192 



GLEiVNINGS m BEE CULTUEE. 



Apr. 



contained considerable sealed honey; but what puz- 

 zled me the most was the fact that the bottom of 

 the hive was covered to the depth of half an inch 

 with granules of white honey about the size of 

 homoeopathic pellets. These were not sticky at all, 

 but dry and quite hard, as may be seen by the sam- 

 ple I send you. 



I would like to have some of your readers explain 

 the cause of honev being deposited in this strange 

 place. I will add, that the colony was not fed in the 

 fall, but had plenty of natural stores. 



Chicopee, Mass., Mar. 16, 1881. John D. White. 



I should say it was a dear case of dying 

 for want of Avater, friend W.. exactly as tliey 

 do when they have nothing but grape sugar, 

 liardened in tlieir cells. The granules on 

 the bottom of the hives were thrown down 

 thus, because the bees unsealed cell after 

 cell, and licked off the liquid portion, drop- 

 ping the dry grains, and then perished. 

 Their beautiful round shape is a peculiarity 

 of certain kinds of honey in the candying 

 process. I found some yesterday in our own 

 apiary, that seemed to "be mostly basswood 

 honey. After uncapping the cells, it was 

 found full of these miniature shot, as it were, 

 with a small portion of liquid honey in the 

 interstices. These pellets have much the 

 taste of grape sugar, which they doubtless 

 are in composition, although they were 

 formed by the extremely cold weather of our 

 ])ast winter, from honey gathered from the 

 tlowers. If losses of this kind were very 

 common, it would well behoove us to make 

 some provision for giving bees water during 

 the winter ; but I believe they seldom suffer 

 thus until they begin brood-rearing largely, 

 and usually the condensation furnishes 

 water enough, or more than enough. Fur- 

 nishing water at the same time we give 

 them candy, will greatly hasten brood-rear- 

 ing, as has been abundantly shown in our 

 back volumes. 



INTRODUCING VIBGIN QUEENS. 



My experience in introducing virgin queens differs 

 from that of yourself and Mr. Lund, related on page 

 82 of Feb. Gleanings. I introduced seven last sum- 

 mer; tive successful! J'; one of the two unsuccess- 

 ful ones was given four days after the first swarm, 

 and the other two or three days after. I simply put 

 the young queen down at the entrance, and let her 

 run in immediately after the first swarm issued,' 

 though in one case not till 2-4 hours after. 

 bee-stings and rheumatism. 



My mother had been unable to dress herself, sew, 

 or lift a cup of tea with her right hand for over three 

 years, from the effects of rheumatism. One morn- 

 ing she was helping among the bees, and received a 

 slight sting on the left hand. In half an hour she 

 was as sick a person as ever lived. Her whole body, 

 from the top of her head to the end of her toes, ap- 

 peared like one mass of stings. She recovered in 

 about three hours, under the use of aconite and 

 camphor, and could use her arm and hand as well as 

 she ever could. J. P. Mills. 



Mills' Mills, N. Y., March 13. 1881. 



FRIEND HAYHUKST'S REPORT. 



We went into winter-quarters with 93 colonies in 

 our yard, all in first-class condition, excepting three ; 

 these had the indiscretion to make a raid on neigh- 

 boring cider-mills, after they were fixed for winter, 



and w-ere very much reduced thereby. We now 

 have 90 first-class colonies, all breeding nicely. The 

 three weak ones have brood in various stages, and, 

 having excellent queens, I hope to make them val- 

 uable also. The bees have been working on Graham 

 fiour for several days. The past has been a most 

 disastrous winter for bees in this locality, some 

 apiaries being almost entirely depopulated. 



E. M. Hayhurst. 

 Kansas Citj', Mo., March 17, 1881. 



CHAFF PACKING, ETC. 



My bees are all in good condition, with one excep- 

 tion, as far as 1 have examined. I put in winter- 

 quarters, on their summer stands, 19 colonies, 

 packed above and on two sides with old carpets and 

 chaff. I found one queenless; the rest are brooding 

 nicely. Bees in this locality made very little surplus 

 honey; from 12 colonies I got only about £00 lbs. sur- 

 plus, and increased, by artificial swarming, 5, and 2 

 naturally. I have 3 colonies in the Quinby, 3 in 

 Langstrotb, and the remaindf>r in the Mitchell hives. 

 I get the best results from the Quinby, but it is too 

 expensive for profit. The Mitchell has not sufficient 

 space above the brood-chamber for surplus arrange- 

 ments; I intend to convert them into L. or Simplic- 

 ities. F. S. MOSSTELLEK. 



Sharonville, O., March 21, 18S1. 



>Tii§€uvaginQi 



ENCOURAGING. 



If^ KIEND ROOT : — You may put me in the Smile- 

 ry or wherever you please, so you do not put 

 me in bad company. The goods I ordered 

 came all right, with the exception of the needles, 

 which followed suit through the mail. But while I 

 was pleased with the goods, this was not all that 

 tickled me. This day, Feb. 35th, was mild, and I ex- 

 amined all my colonies at home, and found them in 

 excellent condition. The whole 24 bid fair for not 

 only weathering the storms of winter, but for being 

 in good condition to send forth their legions to sip 

 the nectar of the flowers — the fabled "food of the 

 gods." If the season proves a good one, I may have 

 honey to sell and some to eat. In view of the terri- 

 ble ravages our severe winter has made in my neigh- 

 bors' bees, I feel grateful to be so fortunate as I am. 

 In the language of Shakespeare, I feel— 



' ' Jly nature tickled witli good success. ' ' 



But in this, as in other things, I am reminded to 

 "rejoice with trembling." There are yet dangers 

 to be avoided, and casualties may occur, that might 

 blast our anticipations. In the language of the 

 Scottish bard, addressed to a mouse whose nest he 

 had turned up with the plow,— 



• ' But, Mousie, thoti art no thy lane, 

 ^n proving loresight may be vain ; 

 Tlie best-laid schemes o' mice an' men 



Gang aft a-glee, 

 And lea'e us naught but grief and pain 



For promised joj- " 



Whether successful or not, if spared I will report 

 in due time. I know of but fewstandsleft inall this 

 section. Some have lost from twenty to thirty 

 stands. Wm. Ballantine. 



Sago, Muskingum Co., Ohio. 



Bees all right; came through the winter splendid- 

 ly. Wintered on summer stands. Think I never 

 had them do better. But the fretful monthof March 

 is just before us. J. W. Johnson. 



Shelby ville, Shelby Co., 111., Feb. 25, 1881. 



