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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mar, 1 



There has been much discussion about the sour 

 smell around the hives in the fall, and somebody 

 said it came from goldenrod. There is but very 

 little goldenrod in this locality, the fall flow being 

 almost entirely from aster; yet the sour smell was 

 very strong in and around my yard. 

 Louisville, Ky., Dec. 16, J, B, Chrisleb, 



[It has been reported that certain fall sources of 

 honey would give off a sour odor. We have never 

 noticed any thing of that kind in our locality. We 

 are not so sure but asters have been mentioned in 

 this connection. Perhaps some of our readers can 

 throw some more light on this subject, — Ed,] 



Some of the Alexander Plans Not Suitable for Av- 

 erage Localities. 



Will you please answer the following questions? 



1. Would It pay to run a few colonies for extract- 

 ed honey, and extract it often, and feed it during 

 the honey-flow to colonies run for comb honey, so 

 as to get a greater svirplus of comb honey as Alex- 

 ander advocates? 



2 Which feeder for brood-rearing do you con- 

 sider best for spring use— the Alexander or the Doo- 

 little? 



3. What is your opinion about extracting the 

 honey from the hives in spring to make room for 

 brood-rearing, and then feeding a little warm syrup 

 daily as Alexander did? Would they not rear 

 brood as fast froni their capped honey in the hive 

 if given some water and kept warm? 



4. Will two or more mated queens in the same 

 hive lay eggs during the honey season without mo- 

 lesting each other, as Alexander's experience indi- 

 cates? What is your experience in regard to this? 



5. Do you know why a plurality of queens in a 

 hive tends to prevent swarming? 



6. Would you advise me to rear my own queens? 

 I need about three dozen this spring, and I have 

 never reared any, 



7. Do you know whether extracting the honey 

 from extractine-supers every week will cause the 

 bees to store more honey than if the extracting- 

 supers were tiered up on the hive, and all left to be 

 extracted at the close of the season? 



Swea City, la, Albert Swanson. 



[1. Under some circumstances this may be prac- 

 ticable. Ordinarily we would say, however, that It 

 involves too much expense and trouble; but some- 

 times the seasons are so peculiar, and stop off so 

 suddenly, that it is necessary to feed back extracted 

 honey In order to get a large number of unfinished 

 sections properly tilled for market, 



2. The Alexander and Doolittle are both good 

 feeders for brood-rearing. The Alexander is a lit- 

 tle handier when it Is once applied. The Doolittle 

 feeder, however, is easier to put into the hive, be- 

 cause it involves no change of the hive-stand. If 

 the brood-nest is full of frames, then the Alexander 

 feeder is the belter. 



3. We would not advise it. Alexander lived in a 

 peculiar locality; and what was possible and prac- 

 tical for him to do, very often was not feasible for 

 others under different environments. Bees will 

 not raise brood as fast from capped honey as when 

 fed daily a thin syrup, 



4. Usually it is not practicable to run more than 

 one laying queen in a brood-nest at a time. Some- 

 times during the height of a honey-flow two laying 

 queens will work together side by side; and, under 

 some peculiar conditions, as many as a dozen or 

 more may be so worked; but the average beginner 

 (and we would say most veterans) would have all 

 kinds of trouble in trying to work the scheme. Our 

 experience Is that It Is not practical, as a general 

 plan, for the production of honey. 



5. No, we do not; and you will remember that Mr, 

 Alexander said he could not explain the reason. 

 We would somewhat question whether a plurality 

 of queens would keep down swarming. It may 

 have happened to do so In Mr. Alexander's case for 

 the one season; but for year in and year out it is 

 our opinion that, even if it were practical to work 

 more than two queens to a brood-nest, it would 

 have rather the opposite tendency — namely, to 

 force swarming. A crowded brood-nest (or, rather, 

 a lack of room for brood with a large force of bees) 

 Is one of the conditions for inducing swarming — not 

 checking it. 



6. We would advise e\ery bee-keeper to learn 

 .something of the art of rearing queens. Where one 

 does not require more than two or three dozen In a 

 season it is probably cheaper and better for him to 



buy them in dozen lots. If, however, he requires 

 anywhere from two to three hundred, he would do 

 well to learn the art of queen-rearing and rear the 

 bulk of his own queens. To change or renew stock 

 he should buy some breeders. 



7. We do not believe there would be much differ- 

 ence in the amount of honey stored. The differ- 

 ence, if any, would be in favor of the colony whose 

 combs were constantly extracted; but there would 

 be a greater difference so far as the work is con- 

 cerned, and that difference would be in favor of 

 tiering up and not extracting until the end of the 

 season. The honey would be riper and richer in 

 every way. Where one can afford to have a large 

 number of combs we would advise him to tier up 

 and extract toward the close of the season or after 

 it, as it Is more convenient. — Ed.] 



Black Chickens Stung to Death, and the White 

 Ones Escaped. 



Last spring a stray swarm came into my yard and 

 clustered on a pile of supers. I was away from 

 home at the time and could not attend to them, 

 and they became very cross. We had a hen with a 

 flock of twelve chickens running In the bee-yard. 

 Seven of them were black and five were light. The 

 bees stung every one of the black ones to death; 

 but all of the light ones escaped. W^as it just a 

 "happen so "? I think not. 



I hived the swarm on my return home the next 

 day, and they made nearly 100 lbs. of surplus hon 

 ey, so I was well paid for the chickens they killed, 



J. RlDLKT. 



[The fact has been noted over and over, that bees 

 are more inclined to sting black clothing than 

 light. Numerous reports have shown how bees 

 will sting black dogs and black chickens when they 

 will not attack white ones. As a general thing, 

 bee-keepers when among their bees should wear 

 light-colored clothing; and while we go among our 

 bees with various kinds of hats, wearing light and 

 dark colored suits, yet when one expects to work 

 among bees day in and day out he had better adopt 

 the light or white colored suits and hat, not only 

 because they are less objectionable to the bees, but 

 because they are more comfortable to the wearer. 



As indicative of how bees will sting a black spot 

 on a dog, the following, from Mr. H. C. Driver, will 

 be found to be a case In point. — Ed.] 



Bees Sting a Black Spot on a Dog. 



A few years ago we had a pup that had one black 

 ear and a black spot on the rump — the furthest 

 from the "bark," and part of his tail. Whenever 

 he went near the bees so as to cause them to sting 

 him they would be sure to attack him on these 

 black spots, and, as nearly as I can remember, I do 

 not know of a single instance when they stung 

 him elsewhere, although they may have done so. 

 It seems to me I can see him yet, sliding along, 

 trying to scrape the bees off, and rubbing the one 

 side of his face and black ear over the grass as he 

 came down through the yard. 



Another reason why I think bees are more In- 

 clined to sting dark clothing than light Is this: I 

 very frequently wear a black shirt among the 

 bees; and, to prevent being stung so badly. I wear 

 a white jacket over this. For a while this jacket 

 was ripped near the shoulder, and the bees would 

 sting me furiously here, where the black shirt was 

 exposed, and would line all around the sleeves 

 where they extended out from underneath the 

 jacket, and sting. 



Beech Creek, Pa., Dec. 20. H. C. Driver. 



Feeding Granulated Honey at the Entrance of In- 

 door Colonies. 



I put my bees in very light this fall. The cellar 

 keeps about 42° all the time, and I have been feed- 

 ing them candied honey at the entrance. They 

 seem to be doing very well; but I should like to 

 know if I am doing right. I have 80 colonies, and 

 wish to bring them through if I can. 



Harper's Ferry, la. T. Kernan. 



[You can use granulated honey in the way you 

 describe; but rock candy made of pure granulated 

 sugar would be a better feed, and there will be less 

 waste. The bees will utilize the free honey or liq- 

 uid portion among the granules of granulated hon- 

 ey, and the dry granules themselves will be left un- 

 touched, probably much of it falling on the cellar 

 floor.— Ed.] 



