NOVEMBER 1, 1916 



1039 



A New Insecticide. 



When I was able to obtain bisulphide of 

 carbon at reasonable price ($1.00 a gallon) 

 I used it freely, altho there were some ob- 

 jectionable features connected with its use. 

 When prices went soaring I went back to 

 using sulphur, which is effective and quite 

 inexpensive. We are now informed by the 

 Department in Washington that this new 

 insecticide, para-dichlorobenzene, is a com- 

 pound deadly to insects, harmless to human 

 beings, and has no pronounced odor which 

 clings to fabrics like other insecticides. It 

 is not very expensive. It may be bought in 

 barrel lots at 15 cents a pound. Its use is 

 very simple. It need not be sprinkled about 

 in corners, etc., but just placed on top of the 

 articles to be fumigated in an open can or 

 other vessel. Para-dichlorobenzene is a col- 

 orless crystalline substance which evapo- 

 rates quickly when exposed. 



The new bulletin. No. 167, tells more about 

 it, and may be had for five cents. The bee- 

 keeping fraternity ought to make use of this 

 new insecticide for the purpose of killing 

 the wax moth and larvES. 



Naples, N. Y. F. Greiner. 



English Sparrows Catch Bees. 



I have a swarm which a friend of mine in 

 Ft. Smith, Ark., caught late in the summer. 

 It has had rather hard luck in the last 

 few weeks. The hive was in an open space 

 on the lawn in the Union Station grounds. 

 When the bees would come out on the alight- 

 ing-board English sparrows would swoop 

 down in droves and pick them off. In the 

 ABC and X Y Z reference is made to bee- 

 martins and butcher-birds catching bees, 

 and I wondered if any one else had found 

 that English sparrows do this. The colony 

 was so depleted that only about a pint of 

 bees were left. R. G. Lowry. 



Pittsburg, Kan. 



[We have had one or two reports of Eng- 

 lish sparrows catching bees, but did not 

 think the trouble serious. It would seem 

 from your experience that at times they 

 can be considered as an enemy of the 

 honeybee. — Ed.] 



Use Honey from the Same Hive. 



On .Tuly 6 I transferred a colony from an 

 old-style hive to a standard hive; and in 

 making the change I lost the queen. I kept 

 a sharp lookout for her, but failed to see her. 



I filled four frames about half full with 

 sealed brood-comb, and put half-sheets of 

 foundation in the rest, and placed the new 

 hive on the old stand. The V)ees did not all 

 go inside the hive until the third day. On 

 the sixth day I opened the hive, and, on 

 lifting out the first frame, discovered the 

 hive was queenless. 



I ordered a queen right away, and on the 

 evening of the eighth day it arrived. I in- 

 troduced it on the ninth by the "honey 

 method ' ' described by Mr. Baldwin, and I 

 must confess I was not on "easy street." 



On examination the next day I found her 

 on the very first comb, all cleaned up, and 

 a half larger than when introduced the day 

 before. On the third day, when I took a 

 peep in the hive I found her laying. 



I would advise those trying the honey 

 method to use honey from the same queen- 

 less hive so the queen will have the scent of 

 the colony. I used lots of honey, smearing 

 her all over, and pouring some after her as 

 she tumbled down between the frames. 



East Butler, Pa. W. E. Riser. 



The Daily Gain of a Hive on Scales. 



The following is the daily gain of an 

 average colony on scales. The weights were 

 taken at night, about sundown. It is only 

 the net gain for the day. The evaporation 

 of the night before is not accounted for. 

 The scales were not touched except at night. 

 Of course in taking off supers the scales had 

 to be changed. The first day of the record is 

 May 24. It includes perhaps two to four 

 days' gain — so small an amount I did not 

 record it. The colony did not swarm. I 

 have had a colony on scales many years, but 

 this is exceptional in the heavy flow. 



The first white-clover gain recorded May 

 24, 4 lbs. The following are the gains on 

 consecutive days: 6, 5, 9, 5, 10, 13, 3, 6, 8, 7, 

 12, 10, 9, 7, 6, 3, 4, 9, 9, 7, 3, 12, 23, 0, 10, 16, 

 9, 8, 5, 13, 26, 16, 8, 8, 2, 16, 14, 10, 7, 4, 6, 4, 

 8, 16, 5, 2, 4, 1, 2. There probably were two 

 or more days not accounted for. In rainy 

 weather there was no gain. Several times it 

 rained in the night, and was very wet until 

 about noon. But the bees would make up in 

 the afternoon all the night loss, and 5 or 6 

 lbs. net gain. The total gain was about 410 

 lbs. The honey is exceptionally fine — ^very 

 white and clear, of heavy body. 



The very heaviest gains were recorded 

 after an empty super of extracting-combs 

 was given. If the combs were given Mon- 

 day, Wednesday would be the heavy day. 

 The colony drew about four supers from 

 foundation. The rest were empty combs. 



Marceline, Mo. Irving E. Long. 



Honey in the Bread. 



I saw something in a recent issue of 

 Gleanings where a man who does his own 

 cooking says he puts honey in his bread. 

 Well, he has not got the "start" of me; for 

 when I want the bread to be unusually good 

 I take the trouble to put some honey in it; 

 and when people praise my bread and say, 

 "How good it is," I say, "I put honey in 

 it this time." Beekeeper. 



Paste to Stick Labels to Tin or Glass. 

 The following formula will do it: 

 Half an ounce silicate of soda: one ounce 

 corn starch; one and one-half pints of water. 

 Add the starch and silicate of soda to the 

 water, and stir until uniform; then place 

 the dish in another vessel of water and heat 

 until the starch is gelatinized. 



Bridgewater, Vt. W. C. Raymond. 



