922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec 15. 



"Yes," said Mr. Gabfast ; " the bees will all 

 smother with heat." 



" Can't help it, gentlemen ; we must camp 

 right here and now." 



"That seems to be final, Mr. Gabfast, and 

 we must obey orders. Wonderful, isn't it? 

 what an effect a saloon will have upon some 

 people." 



"Yes," said Mr. Gabfast, "and I bet the 

 boss will get back there before we leave camp 

 in the morning. I never saw a man converted 

 so quick from a midnight to a daylight mover 

 of bees." 



And, sure enough, the boss had a ready ex- 

 cuse to get back. The horses needed water- 

 ing again early in the morning. " While your 

 horses are drinking, don't forget yourself." 

 I can not report further, for I did not take one 

 step toward that saloon, and we can only just 

 infer what the boss did. 



Contrary to my expectations, we were favor- 

 ed with a high fog all the forenoon, and we 

 safely deposited the bees on the ranch in Cal- 

 abasas ; and while the boss was calling upon 

 the ladies in the neighborhood, Mr. Gabfast 

 and I stretched ourselves upon a pile of 

 blankets, and took a refreshing nap. As a re- 

 sult we felt in trim to have a nice bee-keepers' 

 convention during the long evening. 



The boss's cosy cabin, a comfortable fire in 

 the cook -stove, Mr. Gabfast tilted back in a 

 chair with his foot on the upper round, and 

 leg crossed ; the boss in a restful position in a 

 rocking-chair, and I in a chair with feet ele- 

 vated upon a box, the dog snoring under the 

 table, all made a free and easy picture found 

 only on a California bee-ranch. 



I told my audience how the bee-keeping in- 

 dustry was to be revolutionized in a very short 

 time ; and as it is a very important revolution 

 I will reserve an account of it for the next 

 ramble. 



WATERING BEES. 

 A Cheap Method of Giving Bees Water. 



BY MORLEY PETTIT. 



The question of water has, until lately, been 

 considered of minor importance. Few apia- 

 ries are situated more than half a mile from 

 water accessible to the bees, and many think 

 this enough. Here we are not satisfied with 

 this, however, for several reasons. In the 

 first place, unless there is water in or very 

 near the apiary the bees lose much time in 

 carrying it. During the honey-flow, when 

 breeding is heaviest, they require most water. 

 It is then that their time is precious, and they 

 must be relieved of extra work as much as 

 possible. Two or three pailfuls will provide 

 a hundred or so colonies with running water 

 throughout the hottest day. This can be 

 brought in spare moments, and will save the 

 bees many trips. In early spring, water plac- 

 ed in a sunny sheltered place in the apiary 

 will be used by the bees on days when the 

 wind is too cold for them to venture far. In 

 this way the brood will get water regularly, 

 and be kept in a healthy condition at a time 



when it needs most care; i. e., in chilly weath- 

 er. If water is not convenient on such days, 

 many bees will be lost in attempting to bring 

 it from a distance, and spring dwindling will 

 be greatly increased. 



Second, bees often get water from impure 

 sources. Barnyards are often more conven- 

 ient, or seem more to their liking, than run- 

 ning streams. Standing water tends to be- 

 come impure as the summer advances. 

 Troughs, boards, stones, reeds, or whatever 

 the bees rest on while drinking, are rendered 

 foul by the droppings of the bees. This filth 

 is carried in solution to the hives, and fed to 

 the brood. This must be injurious, for, since 

 using our present device for watering, we have 

 had much less trouble with dead brood. 



Third, many bees are lost by drowning 

 where no suitable place is provided for them 

 to drink. At any pond or trough where bees 

 come for water a number of unfortunate ones 

 will always be seen floating about in the wa- 

 ter. I have never watched bees along the 

 margin of a lake or river, but I imagine many 

 must be carried away by waves or current. 

 This, of course, is a drain on the strength of 



.SECTION OF PLUG 



the hive when every worker is needed. It is 

 also very annoying to stock coming to the 

 water to drink. 



Fourth, it is the easiest way of giving salt. 

 By long observation we have become convinc- 

 ed that bees desire and require a certain amount 

 of salt. If they do not get it in pure water 

 they will get it elsewhere. Moisture about 

 barnyards, stables, and water-closets attracts 

 them. They seem to prefer such water, which 

 contains salt, to pure water which is fresh. 

 We have always given a teaspoonful in a pail 

 of water ; but this summer my father tried 

 giving more, and found that the bees took the 

 water fully as well with three teaspoonfuls as 

 with one. About a teaspoonful seems to be 

 the amount generally given, however. 



For artificial watering, some use an open 

 dish containing water. Sticks, stones, straw, 

 corncobs, or cloths are placed in the water to 

 prevent bees drowning. Others use a board 

 laid flat on the ground, with small transverse 

 grooves cut in the upper surface, and connect- 

 ed in such a way that water can run from one 

 to the other. A fruit-jar filled with water, 

 and inverted over the center of the board, 

 keeps the grooves filled as long as any water 

 remains in the jar. We used this device for 

 several years, and found it quite successful ; 



