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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



stop, but no cure to the disease. The little salt 

 that mixed with the honey probably produced 

 the effect. I have noticed, that, when the bees 

 gathered a better quality of honey, colonies 

 slightly affected soon became all right again. I 

 find the disease to be slightly contagious. 

 Hives that were a few feet in front of the affect- 

 ed colony would soon be affected. Contact with 

 the sick and dead bees that were on the ground 

 apparently caused it. L. M. Bkown. 



Glen Ellen, la., Sept. 15. 



[Mr. Alley, of the Aplculturist, claims the 

 idea of salt as a cure for the bee-paralysis, as 

 you will see by editorials in Sept. 15th Glean- 

 ings. We are glad of your testimony to the 

 same effect. Judging from reports, we are in- 

 clined to believe that the disease is slightly 

 contagious.] 



DO KING-BIRDS REGURGITATE? FACTS TO 

 SHOW THAT THEY DO. 



I notice in the Sept. 15th Gleanings that 

 you solicit further testimony on the matter of 

 king-birds having the power to regurgitate, or 

 disgorge, which I think is just as good a word. 

 I can s*ay it is no hoax, as I have seen it done. 

 A few years ago I saw one sitting on a fence- 

 post within 30 paces of me, so there could be no 

 mistake about it. He went through about the 

 same motions as a pigeon does when feeding its 

 young. I saw him plainly eject a wad as large 

 as an ordinary tobacco quid (but not as nasty), 

 which I poked apart with a stick, and found" it 

 composed of parts of insects, but no bees, al- 

 though I have opened them many times and 

 found worker-bees in the gizzard.' King-birds 

 are certainly a nuisance to bee-keepers, but I 

 am inclined to think that, on the whole, like 

 all insectivorous birds, they do more good than 

 harm. E. D. Barton. 



East Hampton, Ct., Sept. 23. . 



[Friend B., I am sure you are right. I am 

 personally acquainted with the gentleman who 

 made the statement given in Gleanings, and I 

 know he saw exactly what he states. He mav 

 possibly have been mistaken in the kind of bird"; 

 but there is certainly scnne bird that makes a 

 practice of catching honey-bees, and, after it 

 has squeezed out the honey, it disgorges the 

 pomace.] A. I. R. 



crates for crating up cases of honp:y. 



I see that you recommend crating comb hon- 

 ey for market in same size as I crated mine last 

 year: and I also see that you make crates for 

 sale. Now, I should like to know whether you 

 make them the same as I did. If it is not too 

 much trouble for you. I should like to have you 

 give me dimensions of differentpieces. and num- 

 ber required per crate. 



Matthias Schneider, Jr. 



Mclvor, Mich., Aug. 11. 



[We took the idea of crates for crating up 

 cases, very largely from those you s<>nt us last 

 year. We have made up a small crate that 

 will hold nine 24-lb. cases, or eighteen 13-lb. 

 The bottom is made of a frame of Kx2-inch 

 stuff. 19x3(). 1^' inch. The long pieces stand on 

 edge: the short pieces nail crosswise on top, 

 and between them are nailed four pieces of (5- 

 inch crating, % thick. 19 inches long. The han- 

 dles are about four feet long and %'x4x5 iiiches. 

 On each side are 3 pieces of 6-inch crating, also 

 19 inchos long, nailed to the outside of the bot- 

 tom strij) and to the inside of the piece forming 

 the handle. These pieces of 6-inch crating 19 

 inches long are just what we used to make 

 boxes to ship sections in: and as most bee-keep- 

 ers have a suri)lus of these they can utilize 



them in making crates. There are also three- 

 pieces across the top, about 21 inches long, and 

 one up each end, about 17 inches long. The 

 ends of the section boxes could be used to form 

 the ends of the crate, as they are just the right 

 length. Our shipping-cases, as we now fui'nish 

 them, have glass on only one side. In putting 

 them into the crates, the glass should be turned 

 in so that none of it is visible. This, at least, 

 will be required according to the new ruling of 

 the Western Classification Committee.] 



BROOD IN SECTIONS WITHOUT QUEEN-EXCLUD- 

 ERS; ONE WHO CONSIDERS PERFORATED 

 ZINC INDISPENSABLE. 



In May 1st Gleanings, E. C. L. Larch and 

 E. R. say they need no queen-excluders to keep 

 bi'ood out of sections. Will they please tell 

 how they keep the queen from the sections with- 

 out \ising something to keep her out? I use 10 L. 

 frames in my hives. I use both wide frames 

 and supers, and get brood in both. I have had 

 half of 48 sections in wide frames spoiled with 

 brood, and had lots of it in my supers. I often 

 have them, when I till the sections f4 f»ll of 

 foundation, fill the bottom with drone comb and 

 brood, and get plenty of worker brood in sec- 

 tions. I don't see how people can get along 

 with eight frames. By the middle of May 

 many of my hives had ten frames of brood; and 

 where I had two stories of worker- combs for' 

 extracting, some queens had 12 fi'ames; now 

 some have 14 frames of brood. E. D. Howeli-. 



New Hampton, N. Y., June 5. 



[You must have extra prolific queens. Our 

 correspondents generally agree that it is not 

 necessary to use the excluders for comb honey, 

 simply for the reason that no brood gets into 

 the sections. Perhaps we shall have to settle 

 the difference on the bar of locality.] 



wedging sections IN supers BOTH WAYS. 



Has any one ever tried wedging sections in 

 the Dovetailed hive endwise as well as side- 

 wise? It seems to us that it would be less work 

 to put the sections on the section-holder slats 

 without the end-pieces, and have an end-boai'd 

 as a follower, like the side, only of suitable 

 length, with a wedge. The sections could then 

 be wedged up perfectly square and true and 

 tight, so that there could not be any propolis 

 put between the sections at all; and then by 

 using separators 4I4 in. wide, with insets cut in 

 them to correspond with the sections, the bees 

 could only touch the sections on the edge where 

 they entered the sections and the inside. We 

 had intended to try this method this season, but 

 have had no chance on account of poor season. 

 J. W. Rouse & Co. 



Mexico, Mo., Sept. 4, 1891. 



[Oliver Foster, of Mt. Vernon. Iowa, wedges 

 sections both ways; but it does not seem to be 

 practiced generally. The object sought is a 

 good one, but the methods for producing this 

 double compression do not seem to be accepted.] 



WAS IT THE WORK OF KING-BIRDS? 



I had nine stands in chaff' hives last spring, 

 and had only two swarms issue this season. 

 Now, did the king-birds take the queens when 

 they were out on the wing? They were very 

 thick hei-e. My bees are not making very 

 much honey this season. It has been very wet 

 here. I think the birds took them. 



Geo. Paddleford. 



Tunnel. N. Y.. Aug. 27. 



[King - birds had nothing to do with the 

 swarms not issuing. It was due to your poor 

 season.] 



