544 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CUETUEE. 



Nov. 



we advise, you will ordinarily have no 

 trouble iu getting the bees to move their 

 honey out of the brood-chamber into these 

 receptacles.— I have never found it necessary 

 to put in empty combs in this locality, in the 

 fall, but I presume in some places they get 

 so much late honey it is an advantage. — I 

 would by all means rear my drones from an- 

 other queen than the imported ; and if you 

 do this you will not need to make any fur- 

 ther change in stock. If you lind good, well- 

 marked Italians in the woods, there is cer- 

 tainly no need of buying any thing more in 

 the shape of fresli strains of blood, unless it 

 is an imported queen once in two or three 

 years. 



the: BEE-CAVfS OF TEXAS. 



THEY PUOMISE TO BE NOT ALL PICTURES AFTER ALL. 



^2f* HAVE read with pleasure the many new ideas 

 that have been brought out in Gleanings; am 

 pleased at the clipping friend Hutchinson sent 

 you about the bee-caves in Texas, and your idea 

 that it should be developed. I think I can give 

 you a chance to "strike it big," nearer home; and if 

 it has not been disturbed lately, I think it equal to 

 the Texas vein. My informant (an old rustic bee- 

 keeper) told me that his father struck a bee's nest 

 in the mountains of Pennsylvania, similar to the 

 one in Texas, it being also in a ledge of rocks, and by 

 a stream of water. Well, the neighbors got together 

 and blasted off the rocks, and took out one or two 

 kerosene barrels of honey, and then they would 

 come to a partition in the rocks (another Infringe- 

 ment on Mitchell's adjustable division-board). This 

 they would blast out, and got perhaps an ox-cart 

 full of honey; at any rate, they all got what they 

 wanted, and there was enough left that ran into the 

 creek to turn it into metheglin for five miles. You 

 evidently see it is nearer a bonanza than Hutchin- 

 son's " scheme," for he has got to look his man up, 

 while 1 have mine. He says these are the facts, if 

 his memory serves him right! He is an old man, 

 and ought to be truthful. Now, while friend H. is 

 perfecting his oi'ganization, if you will help this old 

 friend and myself (financially) I have no doubt that, 

 while you gain the name of a philanthropist, we 

 will make some money. 



I got through the winter with 10 colonies- 5 good 

 ones and 5 veiy weak. They have increased to 33 

 colonies, and gave 700 lbs. of basswood honey. My 

 wife has kept an account of every thing sold from 

 the apiaiy, such as bees, queens, honey, wax., etc., 

 and I have 30 good swarms left. Her figures show a 

 credit of $112.00. I think I have something a little 

 remarkable in hybrids. My di-ones were pure Ital- 

 ians, while friend Wilson, two miles south, and 

 friend White, one mile north, had black drones. My 

 early queens were mated purely, but later in the 

 season, five-sixths are hybrids, while friend Wil- 

 son's are every one pure Italians,and quite a portion 

 of friend White's; isn't that a plain case of an ef- 

 fort of nature to prevent in-and-in breeding? 



M. A.Gill. 

 Viola, Richland Co., Wis., Sept. 5, 1881. 



My attention was called to an article in my last 

 number of Gleanings, headed " Bee-caves in Tex- 

 as." As you desire to know something more in 



regard to the same, I thought I would write these 

 few lines, that you may see that there may be 

 some truth in that "big yarn" that friend Hutch- 

 inson writes about. 



1 am not acquainted with that particular locality 

 spoken of in the Youth's Cumpaniini, but I have 

 scouted considerably in the same range of mount- 

 ains, and have often been lold of large bee-caves in 

 such and such parts of the mountains; but my bus- 

 iness was of such a nature that I could not take a 

 " hunt," but I know that it is so, for I have particu- 

 lar friends who have been to many bee-caves; in 

 fact, friend Hoot, some of these old W^estcrn Texas 

 settlers could tell j'ou truthful bee yarns that would 

 lay that of the Youth's Companion very much in the 

 shade; in fact, so well is it known, that I am contin- 

 ually being advised to start my bee business in the 

 mountains, where I could get all the bees and honey 

 I want, free. There are considerable drawbacks to 

 starting a business there, that will be overcome in 

 the course of time when the country is more settled 

 up. By the bye, let me tell you another thing in re- 

 gard to bees in Texas. It used to be a very common 

 thing to find bees building in the tall grasses and 

 bushes, and I presume is so yet it the thinly settled 

 parts of the State. At some future time I would 

 like to send you a few bee-cave j'arns if you think 

 they would be of any interest to your readers. 



Thos. Balcomb. 



Luling, Caldwell Co., Tex., Sept. 26, 1881. 



Many thanks, friend B., and I would be 

 glad to have the " yarns " sent along, if you 

 will only be particular and let us all know 

 just how much of it is " yarn," and how 

 much " real cloth." Here is something from 

 another friend on the same subject : — 



I see in my last number of your Gleanings a bee- 

 cave story that you seem to doubt. I can say to you 

 that such things as bee-caves are in existence. Two 

 hundred miles west of this place, bee-caves are very 

 common, and a large number of bees inhabit the 

 caves. The " liear" part of the story I do not be- 

 lieve, nor the water being sweet for miles below the 

 cave. Hearing the bees a mile from the cave is not 

 unreasonable. You must remember, the air is much 

 purer in Western Texas than where you live, and 

 noise can be heard at a greater distance. 



My bees are doing very well, except one hive, 

 which some one robbed a few nights past. The 

 damage was a:bout two gallons of honey. I don't 

 know whether they got the queen or not, but think 

 they have. .T. W. Traylob. 



Mt. Joy, Delta Co., Texas., Sept. 25, 1881. 



QUEENS THAT WILL STING — ALSO A WORD ABOUT 

 BEE-CAVES. 



I have been keeping bees over 15 years, and have 

 had many queens in my hand, but you may guess I 

 sent one whirling the other day. I had her in my 

 hand waiting for the return of my son with a queen- 

 cage. She crawled up on my wrist, and plunged her 

 dagger in. I slung her loose in a hurry. Did it hurt? 

 You "bet a reckon" it hurt as bad as a sting 

 from a worker; but the sting did not remain in the 

 flesh, and as an experiment I took a hybrid Holy- 

 Land queen (virgin) and tormented her until she 

 would sting my fingers. 



Bees are not doing as well as they did last fall; 

 mine, however, are busy on red elm, cuckle-burr, 

 and fall cotton-blooms. I have received several let- 



