GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



121 



on the inner surface of the foundation; and the 

 cells on that side being drawn out while the 

 cells on the other side were left untouched, 

 made the starter swing over to one side. 



If the starter had been fastened to the bottom, 

 of course it could not have swung over. Nowa- 

 days I put in a bottom starter, and the two 

 starters will be fastened together before there's 

 any chance for the swinging, so that proves a 

 sure cure. If Doolittle would use bottom start- 

 ers I suspect he would gain by it. He says he 

 has so far overcome the trouble that "hardly 

 one section of honey out of 300 is defective 

 along this line." I think that with me not one 

 in 3000 if indeed one in 30,000 is defective " along 

 this line." I don't mean I never have any de- 

 fective sections. Sometimes the plate of the 

 fastener is carelessly used when too cold, and 

 one end of the foundation drops, or the whole 

 starter falls to the bottom; but the chief diffi- 

 culty that I formerly had was in the starters 

 being swung over against the separators, and 

 since using bottom starters that difficulty has 

 disappeared. 



It's only fair to say that I sometimes have 

 trouble with bottom starters. It is natural 

 that they should tend to fall over, and too often 

 they obey the natural tendency. I think friend 

 Doolittle is right in saying drawn-out comb 

 would be a help; but even then I think I would 

 use bottom starters. It makes a pretty sure 

 thing of having all solidly built to the bottom. 

 But for the bottom starters I'd be willing to pay 

 a big price for foundation with cells well drawn 

 so it could stand up alone. 



Now say, Doolittle, I'm willing* to own up 

 that, where hives are not level, there may be 

 more trouble than I supposed, although that 

 didn't cause the trouble at all in my case ; and 

 if you'll admit that, in my case, the trouble was 

 the poor seasons why, we'llcshakeohands and 

 be friends again. But, mind you, this does not 

 count the first chance I get to fight you about 

 something else.; 



A FEW WORDS TO MB. DANZENBAKEB. 



aOn page 891 you mention a Strawjwhich ques- 

 tions whether '"bees have to stop to gather and 

 chink in propolis before commencing to store 

 honey in the supers." You urge the importance 

 of warmth, at some length. But, my dear sir, 

 that is not the question at issue at all. I said 

 nothing as to whether it was a good or bad 

 thing to have the supers warm. The question 

 was whether the bees stop to chink in propolis 

 before commencing to store. If your argument 

 has any thing to do with the case, it is that, be- 

 cause it is better to have the supers warm, 

 therefore the bees make them warm before 

 storing in them. But bees don't always do just 

 what we think best, and, moreover, it seems to 

 me it would be very poor reasoning on their 

 part if they should decide to wait until cracks 

 were filled before commencing to store, whereas 



they might be storing and gluing at the same 

 time. 



Now, friend D., if you want us to believe that 

 the bees hold back from storing till the cracks 

 are filled, please give us some proof other than 

 that it would be a good thing for them. Give 

 us at least one proof that not only ought they to 

 do it, but that they do do it. In the mean time 

 I'll go a little further than I did, and give a dis- 

 tinct proof that in at least one case bees did 7iot 

 wait to calk before beginning to store. Last 

 summer, colony No. 2 began storing in a super 

 of exlracting-combs when there was over their 

 heads a crack 12 in. by X in., and they filled the 

 super without filling the crack. Now you cite 

 a case where they did the gluing before begin- 

 ning the storing. 



Marengo, III. 



[Neither Mr. Doolittle nor Dr. Miller has seen 

 the other's article, so in the first round they 

 neither "lock horns" nor "hit between the 

 eyes," exactly. What they would do in the 

 ne.Tt round if given a chance, I can't say ; but 

 so far they have very clearly set forth each oth- 

 er's position so that but little more needs to be 

 said. Some will follow the Manum plan and 

 others the two-starter plan.— Ed. J 



f- — 'ANSWERS TO C 



SCASOMBLEdtflESTIi 



BY G.M.Doolittle.Borooino.NY' 



HOW TO SECUBE WOBKEB COMB. 



Question.— As I have quite a quantity of 

 combs which are only partly built to fill the 

 frames, which I wish the bees to complete next 

 summer, having as little drone comb in them 

 as possible, I wish you would explain a little 

 further in regard to how you work for the 

 building of worker comb, as given on page 

 891 of Gleanings for 1896. You say there, 

 " And by taking them (the combs) out in such a 

 way as to keep the bees desiring only worker 

 brood," etc. What I wish is to understand just 

 how this is done. 



Answer.— When any colony is so weak that 

 it has no desire to swarm (during or preceding 

 the swarming season or honey-flow), such a 

 colony will invariably build worker comb (so 

 that worker brood may be reared till the colony 

 comes into a prosperous condition), providing 

 they do not have sufficient comb already built. 

 Taking advantage of this fact I use all colonies 

 which are too weak to store honey to advantage, 

 at the beginning of the honey-flow, treating 

 them thus: Their combs are generally all 

 taken from them; but sometimes I leave one 

 comb partially filled with brood, and always 

 one of honey, giving the combs of brood to 

 ether colonies so that they will be still stronger 

 for the honey-harvest. I now put in one, two, 

 and sometimes three frames with starters in 

 them, or frames which are partly filled with 



