GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTQRE 



Heads of Graiiri from Differeet Fields 



THE BACKLOT BUZZER. 



When you find a little cluster of chilled hee.% cling- 

 ing together on the running hoard, tote them into the 

 house and warm, them up, you riotice one or two 

 immediately begin to feed their hungry companions, 

 and you think that's almost human; but when you 

 remember the time you and Beany ran off and went 

 fishing, and you fell in the creek, and got so hungry, 

 and you wanted a piece of Beany's lunch, and he 

 refused you, well, that is human. 



The Choice of Section ; Overstocking a Location 

 with Bees 



Dr. C. C. Miller: — I am a beginner in the bee 

 business, and I expect to produce comb honey. I 

 had 15 colonies last spring, and produced about 1000 

 lbs. of comb and 1500 lbs. of extracted honey. I 

 divided, making 42 colonies. I now have 41 colo- 

 nies. I plan to increase these to 100. I will raise 

 my own queens. I think I can get 10,000 sections 

 of comb honey. It is of a fine quality. I won five 

 prizes at the fair last year. 



What kind of sections would you use ? I used 

 414 X iVi four-beeway sections last year. I reasoned 

 that bees would work better in a four-beeway section 

 than in a two beeway. 



If I do not use the four-beeway I will get the 

 plain section with a slat over the top and use fence 

 separators. I should think they would save a lot of 

 work, as I should not have to scrape propolis from 

 the sections. Have you tried different sections? and 

 do you know in which bees work best? 



Is it true, as Alexander says, that it is almost 

 impossible to overstock a locality ? We have about 

 1000 acres of fireweed for our main honey-flow. It 



blooms from July 1 to about Aug. 20. We have 

 plenty of bloom for brood-rearing after April 10, but 

 we have so much rain that the bees cannot support 

 themselves all the time. I had to feed in June last 

 year when the white clover was in bloom. 



I should like to keep about 400 colonies if my 

 locality will bear that many. 



Elbe, Wash., Feb. 28. Lillian L. Hill. 



[Dr. Miller replies:] 



For my own use I prefer the sections most popu- 

 larly in use, the two-beeway 4% x4% xl%. 



One might reason that four-beeways would be a 

 good deal better than two; but when the matter is 

 referred to the bees they don't endorse the reasoning. 

 Before settling down on the 4 it would be well to 

 give a trial to the 2. Try both kinds side by side. 



Yes, I have tried a lot of different kinds of sec- 

 tions^ — -tried some of them on a large scale, thinking 

 them an improvement — but after trial I have always 

 come back to the old standby as being best on the 

 whole for the bees, easy as any to clean, and secur- 

 ing as large a crop as any. 



I do not believe that Mr. Alexander meant it to 

 be literally understood that it is " almost impossible 

 to overstock a locality." There is not now, there 

 never was, there never will be a locality, that may 

 not be overstocked. It's only a question of how 

 many colonies it will take to overstock it. And 

 that's a very difficult matter to determine. A given 

 number that did finely last season may overstock 

 the same locality another season. With no more 

 than 100 colonies, my locality has been overstocked 

 more than once; but I don't know how many colo- 

 nies it would support in the best j'ears. I'd give a 

 good deal to know. Not one in a thousand has a 

 location like the Alexander yard. If I am correct, 

 he had some 50,000 acres of buckwheat in range, 

 and had 700 colonies or more in one spot. I never 

 heard of any other location like it. In by far the 

 greater number of cases, I suspect that 100 colonies 

 will not do quite so well as a smaller number in one 

 locality, take it one year with another. 



With 1000 acres of fireweed, if you can count on 

 a seven-weeks' flow every year I wouldn't dare say 

 you may not profitably reach 400 colonies. Work 

 toward it a bit carefully, and don't be too much 

 disappointed if you find 200 better. In any case, 

 take my best wishes with you. 



Squash Honey 



Strong colonies here in May gave a superful of 

 section honey from apple bloom and horsechestnut. 

 There has been nothing doing since June came in — 

 cold nights and severe drouth. The bees have given 

 up, as they have expelled their drones. August is 

 our great month here. 



Mr. Coburn, page 433, June 1, mentions the yield 

 from white alder. If you can believe your botany, 

 all alders bloom in the spring, and alder honey could 

 be cla.ssed with hens' teeth. Mr. Coburn doubtless 

 refers to button-bush ; but there is not enough for 

 any such amount. He lives two miles north of me, 

 and our fall honey all comes from squash blossom, 

 which begins Aug. 1, and lasts until frost kills it. 



Until we moved here we had aways kept the 

 apple for our own table, and we eat from 50 to 75 

 lbs. a year, and I have had bees for more than 50 

 years. We have had all the Western honeys, but 

 nothing (for us) touches the squash. It is of a 

 beautiful light color, just a tinge of yellow, and a 

 flavor that appeals to every one. The squash has a 

 highly colored flower with also lots of nectar — often 

 three to five bees in a blossom. If you know any 

 thing about squashes you know the blossom is open 

 only one day ; and if the little squash is not fertilized 



