812 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1/ 



put on at a time of scarcity when bees would 

 rob. Chai^on Fowls. 



Oberlin, O., Oct. 22. 



WINTERING SUCCESSFUI,I,Y UNDER SEALED 

 COVERS. 



I have good success wintering under sealed 

 covers (boards one inch thick) in good chaff 

 hives by placing 10 or 12 inches of buckwheat 

 chaff over them. It should extend three or 

 four inches on each edge of the sealed cover, 

 and be put on before frost. Tell Dr. Miller if 

 he will put his bottom starters on sections in a 

 curve he will have less trouble by their falling 

 over. W. C. Simons. 



Arlington, Pa. 



p»^5®g|JpiSS5i 



J. R., Cal. — Without knowing more of the 

 conditions it would be impossible for me to tell 

 just why your bees leave the hive at this time 

 of the year — October. If they have honey, 

 brood, and eggs, the circumstance is very un- 

 usual. It might be well to investigate and see 

 whether mice or other vermin have access to 

 the hive. Sometimes bees will desert the hive 

 because of this. 



D. N. Jv., Ohio. — I omitted telling you how 

 to get rid of the small worms that are on your 

 honey. One way is to burn sulphur in a tight 

 room where the honey is ; and another way is 

 to purchase about a dime's worth of bisulphide 

 of carbon and let it stand in an open vessel, 

 and evaporate ; but some have said the bisul- 

 phide of carbon injures comb honey, and I 

 would therefore advise you to use the sulphur 

 instead. 



A. B. y]/., Bla. — There are very few bee- 

 keepers in the world who keep anywhere near 

 500 or 600 colonies, and perhaps two or three 

 that keep as many as a thousand colonies, and 

 perhaps only one man who keeps over that 

 number. As a general rule, there are very 

 few places indeed where it would pay to keep 

 a thousand colonies, and I doubt very much 

 whether it would pay you in Florida to go 

 over 400 colonies, and then you would do well 

 to proceed cautiously. Increase gradually by 

 establishing out-apiaries one by one. ft is 

 possible you might be able to manage a thou- 

 sand (. >lonies ; but I would advise you to "go 

 slow. ' ' 



F. B.J., Ark. — If you expect to move your 

 bees half a mile some time this fall or winter 

 I would advise you by all means to move 

 them before cold weather comes on — the soon- 

 er the better. If the temperature outside is 

 not over 00° Fahr. it will not be necessary to 

 put wire-cloth screens over the tops of 'the 

 hives, removing the covers. Simply nail wire 

 cloth over the entrances, and load the bees 

 into the wagon. 



In regard to a place for swarms to cluster 



upon next summer, in a yard where there are 

 to be no trees, I would advise you to start 

 some low-growing bushes, something that will 

 grow rapidly, and at the same time will act as 

 shade for the bees. The bees will very often 

 cluster on these rather than go off to the 

 -woods or some tall tree. 



J. L. C, N. }'. — The sample of brood has 

 been examined, and I find it to be a very bad 

 case of foul brood — one of the worst I have 

 ever seen. You are probably familiar with 

 the method of treatment. If not, refer to p. 

 34 of our catalog, last paragraph or two. 



I can hardly think the queen you got of 



could have transmitted the disease. I 



never knew a case yet where a queen from a 

 diseased colony, when sent by mail in a mail- 

 ing-cage, would transmit the disease to the 

 colony receiving her. For experiment we 

 have taken queens out of diseased colonies in 

 our apiary, when we had foul brood some 

 years ago, and introduced said queens into 

 healthy colonies, but never any bad results 

 followed. I should be more inclined to think 

 the foul brood came from the colony you pur- 

 chased in the first place, or else was already 

 present in your vicinity. 



IV. JV. /,., /Iz.— Yours of Oct. 21 is receir- 

 ed, and I have carefully noted all you have 

 said in your letter in reference to the accident 

 to the span of horses by which they were 

 stijng to death by your bees as they were go- 

 ing to and fro to the buckwheat-field. First, 

 I would say that you could probably get no 

 help from either Bee-keepers' Union unless 

 you were a member before the accident took 

 place. If you were one, and have been right 

 along, then of course I would lay the matter 

 before one of the Unions at once - — that is, to 

 whichever one you happen to belong. 



The case involves a good many legal points, 

 and it looks as if, in view of the fact that you 

 had previously warned the boy against driving 

 his horses by at a certain time of day, telling 

 him that there was danger, and he disregarded 

 your instructions, the amount of damages, no 

 doubt, would be very much smaller than it 

 would otherwise be. It is possible that the 

 court would decide that, under these circum- 

 stances, you were not under obligations to pay 

 any damages whatever. In any case, I would 

 advise you to employ as good an attorney as 

 you can find, and get him to advise you in re- 

 gard to legal points. If he decides that the 

 case would probably go against you, then you 

 had better settle without recourse to law. Get 

 an attorney who would be honest with you, 

 and one who is not hungry for a job ; other- 

 wise he may state that there is good fighting 

 ground, and that }ou had better take the case 

 before the courts, when you have actually " no 

 case." In the mean time I would advise you 

 to be careful about making any promises, or 

 stating what you will or will not do. Just 

 state that you do not care to discuss the mat- 

 ter until you can see your attorne}-, and yet 

 I believe you mean to do what is fair and 

 right. Later on I should be glad to hear the 

 result of the case ; and after the thing is all 

 settled, write it up for these columns, telling 

 how it was adjusted. 



