9S 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb 1 



growing. Some instances have been known 

 where they killed the bees by setting out syrup 

 poisoned with Paris green, or some other 

 equally poisonous ingredient; but such a prac- 

 tice is against the law, and any person so poi- 

 soning bees musi take the consequences. 



The space between the bottom edge of the 

 comb and the bottom-bar is usually left by the 

 bees. The only way that I know of to get the 

 bees to fill ihis up is to turn the hive bottom 

 upward, including the whole set of frames, 

 during the honey-flow, for a day or two. Of 

 course, the frames will have to be secured in 

 position during this time. I would not fuss to 

 cut strips of comb to put in this space. 



F. M., Wis. — It is impossible to give a def- 

 inite reason why your bees should swarm, 

 without knowing more of the conditions. An 

 entrance that is too small, or a hive of limited 

 capacity, especially if it stands out in the sun, 

 might induce the extra swarming. Next sum- 

 mer, trv the experiment of raising the hive 

 off the'bottom and putting four blocks under, 

 one at each corner, "s inch thick ; then be 

 sure the bees have plenty of room in the super. 

 When running for extracted honey, give the 

 bees plentv of empty combs. For full partic- 

 ulars in regard to the problem of swarming, 

 see our A B C of Bee Culture, and also page 

 30 of catalog. There are some brief hints in 

 the catalog, especially on page 33. 



J. 31. /?., Wis. — You ask for information as 

 to the utiUty of compressed air produced by 

 wind or water power to run a dynamo, and 

 whether it would be cheaper than an immense 

 lot of water as a motive power. I do not 

 think it would pay you to fuss with either one 

 of these for the purpose named. It will be 

 far cheaper, certainly in the first cost, to pur- 

 chase a little stearn-engine. The coal con- 

 sumption would not begin to cost what the 

 interest would be on the investment for a large 

 tank of water or compressed-air apparatus. 

 What is cheaper to maintain and operate, al- 

 though the first cost is somewhat more, is a 

 gasoline - engine. But small dynamos and 

 small engines, can not compare in efficiency 

 and economy with a large dynamo and engine. 

 A small dynamo, however, will work econom- 

 ically in a shop or mill where there is power 

 for other purposes. In this case the dynamo 

 is usually belted from some line-shaft or coun- 

 tershaft. 



A. S., N. F.— You ask what I think of the 

 Aspinwall super, as shown in the last Review. 

 There are some good things about it, but, like 

 yourself, I could hardly like the tin separators. 

 It would be more expensive, and then it seems 

 to me it does not offer some of the advantages 

 afforded by the fences. Then, too, I do not 

 quite like a super that is made up of 4 pieces 

 held together by means of rods or bolts. 

 Such an arrangement is expensive to start on, 

 and awkward and unwieldy to pack away in a 

 wagon or on shelves when full of sections. 

 If 1 wanted one loose side, I should much 

 prefer, I think, the super illustrated in No- 

 vember 15th GI.EANINGS, that is used by 

 Miles Norton. 



With regard to the bottom -board, the ordi- 



nary run of them are a little short, it is true. 

 When they are used in connection with the 

 hive-stand, illustrated in January 15th GIvKan- 

 INGS, in "Trade Notes," I think the difficulty 

 you refer to is wholly obviated. In fact, the 

 hive-stand in question not only raises the hive 

 up to a convenient working distance, but in 

 effect lengthens out the bot'.om-board. 



With regard to the thumb-screws, we can 

 furnish them with any of our supers ; in fact, 

 we supply them regularly with the Hilton T 

 super. 



If I were to choose a locality for bees I 

 would either select a locality in a farming or 

 fruit country, near one of those beautiful lakes 

 in York State, or I would jump clear over into 

 California or to Colorado, the central portion. 

 Southern California, Eistern Nebraska, South- 

 ern Wisconsin, Central and Eastern New York, 

 in my judgment, offer the best field for bees. 

 I am not sure that you could better 3-our lo- 

 cality. The places that I visited last summer 

 were considerably overstocked, and I don't 

 suppose you would find any of them very suit- 

 able. 



J. W . K., Kan. — Referring to yours of Dec. 

 30, I would say that we had not contemplated 

 changing the directions for introducing queens, 

 that appear on the queen-cage covers. You 

 question the point whether it is wise to have a 

 colony queenless a day or so before the new 

 queen is introduced, and think you secure bet- 

 ter results by removing the old queen, and 

 caging the new one at one and the same oper- 

 ation. This maj' work in a good many in- 

 stances ; but my experience leads me to be- _ 

 lieve that it is better for a colony to feel its 

 own queenlessness; and in order to have a 

 knowledge of this condition, the hive must be 

 queenless for at least 24 hours. On the other 

 hand, if a new queen is given to them at the 

 same time the old one is taken away, they 

 would, in some instances at least, pounce on 

 to the wire cloth, and crowd over it so tightly 

 in their ( fforts to get at the queen, as to be apt 

 to smother her. If, however, they positively 

 knew that they were queenless, their behavior 

 toward the new mother would be much more 

 mild. No, I think the directions as given on 

 the queen-cage cover are about as nearly right 

 as they can be. I originally wrote them my- 

 self, and I now see that all or nearly all of the 

 queen-breeders have adopted them for their 

 own queen-cages, which I regard as evidence 

 that the directions are satisfactory to them. 



You think it would be an improvement if 

 our division-boards were made longer so as to 

 fit snugly, and be bee-tight except at the bot- 

 tom. Tlie best answer I can make is, that if 

 you try it once you will become disgusted with 

 it. I tried it quite thoroughly a few years 

 ago, and I finally was very glad to yaitk them 

 out of all the hives and put in their stead di- 

 vision-boards with a bee-space all around, the 

 same as brood-frames. Mr. Julius Hofi'man, 

 of Hoffman-frame fame, used to tack strips of 

 rubber on the ends of the division-boards, the 

 rubber abutting up against the ends of the 

 hive. This worked very nicely, for the rubber 

 was yielding, and the bees could never make 

 it fast with propolis. 



