546 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



bee-keeper too. Why, when you lift the first 

 section out of a super or a shipping-case, you 

 just can't take hold of it in any other way ; 

 and, as a matter of fact, you can't very well 

 handle any of them by the corner, and, what's 

 more to the point, I'm pretty sure you don't. 



Then there's the argument as to the expense 

 of separators. I am glibly told that the fence 

 will cost the least in the long run because the 

 plain separator is thrown away after being 

 used only a year, and the fence lasts for years. 

 Looks all right on the face of it, doesn't it ? 

 Let's see. A fence separator costs more than 

 a plain separator to begin with, and it takes 

 one more than of the plain separators in each 

 super — say ! why in the world has no one yet 

 sprung that argument, that it takes 20 per 

 cent more fences than separators to go with 

 eight-frame hives? You fellows who have 

 been so down on fences have been rather care- 

 less, haven't you ? Well, the first cost of the 

 fence is more, and I don't know any reason 

 why a good plain separator y'g in. thick won't 

 last just as long as a fence ; and unless there's 

 some way of cleaning fences that I don't know 

 a ay thing about, it costs more to clean a fence 

 than a plain separator. According to that the 

 plain separator is the cheaper. 



"Yes," you say, "but I thought you al- 

 ways threw away your plain separators after 

 using them once, and the fence is used year 

 after year." 



"That's all very true, but I don't see that 

 that makes any difference." 



" Why, yes ; it makes a big difference ; for 

 you buy the fence only once, and the plain 

 separator must be bought every year." 



Now look here. What's the use trying to 

 make me mad ? I've heard that sort of thing 

 all I can stand. Those who use plain separa- 

 tors do not throw them away every year, and 

 it doesn't change the thing if they did. A uses 

 plain separators, and cleans them every year. 

 B uses fences, and cleans them yearly. Plain- 

 ly, A has the more economical plan of the 

 two. Now, if I can do better than A by buy- 

 ing instead of cleaning, and x\'s plan beats 

 B's, how under the sun can B's plan beat mine? 



Now, if any of you have any sticking-plas- 

 ter to patch up the bruises on that " bleeding" 

 and that ' ' cheaper ' ' argument, suppose you 

 produce 'em. 



Marengo, 111. 



[This article was written some little time 

 ago, but was mislaid. Possibly by this time 

 the doctor has had experience covering cer- 

 tain points upon which he has doubts. 



I believe the doctor once said he threw away 

 his separators every year. Now, if he buys 

 new ones I can not see but they cost a good 

 deal more than fence separators that would 

 have to be bought only once. 



As to the question of cleaning, I think the 

 doctor has a wrong notion. It is not neces- 

 sary to scrape them all over their entire sur- 

 faces. All that needs to be scraped is the 

 cross-cleats, or that portion of the fence that 

 comes in contact with the section ; and there 

 are certain styles of fences that will have no 

 cross-cleats, but knife-edge projections. These 



can be used year after year without cleaning. 

 Yes, doctor, it does make a difference 

 whether the separator comes to the top of the 

 section or not. I have some sections right be- 

 fore me now, in the crate, just as they came 

 from the hive. In one lot the separators are 

 even with the top of the sections, and in an- 

 other lot they are % inch down. In the last 

 named there is a slight bulging of the combs 

 near the tops of the sections ; and in the for- 

 mer the faces of the combs are even, clear 

 across the sections. When we adopted our 

 fence separator I was decided upon one 

 point — that it should come clear to the top of 

 the section ; for a slight bulging with plain 

 sections would be intolerable. — Ed.] 



ERRATIC BEES. 



BY MRS. L. HARRISON. 



One day four swarms were in the air, flew 

 around, and then returned to their hives, 

 without clustering. Apparently they had not 

 made up their mind what to do. Many other 

 swarms issued, some clustering, others not, 

 and returned to their hives. A few were 

 hived, remaining an hour or so, and returned 

 singly, and not in a body. After all this fuss 

 and feathers we have but a few new colonies. 



DIVIDING SWARMS. 



One day a swarm issued and clustered. 

 While there were yet bees in the air another 

 came out and joined them, making a mass- 

 meeting. They were put into a hive, appar- 

 ently uniting peaceably. They soon came out 

 and filled the portico, and when I looked into 

 the hive it was full of bees. 



I procured another hive, containing empty 

 comb, placed it by the side of the one con- 

 taining the swarm, and dipped the bees from 

 the portico in front of it, driving them in 

 with smoke. When I returned an hour or so 

 later I found my bees had all returned to their 

 first love. 



About sundown I thought I would try 

 again, and if I succeeded in getting the 

 queens the rest would follow. Ii was plain 

 that they had not united, but clustered sep- 

 arately. This time I slipped the cover of a 

 wash-boiler very carefully under the bottom 

 of the cluster, and took down a bunch with a 

 big spoon, and put them before the other 

 hive, driving them with a little smoke. I 

 carefully removed them all. Early next 

 morning I foimd that they had remained, and 

 there were bees in front of the other hive 

 hunting their queen, but they soon joined 

 their comrades. Sometimes I've had swarms 

 unite, and, when Ifived in a large hive, store a 

 large amount of surplus; but oftener they 

 swarm out the next day, and, some returning 

 to their former home, others entering strange 

 hives, causing a disturbance, and a part clus- 

 tering, which was hived, only to have the 

 same performance repeated another day. 



THE SEASON. 

 Plenty of rain and flowers, but bees have 

 barely made a living. There has been a bass- 

 wood in bloom near me since the 26th of 



