140 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



ing up nuclei ? Would not feeding be neces- 

 sary from start to finish? B. F. Jones. 

 Idaho Falls, Ida., Jan. 24. 



[Given a good strong colony, a supply of 

 ten or twenty hives complete, nailed up and 

 painted, each hive filled with frames of foun- 

 dation, full sheets (not half sheets), one can, 

 with care and a knowledge of the business, 

 secure a large increase in a single season — pos- 

 sibly thirty from one. If I could have frames 

 filled with empty combs, or combs with a little 

 honey in, I should prefer them to mere sheets 

 of foundation. My method of procedure to 

 get the largest increase would be this : 



As soon as there comes settled warm weath- 

 .er I would divide my colony up into four two- 

 frame nuclei. To each I would introduce an 

 untested Italian queen at the time of making 

 the division; contract the entrances down to 

 .each hive, so that one or two bees could pass 

 at a time. I would then feed a little every 

 day. If I could just as well I would use cush- 

 ions on top of the frames, and on each side, 

 putting the nucleus in the center of the hive, 

 as it is very important to keep the little cluster 

 of bees warm. 



When the queen fills the frame or frames 

 with eggs, and there are bees enough to cover, 

 I would put in another frame on the outside. 

 As the weather warms up it might be advisable 

 to put in still another frame, putting this one 

 in the center of the cluster, in the mean time 

 keeping up gentle feeding daily. A very good 

 feeder for this purpose is the Boardtnan. This 

 can be slipped into the entrance, and by screw- 

 ing the can tightly or loosely into the cap the 

 flow of feed can be regulated for the daily 

 needs. 



I would make the syrup by mixing together 

 sugar and water in equal proportions by mea- 

 sure. Stir thoroughly, and then pour into 

 feeder-cans. 



As soon as the nuclei have two or three 

 frames of sealed brood, larvae, and eggs, take 

 out one or more frames from each, and form 

 another. This plan can be continued till one 

 has 15 and possibly 20 little colonies; and if 

 one has experience he might continue the di- 

 vision till he has 25 or 30; but he should stop 

 dividing within at least 60 days before the set- 

 ting-in of cold frosty nights. 



If one can not afford to buy queens he will 

 have to raise them and then the increase will 

 be cut down more than a half, probably. 



While an expert may possibly in one season 

 be able to produce 30 colonies from one, the 

 average beginner, probably, would not be able 

 to produce more than 8 or 10. In 1892 I my- 

 self, without any special effort, reared all the 

 queens, and increased an apiary from 10 colo- 

 nies, some of which were almost nuclei, to 

 some 85 good colonies that went into winter 

 quarters. They had no empty combs, but 

 they were given full sheets of foundation. 

 They were not fed, but were made to depend 

 entirely on natural sources for their supply. 

 Had I fed after the honey season, and given 

 empty combs, I might have made double the 

 increase. But let me tell you, it is one thing 

 to get an increase of 30 from one colony, and 



it is another thing to get a proportionate in- 

 crease from 10 colonies. To get so large an 

 increas- as 30 from one stock, one must have 

 a long season, supply laying queens as fast as 

 needed, feed a little every day, allow no rob- 

 bing to get started, and, above all, queens must 

 be good. It may be there is a bee-keeper liv- 

 ing that is smart enough to make an increase 

 of 30 colonies from one in one season by rais- 

 ing his own queens. If there is one who has 

 accomplished the feat, let him hold up his 

 hand and tell how he did. 



There is much being said about expansion 

 nowadays ; perhaps it might be well to devote 

 a little space to the subject of expansion of 

 one colony. — Ed.] 



THE PETTIT IDEA \ IMPORTANCE OE A BEE- 

 SPACE OUTSIDE OF THE OUTSIDE ROW OF 

 SECTIONS. 



I had intended to write you for Gleanings 

 in regard to sections and prices, but the ground 

 has already been covered. I will merely say 

 that my experience in securing 2000 lbs. of 

 comb honey from 30 colonies this season con- 

 vinces me that I want a bee-space on the out- 

 side of the outside row 7 of sections, with pas- 

 sages through the separator. 



O. E. Nichols. 



Cincinnatus, N. Y., Jan. 30. 



a correction; mountain grouse. 



I am reported as having an apiary in the 

 Yellowstone Valley, near Billings, and that I 

 had taken 200 lbs. of honey from one hive. 

 The truth is, I have never handled bees ; but 

 I shall be a bee-keeper some day. I think the 

 Yellowstone Valley a good place for an apiary. 

 I am glad you enjoyed your trip through the 

 park, and hope you will come again. Those 

 " pretty chickens " you ran across on your 

 trip were mountain grouse— too bad you did 

 not have a gun. Carl Vollmer. 



Effingham, 111., Jan. 1. 



[Thank you, friend V., for setting me right. 

 My inlormant said he felt pretty sure you were 

 the man. Since we are mistaken, can't some 

 other Montana bee-keeper tell us who it was, 

 or give us a report from the Montana alfalfa 

 regions? — A. I. R.] 



THE DARKY BOY IN THE APIARY. 



Say, Ernest, my eleven -year-old girl is in- 

 terested in the discussion of white or black 

 clothing angering bees, and wants to know 

 how the darky boy would figure in the apiary. 



Alsea, Oregon, Dec. 30. F. A. Bates. 



[That's a question I can't answer ; but the 

 average colored boy will hold his own in any 

 apiary. — Ed.] 



SWEET CLOVER FOR ALKALI SOILS. 



We have nothing so valuable here as sweet 

 clover to enrich alkali lands. Wherever it has 

 grown for two or more years it has left a rich 

 spot. I will sow it on all my alkali land this 

 spring that I can get water on, as it needs irri- 

 gation here the same as alfalfa. 



Gazelle, Cal., Jan. 30. A. A. Brown. 



