1900 



GIvEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



217 



" About a week later I take a frame having 

 considerable sealed honey in it, and break the 

 sealing to the cells by passing a knife flatwise 

 over it. After spreading the frames apart this 

 frame is placed in the center of the brood-nest. 

 The removal of the honey from this frame 

 causes the bees to generate a greater amount 

 of heat, and feed the queen more abundantly, 

 thus stimulating brood-rearing as much as 

 or more than by any method of feeding." 



" Where do you get such frames of honey?" 



"There are generally plenty of such frames 

 of honey in the hives, near the outside." 



" But suppose there were not." 



" If I did not have the frames of honey I 

 would fill empty combs with sugar syrup and 

 use the same as frames of honey ; but I consid- 

 er the frames of honey preferable. As the 

 honey is removed, the queen fills the cells 

 with eggs, and at the end of another week 

 another frame is added in the same way." 



"What further?" 



" The next time over the brood is reversed, 

 as at first ; while at the end of the fourth 

 week, two frames, instead of one, contaiuing 

 honey, are placed in the center of the brood- 

 nest, leaving one or two frames of brood be- 

 tween them " 



"The hive must be about full of brood by 

 this time? " 



" Yes, if 5'ou are using an eight-frame hive; 

 but it would lack two, if a ten-frame hive. If 

 the ten, a week later, we put the remaining 

 two in the center, if the queen is prolific 

 enough to keep that many filled with brood. 

 It is now about June 6th to 10th ; and as soon 

 as the bees gather more honey than enough to 

 feed the brood, the sections are put on." 



" But what about those shut on their frames 

 of brood by using a dummy? " 



' ' Those are left as they are till the frames we 

 gave them are well filled with brood clean out 

 to the corners, when they are given a frame of 

 honey in the center, and then manipulated as 

 were the others, till they are in the same con- 

 dition." 



" Is there no way of booming these ahead 

 faster by giving them brood from the stronger 

 colonies? " 



" Yes. If I wish as many colonies as possi- 

 ble, I begin to take brood from those having 

 their hives full first, and give to the stronger 

 of the weak colonies, and later to the next 

 stronger, till all are built up to strong colo- 

 nies." 



" Why do you not give frames of brood to 

 the weakest ones first ? That is the way I 

 should do." 



" This is the way I formerly did ; but after 

 losing several frames of brood, and materially 

 weakening the colonies to which it was given, 

 I learned that, to give a frame of brood to a 

 very weak colony of bees, before settled warm 

 weather, was almost sure to result in loss." 



"You said, a minute or two ago, something 

 about wishing as many colonies as possible 

 when you worked as given. Supposing you 

 did not wish many colonies, what then ? " 



" If I wish honey instead of increase, I work 

 all of the weaker colonies till they have four 

 or five frames of brood, according to the num- 



ber of frames my hives hold, when three or 

 four frames of brood, bees and all, are carried 

 to another, and united with it, while the frame 

 having the queen upon it is placed back in 

 the hive again." 



"But won't the bees quarrel when thus 

 united ? " 



"The frames in the hive we wish to unite 

 the four frames of bees and brood with are 

 spread apart, and the four frames placed in 

 each alternate space, as bees thus mixed sel- 

 dom quarrel or harm a queen at this time of 

 year. ' ' 



" What is further done with this united col- 

 ony ? " 



" In two weeks this united colony will be as 

 strong as any in the yard ; and as soon as 

 strong, and honey coming in, the sections are 

 put on, as was spoken of before." 



" What about the hive having the frame 

 with the queen on it?" 



" This little colony can have a frame or two 

 added to it and used as a nucleus for piocuring 

 surplus queens from, or any other purpose de- 

 sired by the apiarist. They can be very prof- 

 itably used for comb-building, for they are al- 

 most sure to build nice straight worker combs. ' ' 



In the above I think Mr. Buckley will find 

 answers to all he wished to know. It not, he 

 knows the way to this place again. 



HONEY FROM HICKORY, OF GOOD QUALITY ; 



IS IT A SECRETION FROM THE LEAVES 



OR FROM INSECTS ? 



Friend Root : — As I have had a little experi- 

 ence with hickory honey-dew I take the liber- 

 ty of answering the query of E. D. Howell, 

 page 88. In the summer of 1889, just about 

 the time basswood was closing, the hickory- 

 trees, especially the second growth, began to 

 produce a flow of honey which lasted ten da5'S 

 or two weeks. Every leaf seemed dripping 

 with it, and it did actually drip off till the dry 

 leaves and grass were coated with it. The 

 bees would work from daybreak until about 9 

 or 10 o'clock with as much vim as when on 

 basswood. At this time it would begin to dry 

 and would get so thick that bees could not 

 gather it. I have seen them stick fast to the 

 leaves when they would alight. About 3 in 

 the afternoon it would begin to soften up and 

 flow again, when the bees would have anoth- 

 er rush till dark. They would drop in front 

 of the hives till the ground would be literally 

 covered with them going in on foot. The 

 whole top surface of the leaves would be a 

 solid mass of honey, and the only thing visible 

 in the shape of "aphides " was that, occasion- 

 ally, on the under side of a leaf I could see a 

 small pale-green insect. Whether they had 

 any agency in the flow or not I could not say; 

 but I don't believe they did, for I have seen 

 them several times since, and no honey. I 



