1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



723 



ed, will build excellent cells. I believe this 

 is a combination of Mr. Doolittle's and Mr. 

 Alley's plans. J. W. Beauchamp. 



Hatfield, Mo., July 9. 



LOOSESTRIFE AS A HONEY-PI.ANT. 



Find inclosed a honey-plant which please 

 identify. It is just now closing the blossom- 

 ing season of about two months' duration. 

 Bees work on it freely all day, and in great 

 numbers. The specimen I send you was cut 

 in two twice, but shows the whole plant. It 

 grows in bunches, or four or five together, and 

 is usually found on low or marshy land, but 

 sometimes on upland. M. F. Tatmun. 



Rossville, Kan., July 25. 



[Answer by Prof. Selby.j 



The plant is a species of loosestrife — Lyth- 

 ruin atatum, Pursh. This is of interest to 

 botanists, especially because of its dichoga- 

 mous forms. Some have short stamens and 

 long style, others long stamens and short 

 style. This is generally recognized as a de- 

 vice for securing cross-fertilization, and, in a 

 secondary sense, doubtless serves as a form of 

 inviting the work of insects. I am unable to 

 say any thing as to its character as a honey- 

 plant. A. D. Selby, 



Wooster, O. Botanist. 



ENTRANCE THROUGH THE SUPER. 



In Stray Straws I see where a French bee- 

 keeper closes the regular entrance and gives 

 the bees entrance through the super. Mr. 

 Root, that is all right. I have been doing 

 that more or less for the past ten years with 

 good success. It must be done at the right 

 time, and the entrance closed at the right 

 time. At no time have I left the entrance of 

 the super open over 12 days. D. C. Buck. 



Lawton, Mich., July 13. 



THE STINGING BUG. 



I often received the above bug, the one sent 

 as referred to above, when in Michigan, from 

 almost every Eastern State. It was common 

 in Michigan. It hides in the yellow fall flow- 

 ers, grasps the bees by means of its strong 

 nipper-like forward legs, and sucks them 

 bloodless by use of its strong beak. It is a 

 considerable enemy of the bee, but also does 

 much good in killing noxious insects. I 

 doubt if it kills enough bees to work any 

 noticeable injury to the bee-keeper. The 

 scientific name is Phymata erosa, and it is 

 fully described, with excellent illustrations, 

 in mv " Bee-keepers' Guide," p. 419. 



Claremont, Cal., Aug. 22. A. J. Cook. 



RUNNING BEES BY BOOKS. 



Bee-keepers tell me that I run my bees too 

 much by the books ; but my crop is over 60 

 lbs per colony, spring count, and theirs are 

 from 25 down to nothing. L,. L. Travis. 



West Nicholson, Pa., Sept. 4. 



[The proof of the pudding is in the eating. 

 —Ed.] 



G. B., N. Y. — Bees are not likely to swarm 

 from the hive without the queen, and I think 

 you may assume that the queen is with the 

 bees. If you can give them a frame of un- 

 sealed larvae or brood from one of the mother 

 colonies you can soon ascertain whether there 

 is a queen in the hive. If some cells are 

 built she must be present. If you can get any 

 thing else we would not advise you to use can- 

 dy for winter feed. It is early enough now so 

 that you can feed sugar syrup. For particu- 

 lars in regard to feeding, see "Feeding," in 

 the A B C of Bee Culture. 



O. L. H., N. Y.— The sample of brood you 

 send is a little suspicious ; and although it 

 does not seem to have as much ropiness as it 

 ought to have for foul brood, and also seems to 

 lack the peculiar odor, yet it may be the real 

 disease just the same. If you have only one 

 colony I would take no chances. It often 

 happens that we have brood die and exhibit 

 exactly the same symptoms as shown in the 

 sample sent, and that is what we call " pickled 

 brood ; " but it is so near like the other that 

 it is almost impossible to distinguish it. The 

 real difference is that one spreads throughout 

 the apiary, and is contagious, and the other is 

 not contagious ; but where there is any doubt, 

 as there certainly is in this case, I would treat 

 it just the same as if it were foul brood. 



J. R. S., Ohio. — 1. Yes, a colony will win- 

 ter safely in almost any locality in the shallow 

 Danz. frames, single story. Indeed, colonies 

 winter well in frames much shallower, like 

 the Heddon, for instance. 2. We usually 

 figure on having at least two-thirds of the 

 frames in the brood-nest filled or partly filled 

 with honey. For outdoor wintering, bees 

 require more stores than those for indoors. 

 For the former we figure on about 20 or 25 

 pounds ; for the latter, 10 or 15. 3. We would 

 not advise you to use a candy cake or candy 

 of any sort for wintering, when combs of sugar 

 syrup or honey of good quality can be had 

 instead. Candy is used only in the winter, 

 when such combs can not be obtained. If 

 there is any doubt of there being a sufficient 

 number of these combs, one colony should be 

 fed liberally ; and as soon as the combs are 

 sealed they should be set aside to be used 

 later when or wherever they may be required. 



S.J. F., Iowa. — It is a rather difficult mat- 

 ter to judge an exhibit by points. Various 

 judges use various scales ; but in general you 

 can scale something after this fashion : Call 

 100 perfection. Out of this allow, in case of 

 comb honey, 25 per cent for good filling ; 25 

 per cent for color ; 25 per cent for the style of 

 section ; 25 per cent for the shipping- case, car- 

 ton, or package. In the case of extracted 

 honey a similar scale may be followed, allow- 

 ing, say, 25 per cent for color, 25 per cent for 

 style of package, 25 per cent for general dis- 

 play, and 25 per cent for label or other adorn- 



