648 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1. 



a little thing as that. But we kept backslid- 

 ing more and more, until we actually back- 

 slid over to the Methodist Church (you 

 know we are Congregationalists). The peo- 

 ple were all very kind, and called us brother 

 and sister Griggs, and told me that their 

 doors were wide open, even if I did carry 

 eggs in my pocket. Then one of the sisters 

 told ni)' My-nervy that Judge Grabbe's wife 

 had said she hoped the poultry-raisers would 

 stay away from their church. 



" I thought about this matter all the way 

 home, and finally said I to My-nervy, ' If 

 Judge Grabbe's wife thinks that way she is a 

 greater backslider than we are, and it is our 

 duty to return to the pew next to her, and set 

 her an example of charity.' She acted as 

 frigid as Greenland's icy mountains ; but after 

 I had taken her a few sections of honey, and 

 apologized for taking rotten eggs to church in 

 my pocket she has been one of our best 

 friends. I shall remember the occurrence to 

 my dying day. It is a disagreeable subject 

 for me to talk about. Now you have heard it 

 I want you to come out to the shop and I will 

 show you my improved bee-feeder." 



" I think, Mr. Griggs, that your bee fever 

 must be lasting if you have got to inventing 

 things." 



"This is my automatic feeder. This box 

 will hold about ten pounds. Under it is a 

 shallow box having the usual divisions to keep 

 the bees from drowning. You will observe 

 that the support for this shallow box is a little 

 off the center. The outlet from the upper 

 box is in the bottom of the left end, and pro- 

 jects well to the bottom of the shallow box. In 

 the bottom of the latter is a cork that fits the 

 orifice from the upper box. Now fill the large 



box; the feed spurts through into the lower box 

 until it is full ; then the right end becom- 

 ing heavier, the cork at the left end is thrown 

 up against the inlet, and the liquid is cut off 

 until the bees empty the lower box ; then it 

 fills again, and so it continues until the feed 

 is all used up. It works so nicely that I have 

 a notion to get it patented. My-nervy don't 

 exactly agree with me. She has figured up 

 how many dozen eggs it will take, and it 

 worries her. Now, what do you think about it ?" 

 " I have no doubt you can get a patent upon 

 it, for it is quite an ingenious idea ; but for all 

 that I think your wife has a sensible view of 

 the matter. Before you spend much money 

 upon a patent it is well to look over the field 



and figure into the probable number that will 

 be sold. In the case of bee-feeders you may 

 have the best that was ever made; but they are 

 limited in their use, and there are so many 

 that are simple in construction that a bee- 

 keeper will not spend much money for an 

 elaborate feeder. Your chance for selling 

 even enough to get your money back would 

 be small. Put your money into poultry or 

 bees, Mr. Griggs ; they will pay you better 

 than patents on bee-leeders. But I must be 

 going, Mr. Griggs. I have had a very pleas- 

 ant visit with you. I wish you success ; and 

 whatever you do, remember not to take rotten 

 eggs with you to church. Any thing rotten is 

 out of place in church." 



.j.'.V i: * .^' -.*•' 



ANSWERS TO .. / 



SEASONABLE 



QUESTIONS 



I. <vg> d& 4& af& <g, %^ »»^^»J 



HOW MANY BEES FOR WINTERING. 



Question. — You have given in Gleanings 

 and the other bee-papers y our plan of making 

 nuclei and colonies of bees by shaking bees 

 into the nucleus box. Now, what I wish you 

 to tell us through Gleanings is, how many 

 pounds of bees would you put into such a box, 

 giving a queen, and the next day when hiv- 

 ing from the box giving frames of honey, to 

 make a full colony to winter over ? 



Anszver. — It is calculated, I believe, that 

 there are about 5000 bees in a pound, where 

 they are taken from the frames without 

 filling themselves with honey; more than 

 they naturally are when not disturbed. Then 

 it is calculated that 20,000 bees make a good 

 strong colony three weeks before swarming. 

 But at swarming time there may be double 

 this number, or more, so that where we work 

 for comb honey on the non -swarming plan we 

 usually calculate on from 40,000 to 50,000 

 bees as making a good strong colony for 

 working in sections to the best advantage. 

 But my opinion is that more colonies go into 

 winter quarters, which are called strong, with 

 from 12,000 to 15,000 bees, than there are that 

 contain a larger number. Then I always 

 cause the bees to fill themselves with honey 

 before putting them into the nucleus-box; 

 and from considerable experience, by way of 

 experimenting, I am quite certain that the 

 pound of bees taken from the combs in the 

 way they should be to have 5000 in a pound 

 would weigh fully two pounds when filled 

 with honey the way I cause them to fill them- 

 selves. Hence, if we call 12,000 to 15,000 

 bees the right number for a colony good 

 enough to winter the most successfully, we 

 shall want those in our nucleus-box to weigh 

 from five to six pounds, which is about the 

 number of pounds I take when forming a col- 

 ony for winter, from several others. 



Unless your bees breed late in the fall I 

 would not take more than two pounds from 

 any one colony, for fear I might make them 

 too weak for wintering to the best advantage. 



