1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



233 



bock. The writer, while wearing a dark 

 shirt with white oversleeves, had occasion to 

 examine a colony of bees the past season; 

 and while the arms were in continual motion 

 no attention was paid to them ; but the bees 

 seemed to have an extreme hatred for any 

 exposed spots of the dark shirt. I went 

 through the colony a few days later with 

 light- colored clothing without any trouble 

 whatever. From this and similar experi- 

 ences I have decided to wear white coat 

 and pants while manipulating colonies in the 

 future. 



For the average bee-keeper I doubt if 

 there is a smoker fuel that will supersede 

 corncobs in any way. They are something 

 that can be found around almost every home; 

 and, when cut in two-inch lengths, and 

 placed on live coals, will produce a volume 

 of cool smoke and not go out. I have had a 

 smoker full of this fuel run for six hours, 

 and then go out only after every vestige of 

 fuel has been consumed. 



Nisbet, Penn. Grant Stanley. 



[I think it can scarcely be doubted that 

 bees recognize color a great deal more than 

 we suppose, There have been quite a num- 

 ber of reports showing that black is distaste- 

 ful while white is not objectionable. The 

 fact that nature variegates the entire floral 

 kingdom with bright colors goes to show 

 thv.titisdone for a purpose— to attract bees. 

 Corncobs make a very excellent fuel; but 

 one will ordinarily have to ignite them by 

 means of live coals or a little coal oil or 

 some more ignitible fuel. —Ed.] 



A MACHINE FOR PUNCHING HOLES IN THE 

 END-BARS OF FRAMES. 



Here is a drawing of a machine— a frame- 

 perforator. When the ordinary bee-keeper 

 takes a first look at it he will be pretty sure 

 to decide he can not make that— it is too 

 complicated. The reason it appears compli- 



cated is because he looks at the whole ma- 

 chine instead of each small piece by itself. 

 I have had this machine several years, and 

 it has given me a great deal of satisfaction 

 — a satisfaction that can not be figured in 

 dollars and cents. But if there were 800 

 frames to be drilled for foundation wires I 



believe this machine could be constructed, 

 and the frames punched, in less time than 

 the work could be done by hand. The con- 

 struction will be sufficiently clear from the 

 illustration. 



The punch should be shaped like a chisel 

 edge, and inserted in the machine in such a 

 way that it cuts squarely across the grain of 

 the wood. For material in making this I 

 cut up a sack ing or broom needle, and file or 

 grind it to the proper shape. It should be 

 about s% or J inch in diameter, and 2 inches 

 in length. Most of these pieces of metal, 

 if they can not be procured from the scrap- 

 pile or old worn-out machinery to be found 

 on nearly every farm, can be found in the 

 odds and ends at almost any blacksmith shop. 

 The drilling can be done by hand or by the 

 blacksm.ith. 



Chatsworth, Cal. C. W. Dayton. 



[Where a tool is forced without any twist- 

 ing or twirling motion right through the 

 wood the hole might be somewhat ragged, 

 but perhaps that will do no harm. — Ed.] 



to what extent do bees hear? 



In Stray Straws, page 1291, Dr. C. C. Mil- 

 ler makes this statement in reply to W. M. 

 Whitney : " As I think you are a bee-keeper 

 rather than a naturalist, friend Whitney, I 

 venture the remark that it is not a question 

 as to whether bees hear; it is pretty certain 

 that they do hear, and that they hear sounds 

 inaudible to the human ear; but the question 

 is, whether those sounds have the slightest 

 effect in making swarming bees cluster." 



Will our experienced bee-keeper please 

 state some facts from his experiences that 

 lead him to think that bees hear, especially 

 that they "hear sounds inaudible to the 

 human ear"? Also will he kindly state the 

 positive point of view— what does make a 

 swarm of bees cluster? Is the queen the 

 first to start the cluster? If not, where 

 does she come in, and why? 



Stamford, Ct. Edward F. Bigelow. 



[Dr. Miller generally says, "I don't know" 

 when asked to make a positive statement; 

 but I am of the opinion it will be a little dif- 

 ficult for him to furnish the absolute proof 

 that Prof. Bigelow calls for. Well, doctor, 

 get up on the witness-stand and take your 

 cross- questioning. —Ed.] 



MOLD AND moisture ON COMBS OF COLO- 

 NIES WINTERED IN A CELLAR. 



I should like a little information in regard 

 to wintering. I put my bees in a dry cellar, 

 but the combs will sometimes gather a green 

 mold; moisture will form on them sometimes 

 in drops, and the honey seems to sour. The 

 bees in such hives will often die; but if the 

 outside combs only are affected they come 

 through all right, and these combs dry over 

 or are cleaned up by the bees when set out. 

 I have just looked over my bees in the cel- 

 lar, and it is appearing again— in some quite 

 badly. I thought it lack of ventilation, and 



