298 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



April 15. 



G. M. Doolittle among the number, have re- 

 ported heavy loss when bees were deeply 

 buried a long time. [But the reports for the 

 past few years seem to indicate that, as a gen- 

 eral rule, snow over the entrances does very 

 little harm ; in fact, it seems to be an advan- 

 tage. In Doolittle's locality the snow might 

 be so' very deep around the hives as to be 

 too much of a good thing. — Ed.] 



Dzierzon thinks the queen does not decide 

 the sex of an egg after she thrusts her abdo- 

 men in the cell, as by that time he thinks the 

 egg has passed the point where it is fertilized. 

 He inclines to the belief that the sex is decid- 

 ed at the time the queen puts her head in the 

 cell. [We can speculate a good deal on the 

 precise time when the queen decides to lay a 

 worker or a drone egg ; but we shall never be 

 able to prove it, methinks. Even if Dr. Dzier- 

 zon were right, I do not see how he could 

 prove the theory. — Ed.] 



A new kink that of Chas. Dadant, p. 258, 

 that queens drop eggs as they ripen, and so 

 lay as many in a small hive as a large one. 

 May keep right on for a little while when 

 changed from a full colony to a nucleus, but 

 won't they slack up in a day or so? But I 

 don't see that that makes any difference, and 

 I don't see that that overworking and dying 

 theory counts for any thing. Unless I'm en- 

 tirely mistaken, the rule is that all queens in 

 strong colonies are superseded, and that super- 

 sedure usually takes place toward the close of 

 harvest, when it causes no loss, so it's just as 

 well if a queen doesn't last more than a 3 ear. 



J. H. Martin suggests coffin-handles for 

 hives, p. 256. Don't you know, Bro. Martin, 

 those things are not strong enough for use 

 generally, but only for show? I've taken 

 your advice, refusing "that pugnose affair," 

 and have ordered a hundred hives with sub- 

 stantial cleats clear across. But say, Rambler, 

 what makes you keep harping on handholes 

 that really advanced bee-keepers are finding 

 out are not sufficient ? [Handholes are all 

 right ; and the handbole in connection with 

 the so-called " pugnose affair" is better than 

 cleats alone. Didn't we so decide, doctor, 

 when we were in your apiary last fall, talking 

 about this same matter? — Ed.] 



You MISSED the first part of my question 

 about that Michigan law, Mr. Editor, p. 254. 

 On the face of it, the law can easily be inter- 

 preted that the governor shall not make any 

 appointment until the bee-keepers recommend 

 him to make an appointment, and then he 

 maj- appoint a man of his own selection that 

 the bee-keepers don't want. Very likely the 

 intention was that the governor should appoint 

 an inspector, and that the appointee must be 

 a man recommended by the bee - keepers. 

 "Why not say so? [While the law might have 

 been worded a little belter technically, I 

 hardly think the governor would make a 

 choice that would not be in entire harmony 

 with the wishes of the bee-keepers. If such 

 a law were in force, and the bee-keepers as a 

 body were to make a request for the appoint- 

 ment of a certain person, the governor would 

 be, on political grounds if nothing more, 



very glad to appoint that very person. If the 

 bill could be changed without interfering with 

 its passage, by all means change it. But if 

 there is the le?st chance that the effort to 

 change wnu'd hinder or block its passage, 

 then 1 would leave it as it is. As to section 3, 

 part of the inspector's duties are enumerated 

 in section 2. — Ed ] 



If Apis dorsata is "incapable of being 

 hived," and yet thrives and multiplies to such 

 an extent as to use a large part of the nectar 

 that should, go into our hives, can't you " see 

 even then that they can do any harm " ? But 

 I've no fear of their living " in this locality." 

 [If Apis dorsata were very numerous in their 

 own habitat, there might be grounds to h ar 

 that, when they once get into this country, 

 they might run out other bees as the English 

 sparrows have been said to run out some of 

 our song birds. The facts are. that Apis dor- 

 sata do not interfere with other East India 

 bees in India any more than bumble-bees in- 

 terfere with Apis mellifica in this country. 

 The climate of the United States, even in 

 Florida, would be too severe for the bees at 

 times, if domiciled in the open air. One 

 frost, I imagine, would kill them. — Ed.] 



'-- fc.Jb ,& ti\ ~_fo-jfo-:jiRr-M- fo-M-Jtfc .£t-dtiZ 





g/XOM OUft NEIGHBORS FIELDS. 



" Don't talk to me," says surly Drone, 

 " About your ' April showers ; ' 

 This sleet and drip give me the grip, 

 And that my temper sours." 



ib 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



I am glad Mr. York reads the Inland Print- 

 er. No wonder his paper looks well. That's 

 where you'll see my effusions, Bro. York. 

 \h 



Prof. Cook lays stress on the importance of 

 having empty combs on hand to secure a good 

 crop when it does come. He predicts a big 

 crop in 1900. 



v»/ 



Mr. York discusses the question as to when 

 a discussion should be cut off. When it ceases 

 to discuss would be a good place to draw the 

 line ; that is, when no more juice can be 

 squeezed out of the lemon, throw it away. 

 \h 



As to the number of people making hives, I 

 believe it was five times larger fourteen years 

 ago than now. We used to describe the cata- 

 logs of such, and I know the supply was con- 

 stant. In one issue I wrote up about sixty. 

 Yb 



" Afterthought," in the issue for Mar. .'!0, is 

 the distinctive feature. In one item the writer 

 is severe regarding a proposed trial of how 

 much a man can eat in a certain time. It is 

 claimed that a certain man can eat a pound 

 and a half of honey in a minute and a half. 

 Isn't that a perversion of one's powers? 



