230 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



heat of four colonies within, packed on the 

 quad system. They had just three inches 

 of packing on the fronts, and entrances 

 half size. The weather was generally cold 

 and bright. The bees did not fly freely, as 

 they were weak, and needed the heat to fa- 

 cilitate breeding. The plan had worked well 

 other years. The material used for packing 

 was planer shavings. There was just one 

 thickness of burlap between the bees and 

 the shavings. There was no snow around 

 the cases, and no bottom packing, and the 

 cases stood on 3x5 scantling, with entrances 

 at least ten inches from the ground. 



With the packing that I now use, I shall 

 be obliged to choose between the risk of 

 unpacking too early and the evils following, 

 and leaving them too long with another set 

 of evils just as bad or worse. 



The queens were bought from some of the 

 best breeders in the South, and not all from 

 one man. They were all introduced by the 

 Miller smoke method. In the same yard 

 were a few blacks, and also a few Carnio- 

 lans, and the swarming was equally bad all 

 round (except in the single hives). 



The other yards with the old queens, and 

 under the same treatment, were quiet, as 



there were only about half a dozen swarms 

 in each yard. They contained 70 colonies 

 each, all packed on the four-colony plan, in 

 the same manner, with the same depth of 

 packing. 



The present winter I have four yards 

 packed in the same way; but as the bees 

 went into winter quarters strong I will see 

 that they are unpacked early, and take no 

 chances on a repetition of last season's 

 performance at Oiono. 



To those who are advocating gi-eater 

 depth of packing than that used at present 

 I would call attention to the fact that the 

 case is now about four feet sqiaare, which 

 size is just about the limit for one man to 

 handle with ease, even when made out of 

 light material. Clapboard siding costs here 

 $25 per 1000 feet, and inch stuff $40. I have 

 both, and up to now see no advantage in 

 the heavier stuff, but, on the contrary, a 

 number of disadvantages. All that is need- 

 ed is something to hold the packing, keep 

 it dry, and last a generation or two ; and 

 I think we have it in the siding. A com- 

 mercial beekeeper must consider expense of 

 material and labor as well as some other 

 things. 



Orono, Ont., Can. 



A MALIHINI IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 



BY LESLIE BURR 



Just when and by whom bees were first 

 brought to the Hawaiian Islands I have as 

 yet been unable to ascertain. It is reason- 

 able to suppose, however, that the first bees 

 were brought by some of the numerous 

 missionaries that came to the islands fol- 

 lowing their discovery by Captain Cook. 

 Most of the plants and 

 animals common on 

 the mainland, but un- 

 known here, were first 

 brought by the mis- 

 sionaries. 



In ascertaining who 

 was the first person to 

 practice apiculture on 

 the island of Oahu, at 

 least, I have been more 

 successful, for that 

 particular person is 

 still very much in evi- 

 dence. That he Avas 

 the first real beekeep- 

 er is not necessary to 

 prove, as he admits it. 

 I refer to Thomas 

 Rewcastle, who resides 

 on Kinau Street, Hon- 



olulu. I discovered Mr. Rewcastle in much 

 the same way that I discovered my Japan- 

 ese friend L. Tamagawa, out on Diamond 

 Head. It happened this way: Honolulu is 

 a city containing many streets that have 

 varied and picturesque names (perhaps 

 atrocious would be the better word), such 



Kinau Street, on which Thomas Rewcastle lives. 



