1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



\ 381 



The closed-end Quinby is an outgrowth of the 

 Ruber hive. Although this hive is praised by some 

 bee-keepers, I dare predict that it never will super- 

 sede the Langstroth, on account of several defects. 

 I write with a full knowledge of what I say, having 

 tried it and seen it manipulated by some of its par- 

 tisans. As the combs in this hive can not be more 

 or less distanced, since the frames always touch 

 each other, it is often Impossible to change their 

 order in the hive, or to introduce combs from an- 

 other colony, if there is the least irregularity in 

 them. When this change of order takes place it 

 often happens that a layer of propolis, put by the 

 bees between the frames, meets another layer of 

 propolis just opposite. Then this propolis has to 

 be scraped before closing the hive. 



When the closed ends are brought together, it is 

 about impossible, especially when the colony is 

 populous, not to pinch a few bees, which complain 

 and arouse a number of angry sisters. During my 

 work with a closed-end hive, bought from Mr. 

 Quinby, I have killed a good queen between two 

 frames, and concluded that such hives would never 

 do for me. Ch.^s. Dadant. 



Hamilton, 111., May 1, 188«. 



USE OF SMOKE IN SETTING BEES 

 FKOM THE CELLAK. 



SOME INTERESTING FACTS FROM G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



T DO not know that I can tell the readers of 

 Of Gleanings any thing that will be more inter- 

 ^i esting to them than to tell them just what I 

 ■*■ have been doing for the past three or four hot 

 days, which were the first warm days we have 

 had this year. I know that this will be too late for 

 any of you to put the same thing in practice this 

 spring; but as it is fresh in my mind I shall have to 

 tell it now or it will be forgotten, without doubt. 

 The first thing to be done, when warm weather is 

 delayed till about May, is to get the bees out of the 

 cellar; so when the morning of the second warm 

 day came 1 went to the cellar and jjicked up a hive 

 as carefully as T could, and carried it to the sum- 

 mer stand; but in spite of my care, the bees 

 thought best to come out on the road, and then 

 such a stinging and hissing as I had to endure 

 while I carefully lowered the hive to its stand was 

 not easy to bear. If the bottom-boards to my hives 

 were nailed fast, this could be easily overcome; but 

 as I prefer them loose for many reasons, they are 

 not. It did not take me long to remember that I 

 used to have a little smoke with me on such occa- 

 sions, so I went to the shop and got my wheelbar. 

 row that has springs under it, and the smoker, set- 

 ting them near the outside door of the cellar. I 

 then took a hive and set it on the wheelbarrow, and 

 immediately blew a few puffs of smoke under the 

 hive, just enough to set the bees to roaring a little, 

 when I could wheel them to their stand, set them 

 on the bottom-board, and regulate the entrance 

 blocks before any of the bees could come out, so 

 that, after this, 1 did not get a single sting in set- 

 ting all the rest out. One other thing that a little 

 smoke does is, it makes the bees come out more 

 slowly, so that they do not rush out pellmell as 

 they will sometimes op a warm morning, and thus 

 much of the mixing we read about is avoided. 



ROBBING STOPPED PROMPTLY. 



As a part of my bees were wintered outdoorg. it 



was but natural that these should be looking 

 around to see if there was not some honej\tbey 

 could get on this warm morning; so as a few bi my 

 small queen-rearing colonies were light last ffejl, 

 and still lighter in bees this spring, one strong colo- 

 ny went to robbing one of these little ones. I con- 

 tracted the entrance to the little colony, so that but 

 one bee could pass at a time, so that the honey 

 could not all be carried off before night, and left 

 them. At night I carried them back to the cellar. 

 The next day this same strong colony overcame 

 another little one from the cellar, and I feared the 

 strong one was going to do about as it had a mind 

 to, when the thought struck me that, when night 

 came, I could carry this to the cellar, and leave it 

 for a day or two, and thus have it out of the way. 

 At night I took this, and also the little one they 

 were robbing, to the cellar, and the next day I went 

 in and took away all of the combs that the little 

 ones could not care for, and placed the colony to 

 one side of the hive. At four o'clock I set the little 

 ones on their stands again, but fixed their entrance 

 at the opposite end of the hive from what their 

 combs were, as I told the readers of Gleanings 

 last summer, when I had such a time of robl)ing 

 in hot weather. They seemed well satisfied with 

 this arrangement, and the next day I set the strong 

 one out again. As soon as out they went for the 

 little ones again, and it was with pleasure that I 

 watched these little fellows catch each bee as it 

 would alight, and pretend to sting It, till the robber 

 was glad to retreat. Toward night all of the weak- 

 er colonies were treated as those two, and now I 

 have no further trouble from robbing. 



UNITING IN THE CELLAK. 



All the very weak ones, four in all, were not put 

 out till I had united them, and I find the cellar a 

 very good place to unite bees before they have 

 been set out at all. In this way all have the same 

 scent, so there is no quarreling; and by leaving 

 them over night in the cellar they become as one 

 colony before morning. This item I think quite a 

 good deal of, when used in the following manner: 

 In the spring some one is almost always in a hurry 

 for queens before I can raise any or even get my 

 bees out of the cellar; and as I can almost always 

 get quite small nuclei wintered in the cellar to 

 March and April, I can use these queens, and unite 

 the bees, as I have given above, into one colony, or 

 make as many of them as I choose. As some do 

 not like these (jueens from, small, or, as often call- 

 ed, " dwindled colonies," I send the queens which 

 are bought from the colonies wintered outdoors, 

 and then introduce those from the cellar to the 

 colonies made queenless. It at first bothered me 

 to find the queens in the cellar, as the light used is 

 not so strong as daylight; but after a little I learn- 

 ed to place the light on something that was tall and 

 slim, so that, by holding the frame to be examined, 

 on the opposite side of the light, I could bring the 

 frame close up to it; and by waving it so that the 

 strength of the blaze would touch all points, the 

 queens were easily found. It is also best to have 

 the light on the further side of the hive from where 

 you stand, so if any bees take wing they will go 

 from you toward the light, and not get on your 

 clothing. Bees on one's clothing in the dark are 

 not pleasant, as they will almost always get where 

 you will pinch them, when they are sure to sting. 

 This uniting of colonies in the cellar, two or three 

 weeks before they are set out, seems to work to 



