1892 



(JLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



323 



OiU'lI). Ill iiH) gallons of walcr killed the lioiu'v- 

 beos siiid the iniaKo poiaio-ht't'tlcs altimst invariably 

 witliiii t wfiity-foiii- lioiii-^. Wf tliid I liat lai'vie s\ie- 

 fiiiiil) to the poison moic i|iiicklv than do iniaK". 

 and that \oiiiiv or small liirvii- die inoi'c (Hiickly 

 than do older ones. Tims our exixTiineiits an'iee 

 with those i>re\ioiisly nia<ie in tlxiiiK upon 1 lb. to 

 2lH) trillions of water as the most desirable propor- 

 tion to nse in all enses. There is so little ditl'erenee 

 between London luirple ami I^aris frrei'ii that the 

 same .strength should be used with both poisoii.s. 



l><USO.VlN(i 111 E8. 

 AVe s(M> from the above that the standard nd.xtiire 

 — 1 lb. of either I/ondon purple or Paris Kreen to 2(KI 

 jrallous of water is fatal to the honey-bee. This 

 iiiiikes it imperative that fruit-t rees be not sjnayed 

 while in blossom. It may be done just before or at 

 any time afterward, Init urcfr duriiiij tlir Unit' of 

 bloiini. 



The above, written last October for our Report 

 for IS'.U. settles the matter positively. When 

 ^\e add. that diiiiiisj bloom is not the time to 

 spray; that for btid-niolhs and fungi it should 

 be dotie earlier, and for the codling moth later 

 — not till the blossoms have fallen from all the 

 apple-trees — we thus see there is no possible e.x- 

 cuse for sprayiufT while the trees are in bloom; 

 while there are very important reasons, as we 

 have just seen, why no one should spray while 

 the blossoms are still on the tree. 



It has seemed to me. and I am now stronger 

 in the faith than ever, that every State should 

 pass a law luaking it a serious misdemeanor to 

 spray our fruit-trees wiiile in blossom. I do 

 not think stich a law would nted to be tised 

 much, if ever; but as an educator it would do 

 signal service. It would act as our foul-brood 

 and yellows laws have. When men find that 

 there is a law against any proposed course of 

 action, they will almost always hesitate before 

 they act. In a case like this, where there is iio 

 cause for wrong action, but every reason for 

 doing that which will work no one ill. but the 

 mo*t good to all. then surely if a legislative act 

 will have intluence it shotild be urged by all, 

 whether directly interested or not. Is it not 

 wise for every bi'e keeper to agitate this mat- 

 ter, that the public may be educated at least, 

 and that such legislation may be secured as 

 will aid to |)revent atiy spraying during the 

 time that the fruit-trees are in blossom? 



Agricultural College. Mich. A. J. Cook. 



SPACE UNDER FRAMES FOR WINTERING. 



FIKST SWAUM.S. AI{[iAX(;KMEXT OF HIVES, ?:TC. 



W. Z. Hutchinson says there is one point that 

 otight not to be neglected in preparing bees for 

 winter — that of leaving a space below the 

 combs. I ain suie he is right. We have been 

 practicing the above for several years now, 

 and know that it ha< been a great benefit to 

 our bees. Before raising thein. many colonies 

 would become clogged up at tlie entrance, both 

 in the cellar and out of doors, long before^ 

 spring. If in the cellar it would be impossible 

 to clean them out. We could clean the entrance 

 for a little way back in the hive, but they 

 would soon Ijecome clogged tip again. Such 

 colonies that were thus clogged up seldom came 

 out in the spring in good condition, and many 

 of them would die in spite of being carefully 

 nursed. 



.Mr. Ilntchin.son recommends a rim two inches 

 high. We use but one inch to 13i inches, and 

 find that sufficient: but we raise the hive two 

 inches or inore at the back, which enables the 

 bees to drag out the dead bees and keep the 

 bottom - boards clean. Bees are tidy little 

 housekeepers. It .seems to worry them to be in 

 a situation where they can not keep their hives 



ch»a!i; and for this icason I would not let the 

 rim extend clear round the hive unless there 

 were an entrance under \\w front of it. as the 

 b(>es that fall in a hive slioulfl be in a position 

 where they can l)e easily dragged out. If they 

 remain in tin- hixc and mold, it causes the bcM's 

 to become diseiised; and if it is unhealthy for 

 bees, what must it hv. to human beings living 

 above them? Yes, we think h(^ sp(;aks truly 

 when he says this space is a wonderful aid in 

 bringing tlui bees through the winter in fine 

 condition. 



Our l)ees do not now seem to be dying oflF so 

 much as in the first part of the winter. They 

 se<;m more quiet at the sanu! tcnnperature, and 

 we do not S(!e any difference as yet in the loss of 

 bees from those! wintering on honey-dew and 

 tho.se on siigtir syrup. 



" I saw it stated in a paper a short time since 

 that the first swarms were the ones that furnish 

 the honey. The parent colony rarely lays up 

 niore than enough to supply them with food." 

 Now, in our e.xperience if a swarm is put into 

 an empty hive with all their combs to build, 

 the swarm would not get as much surplus as 

 the parent colony would; .so it depends alto- 

 gether on how we treat the swarm, whether it 

 gathers more or less than the parent colony. 

 Were I purchasing bees I think I should as soon 

 take the parent colony as the swarm. 



In the picture where Mr. Root is represented 

 as sitting on a hive with several hives around 

 him near enough to work without rising and 

 walking from one to the other, is a good sug- 

 gestion. In order to do much work we need to 

 study economy of steps, which saves time, just 

 as a thrifty housewife does. The person who 

 runs back and forth from pantry to kitchen, 

 and from cellar to garret, with no thought how 

 she may save her steps, accomplishes but little 

 work compared with one who economizes her 

 steps as well as her time. But as to the slates 

 or tablets on top of the hives. I am sure I should 

 jostle them around so much I should lose all 

 they were nuant to indicate. Probably Mr. 

 Root means us to sit still. 



I have such an abhorrence of any thing 

 '■ wapperjawed,'" or mixed up together, I must 

 say that the straight rows look the prettiest, 

 and I believe I should prefer them for looks' 

 sake if it did take more time to manipulate 

 them, and were not quit(! so handy. Some- 

 times I have need to pull two hives together, 

 but thfiy are always an "■ eyesore " to me until I 

 get them squared and trued up again. 



Brother A. I. says we know he has always 

 been interested in wells and springs; but we 

 have wondered, when reading, what he was 

 7iiit interested in. He gave us a very interest- 

 ing accoitnt of our brother's. Samuel Axtell's, 

 home in .South Dakota, next station west of 

 Mitclusll. moi'e than we had ever learned of 

 the country in all brother's letters; but they do 

 sometimes have tc^rrible blizzards. About five 

 or six years ago three of brothers boys, young 

 men. started to their own farm, three miles 

 away, one morning; and by tlui time they had 

 gone half a mile a blinding blizzaid caught 

 them, and they could proceed no further, nei- 

 ther could they go home. As they were near a 

 deserted hou.se they unhitched tiieir hor.ees and 

 went in. For three days they were unable to 

 leav(! that hou.se. One of them, who had a wife 

 and children, risked his life and went back 

 home; but the other two preferred to remain 

 rather than run the risk of being lost in the 

 storm, although they had nothing to eat. and 

 no feed for their horses, and had to keep on the 

 move much of the time to keep from freezing. 



A sure sign of swarming, says the ('undilidii 

 Bee Jouriitil. is the backward and forward 

 movement of the bees upon the alighting-board. 



