ISlt 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



853 



leaf fr >m tlic catalog is from an old one that 

 is not now issued by Ihe party in question. 



/.. 1-1. />'., Mass. — If I understand your 

 question, you desire to know how many acres 

 it would take to support lOHO colonies. It 

 woulil he impossible to give yon any definite 

 answer, because so much would depend u]wn 

 conditions and circumstances ; but the aver- 

 age locality in the North will not sujiport 

 nuich over 100 colonies, and such an ajnary 

 ought to have a range of a ratlins of about 1%, 

 miles. Theoretically, another hundred colo- 

 nies should be in another circle just touching 

 the first one, the second circle being also three 

 miles across, and another circle of the same 

 size just touching the two circles already men- 

 tioned, and so on. You will find this ques- 

 tion fully discussed in our .\ P. C of I5ee Cul- 

 ture .underUieheadin^^ 



fB77'. //. L.. Mich. — \. Is the odorT-t cuai-uir 

 disagreeable to bees? [Not to any appreciable 

 extent.] "2. Would they reject a hive if the 

 bottom-board were painted with coal-tar on 

 both sides an 1 the edges ? L^".] .'3. Would the 

 odor of coal-tar taint honey perceptibly .? [It 

 probably would if the honey were srtored in 

 barrels smeared inside with coal- ar.] 



In our last issue I took so much space that 

 I will take bat very little this time, and give 

 the space to our correspondents. In our next 

 issue I hope to begin again my trip among 

 bee-keepers. 



Gr.HAXiNGS can be very truthfully called 

 an illuslrat d bee-journal. While it makes no 

 pretension of competing witli the illustrated 

 magazines of the day, it simply attempts to 

 show kink> and ideas by means of pictures 

 r.ither than by language, which is very often 

 inadequate. 



It does not seem to be g-nerally understood 

 yet that the new fence (cleated .separator), 

 and plain section (no bee-uay), can be used 

 in old-style T supers and seciion-liolders. the 

 same as the old section, in the case of tlie 

 section-holder the cleats on the fence, togeth- 

 er with the plain section, make exactly 1% 

 inch. The only chan<^e necessary is to pur- 

 chase fences. If you do not see how it will 

 come out, send us 10 cts. and we will s-end you 

 a sample fence with section, which, when you 

 have tried in your super, you will see it will 

 come out ".'-bust the fit," as Rambler says. 

 You will need to tell us in ordering a .sample 

 what style of super it is to be used in — \ T 

 super, or section-holder arrangement. 



an article on the influence of bees on crops, 

 by Albtrt Gale. The writer shows quite con- 

 clusi\ely the import <ni bi^aring that bees have 

 in mingling pollen from plant to plant. To 

 quote him, he says: 



I tliiiik I have pointed out clearly tliat tlicre i.s no 

 ini-ect so liij;lily developed for carrying the impera- 

 tively es.senlial pollen from flower to flower a.s the 

 hive bees. Their intelligence, their energy, I heir so- 

 cial habits, and the ease with which they are kept 

 luider c )ntrol, .stamp them at once as no niean a ly to 



the tiller of the .- 



dLstrici is a confederate that should be welcome 



he practical bee-keeper in any 

 ■ to all. 



The Agricultural Gazette, of New South 

 Wales, for September, IS97, issued by the 

 Dep"t of Agriculture, Sydney, Aus., contains 



It is to be liopi d that the whole series of ar- 

 ticles on this hul)ject. by Mr. G;ile, may be 

 put in pamphlet form for free distribution, as 

 they form a very comprehensive examination 

 of this subject. 



SOMETHfNG NEW UNDER THE SUN. 



Yes, I have fouiul soiuething absolutely new 

 in bee- literature. So novel and original is it 

 that I am going to present a few paragraphs 

 from an article en titled " The Life aiul Battles 

 of Bees," by George E. Walsh, published in 

 the Chautauqitan for September. The writer 

 sets forth in Howing English some of the 

 conflicts the bees have among themselves. 

 "Uniting," he says, "while understood by 

 the modern bee-keeper, is a very difTicult op- 

 eration, and has bet n accomplished only after 

 long experience and many failures ; for the 

 n; tural antipathies of the members of the two 

 flocks are such as to prevent association except 

 under extraordinary conditions." At d then, 

 in speaking of the ordinary Italian bees and 

 the black bees of the woods he gives us this 

 piece of information : " The hostility between 

 the wild bees antl the domesticated colony will 

 not permit them to unite." 



Now listen to this, for he is going to tell us 

 somelhing we never knew before — how it is 

 that bees can recognize robbers Just read : 



At the entrance of every well-filled hive several .sen- 

 tinels will be found lingering, fand upon the appear- 

 ance of a. bee they ch.illenge it. One of the sentinels 

 extends its tongue; and if the new comer belongs to 

 the colony it will answer by proffering a sample of its 

 honey: l;ut if the lee shoiild prove to be an intruder 

 the .sentinels pounce upon it ininiediatelv and .sting it 

 to death. Occ.isionally a stray bee will attempt to ob- 

 tain entrance into a well-filled hive in this way, and it 

 will offer a samj le of the neciar from its hone j-s ic; 

 but the wary .>-entinels are not oten deceived, and the 

 intiuding 1,'ee pays the penally ol its temerity. 



Here again is another sample : 



Inside the hive, brea'-t works and fortifications are 

 con.stnicled, tier upon tier, and thr attacking forces 

 are compelled to pass through holes and narrow cuts. 



The writer now goes on to tell about the 

 condition of queenless colonies. He says, and 

 very truly, thi.t there will be small protuber- 

 ances like peanuts sticking out of the combs ; 

 and if these are ut; molested a queen will 

 hatch. vSo far we all agree with him ; but now 

 lead what he says regarding the philosophy of 

 introducing by the modern candy method ': 



But now a qneen-bee from the South or an imported 

 Italian queen is obtained and introduced in one of the 

 modern eiucen-cages. ^o clo.sely imitated is the ordi- 

 iiaiycell of a queen-l:ee by this cage thit the hive 

 workers arc readily deceived. The cork is removed 

 from the small cage, and the opening smeared over 

 with sugar paste, "when this is carefully inserted in 

 the hive, on top of the frames, over the' clii.ster, the 

 bees will instantly pounce upon it and liberate the 



