1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



331 



good time to get them ready now. so as to have 

 them all ready when the busy time comes. 

 The way we came to use them in the first place 

 was bv having so many empty glass boxes lying 

 around, which we used for seats: but they were 

 not quite substantial enough with one open 

 side. Dr. Miller always sat on the (>nd: and 

 after being in use for a while they would split, 

 sooner or later, although the ends were of >i- 

 Inch stuff. Nailing up the open side makes 

 them very strong. 



HOW TO LOSE TOOLS. 



Do you ever have any trouble losing your 

 tools in the apiary? You are a model bee- 

 keeper if you don't: for brushes, chisels, etc.. 

 have a habit of hiding just at the moment you 

 want them most. Dr. Miller is very orderly 

 about his tools (I'm not going to tell you how I 

 am with mine). He usually lays them on top 

 of a hive in plain sight: never on the ground. 

 If he accidentally drops one on the ground, he 

 stops immediately and picks it up. no matter 

 what he is doing. " He says if he doesn't he will 

 forget all about dropping it and it is hopelessly 

 lost. But even then, he sometimes loses them. 

 It is funny how you can look for something in 

 vain when it is right before you. If you have 

 any difficulty with yours, an excellent way is to 

 tie your brush, chisel, etc., to your apron, or 

 button-hole, with a good strong cord. Then 

 you are sure of them, and can drop them at 

 will. Dr. Miller had an arrangement which he 

 liked very well. He had a strong cord fastened 

 together so that he could slip it on over one 

 shoulder and under the opposite arm, and the 

 string of each tool was fastened to this cord in- 

 stead of the button-hole. Emma Wil.sox. 



Marengo, 111., April. 1S91. 



[Your box looks as if it might be real handy, 

 though I would about as soon use a hive-cover. 

 Yet if I were to use that light handy box. with 

 its patent adjustable heights. I might like it. 



Yes, we do lose things, just the way you 

 speak of: but more oft<Mi one of our men in the 

 other depai'tments will borrow it without say- 

 ing any thing about it. because it belongs to the 

 big boss, and that is the last of it. This is one 

 of our serious troubles at the Home of the Hon- 

 ey-bees.] E. R. 



MKS. AXTELL DISCUSSES SOME IMPORTANT 

 MATTERS. 



CLOTHING THE FEET IN WET WEATHEK. 



Women's light i-ubber boots are not enough 

 protection to the bottom of the foot, I think. I 

 like boy's rubber boots better, as one should 

 wear them only when the feet need protecting 

 from dampness! They are a great convenience, 

 even for persons who do not work among bees, 

 to slip on and care for chickens in sloppy weath- 

 er: and many times they will be found useful 

 and healthful. 



WHY QUEEN.S ARE SOMETIME.S DESTROYED 

 AFTER HAYING THEIR WINGS CLIPPED. 



Some say they lose so many queens if they 

 clip their wings. One reason, I think, is be- 

 cause the scissors were not strictly clean, and 

 had been used for other purposes, and so left a 

 scent on the queen, as bees have a very keen 

 smell: or the fingers were not perfectly clean, or 

 the wing was cut too close, or she was clipped 

 during a honey-dearth when bees are cross. I 

 believe that bees, oftener than we think, kill or 

 ball their queen when handled in a honey- 

 dearth (even when the queen is not touched), 

 early in the spring especially. 



NEYER TASTED HONEY. 



We took a little girl of ten years of age from 

 the New Y'ork Juvenile Asylum, to raise. She 

 had never seen nor tasted honey before coming 

 here. 



WHY BEES don't PAY. 



One reason some do not make bees pay. they 

 have so much work on hand just when bees are 

 needing care that the golden opportunity passes 

 bv. and the bees are not made strong enough in 

 time for the honey-harvest. ^Ir. Muth's arti- 

 cle in the American Bee Jourmil on that sub- 

 ject hits the nail on the head, and should be 

 read bv every one keeping bees. I believe that 

 to be one of the greatest reasons, if not the 

 greatest reason, we do not secure more honey 

 each season. If the bees are strong in numbers, 

 and have plentv of honey in the hive, and the 

 hive is contracted so that the brood can be kept 

 warm, such colonies need no feeding nor nurs- 

 ing: and in this localitv they should be set out 

 of the cellar bv April i. But if the colony is 

 weak, or short of stores, unless the bees have 

 extra care, their chances for gathering honey in 

 paving quantities, even in good years, are slim. 

 Some practice drawing bi-ood and honey from 

 strong stocks to build up the weak, but I think 

 that does not pay. neither would I unite two 

 weak ones unless one were queenless. I should 

 prefer to unite three or four, or else build up the 

 weak ones: as two weak colonies, both having a 

 queen, do not seem to be much if any stronger 

 after a few davs than before they were united. 

 I know of nothing that a woman can work at 

 and make pav better than to take those weak 

 colonies under her wing and niu'se them into 

 strong ones bv the time the honey-harvest 

 comes. Men-folks sav weak colonies don't pay 

 to fuss with— at least, some in their writings 

 sav so: but I think it does pay. They should 

 know how to do it aright, as it is death to weak 

 colonies to be handled in unsuitable weather, 

 and to be improperly managed. 



Women as bee-keepers should plan to have all 

 house-cleaning and sewing done up. even before 

 time to work with bees in the spring, so that the 

 spring care mav not be neglected, as well as to 

 have all surplus receptacles ready that will be 

 needed, and hives ready: for, very often, other 

 work we do not think of will sandwich itself in; 

 and we find, with the care of our own house- 

 work, the extra care of the bees is too much; 

 and as it is with the housework which no 

 woman likes to neglect, nor ought to neglect, so 

 the bees are neglected in the spring, which 

 takes away the profit of the year. 



OFF YEARS FOR HONEY. 



When we are convinced that there is to be a 

 failure we do our painting and repairing of 

 house, barns, vehicles, etc.. so as to have as 

 little of such work to do good years as possible. 



Though it has often been mentioned in our 

 bee journals and books, that it is the strong vig- 

 orous colonies that give the most honey, yet we 

 are prone to forget that we can not have vigor- 

 ous colonies unless we have vigorous queens. 

 Last June, when bees were gathering honey. I 

 could remember in almost every case where the 

 colonies were working nicely in sections, that 

 thev had reared a voung queen the year before; 

 and the colonies with old or failing queens did 

 but little in sections. 



HONEY-DEW ON HOL'RE-PLANTS. 



I noticed on mv house-plants this fall a sweet 

 stickv substance'that tasted like honey. I sup- 

 pose "it was honev-dew. The window where 

 the plants were was spattered with the sweet 

 substance. I washed it off then, and noticed, 

 underneath some of the leaves, a little red co- 

 coon about as large as the head of a pin; but I 



