30 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



beside, the Italians will be found scattered 

 on both sides of the Italian hive. I think 

 this indicates clearly that young- bees es- 

 pecially often get into the wrong hive; and 

 where they come in with a load of honey or 

 pollen I think they are seldom if ever trou- 

 bled. I have noticed this a great many times. 

 Many thanks for straightening me up 

 about the State fish-hatchery. If any of 

 our readers ever go near that part of Mich- 

 igan I think it will pay them well to make 

 the hatchery a visit at Paris, Mecosta Co., 

 Michigan. — A. I. R.] 



ARE MIDWINTER FLIGHTS OF CKLLAKD BEES 

 NECESSARY? ETC. 



Will you inform me if bees can be safely 

 kept in the cellar all winter without being 

 allowed to take flight? or would they need 

 to be moved outdoors on some warm day so 

 that they might evacuate? I have only a 

 few hives of bees, and they are of the sum- 

 mer build, single board. The3' have from 

 20 to 30 lbs. of honey to the colony. I have 

 ,1 cellar with a furnace in one part, which 

 makes it quite warm — perhaps on an aver- 

 age about 50°. What would you advise? 



One other question I should like to ask — 

 Does it make a difference where the bee- 

 vard is situated, about bees going to work 

 in the morning? M3' bees have been on the 

 west side of the house, where thej' did not 

 get the morning sun, and it seemed to me 

 that they went out very late in the morn- 

 ing. A. R. Harrington. 



Grand Rapids, Mich. 



[We consider midwinter flights, when 

 the weather will permit, quite an advan- 

 tage. In our own locality, bees will get 

 very uneasy and restless; and if they can 

 be given a flight on some warm day they 

 will quiet down and winter much better. 

 There are others who differ with us in the 

 matter.— Ed.] 



A valuable kink in wiring. 

 Any one can get the wires in the frames, 

 foundation in the top-bars, and wires in 

 the foundation, but the two briers are, 

 first, the "cost of the foundation," and, 

 last, " that buckling." We can reduce the 



T^ 



first objection by using light foundation; 

 but that means "more buckling." This 

 brings us down to the wiring-. Wires were 

 first run vertically; later years, horizontal- 

 ly. Still there is frequent buckling. With 

 horizontal wires drawn moderately tight, I 

 give you a key that I wish some one had 

 given me years ago, and that is, io bow your 

 wires — upwardly, of course — the top wire 

 the least and the bottom wire the most, us- 



ing a spur wire-imbedder. With this mode 

 of wiring I get entirely satisfactorj' combs, 

 using light brood foundation, and better 

 service with the spur wire-imbedder than 

 when using heavier foundation. These, my 

 later experiences, are with seven-inch 

 frames and two wires to a frame. When 

 wiring frames you will, to be sure, have 

 the good sense to keep the bottom wire a 

 sufficient distance from the bottom-bar, for 

 the day maj' come when you would want to 

 cut and use queen-cells from this point, 

 where, as you know, thej' most abound. 

 A. B. Anthony. 

 Sterling, 111., Oct. 19. 



[Your way of wiring, or rather of putting 

 wires into the foundation bowed up, will, I 

 feel sure, prevent buckling. W^e have been 

 in the habit of securing largely the same 

 results by drawing the wires loosely. 

 There is danger of using foundation too 

 light and having too few wires in that the 

 cells will elongate too much, resulting in the 

 rearing of drone brood. — Ed.] 



NEW ORLEANS MOLASSES AS A WINTER 

 FOOD. 



I shall have to feed a few colonies of my 

 bees. Will it do to feed good home-made 

 syrup partlj' granulated? If so, will I 

 have to put in any water? If so, about how 

 much per gallon? Bees can flj' some near- 

 ly every week. J. S. Patton. 



Havana, Ala. 



[When you speak of home-made syrup I 

 suppose you mean what we call up here 

 New Orleans molasses This would do very 

 well as a winter food in a climate like 

 yours; and to feed, reduce down with warm 

 water so that the syrup will stand about 

 ten pounds to the gallon. — Ed.] 



DR. MILLER AND THE CLIPPED-QUEEN 

 QUESTION. 



1 notice in Stray Straws 3'our footnote in 

 answer to Dr. C C. Miller in regard to 

 swarms having a clipped queen. I have 

 had some experience myself with clipped 

 queens. In September, 1902, I clipped all 

 of my queens. The following spring, four 

 out of seven swarmed. In front of each of 

 three hives I found a ball of bees with the 

 queen; and a short distance away from the 

 fourth hive the whole swarm was on the 

 ground. 



Living on a town lot I am compelled, 

 through lack of room, to keep my hives on a 

 stand about 8 in. high. This, perhaps, 

 keeps the queen from crawling back into 

 the hive, which she likelj' would do if the 

 hive stood on the ground. I do not know 

 whether bees act difterentl}' in other States 

 or not; but I do know, Mr. Editor, that, ac- 

 cording to }'0ur footnote and my small 

 amount of experience, Ohio and Pennsyl- 

 vania are nearly alike. 



Sewickley, Pa. W. W. Brockunier. 



[Dr. Miller is requested to read the forie- 

 going.— Ed.] 



