1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



brace the comb in the middle— the very place it 

 needs bracing: and yet they are recommended 

 in some bee-papers, and some very good bee- 

 books. One author says they are the very 

 thing, because the bees will eat them away in a 

 few days! He was too lazy to spring off the 

 wires. 



When we got within a mile of John's ranch, 

 near the top of a long grade, John saw that his 

 colt was about done oat. He stopped the wag- 

 on and declared he would put the colt in be- 

 hind. To this I objected; but John replied. 

 " Do you think you know more'n Prof . Cook ? 

 Didn't he take his colt inter his kerriage and 

 haul it home? My colt is as good as his'n, and 

 has as much sense. Didn't you tell me he knew 

 all about bugs, and caterpillars, and so forth ? 

 And didn't you read lots to me about him in- 

 tersectin" butterflies and grasshoppers, and oth- 

 er varmints ? A feller that knows a caterpillar 

 or a June-bug as well inside as I do outside 

 ought to know a colt too." 



"But. John, this is a mule colt. Prof. Cook 

 had a horse colt.'' 



'• I don'tcare for that. Amulecolta'in't much 

 of a mule till he gets inter the company of his 

 feller-citizens. Look out there — " and he gath- 

 ered up the mule and heaved it into the back 

 end of the wagon. Thus the lady and the two 

 children, the colt and the bees, occupied the 

 first floor. John and I were hung away up in 

 the air. on a high seat. John was right. That 

 colt was as innocent as a baby that is twins. 

 He lay right down and went to sleep. I was 

 getting disgusted. Here we had been from 

 home more than half a day without the least 

 bit of fun — unless you call it fun to be shofctip 

 into the air as if from a catapult, and have to 

 crab it backward down again. But I did not 

 have to wait long. Whether the colt dreamed 

 he was among '• his feller-citizens." as John 

 put it, or whether he was yearning, like myself, 

 for a little fun, I can not decide. But all at 

 once there was a wild scream — a hammering 

 and battering noise, and John's wife was sent 

 clear under the seat — mixed up with the two 

 children — up against the front end-gate of the 

 wagon. Then that mule commenced on the 

 hive of bees. He went into the business as if 

 he loved it. In a second he had kicked the 

 cover loose, and the bees poured out. The 

 screams of the woman and children rent the 

 air — tore it into tatters in that immediate vicin- 

 ity, in such a reckless manner that it took at 

 least a week to mend it. 



John jumpi^d down into the wagon and threw 

 the colt over the side. Then he pulled his wife 

 from under the seat and threw her on top of the 

 colt. The two children were quickly piled on 

 top of their mother. Just then I jumped down 

 and sti'uck on the hive, and shut in the bees 

 that had been pouring out all this time. But no 

 sooner had I struck on the hive than John grab- 

 bed me, and over the side I went on top of the 

 whole pile. John had gone clear mad, crazy I 

 We were all in a pile, but it didn't take us long 

 to find ourselves, for the bees were stinging fu- 

 riously. I jerked up the oldest child and cried 

 out. "Martha, break for the bushes! John, 

 drive for your life, to get away from the bees — 

 drive half a mile, and wait for usi" 



I covered the child's face with my vest, and 

 stuck it in the bushes. I couldn't help it — I 

 had to pause on the edge of the bushes to see 

 that colt kick. He never moved from the place 

 where he had been thrown out. He stood there 

 to " fight it out on that line." The air was full 

 of bees, and they were furious. He kicked and 

 bucked, and kicked again. He fouglit the air 

 with his fore feet. He tried to stand on his 

 head, but it was not a decided success. Then 

 he bucked again; and while he was up in the 



air he tried to paw the bees off his forehead. 

 This brought him down on his nose. But he 

 was up in a moment, and, with a look of dis- 

 gust, as if the earth, air. and sky were against 

 him, he rushed oft' after the wagon. So I was 

 satisfied. We had had ten minutes of the keenest 

 and most glorious fun I You see, I am only (58 

 years of age, and the hot young blood runs riot 

 in my veins. Why wasn't the world all made 

 out of fun ? • 



When we got to the wagon I saw that John 

 was angry. He would not speak more than a 

 yes or no. So I took a short road through the 

 hills to my own home. 



Sumac. Cal., Aug., 1891. J. P. Israel. 



[Friend I., when you spoke about that mule 

 colt, in the fore part of the article, I began to 

 surmise at once a f I'acas among the bees. There 

 is nothing that makes the bees so aivfiilly cross 

 as to have their hive unceremoniously kicked or 

 knocked about. Say, it must have been rather 

 exhilarating to find yourself suddenly shooting 

 up into the air. Verily, I believe I would have 

 let go and dropped. Wereseive the sequel till 

 our next issue.] E. R. 



HO"W TO MAKE THE BEES ACCEPT THE DOO- 

 LITTLE CELL-CUPS. 



rPPEK STOKIES FOR CELL-BUILDING NOT AL- 

 WAYS RELIABLE. 



I notice in Gleanings that you fail with the 

 cell -cups. I will give you the benefit of my ex- 

 perience, and, if it will be worth any thing, I 

 shall only be glad. I don't depend on having 

 the cells started in an upper story, as the bees 

 will tear down the cups and start comb, espe- 

 cially if nectar is coming in; and if not, they 

 will not start the cells. I fasten cups to bars or 

 strips of comb on the plan of having cells built 

 on strips of comb (the Alley plan, I believe). A 

 frame will hold about 60 cups. This frame I 

 place in a strong colony made queenless and 

 broodless, and let it remain three or four hours, 

 when the bees will be ready to accept the young 

 larvae placed in the cups, and will start from 2.5 

 to 40 cells — these the next day to be removed to 

 an upper story where they will be completed, 

 provided nectar is coming in; but if not, they 

 may not perfect them as they should without 

 feeding. At certain times I find these upper- 

 story bees very inquisitive — especially so after 

 swarming has passed. I find that, from about 

 the 1st of July, in my locality, till fall flow of 

 honey commences, the bees in upper stories are 

 very tricky, and will not do to depend upon to 

 work out and care for cells. 



I find also, by experience, that it will not do 

 to keep any colony building cells long at a 

 time. They seem to get tired, and will not 

 work as when first made queenless; upper sto- 

 ries are the same way. A colony made queen- 

 less and broodless, as I have mentioned above, 

 and given a frame of cell-cups with larv*. will 

 start cells by the cup plan better, and more of 

 them, and will continue to do so longer than by 

 any other plan. I often use a colony that way 

 for a whole week, by taking out those cells 

 started, and give tht^m fresh cups with larvte. 



Transferring larv;e to these cups is a very 

 small matter when one gets used to it. When 

 I make my cups I am not very careful as to the 

 depth; but after they have hung in a hive 

 three or four hours, if the bees do not cut them 

 down properly I cliiJ them off to the right depth 

 with my honey-knife heated at the point. 



I can't say that I see any difference in the 

 queens reared in the cups and those the bees 

 start in the strip plan; but it saves mutilating 



