278 



GLEANINGS IN BKE CULTURE 



May 1 



SHED APIARY IN NEW MEXICO, CLOSE TO PUBLIC HIGHWAY. 



After all one writes about handling bees 

 with smoke, and about the varying dispri- 

 sitions of the different colonies, practical 

 experience is the best teacher; but if I have 

 suggested something that will cause some 

 thought in connection with this experience 

 I shall be satisfied. 



THE SMOKEK AND THE FUEL. 



After having had considerable experience 

 with the different sizes of smokers we have 

 unanimously decided to buy nothing but 

 the four-inch size. At several of our yards 

 we have some smaller smokers; but as long 

 as there are large ones around, the smaller 

 ones are never lighted. These larger smok- 

 ers burn longer, and it is not so much work 

 to prepare fuel for them, as almost any thing 

 will burn in them when once a fire Is start- 

 ed. Then when in working order, one has 

 at his command either a large or small vol- 

 ume of smoke as may be necessary. 



Fig. 1 shows our method of lighting the 

 smoker at outyards where a match has to be 

 resorted to. For kindling, very rotten hard- 

 maple wood is procured, although several 

 other kinds do very well. This rotten wood 

 lights very readily with a match; then when 

 it is well under way, some of the same ma- 

 terial, not quite so rotten, is added. Final- 

 ly, after all is quite hot, and a good volume 

 of smoke issecured, someof the regular hard 

 wood is put in. An inexperienced person 

 will almost invariably stop puffing the 

 smoker too soon, before the fire is well start- 

 ed; consequently, about the time he gets a 

 hive open and is in need of smoke, none is 

 available. Take time to puff the smoker 

 until it is well agoing and the fire is very 

 hot, Fig. 2, then there will be no trouble 

 about the smoker going out until the fuel is 

 all gone. 



Remus, Mich, 



A SHED APIARY IN NEW MEXICO. 



Why are the Queens of Natural Swarms Killed? 



BY B. B. FOUCH. 



I am sending a picture of a part of my 

 apiary, where 1 had more than ;>00 colonies 

 last fall. This apiary is right close to the 

 county road, as shown. There are two 

 sheds side by side, with two rows of hives 

 under each. I can go between the rows 

 with a wheelbarrow or cart and take eight 

 supers at a time. I run for both extracted 

 and comb honey. During the last three 

 years I have lost a good many queens be- 

 cause the hives are so close together. 



There is a question that I should like to 

 ask: During the last three summers nearly 

 all of my queens with natural swarms have 

 been killed; for the instant that I shake the 

 bees into a box or hive, the queen is balled. 

 1 cage the queens as soon as possible, but 

 sometimes they have one or two legs para- 

 lyzed from stings, and eight or nine out of 

 ten are killed outright. What is the cau>e 

 of this? 



Chamberino, N. M. 



[This is very unusual. If any one has 

 had a similar experience, or can offer a sat- 

 isfactory explanation we should be glad to 

 hear from him. — Ed.] 



ADVERTISING HONEY IN LOCAL PAPERS. 



BY A. E. BBRGQUIST. 



When I first started, some eight years 

 ago, I knew very little about bee-keeping; 

 but after I had bought the first colony I bt- 

 gan to study books, and subscribed for bee 

 papers, and gained experience every year. 



