GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1. 



you will notice, somewhat at variance to our 

 experience previovisly reported, the bees thick- 

 ened the bases a trifle, and also thinned the 

 walls near the top edges. No. 6 is comb built 



from drawn foundation, as shown at 4, but it 

 was drawn out when the honey-flow was 

 waning, and the bees had more time to chink 

 in a surplus of wax, just as they do in case of 

 their own natural product, as shown in No. 2. 



It will b? noticed in this connection that 

 there arc times when bees make much heavier 

 walls and bases in their comb-building than at 

 others, and that those times vary according to 

 the strength of the lioney-flow; whether it is 



on in full blast, is waning, or has stopped 

 altogether. Bearing in mind these facts, it is 

 easy to reconcile why Mr. Doolittle should 

 have secured different results from those ob- 

 tained by us. When we placed our deep-cell 

 foundation on the hive, it was during a time 

 when honey was coming in well; and it would 

 seem, therefore, the bees iised, with slight 

 modification, any thing and every thing that 

 had cells into which they could pile their 

 honey, as they had not time to draw out the 



ordinary foundation. In the case of Mr. Doo- 

 little, the honey-flow was weaning, and, as 

 drawn foundation has flat bases, the bees 

 were probably halting between two opinions — 

 on the one side, whether they should utilize 

 cells already drawn out, but which had flat 

 bases that they didn't like, or should stop to 

 draw out the foundation that had natural 

 bases. As they were not able to give them an 

 hexagonal form they did the next best thing, 

 and filled up the corners with wax, as will be 

 seen at 6, and to a less extent in 5. 



The result of all of this goes to show that 

 we were honest in reporting what we saw, and 

 Mr. Doolittle was equally honest in reporting 

 exactly what he observed. It is evident, then, 

 that, even in deep-cell (or drawn) foundation, 

 flat bases do not always suit the bees, and 

 that there are times when they will try to 

 remodel those bases by sticking in more wax, 

 and thus making a more perceptible midrib. 



Mr. Weed, who has made all of these plaster 

 casts, and has given me all of my pointers, 

 assures us that he can make drawn (or deep- 

 cell) foundation, if you please, with natural 

 bases. His first idea was, in fact, to make 

 such bases; but his experiments last sunmier 

 led him to believe that flat bases, when deep 

 walls were used, were just as good as natural. 

 But Mr. Doolittle's letter caused us to stop 

 and scratch our heads, and go all over our 

 experiments again more carefully ; and the 

 result is that Mr. Weed has about come to the 

 conclusion that natural bases are better, even 

 in the case of deep-cell foundation, and he 

 now proposes to remodel his bases ; and this, 

 I have no doubt, he will do successfully. 



I am willing to acknowledge that, in one 

 respect at least, drawn foundation is not what 

 we at first hoped it would be, but in only one 

 respect, and this in relation to the matter of 

 the bases ; but if that is the only trouble we 

 can easil}' remedy it. 



But there is one thing we can not do, and 

 that is to prevent the bees from building their 

 all-worker combs heavier at some seasons of 

 the year than at others. A few weeks from 

 now we hope to show you samples of drawn 

 foundation having natural bases instead of 

 flat, said bases being just as thin as the bees 

 make them. Probably the walls will be a 

 little thicker near the bottom of the cells than 

 at the top. But that makes no difference, 

 because the bees like the job, seemingly, of 

 thinning down the walls, for we know they 

 almost invariably do so. 



THE CONVENTION AT BUFFALO. 



By using my wheel I have managed to get 

 home just before the last form goes to press, 

 and find I have but little space left to tell a 

 long story. I can only say here that this ses- 

 sion has been, if not the best, one of the best 

 ever held by American bee-keepers. How 

 could it have been othervvise? We had all 

 the great lights, besides some who have never 

 been with us before, or not for many years. 

 J. F. Mclntyre came all the way from Califor- 

 nia, as did Mr. B. S. K. Bennett, editor of the 

 Pacific Bec-kecper. Capt. Hetherington was 

 present with two of his brothers. Poppleton, 

 of Florida, was on hand, and others. — a. i. r. 



