1072 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



bees. She caught quite a number, and then 

 came up to the hive and took five from the 

 entrance, and hunted for more. This is new 

 to me, but may not be to you. 

 Ephraim, Utah. Andrew Armstrong. 



[Yes, there have been many reports to 

 show that chickens, after they have once ac- 

 quired the habit, will eat bees, both live and 

 dead. But there are only a few, compara- 

 tively, that learn the trick. As a rule we 

 may say that chickens do not give any trou- 

 ble in a bee-yard. —Ed.] 



BUMBLE-BEES ROBBING HONEY-BEES. 



Did you ever hear of the common bumble- 

 bee robbing from bees? My wife one day 

 called my attention to a dead bumble-bee 

 among some drones in front of one of our 

 hives; and while we were discussing the oc- 

 currence another one entered the hive, and 

 was immediately dragged out, but at last suc- 

 ceeded in going in, and we supposed they 

 were robbing. C. L. Snider. 



Avoca, Minn., Sept. 26. 



[Yes, there have been a number of reports 

 of how bumble- bees have had the temerity 

 to push their way into the entrance of a hive 

 of ordinary bees. The result has been either 

 a dead bumble-bee or one so badly scared 

 from the tussle that it concluded discretion 

 was the better part of valor. — Ed.] 



ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS FROM FOUR HIVES. 



I am a paper-hanger by trade, and have 12 

 acres just outside the city limits. I can not 

 give the bees the attention they should have 

 to get the best results. I had only 4 hives 

 this spring, but have increased by natural 

 swarms to 14, and have made about $100 off 

 the bees clear, besides all we use ourselves 

 (about 200 lbs.). I like the Danz. hive be- 

 cause it is easy for an amateur to handle. 

 I winter outdoors, and cover all sides but 

 the south with tar paper, and pack hives in 

 leaves. They seem to do as well as if not 

 better than in the cellar. R. Griffith. 



Kenosha, Wis., Sept. 30. 



[Reports of this kind almost go to show 

 that bees pretty nearly work for nothing 

 and board themselves. It is indeed a fact 

 that a few colonies will often give their 

 owner but very little trouble comparatively, 

 and yet will yield a tremendous dividend on 

 the investment. —Ed.] 



BEES POISONED BY VISITING COTTON SPRAYED 

 TO KILL MEXICAN WEEVIL. 



I see what Sam Alvord writes with regard 

 to poisoning bees from poisoned cotton. I 

 have two out-apiaries, one of 115 colonies. 

 My neighbors poisoned the cotton to kill the 

 Mexican weevil, and I lost half of my bees. 

 The major portion of the bees would stop 

 on the leaves, grass, and trees, and 

 die. Only a few would get to the hives. 

 Many of the bees would die in the open, even 

 before getting to the hives. Cotton is gen- 



erally poisoned in the morning while dew is 

 on it. H. BoOTON. 



Richmond, Texas. 



[Your report does not seem to agree with 

 that of Mr. H. H. Hyde, in this issue; and 

 therefore we may conclude that spraying 

 cotton, in some localities at least, does not do 

 any damage. In yours it certainly was the 

 cause of the loss of the bees. —Ed.] 



RHEUMATISM NOT CURED BY BEE-STINGS. 



As there in so much said in the bee-jour- 

 nals about rheumatism and bee-stings, I will 

 give you my view of it. In the first place, 

 what is rheumatism, and what causes it? I 

 am strongly against any person making a 

 gain out of any advertisement that recom- 

 mends bee-stings to cure rheumatism. This 

 disease is caused by a disordered liver and 

 impure blood, therefore it must be worked 

 out of the system. I think I have been 

 stung as much as any person, but the only 

 way I can keep the rheumatism down is by 

 keeping the liver in working order. 



Gobies, Ont. Thomas Archer. 



[We have had some reports, some show- 

 ing that bee-stings brought about no relief, 

 and others showing apparently that they did 

 effect wonderful cures. A good deal depends 

 on the nature of the disease and the subject; 

 we have two reports in hand now that go to 

 show what the bee-poison has done, and here 

 they are. Besides that, we have a number 

 of others in manuscript that will be given 

 from time to time. —Ed.] 



SCIATIC RHEUMATISM; A REMARKABLE CURE 

 AS A RESULT OF BEE-STINGS. 



I have been trying the bee-sting remedy 

 for the rheumatism. I was taken two years 

 ago this month with a severe attack of sci- 

 atica, and have not been able to lie on my 

 right side since until within the last two 

 weeks. I commenced about two months 

 ago, and have taken only five or six applica- 

 tions of from six to ten stings at a time, 

 but it has always relieved me of pain within 

 half an hour, and no bad results. My last 

 application was the 9th. I have thrown away 

 my cane, and feel more myself than I have 

 for a long time. I have tried to have sever- 

 al try it, but they think the remedy worse 

 than 1 he disease, but I don't. I expect to ap- 

 ply one or two more doses of stings of not 

 less than ten or twelve at a time. It is not 

 very bad when you get used to it. 



Ludlow, Mass., Oct. 17. E. N. Fisher. 



In reply to your request I will say that, 

 from 1893 till the spring of 1900, I suffered 

 a good deal with rheumatism. Since then I 

 have been handling a good many very cross 

 bees, and getting stung many times a year. 

 During these four years I have suffered but 

 very little from rheumatism; and as I have 

 not done any thing else for it I believe that it 

 is bee-stings that have cured me. 



Havana, Cuba. J. S. Patton. 



