1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



399 



EMPTY COMBS ABOVE OR UNDER THE HIVE ; 

 IMPORTANCE OF FEEDING. 



If I am not mistaken, Dr. Miller and others, 

 including the editor, recommend putting a 

 hive containing empty combs under the hive 

 containing the bees, to prevent swarming. 

 My limited experience is directly opposite. 

 When my bees get the upper story filled with 

 brood and honey, they are apt to swarm, 

 regardless of room below, either with empty 

 combs or empty frames. I always work on 

 the tiering-up plan of two or more stories ; 

 and as long as I can keep the queen at work 

 in the lower story with empty comb above for 

 the bees to store honey in, I am not troubled 

 with swarms. 



During the past dry year, bee-keepers who 

 did not teed lost heavily. I lost all that I did 

 not feed ; and in order to preserve the combs 

 I tiered them up five stories high. Three of 

 these colonies have swarmed this month, with 

 three stories of empty combs below, and the 

 two upper filled with brood and honey. My 

 bees always winter in the top stories ; and 

 even during the extracting season I can keep 

 the queens below only by using the zinc 

 queen-excluders. I use nine frames to each 

 story, of about the standard L. capacity, being 

 a little shorter and deeper. My best queens 

 will keep two stories well filled with brood 

 during the best of the season, and keep about 

 three combs full in winter. Delos Wood. 



Santa Barbara, Cal., April 24. 



[I think you must have misunderstood me, 

 friend W. I did not intend to recommend 

 putting empty combs under, for that has nev- 

 er been my practice, although I may have par- 

 tially agreed with the doctor that such a plan 

 might be better at times. — Ed.] 



DARK HONEY FOR POPCORN CRISPS ; BEE- 

 KEEPING IN HONOLULU ; OVERSTOCKING. 



Your idea is good to dispose of our dark 

 honey by having it worked up into popcorn 

 crisps, caramels, etc., and I wish you would 

 publish the recipes in your paper, especially 

 for popcorn crisps. 



Last year's honey crop was small here, ow- 

 ing mainly to the Japanese, who have gone 

 into the bee business, and they seem not to 

 have Lhe least idea that it can be overdone by 

 having too many colonies in one place. They 

 form companies, and have at one place as 

 many as 900 hives. Here where I am are over 

 2000 colonies within a radius of less than 

 three miles My last year's average per hive 

 was only 50 lbs., while the year before it was 

 150. 



Our surplus honey we get from algeroba- 

 trees, not indigenous to these islands. They 

 are only as yet growing to any extent on the 

 Honolulu side of the island. C. F. Wolfe. 



Honolulu, S. I., March 9. 



[Our honey recipes are all very fully given 

 in our honey-leaflet. 



My, oh my ! it appears you have overstock- 

 ing to a greater extent than we have anywhere 

 in this country. Can not something be done 

 to educate those Japanese in regard to the fol- 

 ly of overstocking?— Ed.] 



THOSE SUPER SPRINGS — A SUGGESTION. 



Your wire spring in super is one of the best 

 improvements you have given us in a good 

 while, and I hope you will excuse me for sug- 

 gesting that you can greatly improve it by 

 making the springs % in. wide, and of a thick- 

 ness sufficient to give the necessary pressure. 

 It would not wabble at all, as the round wire 

 wants to, and one would not have to be so pre- 

 cise in driving it, and it would fit better on 

 the cleats. J. E. Williams. 



Sparks, Ga., Feb. 23. 



[The first springs we made were flat ; but 

 we found they were going to be considerably 

 more expensive to make, both because the la- 

 bor of making and the material would cost 

 more. Then, too, propolis will make more 

 trouble with such a spring than the wire 

 springs we use. — Ed.] 



BLEACHING TRAVEL-STAINED COMB HONEY ; 

 ONE WAY OF DOING IT. 



In Gleanings, April 15, you wished to 

 know if any one else had a plan for bleaching 

 travel-stained honey. I have bleached it by 

 setting it in a window in the sun — not too 

 close to the window, or it will melt the comb. 

 It is a rather slow job unless you have a large 

 window; but it will bleach it nice and white. 



W. J. Austin. 



Chittenango, N. Y., April 24. 



HOW TO MANAGE A HORSE AMONG CROSS 

 BEES. 



I notice in Gleanings, that a man lost a 

 horse by the bees stinging it to death. This 

 may be old to some who work their horses 

 near the bees; but if they bother, put a large 

 blanket over the horse's head, and then you 

 can lead it away in safety. 



John S. Ludden. 



Cranesville, N. Y., March 23. 



HOW TO REPAIR A PUNCTURED SINGLE-TUBE 

 TIRE. 



Thread a large darning-needle with rubber 

 thread ; inflate somewhat ; back your thread- 

 ed needle into the cement-tube, then butt the 

 end into the puncture deep ; pull out the nee- 

 dle slowly, often leaving four strands cement- 

 ed together ; cut smooth, and use at once if 

 desired. It can hardly be detected, and al- 

 most never fails to make a permanent mend. 



San Saba, Texas. B. R. RUSSELL. 



[I have tried a modification of the plan you 

 describe, and it certainly does work very suc- 

 cessfully ; but if one follows exactly your di- 

 rections he will not succeed, I am afraid. The 

 method of repair that I have practiced is this : 

 I break off the end of a da.rning-needle in such 

 a way as to leave quite a long slot in its end. 

 Over this slot I string half a dozen or a dozen 

 small rubber bands ; then draw the bands, all 

 of them, up so they are stretched to two or 

 three times their length. When they are thus 

 drawn I dip the needle-heads, bands, and all, 

 into some rubber cement ; then force the head 

 with the bands into the puncture of the tire 



