. They can get through the trap, and can 

 not understand why she can not. After the 

 bees have made one attempt, the object of 

 their desire should be gratified as soon as 

 possible, and the trap should not thereafter 

 be left on the hive. Of course, the young 

 queen could never be fertilized with the trap 

 still remaining attached to the hive. 



!|!400 FROM THE BEES. 



My bees did very well this year. I have sold 

 $284.19 worth of honey up to date, and shall have 

 enough to run the amount up to $400. I do not 

 keep the amount of honey taken off, but the amount 

 of money received, or its equivalent. I commenced 

 with 40 or 41 in the spring, and have increased to 

 8lt, all in good condition. 



PEDDLING HONEY A SUCCESS. 



About a month ago I loaded my two-horse wagon 

 with hones', provisions, and horse-feed, and started 

 out to sell honey. I went to an adjoining county 

 and neighboring towns. I was out three nights and 

 four days. I came back with $104, mostly in silver. 

 The weather was very pleasant, and I enjoj'ed the 

 trip and camping out better than any thing else I 

 have been engaged in for a number of years. I 

 also took with me a dozen or more back numbers of 

 Gleanings, which I gave away and threw into the 

 yards of pei'sons where I saw bee-hives. 1 said a 

 great many good things about you, because I feel 

 that it is due you from me. My success with bees 

 is attributable to the publication done by you. 



Dodd City, Tex., Dec. 1, 1887. .7. H. Roderick. 



INTUODUCING VIRGIN QUEENS BY TAKING AWAY 

 BROOD AND LARVyE. 



Mr. Root:— Ab you have requested to hear from 

 queen-rearers generally in regard to " introducing 

 virgin queens," I give my method. From what ex- 

 perience I have had 1 do not like caging queens over 

 frames, especially yanng queens. They seem to 

 want their litKjrty. I have often found them dead 

 when I would go to liberate them after two or three 

 days' confinement. A strong nucleus will often start 

 cells if it has eggs and larvue, when the queen is 

 caged on top, or between the frames. When cells 

 are commenced they will usually kill a young 

 queen when liberated, for she will be weak and timid. 

 The bees will soon inform her she is not needed, 

 generally by balling her. 



I have tried manj ways of introducing, and have 

 succeeded best with this method. When taking 

 Invlng queens from a nucleus I take the frames 

 containing eggs and larvae to another hive. The 

 ne.xt day giving them a virgin queen or a hatching 

 cell. The bees find they are queenless by this time, 

 and, having no way to raise another, will gladly ac- 

 cept any kind of queen. In this way I do not lose 

 the use of my nucleus long. The young queen, by 

 having her liberty to travel about the frames, be- 



