468 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



.lUNK 1. 



cared for. I think 11 much safer to give young 

 bees than brood, as the old bees so soon die off 

 in the spring, and let much or some of the 

 brood given them die. How often, when giving 

 a weak colony brood, do we find, when looking 

 over them again, that the eggs have been re- 

 moved, and the larvte dried up! whereas, the 

 young bees would all live, and no waste. If 

 such weak colonies are In the sun, they do bet- 

 ter than in the shade. 



PUTTING HOT STONE8 TO THEIR FEET. 



Should a very cool "spell of weather come on, 

 it will pay to heat large stones and lay In the 

 hive morning and evening, care being taken 

 that they are not so hot as to melt the combs or 

 injure the brood — just long enough to tide 

 them over the cold spell. Mrs. Harrison, and 

 others, I know, will laugh at this last sentences 

 but you will remember that I love to work with 

 bees. No care foi' them Is too much if I can do 

 them good: and it is my life to be out of doors 

 and see my little pets prosper. If the stones are 

 thoroughly wrapi)ed up they will hold heat a 

 longtime. We put hot foot-stones to our own 

 feet when ailing, so, also, it is good for the bees, 

 as a colony would not likely dwindle if healthy 

 and warm, unless it starved. Mr. Axtell some- 

 times feels disposed to laugh too. at so much 

 nursing; but the laugh generally turns the oth- 

 er way, when, before fall. I get from each of 

 those doctored colonies, after they have paid 

 their debts, from 20 to 40 lbs. of honey, besides 

 having a good colony to winter. 



NOT PAY THE MEN-FOI,KS. 



Now, I don't know that such tinkering with 

 bees would pay for high-priced labor; but for 

 us women-folks, who need outdoor exercise. 

 and something to keep us out of mischief, I 

 know of no better employment. I wish it un- 

 derstood. I would not weaken strong colonies to 

 build up weak ones, neither would I so fuss 

 with a colony that had an inferior queen. If I 

 borrowed from a strong colony, I would pay 

 back again so as to have all colonies possible, 

 strong ten days or two weeks before tlie main 

 honey crop came, as all apiarists who expect a 

 crop of comb honey should have indelibly in- 

 scribed upon their minds that it is only the 

 strong colonies that gather the surplus comb 

 honey. 



FEP:DINa IN EARLY SPRING. 



I think it a good plan to feed bees just as soon 

 as set out of the cellar, so as to have them hur- 

 ry up the bi'ood before the old bees die off. 

 Feed a little then, even if they do have plenty 

 in the hives. I like outdoor" feeding for that 

 purpose, as it is so like to the bees getting new 

 honey from the flowers that it induces the 

 queens to do their best, and it makes the bees 

 so quiet while we work with them — so like 

 the natural honey-tlow. 



When using young bees to build up weak col- 

 onies I can"t remember to have ever had a 

 queen killed by them. Once I thought to intro- 

 duce a lot of yoiuig bees thus to a colony with 

 fertile workers, so as to have the young bees to 

 raise queen-cells; but the fertile-worker colo- 

 ny killed the young bees, manv or all of them. 



Roscvillc, 111., May 9. Mrs. L. C. Axtell. 



[My good friend, I did not suppose that any- 

 body besides myself had ever enjoyed working 

 with and helping weak colonies in the spring 

 as I have, until I read your remarks above. I 

 never used the hot bricks, it is true; but I have 

 crowded the bees down on to a few frames, and 

 have taken hatching bees from strong colonies, 

 and I have in that way saved my queens. As 1 

 was obliged, however, like yourself, to give 

 some of the strong colonies brood or bees back 



again, I concluded it did not pay very well, 

 aside from saving valuable queens: but I en- 

 joyed seeing them slowly build up. and get on 

 their feet. It surely can be done, but it takes a 

 good deal of time. The experience one gains 

 in such work is. however, valuable. On one 

 occasion I remember of having a queen killed; 

 but the bees I shook down at the entrance 

 were, many of them, not vei'y young. It was 

 the older ones that attacked the queen when 

 they found she was not the one they were ac- 

 customed to. I think there are quite a few of 

 our readers who have tlie time on their hands, 

 and will enjoy building up weak colonies in 

 just the way you indicate, especially where, if 

 they can be kept going just one week more, or 

 sometimes three days more, the warm weather 

 will come with the fruit-blossoms or clover, 

 and they will then be able to take care of them- 

 selves.] 



A RECRUIT TO THE LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



VALUABLE TESTIMONY ON BEES VS. 



FRUIT. 



Mr. Root: — Now that you have kindly opened 

 a side door for the ladies, allow me to enter and 

 contribute my mite of experience. Three years 

 ago my husband and myself and a neighbor, 

 like Rambler's J'riend Dr. Merchant, had a se- 

 vere attack of bee-fever. I believe my case was 

 the severest. It has seemed to buzz inside of 

 my head as well as outside. As an instance, I 

 once asked some one to please chase the bees 

 out of the yard. Of course, I ought to have 

 said "chickens." The fever abated somewhat; 

 still, traces remain. As I dearly love all of 

 God's creatures, the busy bee comes in for its 

 share, and a good big share it gets too. I do 

 not like the bees to be slandered, for it vexes 

 me: still, I do not know enough about their 

 habits to be able to defend them on every occa- 

 sion. Now. perhaps some of our " bee authori- 

 ties" may be able to explain the following: 



A neighbor of ours says he could not be hired 

 to eat honey, because bees are filthy. He says 

 he has seen them eating from the sores on 

 horses' backs. I believe there is a mistake 

 somewhere; still, I can not argue with him, as 

 I am a mere novice in tlie business. Can any 

 one explain ? 



Another neighbor says he would not keep 

 bees because they injure fruit-blossoms. But I 

 was a match for that gentleman. I knew my 

 poor opinion would not go for much in his es- 

 timation, so I wrote to oiu' Stat(> Inspector of 

 fruit-pests, who answered promptly as follows: 



*• Your favor of the 23d inst. at hand, and con- 

 tents noted. In answei' I will say that I am not 

 aware that the bees injure fruit-blossoms and 

 crop of fiiiit in the least; but I am confident 

 they are a benefit instead, as they, with other 

 insects, assist nature in fertilizing and thus in- 

 suring the crop. James A. Varney." 

 Elizabeth G. Woodham. 



Reuben, Oregon. May 11. 



[My good friend, perhaps we should reply to 

 that charge against the bees being filthy. My 

 impression is, that if anybody did really see 

 what you mention, it was during a dry time 

 when bees find it difficult to obtain water. At 

 such times they will alight on any thing that 

 seems to show moisture of any kind. It may 

 also be true, that they i-equire, for certain pur- 

 poses, decayed vegetable matter. We often see 

 them swarming about the outlets of sewer- 

 pipes. But this is probably owing to the salt 

 that usually gets into slop-drains sooner or 

 later. As horses are usually moving about 

 more or less, I do not think that more than one 

 or two bees could have been guilty of what you 

 mention.) A. I. R. 



