1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



967 



portion of the tongue, showing how it is at- 

 tached to the mentum. At A we have the 

 same view, but the tongue is distended, ac- 

 cording to Cheshire, by forcing blood into it, 

 so that in a sense the tongue is turned wrong 

 side out for the purpose of cleaning. At K 

 we have the end of the tongue, or what is 

 sometimes called the "spoon." Delicate 

 hairs (they do not seem very delicate in this 

 view) serve to assist the tongue in gathering 

 up its sweetness and enable the liquids, by 

 means of capillary attraction, to be drawn 

 upward into the cen ral groove and side 

 ducts already spoken of . We have then four 

 channels for the conveyance of nectar through 

 the proboscis ; viz , C, D, E, Fig. 2, when large 

 amounts of nectar are to be gulped down, and 

 c d and 5 rt' in G for smaller amounts. 



For the information given above I am in- 

 debted to both Cowan and Cheshire, who, it 

 seems, have drawn on others as well as from 

 their own extended studies and investiga- 

 tions. 



BEE-KEEPING FOR FARMERS. 



" Good morning, Mr. Doolittle. I am a far- 

 mer, and I am thinking of adding, to general 

 farming, a few bees next year : so I came to 

 see vou and have a little talk regarding hives 

 for farmers, and something about how to man- 

 age them and the bees. What hive would 

 you think it best to adopt ? I wish to make 

 the hives this winter during leisure hours." 



" I think your name is Lyon ; and if so I 

 would say, in answering your hive question, 

 or in giving my views on the same, that very 

 much depends upon how Mr. Lyon intends to 

 keep his bees, and what time he expects to 

 spend on them. If he intends to hive the 

 swarms onlj' when they issue, and put on the 

 surplus boxes when the white clover com- 

 mences to bloom, paying no other attention to 

 them (which is the way the average farmer 

 cares for bees), then I would say that the box 

 hive, known as the Miner hive, is as good for 

 you as any hive in existence." 



"Why do you single out the Miner hive 

 from all other box hives or log gums of the 

 past? " 



" Because, should you ever wish to sell your 

 bees they will bring from fifty cents to one 

 dollar more per hive than they would in any 

 of the others, on account of the provision Mr. 

 Miner made by way of slats set on edge, so 

 that the bees nearly always, if not quite, 

 build their combs straight and true, so that, 

 when they come into the possession of a prac- 

 tical bee-keeper, they are easily transferred to 

 any of the movable-frame hives." 



" But suppose I wish to work my bees to the 

 very best advantage, and give them all the 

 needed care, then what would you advise ? " 



"If you are willing to give the bees the 



attention which they require, which is far less 

 for each colony that you would give one of your 

 hogs or cows, then I would say that nothing 

 short of a good movable-frame hive will be 

 good enough for you." 



" What frame hive would you advise ? " 



" You have not told me in what part of the 

 country you live, so I will say that much will 

 depend on your locality." 



" Well, without telling you just now regard- 

 ing this matter, what would you advise for the 

 South?" 



" If you live in the South, then what is 

 known as the Langstroth hive is as good as 

 any." 



" But suppose I live north of this latitude, 

 which I think is about 43 degrees, then what?" 



' ' Then I should prefer a hive having a deep- 

 er frame, especially if the bees are to be win- 

 tered out on their summer stands." 



"Why?" 



" For the reason that it is believed that bees 

 can withstand the cold belter where they can 

 cluster as nature prompts, which is in a sphere 

 about a foot in diameter, and they will build 

 up faster in the spring, here at the North, 

 when in a deeper frame than the Langstroth. 

 However, the Langstroth hive is a good hive 

 for all latitudes south of 43°, when properly 

 managed, while some prefer it still further 

 north." 



" Successful wintering would be quite an 

 item, I should think." 



' ' Yes ; the one item of safe wintering, which 

 means strong colonies in the fore part of the 

 season, is the main thing to be looked after 

 where the crop of white honey comes early in 

 the season, as it always does where white clo- 

 ver is the chief source of supply ; and the hive 

 which helps to accomplish this item the most 

 surely and perfectly is the one the farmer, or 

 any other person keeping bees, should look 

 after. Lots of bees in time for the honey har- 

 vest means success to their keeper." 



" You said, ' the hive which helps in secur- 

 ing bees,' etc. What is needed besides the 

 hive ? " 



" Good management is needed, and this is 

 much above the hive. The early management 

 of any hive consists in knowing that the bees 

 have a good queen, plenty of Ftores, and that 

 they are tucked up warm and secure at the top 

 of the hive." 



"But I have heard of bees doing well in 

 hives with holes and cracks in them." 



" Yes, bees will build up, even if the top of 

 the hive has cracks in it ; but if you will stop 

 to think a minute you will see that the heat 

 which passes out at these cracks takes just so 

 much warmth away from the cluster, and 

 causes the bees to burn just so much more 

 fuel, which in this case is honey, to keep up 

 the required heat necessary to raise brood, 

 which many experiments show is from 94 to 

 98°. Therefore it pays well to see that the top 

 of the hive is tight in early spring." 



" Why is it necessary to have plenty of 

 stores, or food, as you spoke about ? If you 

 kept them from starving is not that all that 

 would be required? " 



" Plenty of stores are needed ; for if the bees 



