1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



467 



the sheets, and proceeded to fasten as usual 

 with the Easterday foundation - fastener. My 

 foundation had been too cold and the wires did 

 not adhere well. I picked up my frame, turned 

 it over, wired side down, and held it for a sec- 

 ond over the gasoline. I was surprised to find 

 the wires beautifully imbedded in the founda- 

 tion, as if they had been made there. I was 

 delighted. Now. if it would only work when 

 no previous attempt had been made to fasten 

 it 1 I laid my frame on my board, heated a 

 sheet of foundation, and laid it smoothly over 

 the wires, pressing the edges firmly along the 

 top and bottom .bar; then, lifting it. held it 

 (wired side down) and moved it rapidly over 

 the gasoline for a few seconds, and found it did 

 the work nicely. If a wire failed to catch. I 

 passed my finger lightly over the foundation 

 above the wire, and it was all right. Usually 

 the weight of the foundation is enough. If you 

 use a gasoline-stove you must work very rapid- 

 ly or your foundation will melt. I have since 

 lised'a common keroseno-lamp, and found it 

 worked just as well, only a little slower. Just 

 move your frame over your lamp, following each 

 wire. You can easily see youi' wire through 

 the foundation, when "held over the lamp. Be 

 careful not to move so slowly as to melt your 

 foundation. We think the bees work the foun- 

 dation just a little better when fastened in this 

 way. Possibly a wood or coal stove might be 

 better than a gasoline-stove or lamp, but I have 

 never tried it. 



I inclose a sample of foundation, wired as de- 

 scribed. You will see that the hotwire has 

 melted its way into the wax, and, instantly 

 cooling, left the cell-wall perfect. Possibly you 

 may think the wire not deeply enough imbed- 

 ded: but in actual practice the bees work it all 

 right, even if not done as well as the sample I 

 send you. Emma Wii.sox. 



Marengo, 111., May 18. 



[After reading your article as above, we went 

 out where they put foundation into frames, and 

 gave directions to have the matter tested at 

 once. The girls tried it and did not seem to 

 make it work, and then I tried it — both with 

 gasoline and the lamp. The difficulty that I 

 experienced was. the foundation becoming soft, 

 would bag down before or about the time it 

 began to adhere to the wire. We have for years 

 been in the habit of wiring our foundation be- 

 tween the coils of steam-pipes before putting it 

 on the wires, after which we imbedded it with 

 the Easterday foundation-fastener. But if I 

 understand you. you made the heat from the 

 gasoline not only warm the foundation, but 

 imbed the wires as well, without the regular 

 wire-imbedder.] E. E. R. 



BUILDING UP WEAK COLONIES. 



MRS. AXTELL DEFENDS HEK POSITION. 



I think Mrs. Harrison does not have so many 

 weak colonies in the spring as we have, from 

 her remarks in last Gleanings, for some rea- 

 son or other. I dislike very much to have a 

 colony die that comes out of the cellar with a 

 pint of bees. In locations where there is plenty 

 of fall honey always, there are fewer weak col- 

 onies in the fall, and consequently fewer weak 

 ones in the spring: but sometimes our good 

 strong colonies dwindle in winter when they 

 have plenty of honey in the hive, and we can 

 see no reason for their dwindling. 



HOAV TO BriLD VP WEAK COLONIES. 



I do not know that I can give any thing new 

 from what others practice. A remark made 

 some ten years ago by a man owning quite a 



number of colonies of bees struck me at the 

 time as being an unthrifty way of caring for 

 bees. He said it never paid him to bother with 

 weak colonies. .Since then he has found that 

 "bee-keeping does not pay,"; and has gone out 

 of the business. ■ 



Building up w-eak colonies in the early spring 

 is far moi-e difficult than at other times of the 

 year, especially if very weak. From such colo- 

 nies I would take away all combs of honey, and 

 leave them only one or two combs of capped 

 brood, with a little honey in the corner of the 

 combs. If not sufficient in the corners of the 

 combs I would give them a chunk of honey laid 

 on top of the one comb, or more, leaving only 

 enough combs that the bees could cover, even 

 if it were only one comb. Now lay a piece of 

 carpet or quilt over that colony, and pour into 

 that hive until it is full of dry chaff. That 

 taken from a straw bed is the very best one can 

 get. Enough soft warm quilts will answer. 

 Of course, there must be boards on each side of 

 the brood to hold the quilts out from touching 

 the brood, and I would not open that hive until 

 I could get hatching bees. Then I would look 

 thi'ough one or more strong colonies, and find 

 the queen and set her comb back into the hive 

 and take the other combs of brood, oi' only part 

 of the combs, and brush off' all the bees in front 

 of the weak colony, first laying down a piece of 

 straw carpeting or enameled cloth, for the 

 young bees to run up to the entrance on. They 

 must have a smooth track. Brush a little dis- 

 tance from the hive. When brushed off. stir 

 them up some, so that the old bees will fly back 

 to their own hive. Better make each colony 

 strong enough to come through, rather than to 

 fuss with sevei'al when none is strong enough. 

 In a few days a comb of brood with honey in 

 the corners may be given them, if you can get 

 it from some strong colony that has not spared 

 bees: or if a good many young bees were given, 

 a comb of honey may be given, as these young 

 bees will not die oft' until they hatch out other 

 bees to take their place. In two weeks more, 

 probably that weak colony could be given an- 

 other comb of brood, or empty comb, adding 

 combs from time to time until it can spare a 

 comb of brood to give back to the colonies that 

 had helped it. if need be. 



Soon after taking bees from the cellar, all 

 weak colonies should be put down upon what 

 combs they can be crowded upon, and a record 

 kept of the weak and queenless ones: and the 

 queenless united with the ones that are the 

 weakest. If there are more queenless than 

 very weak colonies, I would unite two or more 

 of the queenless with the weak one; or if the 

 queens were poor and not worth saving. I 

 would use such colonies to help build up other 

 weak ones. I think, why people fail in build- 

 ing up weak colonies is because they do not 

 crowd them enough, nor cover tliem up warm 

 enough, bejng careful that every little opening 

 is closed, so the warm air can not escape, and 

 the entrance to the hive closed, so that positive- 

 Iv but two or three bees can pass in and out at 

 a time; and thev should be kept crowded until 

 the middle of May, or later. If the bees are 

 crow'ded upon a comb, the warmth tends to make 

 them healthy, and the queen will fill every cell 

 in the comb with eggs that is not filled with 

 honey; and one large comb of brood is much 

 better for them than several combs with just a 

 little brood. I do sometimes take out all their 

 combs if they have, say, three combs with 

 brood, and exchange with a strong colony that 

 has its combs filled full of brood and honey, 

 and give the weak one only the one full comb. 

 Of course, the queen can not lay so many eggs 

 as if more combs were given, but there will be 

 more bees hatch out, as all her eggs will be 



