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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 



frame was recommended for giving the 

 bees a flight in the sunshine, wlien the 

 weather did not admit of it in the open air. 

 This seemed to answer the purpose ; but 

 it was so much machinery I believe most 

 of the friends decided to wait for a warm 

 sunshiny day. Leaving the entrances full 

 width, so that those bees that accumulate on 

 the bottom-board may be carried out, is an 

 advantage ; for every time we stop the en- 

 trances, or cover the bottom so as to stop 

 the circulation of air, it leaves matters in a 

 worse state. To prevent such clogging-up 

 of the entrances, a space under the combs, 

 giving additional room during winter time, 

 has been recommended, say U or U inches 

 under the combs. This can l)e secured by 

 raising the frames the required distance. 

 An opening in the bottom of the hive, 

 say (> inches square, covered by coarse wire 

 cloth, also makes a pretty sure thing of air 

 from below. Making the entrances large, 

 and having the colonies strong, will, how- 

 ever, usually be all that is required. 



HOW TO fiET BEES OUT OF AN OAK-TKUNK. 



T should like to inquire as to how I could take out 

 a swarm of bees which has taken up its quarters in 

 a white-oak trunk, the hutt of which is hollow, and 

 I can see lots of comb from there. I can get the 

 stuff out, but how to keep the bees in good temper is 

 the question. I saw your advertisement in the 

 Farm .Tmirnal, and, feeling interested in honey, 

 I took the liberty to write at this length. One more 

 thing: Last May a large swarm came past me while 

 1 was hoeing corn. The air seemed filled with their 

 buzz. T collared the whole swarm, a bushel, by 

 tapping on my hoe, but they all escaped me, and I 

 located them in this tree, half a mile up the lake. 

 How's that for a green one? N. L. Toby. 



Sandwich, Mass., Mar., 1888. 



Ft is not an easy matter to get bees out of 

 the trunk of an oak-tree. The plan of pro- 

 (;edure which we would recommend would 

 be about as follows : Provide yourself witli 

 a veil and smoker. First blow a small 

 quantity of smoke in the hollow, not too 

 much, iiut just enough to quiet the bees, 

 and then with a sharj) ax cut a hole large 

 enough to get at the bees, using smoke oc- 

 casionally to keep them quieted down 

 should they show any disposition to 

 sting. Ordinarily bees are quiet and lit- 

 tle disposed to make an attack when being 

 taken from a tree. If you know of some 

 old bee-hunter, perhaps you had better se- 

 cure his services to do the job for you. We 

 would recommend you to the subject of 

 " Bee-hunting," in our " A IJ C of Bee Cul- 

 ture." 



FROM VERMONT. 



Frieiul Rout :—Ab it is very seldom that an item 

 from Vermont appears in your journal, I take the 

 liberty to pen a few words that the readers of 

 Gleanings may know that Vermont still has a few 

 active bee-keepers. Though as a rule we are silent 

 workers, yet wo are always interested in what 

 others have to say regarding our chosen pursuit. 

 We are having a severe winter here, so far as re- 

 gards cold weather and lots of snow. Bees have 

 had only a partial flight since November; but as 

 our bees on their summer stands have been well 

 protected by the snow, we feel quite sure they will 



come out all right in the spring. 1 believe my bees 

 are wintering well, as I notice the few dead bees at 

 the entrance are small and dried up, indicating that 

 the colonies are in a healthy condition. 

 Bristol, Vt.. March 20, 1888. A. E. Manu.m. 



SMOKER FUEI>; ROTTEN WOOD SOAKED IN TOBACCO 

 .iniCE. 



I have tried several kinds of smoke for bees, and 

 I like this far the best. Take punkey rotten wood 

 (apple is the best), break it up the size you wish to 

 put into .your smoker. Into a kettle put some to- 

 bacco, also some of the wood, and water enough 

 to cover it. Let it boil, then take it out and dry it. 

 It is handy, cheap, and will subdue the most vi- 

 cious bees, (lid cotton rags soaked in tobacco- 

 juice, and dried, are good. K. N. Leach. 



Humphrey, Neb. 



Friend L., tobacco or tobacco-juice is the 

 agent in repelling insects that trouble us in 

 our garden work, and we have for years 

 been aware that tobacco-smoke is more dis- 

 agreeable to bees than the smoke of rotten 

 wood only. In fact, if strong enough it will 

 stupefy them. I believe the general de- 

 cision has been that we do not need any 

 thing so powerful as tobacco. 



ARE COMBS ON WHICH THE BEES STARVED, FIT 

 FOR FUTURE USE ? 



I take the liberty of asking your advice as to 

 whether it is best to use comb on which the bees 

 have starved to death this winter, that was made 

 last summer, or not. My bees did not do very well 

 last .season, on account of its being so dry. Thej' 

 filled their hives with comb, but did not with hon- 

 ey, and a good many starved. The combs are, some 

 of them, nice, and some smell a little sour; and I 

 don't know whether to use them or not. 



Windsor, ()., Mar. 13, 1888. C. Sargent. 



To be sure, the combs on which the bees 

 starved are good, and they will be just as 

 serviceable as ever. If some of tliese are a 

 little musty or sour. I would not give them 

 to the bees until late in the spring. See AHC. 



WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE FOR BEES? 



As you have reports fi-om differeTU States and 

 places I should like your opinion as to where the 

 best place is to raise bees and honey. What of 

 South Carolina? or have you any reports from 

 here? Some say South Carolina is too poor for bees. 

 I think it will do, but I think there are much better 

 places. Is not California or Wisconsin among the 

 best? We have but little report to make, though 

 we have but few colonies. Sam'l O. Eaddv. 



Johnsonville, S. C, March U, 1888. 



Friend PI, it is a pretty hard matter to 

 say where is the best place to raise bees and 

 honey. Larger results have been achieved 

 in California than anywhere else ; but the 

 market is low, and the transportation to 

 eastern cities expensive. Aside from Cali- 

 ifornia. we may say that Wisconsin, Michi- 

 gan, and Yorl\ State produce large quanti- 

 tities of very superior ([uality of clover and 

 basswood honi\y. Florida has given us some 

 large reports, but does not seem to hold out 

 year after year, even as well as California 

 does. Perhaps some of our commission men 

 in our large cities could tell us what States 

 e.xcel in quality and (juantity. 



