1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



183 



but, on the contrary, if my time is worth more than 

 the life ot a bee, the bee is killed, always striving to 

 kill as few as possible consistent with accomplishing 

 what is to be accomplished. We keep bees for the 

 profit there is in them, and that is what they were 

 created for— the benefit of man. Do you object? Let 

 us see: you keep a cow for the profit there is in the 

 milk and butter she affords you to eat or sell; but 

 when she gets old, so as to be of no value for milk 

 or butter, do you keep her for the good she has done? 

 No: you look to the profit again, and fat and kill 

 her, and, as you reason, God should hold you re- 

 sponsible for this act. Why not? Because he has 

 created the cow for the benefit of man, as he 5id the 

 bees; so when a bee's death is more profitable to me 

 than his life, there is no more harm in killing him 

 than there is in killing the cow. 



USING SMOKE IN OPENING HIVES. 



I always blow a little smoke under the quilt as I raise 

 it, and after that use no more unless they show signs 

 of stinging. In this way no time is wasted to have 

 them off from the tops of the frames out of the way. 

 Any colony can be subdued by blowing in a little 

 smoke at the entrance, and closing it, and then rap 

 on the hive a few times. In two or three minutes 

 you can do any thing with them. 



SWABBIING. 



NON-SWARMING HIVES. 



Why not say bees swarm because it is God's plan 

 to keep them from becoming extinct, as much as it 

 is his plan for the birds to return to us each spring, 

 mate, and raise their young? With an apartment 

 that is suited to the bees for all seasons of the year, 

 that is not enlarged or contracted by man, the bees 

 invariably swarm if the season is propitious, and all 

 the combined ideas of man have not as yet been 

 sufficient to produce a non-swarming hive when 

 worked for comb honey, that was reliable. 



DO BEES WORK LESS THE DAY THEY ARE GOING TO 

 SWARM? 



I never could see a bit of difference as to the work 

 of a swarm, and I have watched closely to see, when 

 I knew a swarm had a sealed queeu-cell. 



BEES SWARMING BECAUSE THEY HEAR OTHER HIVES 

 SWARMIMG. 



No mistake, as far as my experience goes. » 



FIRST SWARMS ISSUING TWICE ON THE SAME DAY. 



I never knew but one first swarm to issue the 

 second time on the same day— a returned swarm, I 

 mean. 



REMOVING THE QUEEN WHEN BEES ARE AT WORK 

 IN THE BOXES. 



Both Elwood and Hetherington now take away the 

 queen from their stocks at work in boxes during the 

 basswood bloom, and claim that is the correct way 

 to get box honey with no swarms. I do not yet agree, 

 but may some time. 



EXTRACTING THE HONEY TO PREVENT SWARMING. 



I don't agree; your extracting reduces them, for 

 the time being, to a state of poverty, the same as a 

 dearth of forage; hence, all idea of swarming is 

 given up the same as it is when the flowers yield no 

 honey, on the principle that God has given them 

 knowledge enough to know that they can't prosper 

 outside of the old hive without a yield of honey. 

 TEASEL. 



I have never known it to fail but one year during 

 the past eleven years, the time I have kept bees. 



These road-side teasels are wild teasels, on which I 

 never saw a bee in my life. These have a blue blos- 

 som, while the tame, or Fuller's teasel, have a white. 



TRANSFERRING. 



DRUMMING THE BEES OUT, IN TRANSFERRING. 



Why don't you drum out those bees to start with, 

 and have them out of the way? 

 Because I like the way I have given, best. 



DOOLITTLE'S natural combs, VERSUS THOSE BUILT 

 ON FDN. 



I have 1000 that I would not trade with you even 

 handed at venture, for they are perfection. 



If you had to buy your fdn., I think you would 

 save all the comb you could. 



The drumming is done by getting off the side of 

 the old hive, and getting the nails out of the cross- 

 sticks so no time is wasted. 



UNITING BEES. 



Alternate the frames, and thus mix the bees 

 thoroughly, and they will never fight at any time of 

 the year. 



But tliey do sometimes, friend D., with us, 

 nevertlieless. I wisli you would try uniting 

 Cyprians in that way. 



LOSING QUEENS WHEN UNITING BEES. 



I never lost one in my life. 



WHEN TO UNITE BEES. 



I don't agree. August is the time to unite bees, as 

 I gave in A. B. J., Oct. No. The first part of Sept. 

 would do, where fall flowers are abundant. 



It is far easier to unite bees in the brood form in 

 August than in the bee form in October, for the 

 brood the last of August are the bees of October. 

 VEILS. 



I use the grenadine for the whole veil, and wear 

 one most of the time. 



USING SHEETS OF MICA IN BEE-VEILS. 



The mica does very well In hot weather, but in cool 

 the breath steams it up so it is entirely useless. 

 VENTILATION. 



KEEPING SURPLUS BOXES WARMLY PROTECTED, 

 WHEN THE BEES ARE STORING HONEY. 



You are just "shouting " here, and this is one 

 great secret of success in getting box honey. 

 VINEGAR. 

 Vinegar is also used for cleansing wax. See p. 209. 

 WATER FOR BEES. 



EVAPORATING THIN, NEWLY GATHERED HONEY. 



For my views on this matter, after conducting 

 many careful experiments, see " Evaporating 

 Nectar," on p. 173, Vol. 3, A. B. J. 

 WINTERING. 



FEEDING UP FOR WINTER. 



Why not feed the whole 30 lbs. in one or two nights 

 if they have plenty of comb room and plenty of 

 brood and young bees? That is the way I do. 



CELLAR WINTERING, AND OUT-DOOR WINTERING. 



Notwithstanding there are probably at this date 

 more bees wintered in cellars than any other way, I 

 winter half of mine in a cellar, and half on summer 

 stands, so I am sure of being right in one place or 

 the other every winter. 



DOOLITTLE'S BEE-CELLAR. 



My bee-cellar has not raised three degrees during 

 the winter since I built it, and we have had weather 

 all the way from 30° below zero to 65 above. Two or 

 three days of 65 ' above does not affect it a particle ; I 

 do not use a stove as do Elwood, Root, and others. 



