1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



97 



SHOWING LIVE BEES IN A STORE WINDOW. 



After reading the article on creating a 

 market for honey, page 1074, I took up the 

 Rochester Herald of this morning, and cut 

 out a clipping from an advertisement of a 

 large drygoods firm in Rochester. It seems 

 to me that it would take very little persua- 

 sion to induce some leading merchant of each 



A Swarm of Bees. 



Did you ever have a chance 

 to observe honey bees clost- 

 ly? There is a swarm of 

 them on roar BaBemenl land- 

 Dg. Caged of course, you 

 7on't be stung. The apiarist 

 enters the cage and mingles 

 with the bees with impunity 

 — .m...-i.e to btii-g9 pract'c.lly. 



U is an interesting exhibit. Pure honey to take home 

 with you at reasonable cost. 



large city and village to give up one large 

 window to a swarm of bees and a display of 

 honey for a week. The merchant would be 

 only too glad to advertise the fact in the 

 daily papers, because of the attention it 

 would draw to him and his business. 

 Oct. 25. John T. Greene. 



[We see no reason why this should not be 

 a very good way to advertise, for such dem- 

 onstrations cost little and accomplish much. 

 When the average person becomes interest- 

 ed in bees he generally wants some honey. 

 In many cases thi-5 could be made right in a 

 show window. The clipping referred to is 

 shown in reduced form. I have been think- 

 ing for some time of testing the possibilities 

 of advertising honey by making demonstra- 

 tions in show-windows, and we expect to 

 make such demonstrations soon ourselves.— 

 Ed.] 



shipping bees. 

 I should like to ask for information on 

 shipping some bees. 1. Would it be best 

 to ship by freight or by express? 2. How 

 should they be fixed? 3. What is the aver- 

 age cost of shipping bees by freight? 4. How 

 is the northern part of Arkansas for bees? 

 J. E. Richards. 

 Carlisle, Ind., Nov. 9. 



[1. If there are more than two colonies I 

 would ship by freight. 



2. Frames should be securely fastened if 

 unspaced. The covers should be separated 

 from the hive-body by means of strips of 

 broken sections J in. thick. This wi 1 leave 

 an air-gap between cover and hive of g inch 

 all around, and yet this gap will prevent the 

 escape of bees. Of course, the cover should 

 be nailed down. In warm weather, wire 

 cloth should be used in place of the cover. 



3. Freights will vary a good deal accord- 

 ing to the road. You had better consult 

 your local railroad agent. 



4. I do not know much about the northern 

 part of Arkansas; but I should suppose the 

 territory would be good, for South Nebraska 

 is an excellent bee country, and the northern 



part of Arkansas would not be materially 

 different. —Ed.] 



wants information concerning funic 



BEES. 



Who has had any experience with Punic 

 bees ? If any have, please tell me what it 

 was and how obtained. I have received 

 some circulars from England, in which they 

 are praised very highly; and if they are any 

 thing like what they are claimed to be I cer- 

 tainly want to try them. I am not satisfied 

 with my Italians. Every year I have bought 

 from one to ten common colonies of bees, 

 and they always store more than the Italians, 

 winter better, and never spring dwindle to 

 the extent the Italians do. 



The price asked for a tested Punic queen 

 is high; but if they are as claimed it would 

 be all right. W. R. Claussen. 



Waupaca, Wis., Oct. 31. 



[I would not advise you to invest very 

 much in Punic bees. The reports in this 

 country have not been altogether favorable 

 to them. Our own experience with them 

 was decidedly unsatisfjictory. The bees we 

 had were great propolizers, not particularly 

 gentle, and black.— Ed.] 



HOW TO GET rid OF ROACHES. 



I have been a reader of Gleanings ever 

 since I have kept bees, and do not know how 

 to do without it; but there is one thing that 

 neither Gleanings nor the A B C book has 

 told me, and that is, how to rid my hives of 

 roaches. This season they are worse than 

 ever. There will be a dozen or more on top 

 of the mat over the supers; and when I open 

 the hive they dart down into the hive like a 

 flash. I have used borax and electric paste, 

 but fear to use too much poison for fear of 

 killing the bees. Mary Wood. 



Centralia, 111., Oct. 25. 



[While cockroaches may be annoying, yet 

 I do not remember to have seen any reports 

 where they actually did any harm to the 

 bees. I do not know of any way to get rid 

 of them except to poison them by placing 

 the destructive agent where they can get it 

 but not the bees. Perhaps some subscriber 

 in the South can help us out. — Ed.] 



CORK sawdust as A PACKING MATERIAL 



Why isn't it a good plan to use cork saw- 

 dust instead of chaff or other material in 

 double-walled hives? Surely it is better, for 

 it is fighter and dryer. All grocers will give 

 it away. They get from five to ten bushels 

 yearly, and throw it out. I use it and find 



it good. S. W. WORREL. 



Patton, Pa., Nov. 18. 



[Cork dust is the very best material; in 

 fact, it has generally been placed at the 

 head. But it is usually not available, ex- 

 cept at exorbitant prices, for most persons. 

 -Ed.] 



