1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



231 



the stingless bee at all, for they are not 

 afraid of bee-stings, and wouldn't be in the 

 business if they were fearing stings. If the 

 stingless bees are brought to the notice of 

 the public, every timid one who likes honey 

 or thinks there is money in it would go into 

 the business of bee-keepirg in a small or ex- 

 tensive way without any previous knowledge 

 of the same, and then where would we be? 

 The general use of stingless bees might be 

 a good thing for all timid persons, the man- 

 ufacturers of bee- supplies, and those who 

 like to rob bees while the owner is asleep, 

 but not for scientific bee-keepers or for bee- 

 keepers who wish to succeed. 

 Lemon Grove, Cal F. P. White. 



[The conditions of climate in most places 

 in the United States are such that it would 

 not be possible for stingless bees to live for 

 any length of time, at least not more than 

 the summer season. We need have no 

 fears that they will be introduced into any 

 locality except the extreme Southern States; 

 and even in these the climate will probably 

 be too cold during the winter for them to 

 propagate to any extent if at all. —Ed.] 



FEEDING FOR STIMULATING. 



What kind of feeder should I use under 

 the hives to stimulate early breeding? How 

 should I place them under the hives? 



I have extracted honey. How should I 

 use it? Would it do to mix it with sugar 

 and water? F. E. Roys. 



Hoosick Falls, N. Y. 



[The Boardman or Alexander feeder would 

 answer your purpose excellently. The for- 

 mer is sold by nearly all supply- dealers. It is 

 an entrance feeder in that two prongs are 

 shoved in at the entrance, and the bees gain 

 access to the food by passing out of the en- 

 trance into a wooden box through the top of 

 which projects a can with a perforated top 

 containing syrup. 



Our usual rule is to mix sugar and water 

 in equal proportions by weight or bulk. If 

 you have some cheap honey you can feed 

 this by diluting it by putting in about 25 per 

 cent of water. But never feed honey with- 

 out boiling it thorough Ij'. If foul brood 

 exists in the vicinity, better boil the honey 

 at least half an hour; let it stand for a day 

 or two. and then boil again for half an hour. 

 You can mix sugar syrup in honey if you 

 choose. —Ed.] 



4JUICKLIME AS .'V.N ABSORBENT FOR KEEPING 

 COLONIES DRY JN WINTER. 



I should like to know whether any one has 

 ■ever tried the following plan for keeping 

 bees dry in winter: Place a tray filled with 

 lumps of quicklime over the chaff cushions, 

 or over pads of paper | to 1 inch |hick where 

 that is used instead of chaff cushions. This 

 lime would take up the moisture, and also 

 purify the air by taking up the carbon diox- 

 ide of the breath. This plan would allow 

 the covers on the supers to be shut tight; in 



fact, they should be kept perfectly tight to 

 avoid the taking of moisture from the out- 

 side, thus making a dead- air space above 

 the bees. Where paper is used 1 should not 

 have it more than J to J inch in thickness, 

 thus allowing the moisture to pass upward 

 more readily. 



I have never heard of this being used, but 

 it can do no harm, and I should like others 

 to try it with me this winter. 



0. W. Brackney. 



Upland, Ind., Nov. 16. 



[I would be a little slow about using 

 quicklime as an absorbent in a bee-cellar. 

 I am not enough of a chemist to give an in- 

 telligent opinion, and therefore would call 

 on some of our readers to give us reliable 

 information. — Ed. ] 



FEEDING BACK UNFINISHED SECTIONS. 



When bees are short of stores, why can 

 not a f ram.e be fixed up to hold four or more 

 ordinary sections of honey, inserting this 

 frame in the hive? Most bee keepers have 

 some sections that are badly filled, or with 

 mixed honey in them (that is, light and 

 dark), or bulged, which they would just as 

 soon the bees would clean out as not. What 

 is your idea? Albert Roberson. 



Lake City, Minn. 



[You can use the wide frame for holding 

 sections. Indeed, such frames were sold 

 years and years ago. Two such frames were 

 put on each side of six frames of a ten- frame 

 hive; but the plan that you contemplate 

 would work very slowly— that is, it would 

 take the bees a long time to empty the hon- 

 ey out of the sections if they would do it at 

 aM. The most satisfactory way is to set 

 them outdoors and let the bees rob them 

 ouC. But never do that in a yard that is 

 close to the highway.— Ed.] 



SELLING HONEY; THE ADVANTAGE OF AD- 

 VERTISING WHEN A GOOD QUALITY OF 

 HONEY IS PRODUCED. 



My honey is nearly all sold to consumers 

 direct, at 7 to 10 cts. for the white, and 6 to 

 9 for the dark. The latter was sold this 

 year before it was off the hives. I extract 

 only well-ripened honey, leaving it on the 

 hives as long as possible. I never had one 

 complaint, and my customers take it either 

 way, candied or liquid. I never had a bit of 

 trouble on that account. If the poor grades 

 of honey were kept off the market, whether 

 comb or extracted, there would not be 

 enough good honey to equal the demand. 

 Put only a good quality of honey on the mar- 

 ket, and our product will not go begging. A 

 lot of bee-keepers sell their crop for what 

 they can get, while if they would work their 

 home market their labors would be well re- 

 warded. 



I am sending you one of my circulars. 

 You will find that I have taken some of the 

 wording from labels contained in your label 



