1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



395 



adopting the new plan (to me at least) of handling- 

 bees. I transferred them myself, and was surprised 

 to tind that it was so easily done, and now I handle 

 them every day. I have ma<le a smoker, which an- 

 swers every purpose, and I am bound to know more 

 of the business before smnmer is gone. 



Morris W. Grant. 

 Guild, Kent Co., Ontario, June 22, 1SH1. 



DOLLAR Ql'EENS DURING A POOH SEASON. 



While writing this order T had to stop and hive a 

 nice swarm of Italians, the third so far. I have now 

 14 swarms, which makes mo more work than I like, 

 as I have to work ten hours in the shop. I wintered 

 in my cellar with but little loss. I got 393 lbs. of 

 honey, mostly extracted, last season. They call it a 

 poor locality, and a very poor season, and only ten 

 swarms. Two swarms gave us 80 lbs. each. One is 

 a dollar queen I had of you; the other is her daugh- 

 ter, and just as good as her mother. We think it 

 the best strain around here. But few bees around 

 here; nearly all winter-killed. 



Guv Clakk. 



Bellows Falls, Vt., June 15, 1881. 



BEES GOINO TWO MILES TO PREPARE A HIVE, BE- 

 FORE SWARMING. 



In the spriug of 1879 we commenced bee-keeping 

 with 2 colonies of Italians in the American hive. 

 NVe increased 6, but got not much surplus. The first 

 swarm came out May 13th ; but as we tried to hive 

 them they clustered beneath the hive, and soon they 

 ruse again and went straight across the hills and 

 woods about two miles into an empty hive of D. 

 Kern, and the eld man told us they had been clean- 

 ing out the hive for several days before. 



Chas. H. Brunner. 



Zionsville, Lehigh Co., Pa., June 22, 1881. 



Your report is indeed wonderful, friend 

 Jj.; but I think you will lind, as a reason for 

 their going so far, that they found better 

 pasturage at the new location. AVe once 

 had a swarm go a mile without clustering at 

 all, but their new home was right near an 

 immense clover-field, where our bees were 

 almost all at work daily. They appreciated 

 the advantage of a saving of steps (or wings 

 rather), and therefore ''moved.'' 



BEES IN THE OPEN AIR, AG.\IN. 



There is a curiosity in the way of bees within 

 about three miles from here. About a month ago a 

 fair-sized swarm of bees settled on the body of an 

 elm-tree, and have quietly settled down to business. 

 They have several cards of comb attached to the 

 outside of the tree, and are working away, appar- 

 ently as well satisfied as if they were in a hive. I 

 shall watch them with some interest. Two years 

 ago, a swarm took up their lodgings in a Dois-d'arc 

 hedge, and built several cards of comb on the under 

 side of the limbs. Some of them I should judge to 

 be la inches deep by 11 or 12 horizontal; but about 

 Christmas a fire got into the hedge and destroyed 

 them. J. K. Mayo. 



Stafford, Fort Bend Co., Texas, June IT, 1881. 



Almost equal to the Apis dorsata. was it 

 not, friend M.y 



BAD HONEY. 



I have about half a barrel of honey from my old 

 hives that died. It is strong and tastes of bee-bread, 

 and is thick. Now, this honey made us all sick be- 

 fore it was cleansed. But we boiled it, and took the 



scum off. Will this do to feed, as I want to raise 

 bees? or is there danger of its killing the bees? and 

 if it is good, shall I thin it with water? 



John Baker. 

 Saxoiiburgh, Butler Co., Fa., June 24, 1881. 



The honey will do perfectly well for warm 

 weather, as in fact will any kind of sweets 

 that I know of, when the bees can fly out 

 daily; but T should hesitate to use it for 

 winter stores. Use it up for raising brood 

 if possible, and then feed it up for winter 

 with sugar. Boiling will much improve it, 

 as yon have demonstrated, and it might do 

 for winter stores ; but I would prefer not to 

 risk it. Adding water will save the 1 )ees the 

 labor of bringing water to put with it, and 

 will thus help in lirood-rearing ; but in this 

 case, do not dilute more than they will use 

 up in a single day, on account of tiie liabili- 

 ty to sour. 



UNC.A^PPING-KNIVES, ETC. 



I have extracted 140 lbs. of new buckwheat honey 

 with my e.vtractor to-day, and all works well except 

 the uneapping-knife, and I conclude the failure in 

 that may be in my awkwardness, although it don't 

 seem to be sharp enough. It drags the bits of comb 

 with it sometimes, thus tearing away the cells. 

 Should I sharpen it, or would it be better to heat it 

 with water? I have now 75 strong colonies, 18 nuclei, 

 and 1.500 lbs. of honey from :>8 hives that came 

 through the winter and cold spring. Bees won't 

 notice broken bits of comb in the yard now that arc 

 full of honey. I have 2 acres of buckwheat just be- 

 ginning to fail from drought; have one acre sowed, 

 not up; have had no rain for 3 weeks; it is very dry 

 and hot. Some frames of brood melted down last 

 week, mercury at 103^ in shade at 12. J. T. Ay.\rs. 



Bycan Island, Texas, June 14, 1881. 



To be sure, you want your knife sharp, 

 friend A., like any other tool. We try to 

 have them made sharp enough when sent 

 out ; but it is a very hard matter to get them 

 just as they should be, and a little touch of 

 an oil-stone Avill almost always improve 

 them, and sometimes possibly the grind- 

 stone too. When your nncapping-knife will 

 cut paper by just drawing it across a strip, 

 it is in nice order for uncapping. I should 

 never think of fussing with hot water. 



BEES OF ITALY; BY X RESIDENT OP THAT COUNTRY. 



I have looked into the question of the two kinds 

 of bees existing in this country; but whilst satisfied 

 myself of the fact, I do not know how to proceed to 

 satisfy others. I shall follow up the matter, and 

 will inform you toward winter of my conclusion, and 

 the gi'ounds upon which I may base them. Bee- 

 keepers here are, with few exceptions, ignorant and 

 poor, having no idea of keeping bees but putting 

 them in a hollow log when they have swarmed, and 

 killing them in the fall with sulphur to take the 

 honey. They have neither time, money, nor incli- 

 nation to go further. Moreover, the agriculturist 

 here has far more to do than in the U.S.; the crops, 

 consisting of grass, wheat, hemp, and Indian corn, 

 follow each other in such quick succession that no 

 time can be given to bees. But you do not want a 

 lectuxe upon Italian agriculture, 



Morris S. Wickersham. 



Ferrara, Italy, June 3, 1881. 



ISIany thanks, friend W.; but if you would 



