1878 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1 



MATING OF QUEEN WITNESSED, 



We just witnessed the mating of a queen, 

 and I thought I would report the same. It 

 is the tirst instance where we had a chance 

 to obsei've the matter so closely. In a few 

 previous instances we thought we saw copula- 

 tion take place, but could hardly swear to it 

 if we had been called upon to do so. In the 

 latter instance it occurred in a yard of baby 

 nuclei. The (|ueen was Hying about live 

 feet from the ground; halt a dozen di'ones 

 were in pursuit, and the noise made with 

 their high keynote would remind one of a 

 young cyclone condensed into a two-inch 

 gas-pipe. It seems that every bit of life and 

 energy of the drone were concentrated in 

 his wings. Almost immediately after catch- 

 ing sight of the queen and drones, copulation 

 took place, and I after them. The impetus 

 of the queen carried both about twenty feet, 

 when they dropped to the ground, just an 

 arm's length the other side of a barbed-wire 

 fence. The ((ueen was a leather-colored one. 

 We wanted t<j pick up both queen and drone: 

 but before we coukl catch hold of the (}ueen 

 she had torn loose and skipped away. The 

 drone was dead. The whole thing from 

 start to finish went like a streak of light- 

 ning. 



Tnere also came under our observation a 

 case where a queen was gone on her wed- 

 ding-Hight for two hours, and then returned 

 all right, mated. We thought to ourselves 

 that that old lady must have started for Eu- 

 rope on her wedding-tour. 



THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING BEES SCAT- 

 TERED IN DIFFERENT YARDS. 



Our yards which did so well last season 

 are doing practically nothing this year; and 

 those not doing so well last season are doing 

 well this season. It appears that basswood 

 does not yield in all localities. This season 

 we have two yai'ds which are 35 miles apart. 

 Both liave basswood, but it's only the one 

 location where it is yielding any surplus to 

 amount to any thing. H. G. QuiuiN. 



Bellevue, Ohio. Julv 6. 



CHICKENS THAT WILL NOT EAT LIVE BEES; 

 PROFITS IN BOTH POULTRY AND BEES. 



I should like to have a pen of Mr. Hille- 

 l>rand"s chickens, page 868. I think such 

 chickens could be trained to snap up the 

 black drones and leave the yellow ones. My 

 chickens run in the bee-yard, Init they will 

 not touch a live bee, drone or otherwise. 

 They visit the hive-entrances and pick up 

 the dead l^ees in front, but I never saw one 

 molest a live bee, except one very inexperi- 

 enced chick. It will not do so again. It 

 tiled as a result of the encounter. A few 

 weeks ago I trapped some drones and tried 

 to feed them to the chickens next morning. 

 Those that were too chilled to move were 

 snapped up (juickly; but the drones that 

 were a])le to crawl were not touched. 



In regard to the discussion now going on 

 as to the relative importance of apiculture 

 and poultry cnilture as a money-making pur- 

 suit, I can say that there is money in both. 



The trouble is, too many bee-keepers handle 

 poultry as too many poultry-men keep bees 



This is said to be the poorest season for 

 honey in twenty years in this region. The- 

 fields were white with clover; but on account 

 of the drouth there was no nectar. The- 

 drouth has been completely broken, but the 

 clover is killed out. D. D. Downing. 



Kansas City, Kan. 



ALFALFA IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



I note that Dr. Miller expresses considera- 

 ble agitation, due to my statement that al- 

 falfa is a nectar-bearing plant in this State, 

 and asks for an explanation. At one time I 

 had decided to omit alfalfa from the list of 

 honey-producing plants, especially as very 

 few farmers, even if they grow it, ever per- 

 mit it to blossom. However, I had occasion 

 to inspect it where it was sown on the banks- 

 of the C!umberlaud Valley R. R. to keep the- 

 banks from washing away, and it did well 

 where other plants would have found it too' 

 dry. It was in full bloom, and several 

 species of buttertiies and skippers as well as- 

 bum lile-bees and honey-bees were on its- 

 blossoms. It is true I did not see many 

 honey-bees, but this was probably because it 

 was some distance from an apiary, and the 

 sweet clover had come into blossom, and 

 the common white clover was still producing" 

 nectar. 



1 know that the plants also formed well- 

 developed seeds, and it is apparent that the 

 insects would not have worked on them, and 

 perfect seeds would not have developed, if 

 they were not producing either nectar or 

 pollen to feed the insects. I hope to know 

 more about this by next year. 



H. A. Surface. 

 Pres. Pa. State Bee-keepers' Asso. 



Harrisljurg, Pa., Aug. 13. 



GETTING BEES OVt OF TREES. 



I want to indorse A. I. Mills' plan of get- 

 ting bees out of buildings, page 837. It is 

 well to give a young (lueen as well as the 

 comb of l)rood. In three days take the 

 bee-escape off and insert a glass tube in its 

 place — a ten-inch one, the kind used for 

 water-gauges. I take bees out of trees when 

 the owner of the land forbids cutting the 

 trees, antl where it is impossible to save the 

 bees on account of rough gulches or bluffs. 

 This tube inserted in place of the escape al- 

 lows enough bees to return to supply water 

 and nurse brood until hatched. In 30 or 35 

 days take out the tube and the Ijees will do 

 the rest. 



HALF-INCH STARTERS. 



B. J. H(jlden, page 831, will have success 

 with one-inch starters if he uses a ^-in. comb- 

 guide like that used in the old style of all- 

 wood frames. Fasten your foundation to 

 the side; have your hive level. I never use 

 any thing Init' inch stuff in all my brood- 

 frames. I put inch starters in sections, with 

 i inch in bottom side. I always have success. 



Kingscreek, N. C. G-"W. Keller. 



