GLEANINGS IN BEE C U L T I' K E 



HEADS OF GRAINl QFROJ^lir^ FIELDS 



Wiring Last summer during part of the 

 Frames, season I used the "thousand dol- 

 lor trick ' ' in wiring frames, and 

 then I happened upon the figure-14 -method 

 (see page 85, February Gleanings), which 

 pleased me much better. I thought I w;is 

 the originator of the idea. 



I found the best way to tack the brace 

 wire to the top-bar was to hook a double 

 pointed tack around it and then use a pair 

 of wide-mouth pliers for squeezing it into 

 the bar, one point being slanted into the 

 edge of the foundation. The pliers straddle 

 the top-bar, the lower jaw catching the tack. 

 This is an easy, convenient way, besides 

 avoiding the risk of bruising the foundation 

 by pounding. I. W. Cameron. 



Davis, S. D. 



By inserting a cornli coataiii 

 iiig iiKistly drone-cells, or, if 



Two Season- 

 able Hints. 



MO such comb is to be' had, an 

 empty fi;mio with starter only (which in a 

 very short time during fruit bloom will be 

 filled with beautiful (Irone comb with eggs 

 and larvae) in the brood-nest of a colony 

 known by theii' good qualities, yon will 

 stand a good chance of having drones that 

 will improve the stock. If the brood combs 

 in other colonies are all good worker combs, 

 the chances are better still. Then by breed 

 ing queens also from the best stock you will 

 be following the wav of our dear departed 

 Dr. Miller. 



A colony of bees will swarm sooner when 

 there are not enough bees to carry on super 

 work, thus storing more honey around the 

 brood-nest than a strong colony that has 

 most of its brood combs filled with brood, 

 many young bees emerging daily, and work 

 ers busy both in the fields and in the supers. 

 If the colony light in bees had been given 

 empty combs in the supei- instead of founda 

 tion, work would have been carried on in 

 the super, relieving the brood combs of sur 

 plus honey, thus retarding swarming if not 

 preventing it altogether. The folly of try 

 ing to get bees to draw foundation when 

 the colony contains too few bees is very 

 plain to be seen. All such should be given 

 empty combs to store in. A. C. Gilbert. 



East Avon. N. Y. 



Refused $1000 This is the way my chil 

 for 23 Colonies, dren are afraid of bees. 

 They play around the hives 

 as tho there were no bees there. We did not 

 have a natural swarm this year. 



I was offered a check for $1000 for these 

 23 colonies (just as they stand in the pic- 

 ture) and an old two-frame extractor, but I 

 said, "no." The 23 colonies had 74 supers 

 which were 10-frame standard hive-bodies. 

 Well, when fall came I had 4160 pounds of 

 honey, which we sold for 25 cents per pound, 

 amounting to $1040. Last year the same 

 bunch brought us over $1200. 



Scotland, S. D. 0. G. Borton. 



Part of the 23 colonies wliich the owner refused to .■-.ell for $1000. 



