1424 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



not only practice, but urge any whom I 

 might influence, never to extract until the 

 bees have capped nearly or quite all the 

 honey. 



HIVKS OPENING AT THE ENDS INSTEAD OF 

 AT THE TOPS. 



One of the most delightful days that I spent 

 in Germany was at the apiary of our old 

 friend Schultz, of sugar-candy fame. I found 

 a man of rare intelligence, and quite won- 

 derful for his ingenuity. 



I was interested to notice that, like most 

 of the German people, he used hives which 

 opened only at the ends. It is so awkward 

 to take the combs from such hives that I 

 could not but wonder that any bee-keeper 

 who had ever read a description of the Lang- 

 stroth hive could think for a moment of us- 

 ing these awkward German hives. Mr. 

 Schultz lived in one of the most beautiful 

 parts of Germany, and the vegetation about 

 his place adds materially to the charm of the 

 landscape. He values very highly the hon- 

 ey-locust and Phacelia tdnacetifolia. This 

 last is introduced, and of great value. 



topvcrsatiODS 



moiitti 



THE PLAN IN THE SOUTH. 



"Is this Mr. DoolittleV" 



"Yes." 



"My name is George W. Weingai't, and I 

 have come from Mississippi ( by letter) to ask 

 you a few questions about your plan of 

 working bees as given in your serial, ' A 

 Year's Work in an Out-apiary.' How do 

 you think the plan would work in the South 

 — especially in my State?" 



" How about your source of nectar? Does 

 it come in a few weeks, or is it a slow con- 

 tinuous yield for months?" 



' ' About all the honey we get comes from 

 wild flowers in 'Honey Island »Swamp, ' and 

 the yield begins about March 15 and ends 

 about May 1; but while the yield is on, it is 

 often immense, in good seasons, nectar com- 

 ing in with a rush during that period." 



"Under such conditions the plan should 

 work as well in your State as it does here in 

 the North, providing you have favorable 

 weather for colonies building up for six 

 weeks previous to the time the honey hai'- 

 vest commences. ' ' 



"I think there will be no trouble along 

 this line, as I judge our weather is as favor- 

 able in February as is yours in April." 



"This being the case you should succeed 

 as well. But you will need to begin your 

 work in laying the foundation for success as 



early as the first of February, timing your 

 work from then on in about the way I have 

 given for this locality, though you may be 

 able to have the bees become strong in num- 

 bers in less time than we, because I judge 

 you are not subject to as many cold north 

 and northwest winds during your early 

 spring as we are. These cold, searching, 

 blasting winds are the great drawback to a 

 rapid building-up of our colonies here in 

 the central part of New York." 



" I think I shall have no trouble with this 

 part of the matter unless you think of some 

 modifications I should lise, different from 

 what you gave in the plan as you went 

 along. ' ' 



" If I were in your section of country for 

 a year I might see that some change or 

 changes would be necessary; but from this 

 distant standpoint I do not think of any 

 now. You can tell after a little if some im- 

 provement can be made that will be more 

 suitable for your section; and if you think 

 there can, try the matter with a part of your 

 colonies, working the rest as I have given, 

 and the results will tell you whether your 

 supposed improvements are really improve- 

 ments or not. I always feel at liberty to 

 vary a little in using any plan with a part of 

 my colonies where I think a gain can be 

 made by so doing; and after a trial, if a 

 gain has been made, then I stick to this 

 gain. If no gain is the result, then I adhere 

 to the plan as given. And I always advise 

 others to work in the same way, as you may 

 hit on something I or others may not, and 

 thus our pursuit will be advancing instead 

 of standing still. If no one ' branched out ' 

 for improvements the cause of bee-keeping 

 would not be further advanced fifty years 

 from now than it is at this moment." 



"Thank you for the suggestion. I will 

 ' keep an eye out, ' as you suggest. But will 

 your plan woi'k with eight-frame hives?" 



"Yes, it will work with such hives; but 

 the prospect for success is not quite as good 

 with such hives." 



"Why not?" 



' ' For the reason that such hives do not 

 usually contain honey enough in early spring 

 so that the bees feel rich toward large, 

 brood-rearing; and where they do, they do 

 not have a sufficient number of cells in the 

 eight frames, outside of those filled with 

 honey, to give the room for brood that they 

 have in a ten-frame hive. Then, again, 

 after the queen-excluder is put on, so that 

 the honey is in the upper hive, there will be 

 only eight frames below for the queen to 

 keep full of brood; and, sui'ely, these eight 

 frames will not give the bi'ood that ten frames 

 will." 



' ' I think I can see that. ' ' 



"Yes, and the whole success of the plan 

 lies (the same as does all successful honey- 

 production) in having a multitude (a great 

 army if you please) of bees on the stage of 

 action just when your harvest is at its best; 

 and you can not have as large an army of 

 bees from an eight-frame hive as from a ten- 

 frame. So far as I can finil out. those who 



