1488 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CTLTURE 



Nov. 15 



ments, giving their experiences, and all. so 

 far as heard from, said that they were con- 

 vinced it is better not to spray during fruit- 

 Ijloom. We brought out some of this in our 

 address, with manj'' other things, and we 

 were congratulated by many after the meet- 

 ing was over, which showed us we had an 

 interesting subject. 



Mr. E. J. Baxter, of Nauvoo, 111., made a 

 little speech after we had got through, en- 

 dorsing our address in full. Mr. Baxter has 

 a large number of bees, and is considerably 

 interested in the growing of fruit, he also be- 

 ing a life member of this society. Several 

 others spoke and gave their endorsement of 

 what we had to say. We feel as if this will 

 do considerable good to the bee-keeping in- 

 terests everywhere. Our subject appearing 

 in the printed program with our address, we 

 had several requests to send what we had to 

 say for publication. We trust that no one 

 will think us egotistical; but we have made 

 this subject some study for quite a while, 

 but are sure there are many others who could 

 handle the subject much better than we if 

 they would try; yet we feel that we had just 

 the" subject that was of interest, and it came 

 in at just the right time. I would say to 

 others, go and do likewise, thus not only 

 helping yourself in bee-keeping but also, by 

 thus d<Mng, help others. 



Mexico, Mo. 



PAINTING HIVES. 



How to Mix the Paint and Apply it so that 



it Will not Crack and Peel off: the 



Advantage of Three Colors. 



BY WM. LOSSING. 



I see by Gleanings that there is quite a 

 controversy in regard to painting hives dif- 

 ferent colors. I wish to add a little of my 

 experience. I have adopted the red, white, 

 and blue, since 1^80, and am so well pleased 

 with the result that I am painting all my 

 new hives this spring the same colors. It 

 avoids the bees making mistakes and going 

 into the wrong hive. If you remove a white 

 hive, many of the bees will pass the blue one 

 on the one side and the red on the other, and 

 go into a white hive. This shows conchisive- 

 ly that bees mark their location by color as 

 well as by location. I admit that, where a 

 few colonies are kept in one place, there is 

 very little danger of the bees mixing; but 

 where you have long rows of hives in sheds, 

 as we have in Salt River Valley, the three 

 colors will avoid a great deal of confusion 

 and the lives of many bees and some young 

 queens. It cost only a triHe more to use the 

 three colors, and you are more ' than paid by 

 the appearance, if not otherwise. My meth- 

 od of painting hives is as follows: .^ 



First have all hives perfectly dry and clean; 

 prime with yellow ocher and raw linseed oil. 

 Be sure to fill all nail-marks and cracks; let 

 this priming dry, say, 8 or 4 weeks before 



putting on second coat, which should be strict- 

 ly pure white lead and raw linseed oil. Be sure 

 to let this coat dry thoroughly, at least 15 

 or 30 days, when it will in good weather be 

 ready for the third coat; add a little zinc to the 

 lead and use boiled oil, rub out thin. The 

 other two coats should be rubbed out thin al- 

 so. If you follow the above your paint will 

 not peel off in a short time, as lots of bee- 

 hives now do. They will have a nice gloss, 

 and l)e thoroughly cemented to the wood. 

 You can add the coloring as desired. 

 Phffinix. Arizona, Feb. 37. 



[We have a good deal of other proof of the 

 same nature; and I am now beginning to 

 feel that it would be good policy for queen- 

 breeders, at least, to have their hives paint- 

 ed different colors, especially where many 

 of them are located on a plot of ground 

 without distinguishing bushes or|trees. — Eu.] 



CAUCASIANS IN EUROPE. 



A Translation from an Old Russian Bee- 

 book. 



BY E. L. PRATT. 



The bees of the yellow Caucasian race 

 {Apis mellifera Caiicasica aurea) in their 

 size are considerably smaller than the com- 

 mon blacks or northern bees, and they differ 

 from the latter in their color. The first three 

 rings from the breast are of a light golden 

 color; and there is on the breast (thorax) be- 

 tween the wings a little half-ring of the 

 same yellow color. The queens are yellow- 

 banded, with little black marks on the end 

 of their bodies. Some of the drones have 

 vellow bands, and some of them are quite 

 black. 



The Caucasians are the most gentle bees 

 among all known races. The gentle character 

 of the Caucasians, and the ease with which one 

 may work with them, gives the right to rec- 

 ommend them to the new student as well as 

 the bee-keeper of experience. The industry 

 and prolificness of Caucasians stand above 

 the other European bee races. The yellow 

 Caucasian bees carj, be kept with success in 

 southern as well as in northern parts — where 

 they stand well the long severe winters. 



THE GRAY CAUCASIAX HONEY-BEE. 



The gray Caucasian bees (Apis mellifera 

 Caucasica nigra argcntea) dift'er from the 

 yellow ones in their dark coloring. Thej^ 

 much resemble the common (blacks) or north- 

 ern bees: also, like the yellow Caucasian 

 bees, thej^ differ frt)m the northern bee in 

 their smaller size, sharpness of the end of 

 their abdomen, and the quantity of the lireast 

 hairs. The gray Caucasian bees, like the 

 .yellow ones above mentioned, are very gen- 

 tle and industrious, and can well stand cold 

 climates, but are not so much in(;lined to 

 swarm. 



Swarthmore. Pa. 



