298 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1 



inches long. To loosen frames, push the 

 tool down between them; shove the blade 

 between the end-bars and pull up, or shove 

 down between the end-bars. It is also very 

 handy to run down between the end- bar and 

 the hive to cut burr- comb. If the frame is 

 liable to break, hook the blade under the 

 lower edge near the end-bar, and lift, after 

 the frame is loosened at the top. This tool 

 can also be used to pry covers loose if right- 

 ly made. R. D. Chappell. 

 Vassar, Mich. 



[Your scheme of sewing false pants legs 

 below the knees inside of another pair of 

 pants is not bad. It would do away with 

 the unsightliness of tucking the pants into 

 the stockings, although for hot summer 

 weather it would be too much of a good 

 thing during times when the bees are not 

 being worked. The plan that we ordinarily 

 employ, and which we see used by many of 

 the best bee-keepers in the country, includ- 

 ing the Alexanders, is to tuck the bottom of 

 the pants together and hold them tight by 

 means of bicycle pants- guards as shown in 

 the illustration at the right. The guards 

 can be bought anywhere for 15 cents a pair, 

 and it takes but a moment to put them on; 

 and if the pants be carefully tucked before 

 being encircled by the guard, no bee can 

 crawl up. They would have an advantage 

 over your false legs in that they could be 

 instantly removed and thus contribute to 

 the comfort of the wearer in hot weather. 



Your hive-tool I believe to be all right, 

 where you separate the frames at the points 

 of contact between the end- bars; but this 

 sharp edge would, in my opinion, soon whit- 

 tle down the V edge of Hoffman frames, 

 and thus destroy exact spacing. In cool 

 weather, when propoHs is bad we sometimes 

 use the knife-blade, pushing it between a 

 pair of end bars. Ordinarily we have no 

 trouble by using a blunter tool and giving a 

 side twist between top-bars. — Ed.] 



QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE BUYING OF 

 NUCLEI. 



1. What kind of feeder is best to feed 

 up nuclei that have been bought in the 

 spring? 



2. I shall buy three-frame nuclei. How 

 long should it take for them to increase so I 

 could put three frames in another hive, leav- 

 ing the original three in the first hive? 

 Shall I have to buy another queen, or will 

 the new nuclei have queen- cells so they can 

 raise their own queen? 



3. How long should I feed after this? 



4. How should I place the division- board 

 when I place nuclei in the hive? 



E. E. Sherwood. 

 Wurtsboro, N. Y., Jan. 19. 



[For feeding up nuclei when not strong, 

 chunks of Good candy made by mixing sugar 

 and honey into a stiff dough are excellent. 

 Giving liquid syrup early in the spring is apt 

 to stimulate too much, and to incite robbing. 

 These little nuc'ei should have small en- 



trances, not much larger than that two or 

 three bees can pass at a time. 



We generally use Doolittle feeders. They 

 are nothing more nor less than hollow divi- 

 sion-boards to htld syrup, and hang in the 

 hive just like a brood-frame. 



With the right kind of management you 

 might be able to take away three frames of 

 brood and bees in about six weeks. In good 

 weather you may do even better. A better 

 plan, however, would be to let each nucleus 

 have its increase all in one hive till the hive 

 is nearly full of bees and brood, then make 

 your division. A strong colony will rear 

 more brood, in proportion to its size, than a 

 nucleus. 



You can rear your own queens; but if you 

 wish to make rapid increase you had better 

 buy them. 



You should not feed after the bees begin 

 to gather honey from natural sources. 



The division-board, if a full sized hive is 

 used, should be placed close up to the brood. 

 -Ed.] 



I 



AN APIARY UNDER APPLE BLOSSOMS, 



Here is a view of part of our apiary, 

 " when the apples bloom," made by my son 

 Arthur. Louis C. Koehler. 



Tisch Mills, Wis. 



preventing SWARMING BY PUTTING ONE 



COLONY DIRECTLY OVER ANOTHER; 



IS THIS PLAN A SUCCESS? 



Two or three years ago I read in an arti- 

 cle in Gleanings of a plan of working two 

 hives of bees together— one on top of the 

 other— with very satisfactory results. It 

 was stated that neither of them swarmed, 

 and that a fine lot of honey was taken off 

 this double decker. 1 worked two weak col- 

 onies the same way the season of 1904. They 



I 



