433 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May ]5. 



only roll over on their backs, kick a spoil, and 

 (lie. I changed the queen in Angnst. so that, 

 by August 3,5th. young bees were hatching 

 plentifully from the new queen. But these bees 

 took the disease, and continued to die, as did 

 the others, all being dead and gone in February. 

 This was my only loss in my new roofed bee- 

 cellar. G. M. DOOIJTTLK. 

 Borodino, N. Y. 



[Very good, friend D. I am glad to see there 

 are so many sharp ones scrutinizing all these 

 statements and points that are made. I still 

 thinl<. however. Ihat I have had bees, even dur- 

 ing the honey season, live fully as long as friend 

 Fiance i-epresents; at the same time, I agree 

 with you that they usually wear themselves 

 out. and are gone about the time you ni(»ntion. 

 This is why I have so strenuously urged that, 

 in a queen-rearing apiary, every nucleus should 

 have more or less brood all the while. Things 

 go along ever so much better if there is never a 

 time when unsealed brood can not be found in 

 the nuclei. This gives all handssomething todo, 

 and at the same time it insures constant rein- 

 forcements of young bees. — If it should happen 

 that neither the bees noi' mice had any thing to 

 do with the consumption of that wheat, I don't 

 know but I shall feel a little bit disgusted. But. 

 friend I)., what about the I'oast chicken that 

 has been given so many times, to keep the bees 

 from starving?— I am glad to know you are suc- 

 ceeding with bee-escapes. When such "weigh- 

 ty " men, as you have it, make a thing a suc- 

 cess, we can draw a breath of relief, and get 

 over our anxiety. Ernest has just been putting 

 the bee-escapes into the ABC book, and I was 

 afraid he was giving them too much promi- 

 nence.] A. I. R. 



HIVE RECORDS. 



THOSE HANDY SI.ATP: TABI.ETS THE BEST OF 

 ALL. 



Friend 2?oot;— Bricks, stones, pebbles, have 

 all been suggested, most of which are cumber- 

 some and unsightly. Were I to adopt any of 

 these it would be the bricks, as n^com mended 

 by friend INIori'ison. p. 2(\:i. One point claimed 

 for the bricks is, that they hold down the covers 

 during storms or high winds. Now, I do not 



but intend to prepare one soon, and study it un- 

 til I know it by heart. This spring, in going 

 over our colonies, my brother and I just laid a 

 slate in the center of the cover overcok)nies 

 needing feed, so that, when we wished to feed, 

 we could tell, by just glancing over the apiary, 

 which colonies needed feed, and got into the 

 habit of calling those ''doubtful States," to use 

 a political phrase. These slates being small we 

 can make a greater combination than can be 

 got by using bricks; and being black, or nearly 

 so, when laid on a white hive-cover they can be 

 plainly seen as far as necessary. Some may say 

 these little slates will blow off. I would say, in 

 reply, that I have known them to blow oft' the 

 nail when hanging on the side or end of tlie 

 hive, but nevei', to my knowledge, has one 

 blown oft' the cover. Being so thin, when laid 

 Hat on the cover the wind can not get under 

 them. 



Below ai'e a few of the different positions that 

 the slates may occupy, each position signifying 

 a different meaning, as with the bricks. 



Besides the above, more can be invented if 

 nec(^ssary. For instance, laying one diagonally 

 aci'oss the different corners, as in No. 10. It is 

 useless for nie to give tlie dift'eriMit meanings 

 that the dift'erent positions signify, for every 

 apiai'ist can manage this to suit himself. We 

 might say. No. 1. weak, needs feed; No. 2, gave 

 queen-cell: No. 3, hatched, etc. 



When you see th(! slate, you know, without 

 going to it, what condition the colony is in. 

 Besides this, the slate contains necessary dates 

 and writing. I always abbreviate as much as 

 l)Ossible when writing on these little slates; as, 

 S. Q. C. select queen-cell; fr., frame; int.. intro- 

 duced. On the l((ft-hand upper corner write the 

 year (18'.»1); next the month and day, thus: 

 4-30 (April 30); and below, other writing. 



When a colony is strong and in a normal con- 

 dition, the slate hangs on a nail on the end or 

 side of the 4iive. The one side of the slate con- 

 tains the age of the queen, and when the swarm 

 was hived, etc.. if you wish to keej) such data. 



The best thing that I have found for writing 

 on these slates is an ordinary leadpencil. This 

 writing is not very plain to read; but if you get 

 the light to fall on it just right you can read it 

 easily. Only {» few days ago I picked up one of 

 the slates, and found some wi-iting of early last 

 June, and it was as plain, almost, as if it had 

 been written only a day before, and looked as if 

 it might last a year or two longer, and this had 



I II 



II 



MILLEIJ S METHOD OF KEEPING KECORD. 



care to handle the extra weight simply because 

 I want the covers secure. I will admit, that 

 covers do blow off occasionally, but I do not 

 know that it ever did any serious damage to the 

 colony, unless it should remain oft' for a con- 

 sid(>rable length of time in cold weather. At 

 any rate, if I were very particular about having 

 the covers secured on the hives I should certain- 

 ly use a convenient hook or clamp of some kind, 

 in preference to ^a weight of any kind. And 

 now allow me to present my method. If it has 

 ever b(>en mentioned in (tleanings I do not re- 

 member of seeing it. Now. what do you sup- 

 pose I am going to mention? Simply the little 

 slates advertised by A. I. Root for this purpose, 

 only I propose to use them as friend Moirison 

 does his bricks, with the writing combined. .So 

 far I have not adopted any particular system. 



hung on the hive all winter, exposed to the ele- 

 ments. S. E. Miller. 

 Bluffton. Mo.. Apr. 30. 



[We have us(>d the slates as you speak of on 

 hive-covers in different positions, to indicate 

 certain information, for years. Our apiarist. 

 Mr. Spafford, has a code of his own which he 

 has used with considerable success. I am glad 

 you brought the subject up. because I doubt 

 wlu'ther I should have thought to mention it. 

 We hav(> used slate and red leadpencils for 

 marking the,slates. The former efface by rains 

 too easily, and the latter are too indelible after 

 the markings have been on for a few months. 

 But a common leadpencil— that is something 

 I had not thought of before. We will try it ait- 

 once.] E. R. R. 



