GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



size over night, it seemed. I noted the date 

 and closed the hive. 



When I opened the hive again, five of the 

 queen-cells were enveloped in comb until 

 they were as large as walnuts and spherical 

 in shape. You could not see the queen-cells 

 at all, and no one could have guessed they 

 were there. The sixth cell was the center 

 of a beautiful piece of drone comb filling 

 the whole space to the bottom-bar. 



In looking thru the hive I found three 

 queen-cells built up from their brood. In 

 disgust 1 removed my carefully prepared 

 queen-cell frame and proceeded to investi- 

 gate my balls of comb. There was a nicely 

 developed queen in three of them. The 

 others, for some reason, had not developed. 

 It may be that I injured the larvae in graft- 

 ing. The foundation above was drawn out, 

 and filled with honey. 



Yesterday I gave this colony ten cells on 

 the same frame, and now they can raise no 

 queen-cells from their own brood. This 

 morning they have seven as fine queen-cells 

 as I ever saw, the larvag growing finely. I 

 wonder what they will do this time. I hope 

 they will make no more walnuts with queens 

 as kernels. H. B. Arbuckle. 



Maxwelton, W. Va. 



What is a Strong Colony? 



Some of my colonies had ten full frames 

 of brood, and I felt quite proud of them. 

 I examined a lot last week owned by a 

 neighbor, and one queen had thirty-five 

 frames of brood! I want to know what big 

 beemen call strong colonies. 



St. Albans, Vt. A Beginner. 



[Any queen that would keep ten combs 

 full of brood should be called a good queen, 

 and her colony would certainly be a strong 

 colony. Those who use twelve-frame hives 

 expect a queen to keep at least twelve combs 

 of brood. Occasionally there is a report 

 from a beekeeper who expects his queens 

 during the early part of the honey-flow to 

 have two ten-frame brood-chambers pretty 

 well filled with brood. A good deal depends 

 upon the size of the colony, number of nurse 

 bees, strain of bees, age of queen, etc. A 

 queen that had thirty-five full-size combs 

 full of brood would certainly be some queen. 

 —Ed.] 



Honey to Moisten Gummed Labels. 



Dr. Miller 's recommendation to have the 

 label long enough to reach around the pail 

 and lap over would be excellent if there 

 were no other way to make a short label 

 stick. One drawback to the doctor's meth- 

 od is this: A label that would fit a five- 

 pound pail would be worthless for a sixty- 

 pound can or for one-pound glass jars. 



I use a gummed label, the dimensions of 

 which are about 3 by 4 inches, and I use it 

 on any size of package. It is true, the gum 

 alone is virtually worthless so far as secur- 

 ing any adherence to the tin is concerned. 

 But by using a stiff brush to smear a thin 



coat of warm honey over the gum, the label 

 will stick, not only till the cows come home, 

 but until these same bovines become super- 

 annuated. The philosophy underlying the 

 phenomenon is that with any paste or gum 

 with which I am familiar the power of ad- 

 hesion decreases as the temperature goes 

 down; it does not require a very low tem- 

 perature to cause the label to curl up and 

 fall off. But with the honey the colder it 

 gets the tighter it sticks, and it adheres 

 about as well in a high temperature as the 

 gum commonly used. 



I have never tried the use of honey on an 

 uugummed label. It is but little more trou- 

 ble to anoint the gum with honey than to 

 moisten it with water, and it does obviate 

 the everlasting necessity of resticking labels. 



Has any one tried to compound a paste 

 with honey as one of the ingredients? 



Kansas City, Mo. D. D. Downing. 



[Honey with ordinary flour or starch paste 

 makes a mixture that moulds easily. Used 

 with the prepared pastes it is very satis- 

 factory. — Ed.] 



Wings Not There to Clip. 



Tell Dr. Miller that if he had understood 

 me properly, page 521, July 1, I am sure 

 he would not have any reason for not being 

 "on speaking terms with me." I did not 

 compare him to a queen. I have never 

 accused him of being regal. If he were a 

 queen I am sure it would not be necessary to 

 clip his wings, for he has none; and if I 

 were at the clipping business with him, and 

 wanted to keep him from getting away, I 

 would, in spite of all the plea he has made, 

 never stop at cliiaping off one leg. I would 

 take both, and then I have no doubt the 

 bees would have the good sense to supersede 

 him in a very short time. See Stray Straws, 

 July 1. E. F. Holtermann. 



Brantford, Ont., Can. 



More Super Room Needed. 



Will I be liable to need an extra super on 

 hand to care for a new swarm of bees from 

 either an old colony that put out a new 

 swarm of bees Jun-o 30, 1916, or from the 

 new swarm of Jtune 30, 1916? If so, how 

 many new hives am I liable to need for 

 said bees during this season? 



O. S. Bancroft. 



Bradford, N. Y., July 5. 



[The first swarm will not be likely to cast 

 another swarm this season; but the old col- 

 ony, unless watched, may send out a second, 

 third, or even a fourth swarm. The first 

 swarm may need an extra story of room for 

 the storage of surplus, and the old colony 

 also may need extra room if the second and 

 third swarms may be kept back, which is 

 usually done by destroying the queen-cells. 



From your statement you had better have 

 two extra supers, one for each colony. We 

 would advise full sheets of foundation for 

 either extracted or for comb honey. — Ed.] 



