888 



GLEAN1ISG8 IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15. 



September 15 or :.'(). or after being in the room 

 from four to seven weeks, the sections could be 

 tipped over, or handled in any way desired, 

 without any honey running from even the un- 

 sealed cells that might happen to he around 

 the outside of the section. Hy having the dooi- 

 and window open on hot windy days the air 

 was caused to ciiculate freely through the pile, 

 when I found that it took less time to thorough- 

 ly ripen the honey than it did where all was 

 kept closed. In doing this, of course it is neces- 

 sary to provide screens, so as to keep flies and 

 bees out of thf^ honey-room. If I wish to keep 

 honey .so late in the "fall that the rays of the 

 sun fail to keep the room sufficiently hot, or 

 should I desire to keep it into the winter, or 

 at any time when the temperatui-e of the room 

 falls below 70° while the honey is in the room, 

 I build a fire in the room, or use an oil-stove to 

 heat it up to tiie proper temperature of from 90 

 to 10u°. In this way honey can be kept perfect- 

 ly for an indefinite pei-iod. and can always be 

 put upon the market in the very best condition. 



Having once obtained our honey, it seems 

 very foolish to me to neglect it so that it dete- 

 riorates to the condition of a second or third 

 class article. We should all strive, not only to 

 see how large a quantity we can produce, but 

 also to have it of good quality, keep it looking 

 well at all times, and put it upon the market in 

 enticing shape. G. M. Dooijttle. 



Borodino, N. Y., Nov. 4. 



[Doolittle's advice is sound ; and we espe- 

 cially commend the point he makes, that, after 

 having secured a good crop, we do not want to 

 spoil it all by a piece of ignorance or foolish- 

 ness.! 



TIME OF CELLARING BEES. 



WKITING FROM HP:ARSAY EVIDEXCE. 



This year my bees were taken into the cellar 

 Nov. 5 and 6. Practically, their confinement 

 began some time the last of Octobei-. for they 

 had not flown any since that time. The weath- 

 er seemed pleasant enough for them to fly. but 

 they appeared to have sense enough to know 

 that there was nothing for them to do outside, 

 and so stayed at home. If I had not been hin- 

 dered by other things, I should have taken them 

 in sooner. The question may be raised why I 

 took them in so early, and why I \\ould even 

 take them into the cellar in October. Well, I'll 

 tell you. I don't know what the weather will 

 be, and ifs likely to rain any day and turn off 

 cold, and I don't like the idea of taking them in 

 wet and frozen. I suspect it's hardei' on them 

 than two or three weeks of longer confinement. 

 In a milder climate, of course they would be 

 brought in later. 



If I knew the weather would continue all win- 

 ter as it is now, they would not go into the cel- 

 lar at all. But just because I don't know what 

 weather may come any day, I can't take the 

 risk to leave them out, even in mild fall weather. 

 Why. sometimes the mercury runs away below 

 zei-o i n November. Even before they were taken 

 in, it went down to 24° above. Now, if they 

 could stay out two or thiee weeks later, and 

 then have a good fly.it might be better: but 

 I'm not sure of flying weather again before 

 spring. 



If they were in the cellar, and every night 

 the temperature should go down to about freez- 

 ing, as it does the last of October and first of 

 November, we would talk about the danger- 

 point: but wt" don't say any thing about it 

 when they are out of doors, probablv because 

 we expect them to have a fly siiortly. The 



cellar-doors are left open day and night, the 

 temperature being about 45°, so that the bees 

 are the same as outdoors, only they have more 

 even and milder weather. I said my bees were 

 all in. I should have said except a dozen that 

 I want to try with the new uintei- cases. 



DO BEES HEA.SOX? 



The Query-box of the A. B. J. has been 

 wrestling with this question, the replies vary- 

 ing from a blunt "'no" to that which credits 

 them with using more reason than some mem- 

 bers of the human family. The repliers would 

 doubtless have been more in accord in their re- 

 plies if they had first had a full agreement as to 

 what constitutes reason and instinct. 



Any one who has carefully watched bees for 

 some years can cite enough facts to make out 

 a pretty strong case in favor of their using rea- 

 son, or something very nearly akin to it, and 

 he can also cite actions that clearly indicate an 

 entire lack of any thing like reason. On an- 

 other page of the same journal is an article 

 copied from the Phrenological Journal, written 

 by M. L. Hoi brook, M. D.. taking very positive 

 ground that bees do reason. Without debating 

 the correctness of his ground. I suspect that any 

 one familiar with bees would not be very much 

 strengthened in his belief in their reasoning 

 powers by the arguments given. According to 

 Dr. Holbrook, the reasoning power is shown in 

 the fact that bees use the right kind of food to 

 produce queens or workers: that the queen 

 knows enough not to lay too many eggs, espe- 

 cially drone eggs: "that, when carried to coun- 

 tries where they find supplies of food all the 

 year round, they cease to store it up:" that- 

 they pursue and sting one who robs them of 

 their honey: that they have a knowledge of 

 human nature, and know their friends from 

 theii' enemies reasonably well: that they know 

 how to build combs in new and difficult places, 

 and that they station ventilators at the hive- 

 entrance. Other facts the doctor says he might 

 mention, but these seven he thinks sufficient 

 for his purpose. 



However good some of these arguments may 

 be, so much of error is mixed up with them that 

 the strength of the whole fabric is badly im- 

 paired. For instance. "In Australia, where 

 food is abundant most of the year, in order to 

 have honey it is necessary to import new queens 

 that will produce workers which have not had 

 experience in that country." "Why do bees 

 pursue and sting one who robs thern of their 

 honey, if they do not know its value? " (As if 

 they wouldn't sting one who l^rings them honey 

 or does them any other favor I) "It has been 

 stated on very good authority, that the Italian 

 bees will sometimes attack in mass a man who 

 has robbed their hive, days after the occur- 

 rence, as if to destroy him." (How thankful 

 that so many of us have escaped through all 

 these years!) In ventilating, "to be able to 

 remain in their places, they seal their feet to 

 the floor, otherwise they would fly away." 

 Seal their feet! Why is it that, when people 

 want to write about something of which they 

 are ignorant, the poor bee is so often selected as 

 the victim? 



NUCLEI SWARMING OUT. 



Complaint is riiade that nuclei in small hives 

 swai'm out. Years ago I used hives for nuclei 

 by dividing up a ten-frame hive into six apart- 

 ments, putting a full-sized frame in each apart- 

 ment. The plan worked well, and I don't re- 

 member more than a single case of swarming 

 out, and that was from exceeding heat. If I 

 remember rightly, the nucleus had just been 

 placed and had no queen. But the apartments 

 being 2)^ inches wide, they were very roomy for 

 a single frame, and there was some annoyance 



